A Short but Important Agenda!
In addition to the usual Opening items and Public Comment on Tuesday, there are only two Regular Agenda items. Perhaps it is because of spring break in St. Johns County!
The first item on the agenda is of great interest to those in the Northwest Sector of the county.
RiverTown DRI
At the March 7 Commissioner’s Meeting, the RiverTown PUD modification was approved however the DRI portion was not approved. Commissioner Whitehurst requested an update to the status of completion of Veterans Parkway construction from Longleaf Pine Parkway to County Road 210. This update is to be provided at the March 21 meeting.
Many residents of the Northwest Sector will want to see this update! Of interest in the materials being presented on Tuesday are the Traffic studies completed for this DRI modification.
You can read them at this link: RiverTown DRI
Traffic Studies begin on Page 133 of the document.
The second item on the agenda Tuesday is a presentation on the Evaluation and Appraisal Review for the County’s Comprehensive Plan. As you may be aware, the current Comprehensive Plan is the “2025 Comprehensive Plan” and it is due to be updated soon!
Important upcoming dates are:
- August 2024 – Letter of Determination to Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
- June 2025 – Latest date for transmittal (PZA Hearing)
- July 2025 – Latest date for transmittal (BOCC Hearing
- State requires 60-day review after transmittal
- TBD – Adoption Hearings
What is included in the Comprehensive Plan?
- Capital Improvements
- Future Land Use
- Transportation
- Water and Sewer
- Conservation
- Recreation and Open Space
- Housing
- Coastal Management
- Intergovernmental Coordination
- Private Property Rights
In short, this drives the decisions the Commissioners may make about future development in the county. Residents are frustrated with the large number of waivers extended to developers. Many of these waivers are driven by the dated Comprehensive Plan now in place.
This is the opportunity to set the blueprint for future development in the county. After this presentation on Tuesday, we hope to see scheduled Growth Management Workshops to gather input from residents.
The presentation from Growth Management for Tuesday can be read here: Presentation on Comprehensive Plan Update
I’ll post a summary later next week.
Beth Tate 