Downtown Port St. Lucie doesn’t exist yet, but it may with a long-awaited mixed-use urban district now taking shape along the US-1 corridor, anchored by Walton & One. After decades of purely suburban growth, the city is building its first true downtown area. The plan centers on a 46-acre site near MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center incorporating a professional soccer stadium, hotels, restaurants, apartments, retail, and public park space.
Port St. Lucie is the sixth-largest city in Florida. However, until recently, it had no traditional downtown. That is now changing. The Walton & One project, formerly called City Center, represents the most significant urban development in the city’s history.
Why Port St. Lucie Has No Traditional Downtown
Port St. Lucie was established in the 1960s as a planned residential community. The General Development Corp built it around home sales and suburban neighborhoods, not a commercial center. As a result, the city grew outward instead of upward. This layout left no central urban core.
In the 1980s, the city tried to create a downtown-like shopping area. The Village Green Shopping Center was built near US-1 and Walton Road. It included a movie theater, retail stores, a restaurant, and an ice cream shop. However, the center struggled and most of it was demolished in 2006.
Since then, most Port St. Lucie growth has occurred west of I-95. Communities such as Tradition and Southern Grove have added residents, jobs, and retail. City Center was a development that aimed to bring a Downtown Port St. Lucie to the region. The eastern side of the city, close to US-1, has traditionally lacked a central gathering place. Walton & One aims to change that.
What Is Walton & One in Port St. Lucie?
Walton & One is the official name for Port St. Lucie’s downtown district that was most recently reviewed. It sits within the Walton Road Community Redevelopment Area (CRA). The project was formerly known as City Center. The city rebranded and redesigned it around a professional soccer stadium and a walkable mixed-use neighborhood.
🏷️ Former Name: City Center
🏙️ Current Name: Walton & One (Walton Road CRA)
📍Location: US-1 corridor, near MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center, Port St. Lucie, FL
📐 Total Acreage: Approximately 46 acres
⚽ Anchor Feature: Professional USL League One soccer stadium (6,000 seats)
🏨 Additional Uses: Hotels, restaurants, retail, multifamily housing, public parks
💰 Funding Structure: $27.5 million tax increment reimbursement from the CRA — no general fund dollars used
🔨 Developer Role: Private developer handles construction and performance bonding
The CRA structure means new tax revenue from rising property values in the district is reinvested back into that specific area. General city budget funds are not used for this project.
Port St. Lucie Soccer Stadium
Port St. Lucie will be home to a professional USL League One soccer team. The Port St. Lucie soccer stadium is the anchor project driving the broader Walton & One redevelopment. It is the most concrete and immediate piece of the downtown plan.
📍Location: Walton Road CRA / Walton & One district, Port St. Lucie, FL
🏟️ Capacity: 6,000 seats
⚽ League: USL League One (professional soccer)
📆 Season: March through October
🗓️ Public Event Days: 24 days per year negotiated for city use
💰 Taxpayer Funds: None from the general fund
💵 Funding Source: CRA tax increment financing ($27.5 million reimbursement)
🔨 Construction: Private project developer, with performance bonding
The stadium will be used year-round, not just during soccer season. Festivals, concerts, and community programming are all planned for the off-season months. The city negotiated 24 public usage days per year as part of the stadium agreement.
The stadium acts as a catalyst. It is intended to attract hotels, restaurants, and retail development around it. Moreover, the surrounding area will be designed as a walkable district rather than a car-dependent strip.
Hotels and Restaurants Coming to Walton & One
The stadium alone is not the full vision. A request for proposals (RFP) is expected for one or two destination hotels in the Walton & One area. These are planned as multi-story buildings, with hotels on upper floors and restaurants or retail on the ground level.
