Port St. Lucie Scrambles for Parking Fix Ahead of Grove Entertainment District
City eyes 62 new spaces at Bridge Plaza, shuttle options as residents warn of gridlock near Port District
WHAT HAPPENED: Port St. Lucie residents are pressing the city over parking and traffic congestion at the Port District as it prepares to open The Grove, a riverfront entertainment district with five dining venues, by 2027.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Port District currently has 365 parking spaces. The Grove will draw significant new traffic to an area where residents say parking is already inadequate and rush-hour backups on Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Westmoreland Boulevard already stretch to several minutes. The city is acquiring land at Bridge Plaza for 62 additional spaces and exploring overflow parking with transportation options from Veterans Park at Rivergate and Tom Hooper Park.
WHO IS AFFECTED: Residents and commuters who use Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Westmoreland Boulevard daily, families visiting the Port District playground and Botanical Gardens, and future patrons of The Grove's five restaurants.
"I bring my grandkids here to the playground, and sometimes I must circle the parking lot several times because there's no parking," resident Lourdes Gonzales said. "I can just imagine when those restaurants go up, where's everyone going to park?"
Resident George DiLeonardo said he welcomes the development but has reservations. "I'm majorly concerned about the traffic around here, and it's getting very crowded," DiLeonardo said.
City spokesperson Scott Samples said officials are also looking at adding parking along Westmoreland Boulevard. On traffic, Samples said the city will evaluate volumes and "what can be done to accommodate any sort of efficiencies or better traffic flow."
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW: The city has not released a total parking target for The Grove, a timeline for completing the Bridge Plaza acquisition, or details on what transportation options from the overflow parks would look like.
WHAT TO WATCH: City decisions on the Bridge Plaza land acquisition and any traffic study results for Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Westmoreland Boulevard ahead of The Grove's 2027 opening.
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