Stuart City Commission approves residential, commercial project across from county courthouse

Lina Ruiz, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·2 min read

STUART — The developer of Azul Apartments in downtown plans to build a mixed-use project across the street from the Martin County Courthouse.

The Elizabeth, proposed by New Urban Communities Corp., is to consist of 52 apartments and 5,855 square feet of office and commercial space on the east and west corners of Southeast Ocean Boulevard and Southeast Detroit Avenue, city records show.

The two four-story buildings would have commercial and office space on the first floor and apartments on the second, third and fourth floors, according to site plans. They would be built beside the existing three-story, mixed-use Civitas building at 101 SE Ocean Blvd., across from the courthouse.

Townhomes: Stuart planning board OKs 60-unit townhome community on Southeast Central Parkway

Education: A terrible term, then a teachable moment: Hidden Oaks student publicly apologizes for slur

Developer Tim Hernandez plans to break ground early next year and complete construction within two years, he told TCPalm Monday. There would be 44 one-bedroom, one-bathroom units; and eight two-bedroom, two-bathroom units rented at market rate.

As of June 9, the average rent for one- and two-bedroom apartments in Stuart was $1,942, and $2,316, respectively, according to online marketplace Apartment List.

A rendering shows The Elizabeth slated for downtown Stuart with commercial and office space on the first floor and apartments on the second, third and fourth floors. The City Commission approved the project June 13, 2022.
A rendering shows The Elizabeth slated for downtown Stuart with commercial and office space on the first floor and apartments on the second, third and fourth floors. The City Commission approved the project June 13, 2022.

“I think we’re going to get a lot of the younger demographic.” Hernandez said. “I believe the younger demographic is really good for the downtown … they’ll be spending money year round.”

The 49-unit Azul Apartments community was built on Southwest Joan Jefferson Way in 2019 and sold for $15.5 million in early 2021 to San Diego-based Diversyfund, a real estate investment trust that renovates apartment buildings to increase their value.

The City Commission's final approval Monday, following initial and unanimous approval May 23, passed with limited discussion from commissioners. During the May 23 meeting, Vice Mayor Troy McDonald voiced concern about how density is calculated in the city’s Urban District.

Units smaller than 900 square feet are counted as a half unit, and those smaller than 1,100 square feet are counted as three-quarters of a unit, according to city records.

One-bedroom units in The Elizabeth would range from 657 square feet to 897 square feet, according to Hernandez.

“We just need to be more transparent about that,” McDonald told TCPalm Monday. “But I think it’s a really nice project.”

Lina Ruiz is TCPalm's watchdog reporter for Martin County. You can reach her at lina.ruiz@tcpalm.com, on Twitter @Lina_Ruiz48 or at 321-501-3845

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Stuart City Commission OKs mixed-use project downtown on Ocean Boulevard