The September 21 Planning and Zoning Agency (PZA) meeting in St. Johns County has only 3 items on the agenda but may be a very long day.
The meeting on the 21st will be held at a special time, 11:00 AM, in the County Auditorium at 500 San Sebastian View.
The first item on the agenda, the Ponte Vedra Resort PUD, could be a very long discussion item. Accordingly, the agenda includes a time certain to hear items 2 and 3 on the agenda at 1:30. PZA members have been advised at previous meeting that this could be a long day because of the Ponte Vedra Resort PUD. It is anticipated there will be high attendance at this meeting. Earlier meetings have had as many as 600 people show up for this application review.
Staff has shared at the last PZA meeting that if the Ponte Vedra Resort PUD discussion is not finished at 1:30, they will continue that discussion after the 1:30 time certain items are heard.
Full Agenda is here: September 21 PZA Agenda
The first item to be heard at 1:30 is a relatively minor zoning variance for a front yard setback to accommodate a room addition to a home in District 5. These usually go fairly quickly.
Agenda Item 3, to be heard in the 1:30 session, is one of importance to residents of the Rock Springs Farms community in District 3.
“Request for a Major Modification to the Rock Springs Farms PUD (Ordinance No. 2017-49, as amended) to clarify the project is limited to 182 single family dwelling units and remove the obligation of the Rock Springs Farms Homeowners Association (HOA) to fund the maintenance of the dedicated public park.”
There have been several discussions regarding this change since residents began coming to the Board of County Commissioners Meeting with their concerns that their HOA was responsible for maintaining a public park owned by the County.
APPLICATION SUMMARY
“The Rock Springs Farms HOA recently became aware the HOA was responsible for the maintenance of the approximate eight-acre County-owned public park located in the eastern portion of community, adjacent to US 1. HOA representatives informed the County they were not aware of this provision and did not have the funds to maintain the park; therefore, they have requested the County take over the maintenance of the public park. This proposed PUD Major Modification will remove the obligation for the HOA to fund and maintain the County-owned park. Further, the applicant is clarifying the Rock Springs Farms PUD consists of 182 dwelling units, as was approved by SMADJ 2019-06, and removes the density bonus provision. There are no other changes to the Master Development Plan (MDP) Text and no changes to the MDP Map.”
Details are here: Rock Springs Farms PUD modification
The main feature of the day is Agenda Item 1, PUD 2023-02 Ponte Vedra Resort.
Background information – the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club has filed a request as follows:
“Request to rezone approximately 91 acres of land from Open Rural (OR), Single Family Residential District (R-1-B), Single Family Residential District (R-1-C), Multiple Family Residential District (R-2), Commercial District (R-3), and Recreational
District (R-4) to Planned Unit Development (PUD), to allow the redevelopment of resort lodging, restaurant, recreational, commercial, and office facilities within the the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club and the Lodge Property.”
Link to the full presentation is here: Ponte Vedra Inn and Club PUD application
There has been quite a bit of debate and controversy surrounding this request. There are 31 waivers requested in this application. That appears to be a groundbreaking number of waivers for one PUD.
On September 6, the Architectural Review Committee met and, in a 4 hour meeting, approved the architectural style but chose not to vote on the requested PUD application. These is an advisory meeting only with the results to be taking into consideration with the Board of County Commissioner’s vote later this year.
On September 11, the Ponte Vedra Zoning and Architectural Board met and after a 12 hour meeting, in a split vote, denied the project. While 29 of the waivers were approved, the 2 denied had to do with height waivers. Several of the approved waivers were modified by the applicant during the discussion, in order to get the approval. The Ponte Vedra Recorder published a report on the meeting here: Ponte Vedra Recorder coverage
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Beth Tate 