Tag: StJohnsCounty

Posted in St. Johns County

August 17, St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

The St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency (PZA) Meetings are held the first and third Thursday of each month at 1:30 PM in the County Auditorium at 500 San Sebastian View.

Ponte Vedra Club PUD – Change in Date

The agenda for August 17 has changed in a big way! As discussed at the August 3 Planning and Zoning Agency (PZA) meeting, the Ponte Vedra Club PUD had been on the agenda for a time certain of 3:00. There had been anticipation this would be a long meeting because of great public interest in the PUD.

That topic has now been moved to a “date certain” of September 21.

For those interested in this PUD, there are other important meetings associated with this PUD review:

  • Sept 6, 5:00 PM, the Architectural Review Committee Meeting at the Sawgrass Mariott
  • Sept 11, 11:00 AM, the Ponte Vedra Planning and Adjustment Board at the County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine
  • Sept 21, the Planning and Zoning Agency Meeting, most likely 1:30, at the County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine
  • Nov 7 – (unconfirmed) the Board of County Commissioners meeting, 9:00 at the County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine

Here’s what’s happening at this week’s PZA meeting

Item 1, in District 5

Request for a Zoning Variance to Section 6.01.03.E.3 of the Land Development Code to allow for a Front Yard Setback of 5′-10″ in lieu of the 25 foot requirement, and a second Front Yard setback of 7′-10″ in lieu of the 20 foot requirement in the Residential, Single Family (RS-3) zoning district, located at 3020 Third Street.

Item 2, in District 4

Request for a Minor Modification the Ponte Vedra By-The-Sea Estates PSD (ORD. 2000-5) to allow a Rear Yard setback of six (6) feet in lieu of the ten (10) foot requirement to accommodate placement of a swimming pool.

Item 3, in District 2

Elevation Pointe – Request for a Major Modification to the Elevation Pointe at Anderson Park PUD (Ordinance 1996-66, as amended) to increase wetland impacts with a corresponding decrease in preserved wetlands, open space and upland buffers; increase development area; reconfigure commercial outparcels; and decrease approved commercial entitlements from 190,000 SF to 170,000 SF.

“APPLICATION SUMMARY This is a request to modify the Elevation Pointe at Anderson Park PUD in order to accommodate a planned Publix Supermarket within the commercial portion of the development. The use is proposed at the corner of the future realigned CR 208 and SR 16. The applicant is seeking to reconfigure the commercial outparcels to allow for the use, which will result in additional impacts to adjoining wetlands and open space areas due to an increase in the development area. The applicant also proposes to decrease allowed commercial square footage within the PUD from a maximum 190,000 square feet to 170,000 square feet.”

Aerial view of the Elevation Pointe project

Included in the package for Thursday is a summary of comments received from the Public prior to the meeting.

“PHONE CALLS/CORRESPONDENCE Staff has received several phone calls regarding the proposed Major Modification. A majority of the calls were informational in nature with no stated objections. Several residential property owners to the west have called to express concerns about the proposed impacts to the wetlands, and the possibility of exacerbating drainage issues in the area. Several members of the public have also voiced frustration with regard to another Publix supermarket being built along SR 16, which would be the third Publix located along the SR 16 corridor between I-95 and International Golf Parkway. Staff noted to these callers that the County is unable to prohibit specific businesses from occupying designated commercial properties if the proposed use is allowed by right within the development.”

Elevation Pointe Presentation

Item 4, in District 5

Whole 9 Yards. Request to rezone approximately 1.37 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) to Industrial Warehousing (IW), located at 5285 Big Oak Road S. This is property located in the Airport District.

Whole 9 Yards Presentation

Aerial View of The Whole 9 Yards project location

Item 5, in District 2

Deer Run Road PUD. Request to Rezone approximately 25.12 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow up to 26 duplexes for a total of 52 dwelling units, specifically located at 2380 Deer Run Road, 1109 Fazio Road, and 1150 Fazio Road.

This development appears to represent more much needed attainable housing in St. Johns County.