🏨 Planned Hotels: One or two destination hotels (RFP pending)
🏗️ Building Design: Multi-story — hotels above, restaurants or retail below
🍽️ Dining Concept: Ground-level restaurants integrated into hotel buildings
🚶District Goal: Walkable, active, year-round destination
The walkable design is central to the plan. Rather than a traditional suburban layout with parking lots in front, the concept places buildings close to the street. Restaurants and shops would line the pedestrian pathways connecting to the stadium, parks, and parking garages.
Because the soccer season runs from March through October, off-season programming matters. Therefore, the city intends for the hotel and restaurant components to operate year-round, not just on game days.
Workforce Housing at Walton & One
Multifamily housing is part of the next development phase at Walton & One. The city is specifically prioritizing workforce housing. This means units designed for teachers, first responders, and skilled tradespeople — not just luxury renters.
🏠 Housing Type: Multifamily residential (next development phase)
👷 Target Residents: Teachers, first responders, skilled trades workers
🎯 Housing Goal: Attainable workforce housing at accessible price points
🔢 Total Planned Units (overall CRA): Approximately 1,900 residential units
The 46-acre CRA project envisions approximately 1,900 residential units overall. Furthermore, those units are complemented by retail and office space integrated into the plan. The goal is to create a neighborhood where people live, work, and play without needing a car for every trip.
Parking garages are also planned to accommodate event day traffic and residents. Traffic patterns — especially during winter months when snowbird visitors increase the population — were discussed as part of the planning process.
MIDFLORIDA Event Center as the Anchor
The MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center is a 100,000-square-foot community building already located on the future Walton & One site. For nearly 15 years, it sat surrounded by vacant land. Now it will become the civic center of a new downtown district
📐 Building Size: 100,000 square feet
🎭 Facilities: Meeting spaces, fitness center, art gallery, outdoor stage, interactive fountain
🏛️ Role in New Plan: Civic and cultural anchor of the Walton & One district
The Event Center has hosted many community gatherings over the years. Going forward, it will be surrounded by the new stadium, hotels, housing, and pedestrian-friendly open space. It connects to a public parking garage and trails already in the development plan.
What Will Downtown Port St. Lucie Provide for Residents?
A true downtown offers more than shops and restaurants. Downtowns serve as economic, social, and cultural cores for cities. Port St. Lucie has long operated without one. Here is what Walton & One is expected to provide once fully built.
💼 Economic benefits: Downtowns concentrate businesses and commercial activity. They create jobs and attract private investment. As a result, property values in surrounding neighborhoods often rise.
🎨 Cultural life: Theaters, art spaces, entertainment venues, and public gathering areas draw both residents and tourists. These uses build community identity in ways that suburban retail strips typically cannot.
🚶Walkability and livability: The Walton & One design emphasizes pedestrian-friendly streets and public open space. Mixed-use buildings place housing above retail and restaurants, creating built-in foot traffic.
🤝 Community connection: A downtown gives residents a reason to gather. Farmers’ markets, concerts, sporting events, and festivals in a central location strengthen the social fabric of the city.
FAQs: Downtown Port St. Lucie
What is Walton & One in Port St. Lucie?
Walton & One is Port St. Lucie’s new downtown district, located in the Walton Road Community Redevelopment Area near US-1. Formerly called City Center, it now centers on a professional soccer stadium, hotels, restaurants, workforce housing, and public parks across approximately 46 acres.
Why does Port St. Lucie not have a traditional downtown?
Port St. Lucie was built in the 1960s as a planned residential suburb focused on home sales, not commercial development. A mall-style shopping center near US-1 and Walton Road was tried in the 1980s but failed and was mostly demolished in 2006.
Where is the Walton & One district located?
Walton & One is along the US-1 corridor in Port St. Lucie, near the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center, in the Walton Road CRA. It is on the eastern side of the city, designed to serve residents in that area.
Is Tradition in Port St. Lucie the same as downtown?
No. Tradition is a separate planned community within Port St. Lucie with its own town square. Tradition and Walton & One are distinct projects in different parts of the city.
