Feature Story
City purchase keeps property natural, free of homes
Naturally PSL Community Trust to help preserve green spaces and places
The City of Port St. Lucie officially established the Naturally PSL Community Trust, a City-affiliated nonprofit organization dedicated to acquiring, conserving and activating land for public benefit.
On Feb. 20, City Council formally voted to create the Community Trust, which will provide opportunities for preservation through public and private funding to secure land, improve water quality and wildlife habitat and increase access to nature.
Soon after, City officials held an event announcing the formal acquisition of the Rosser Lakes property, nearly 105 acres located between Interstate 95 and Rosser Boulevard that were once slated to become homes but now will be preserved for generations to come. The Parks and Recreation Department will open up this site for public access on March 7, and is applying for grant funds to develop more amenities to support public access while preserving the site’ s natural beauty.
As Port St. Lucie continues to grow, residents have made their priorities clear: neighborhood parks and natural preserves rank as one of the community’ s top priorities. Currently, 72 % of developable land in Port St. Lucie is already built, putting a premium on preserving access to green spaces.
To develop ideas to address this challenge, the City initiated a year-long innovation project engaging more than 1,000 residents with the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University and the Centre for Public Impact. Ideas generated included the land bank, trust and environmental stewardship awards.
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