Agenda for February 2, What You Should Know!
The February 2 St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency (PZA) is scheduled for 1:30 PM in the County Auditorium at 500 San Sebastian View in St. Augustine. If you aren’t able to attend in person, you can watch it live here:
The meeting has an interesting mix of projects for review. Some are more routine, such as the approval for a Manufactured/Mobile home to be used as a residence in an area zoned for RS-3 Residential or a change in set-backs for a yard.
Others are more impactful, and the public may want to be aware of the impacts. This update will focus on the more impactful items.
The first item on the Agenda Thursday is a continuation of an item from November 15. This is the Smith Borrow Pit application, requesting a Special Use Permit to allow a Borrow Pit area within Open Rural Zoning and to allow for a residential dwelling unit on the same property. At the previous hearing there were several concerns raised about the project. The continuance was granted to allow time for neighbors to provide input and for the applicant to present additional evidence in response to the many questions raised by PZA members.
An item of concern to residents is Agenda Items 9 and 10. These items are modifications to the River Town DRI and PUD. The requests include revising the school mitigation requirements, addressing the abandonment of the Eagle nest, the proposed Greenway Map and the Wildlife/Plant Resources Map, adding a date certain for the provision of a library site and a fire station site, clarifying the residential development rights include age restricted units, and reducing the proposed roundabout locations on SR 13.
For those not familiar with RiverTown, it is located along SR 13 North, south of Greenbriar Road, with Longleaf Pine Parkway being located to the east.
The last two items of the day are related to a request from the Northeast Florida Builders Association to modify the County’s Workforce Housing Ordinance. This was originally presented to the Board of County Commissioners on October 18. The original request was to modify density requirements and to adjust the maximum initial sales price of Workforce Housing up to $270,000 (from $240,000) while also reducing the percentage of Workforce Housing units to be constructed from 40% down to 20%. Commissioner Dean proposed a compromise at that meeting to raise the maximum initial sales price to $260,000 and lower the percentage of units to be constructed to 30%.
Concerns have been raised in the community by Affordable Housing advocates and the business community that this change in the ordinance does not address the need for more affordable housing in the county. Of particular concern to business owners is the need for Essential Workforce Housing in the county.
If you can’t attend or watch the PZA meeting, check back here for an update next week.
Beth Tate 