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S.Hutchinson Island residents oppose $80M detox facility in St. Lucie County

Keona Gardner
Treasure Coast Newspapers
The Atlantic Wellness Center is a proposed $80 million alcohol and drug treatment center proposed for South Hutchinson Island.

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — The county Planning and Zoning Board Thursday postponed issuing a recommendation on whether a luxury alcohol and drug detox facility could be built on South Hutchinson Island until next month.

County planners need more time to review revised plans and write a staff report for The Atlantic Wellness Center, a 222-bed substance-treatment center on 22-acres of oceanfront property south of Frederick Douglass Memorial Park and north of Middle Cove Beach, said Leslie Olson, county Planning and Development Services director. 

The facility's owner, the Index Investment Group of West Palm, have reduced the number of beds for the near $80 million facility from 300, proposed in October, to 222.

The board is scheduled to hear the proposal 6 p.m. August 16.

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The owners of the Atlantic Wellness Center are requesting a zoning change to planned non-residential development from residential, and a height variance for the construction of two, 42-foot tall buildings, which are seven feet taller than what the development code allows for South Hutchinson Island. The other two buildings on the site will be 35 feet.  

The county Board of Adjustment is scheduled to discuss the height variance at a July 25 meeting.

About a dozen residents attended the meeting Thursday, mostly to oppose the project.

"We fell in love with Hutchinson Island because it was quiet, because it was residential," said resident Jim Johnston, who lives in Watersong community about a mile south of the project. "This project would change the character of South Hutchinson Island."

Residents said they were not notified in a timely manner about the project. County ordinance requires staff to send notices to property owners within 500 feet of the project. But the section of State Road A1A where the project is proposed is sparsely developed and residents in condominiums to the north and south were outside the radius and didn't receive notification.

County staff said they will work to notify more residents before next month's meeting.

Atlantic Wellness would be managed by Dr. Scott Segal, a Miami-area board-certified psychiatrist who treats adults and adolescents. Segal has more than 30 years' experience treating pain management, eating disorders, addictions and psychodynamic psychotherapy, according to county records.

“The Atlantic community will be vibrant yet private,” the application states. “Each floor includes a nursing station with 24/7 supervision provided. Two culinary kitchens will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner consistent with what a guest would expect at a high-end, oceanfront resort. Two state-of-the-art spas will be available as well as two, rooftop pools and gardens for the enjoyment and relaxation of the patients."

The facility would provide 216 jobs. Excluding physicians, average yearly salary would be $50,800, according to county records.

The project has received support from community leaders such as, Indian River State College President Edwin Massey, Sheriff Ken Mascara, state Rep. Larry Lee Jr., D- Port St. Lucie, and Economic Development Council president Peter Tesch because it would provide jobs, training for students entering the medical profession and would be a local option for residents seeking treatment for addictions.

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The Atlantic Wellness Center

Location: State Road A1A, south of Frederick Douglass Memorial Park and north of Middle Cove Beach

Size: 22 acres

Number of beds: 222

Number of rooms: 150

Current zoning: Hutchinson Island residential

Requested zoning changes: Rezoning from residential to planned non-residential development; a conditional-use permit to allow a medical facility; and a height variance for 42-foot buildings 

Next steps: Board of Adjustment, 9:30 a.m. July 25 ; Planning and Zoning Board 6 p.m. Aug. 16