Southern Grove Summary and Fact Sheet Southern Grove Fact Sheet
SOUTHERN GROVE
FACT SHEET
What and where is Southern Grove?
Southern Grove is a 3,605-acre Development of Regional Impact (DRI) south of Tradition
Parkway. It is a part of an 8,200-acre region known to the public and marketed as “Tradition.”
The Southern Grove section is the land to the east and west of Village Parkway, south of
Tradition Parkway and north of the Martin County line by Becker Road. This land is
approved for a mix of uses, including research and development, industrial, commercial
and residential units.
Southern Grove includes the Tradition Center for Innovation, which includes Tradition
Medical Center, Keiser University, the Florida Center for Biosciences and the Torrey Pines
Institute for Molecular Studies. Southern Grove also includes the developing Tradition
Center for Commerce, which will be anchored by a new 400,000 sq. ft. manufacturing
facility for City Electric Supply.
With high visibility and easy north-south access to Interstate 95, this land in Southern
Grove – which is shovel-ready and entitled for commercial and industrial uses -- has
long been envisioned as Port St. Lucie’s future jobs corridor and an integral part of the
City’s long-term economic prosperity.
In fact, as far back as 2004, these 1,321 acres of the jobs corridor were designated as an
“employment center” in a report by the Urban Land Institute which analyzed the best
uses for the land in this area. Because of the way Port St. Lucie was platted by its original
developer, General Development Corp., there are no other similar vacant, large commercial
and industrial parcels in Port St. Lucie – and all of South Florida -- that could be developed
into this jobs corridor with the potential to create more than 22,500 jobs including retail,
office, hotel, warehousing, hospital and research and development.
Who currently owns the undeveloped parcels in Southern Grove?
In early 2000’s, developer Core Communities, LLC. owned the land and proposed the
original Tradition “Development of Regional Impact.” In 2010, during the height of the real
estate downturn, Core defaulted on its obligation to Tradition Land Co.’s affiliate. Through a
consensual foreclosure process Tradition Land Co. became the owner of Southern Grove
by necessity, not by choice. Tradition Land Co. and its affiliates did not intend to be principals
or take on the role of master developer when the original loans were made.
Why does Tradition Land Co. now want to liquidate its interests in Port St. Lucie?
Tradition Land Co. is not a developer, marketer or community builder and has determined
that it is the appropriate time to transition Southern Grove to owners/developers (such
as Mattamy Homes) with the expertise and focus to maximize future development
opportunities.