Updates from Knight Kiplinger
Master Site Plan for Newfield Phase 1 approved by Martin County Commissioners
Dec. 15, 2020
Martin County’s Board of County Commissioners voted 4-1 today to approve the Master Site Plan for Phase 1 of the innovative Newfield mixed-use community, which will set a new standard for traditional neighborhood design and open-space preservation on the Treasure Coast.
At the same time, it approved the creation of a Community Development District (CDD) encompassing 2,212 of the project’s 3,411 acres, to facilitate funding the infrastructure and amenities that Newfield will need over its estimated 20 years of development.
The 1,199 acres of pristine natural lands not placed in the CDD will be protected forever under two or more county-sponsored PAMPs—”Preserve Area Management Plans”—that are a centerpiece of Newfield.
These lands—added to another 1,100 acres of open space like playing fields, farms and groves, school grounds, recreational parks and small squares and greens within the new town—will bring the combined open space at Newfield to an unprecedented 70% of the total acreage. Open space at Newfield–open to the enjoyment of all county residents, without gates—will be several times the size of the county’s current largest park, Halpatiokee.
The natural areas in the PAMPs will become the Kiplinger Conservancy, crisscrossed by trails for hikers, mountain bikers and horses, skirting beautiful wetlands, pastures and upland hammocks. Agriculture—the biggest legacy industry of Martin County—will live on in more than 100 acres of farms and groves in Newfield. The Conservancy will also include the county’s first relocation space for gopher tortoises threatened by loss of habitat elsewhere in the county.
The BOCC also approved the developer agreement under which Newfield will either contribute impact fees to the county or build public facilities, covering the cost of the county’s providing basic services to Newfield’s new residents in the years to come. This agreement—plus the new CDD, plus the regular county taxes that residents will pay—all assure that “development will pay for itself,” a long tradition in Martin County.
Several commissioners praised the Newfield concept—and especially the amendment to the county’s Comprehensive Plan and form-based zoning code, proposed by Newfield in 2018 and approved by the BOCC—which make this new kind of community possible.
Doug Smith, vice chair of the county commission and a longtime advocate of this kind of town planning, called Newfield “a gift to our community—a world-class opportunity to create someplace special. If Knight Kiplinger had done what he could have done by right (under the existing zoning), it could have gone in a different direction… just another South Florida suburban neighborhood.”
Commissioner Ed Ciampi, whose Palm City district includes Newfield, said the Newfield design “is the most detailed plan ever submitted to the county.” He praised Mr. Kiplinger’s “vision” and said Newfield will be “a legacy of the Kiplinger family.”
The Master Site Plan for Phase 1 encompasses the 139 acres at the midway point of Citrus Boulevard between Boat Ramp Avenue and the C-23 Canal. As it will be the Newfield town center, it will have greater density than later neighborhoods of Newfield radiating outward. It is zoned for 1,251 residential units of varying types, sizes and prices, including single-family detached dwellings, town houses, and condominiums and rental apartments. Mixed with the housing will be space for local retail stores, recreational amenities, restaurants and small offices.
Work on the horizontal infrastructure of Newfield—such as grading, stormwater management features, sewer, water, electricity and telecommunications cables—will likely begin later this winter or early spring. Interior roads and streets will follow, enabling homebuilding to begin by the end of 2021 or early 2022. The total buildout of the community, eventually totaling 4,250 residential units, could take 20 or more years.
Newfield will adjoin, on its east, Martin Enterprise Park, some 300 acres of prime, fully zoned light-industrial, R&D, manufacturing, warehouse and corporate office space, lying in a triangle between the Florida Turnpike, Citrus Boulevard and Boat Ramp Avenue. It is the county’s largest, best-located employment space, ready for expanding local business or attracting new ones.
FAQs about a Community Development District (CDD)
Dec. 11, 2020
Newfield Advances to BOCC Hearings Dec. 8 and Dec. 15
Nov. 30, 2020
Announcing NEWFIELD…the first town at Pineland Prairie
March 3, 2020
Local Planning Agency again grants strong support for Pineland Prairie
July 17, 2018
Leading planning organizations praise Pineland Prairie as setting ‘new bar’ for future projects
June 21, 2018
Pineland Prairie has recently received high praise from leading planning organizations, the Martin County Commission and public commenters. Please click here to read the latest published reviews and access short video vignettes regarding our plans for Pineland Prairie. Read more >>
Amendments to Enable Pineland Prairie Earn Unanimous Approval
March 2, 2018
In its first public governmental review, Pineland Prairie earned a 5-0 vote of approval from the Martin County Local Planning Agency. The proposed land use and text amendments necessary to implement the new compact, mixed-use community – which also received positive comments from the county’s planning staff – will now advance to the Martin County Commissioners for consideration. Read more >>
Pineland Prairie is Profiled in Stuart Magazine
January 12, 2018
My vision for Pineland Prairie is the cover story of this month’s issue of Stuart Magazine. I was gratified to read so many positive citizen comments about our planning concepts and environmental features. It sounds as if many of our fellow Martin County residents think it’s time for this kind of community, which will add a new dimension to the wonderful lifestyle choices that exist in our county today. To read the story, please click on the following link, which will take you to the Stuart Magazine website. Read more >>
The Plan for Pineland Prairie
September 22, 2017
Please click on the title above, or go to the new tab under “The Plan for Pineland Prairie” in the toolbar above. What follows is a description of the preliminary plan for this new community for submission to the Martin County government. Read more >>
The Large Land Area of Pineland Prairie
September 6, 2017
Please click on the title above, or go to the new tab under “A Special Property” in the toolbar above. What follows is some analysis of how big Pineland Prairie is compared with other places you know about Martin County. Read more >>
Population Densities around Martin County
September 6, 2017
Please click on the title above, or go to the tab under “Envisioning its Future” in the toolbar above, to see how communities around our county rank by their population densities. (You might be surprised!) Read more >>
New Towns That I Love
August 18, 2017
Please click on this title (or the new tab under “Envisioning its Future” in the toolbar above) to see photos of some wonderful new communities in the Southeastern United States with characteristics I’d like to emulate at Pineland Prairie. Each in its own way, they’re creating a special “sense of place” that’s missing in conventional suburban development (“sprawl”). Read More >>
What I’m Hearing from the Community
July 1, 2017
Please click on this title (or the tab “Comments from Citizens” in the toolbar above) to read summaries of comments that have been sent to this Web site and that I’ve heard at citizen meetings and individual appointments in recent months. This input is providing me with valuable insights into our county’s needs and how this project might help meet them. Many citizens’ suggestions are now being incorporated into our design of Pineland Prairie. Read More >>