Port St. Lucie Civic Center fails to spur development
October 19th, 2009 by Cara Fitzpatrick
Port St. Lucie Civic Center
When the Port St. Lucie Civic Center opened last year, it was lauded as the start of downtown-style development.
Mayor Patricia Christensen called it the “beginning of a new era.”
Since its opening, though, the $25 million facility has had more success as a recreation center than as the economic anchor of a burgeoning “downtown” in a city built without one.
Its surrounding streets, with names such as Progress Lane and Main Street, are flanked by empty fields.
Its rental facilities have been used 180 times. Rental rates were cut in half late last month.
“The whole idea for this was to stimulate the development of a downtown and obviously the economy has had an effect on that,” said Chuck Proulx, the city’s parks and recreation director.
A few months before the civic center opened at Walton Road and U.S. 1, a developer bailed on a 2005 agreement to build a $291 million project, which would have included a movie theater, four restaurants, a hotel, an office building, retail stores and 186 homes. He said the economic crisis left him unable to borrow enough money.
The center’s success has been mostly in its community programs. About 686 programs, such as an outdoor movie night and athletic leagues, have been held since it opened, bringing in about 20,000 participants, Proulx said.
The fitness center, which costs $35 a month for an adult, has about 684 members, he said. The programs aren’t money-makers, though, and that’s reflected in the books.
City officials budgeted about $3 million to run the center in its first year, hoping to bring in half that amount. Instead, the center, open about 10 months, has earned $750,000.
Tags: business, civic center, Economy, Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County
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October 19th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
waste of money, the botanical gardens won’t do well either another waste of money.
October 19th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Maybe because the “money mover” Crosstown Parkway doesn’t go where it was intended to go? OH, that’s right, no money to go over the river, or permits yet!
Let’s call the developer by name, shall we?
DeGuardiola is the developer who “defaulted” on the property and the property is in foreclosure.
Next time, know who you are climbing into bed with. Now, take a good hard look at John Textor. Another MILLION DOLLAR venture that is going to fall on the backs of the citizens.
Hasn’t this city learned that no matter how much money you throw at a problem to “stimulate the economy,” it just doesn’t work like that.
LOOK AT THE PROBLEM, then find the solution. Don’t throw millions at the problem. That only puts our city into billions more of debt.
October 21st, 2009 at 12:46 pm
The Port St Lucie City Council is very good at wasting money if it be taxpayers or others. They are led around by their noses by Don Cooper who has done nothing but put the residents in over a billion dollars in debt and now he quits. With the pending investigtion of the city council allegated bribery charges he isnt sticking around. We all know that his name will be mentioned on numerous occasions. Let him take is ill gotten booty and good riddance take the other 5 elected idiots with you . Oh please turn the lights off when you leave