“APPLICATION SUMMARY The Applicant is seeking to rezone approximately 25.12 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow for a maximum of 52 dwelling units consisting of 26 residential duplexes. The applicant asserts that the development will provide multi-family housing options for residents that are employed at the area businesses near the SR 16 and I-95 corridor at a price that they can afford. The applicant points out that the proposed duplexes will provide a more affordable and lower maintenance option as compared to single-family homes without the higher density of multi-family townhomes and apartments.” Deer Run Road Presentation

Aerial view of Deer Run Road project location

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Posted in BOCC

What’s on the August 15 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting?

Posted on by Beth Tate

The upcoming meeting is another light agenda with no Proclamations to be accepted. The introductory part of the meeting should go quickly.

The full agenda can be found at this link: August 15 Board of Commissioners Agenda

There are several items for review that are more routine in nature. I am only highlighting those items that may be of more general interest.

Consent Agenda Items of Note:

Consent Agenda Item 10 is an important step forward in the widening of County Road 210 from Cimarrone Blvd to Greenbriar Road. This item is to accept temporary construction easements to accommodate the project.

Consent Agenda Item 21 has historical significance to St. Johns County. This item is for the relocation of the Canright House to County Park Property.

What is the Canright House? Here’s the description in the Consent Agenda Item.

“The historic Canright House at 5480 Atlantic View, on Anastasia Island, has significant links to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s visit to St. Augustine in May of 1964. This beach cottage attracted international attention in 1964, and a photograph taken there of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pointing to a bullet hole in the window has become one of the iconic images of the civil rights movement. It was the winter home of Dr. Cyril M. and Winifred Canright which they made available to Dr. King when he came to St. Augustine in May 1964 for the mass campaign that led to the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. Staffers stayed there, but Dr. King had not yet spent a night in the house when the local newspaper ran directions to it on the front page, and segregationists attacked it on numerous occasions, shooting up the house, attempting to burn it, and fire bombing it. These events were widely reported around the country, and increased public pressure to do away with racial segregation. On August 16, 2022, the Board of County Commissioners discussed the relocation of the Canright House and upon motion of the Board, gave direction to write a letter in support for two non-profits organizations in their effort to raise money for the relocation of the structure to Joel A. “Bubba” Williams Windswept Acres Park. The house is currently owned by St. Johns County resident David Manaute, who is offering to donate the structure to St. Johns County. The St. Johns County Parks Foundation received a state appropriation for the Foundation to relocate the structure. The Parks and Recreation Department is seeking the Board’s approval to accept and authorize the relocation of the structure, and authorize the County Administrator to negotiate and execute agreements with the Parks Foundation and the home owner for the relocation of the Canright House to Joel A. “Bubba” Williams Windswept Acres Park, 210 Mickler Road, St. Augustine, FL 32080.”

Regular Agenda Items

Regular Agenda Item 1 is the presentation of the St. Johns County Annual Financial Report, presented by Brandon Patty, Clerk of the Court.

Annual Financial Report Presentation

What is most interesting about this item is the timeframe being covered. This report is asking for acceptance of the FY2021 audit results. This was completed in June 2022. Why do we review Financial Reports a year in arrears?

The County’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) requires acceptance from the Board of County Commissioners. The Report is prepared by the Clerk Comptroller’s Office. As a final step, the Board should accept the FY 2021 ACFR as audited by MSL, P.A., the County’s auditing firm. The ACFR and SAS 114 letter is available on the Clerk’s website, which can be accessed from the County’s webpage, at the following link:

St. Johns County Financial Report

Regular Agenda Item 2

Sallie O’Hara will be presenting on behalf of the Hastings Main Street Program. The Florida Main Street Program solicits applications for Florida Main Street Program designations each year. These are intended to improve economic development within the context of historic preservation. The focus of these programs are to

a) create jobs through revitalizing districts attracting new industry and strengthening services and retail job markets

b) save tax dollars through revitalization and strengthening of the area’s tax base, while also protecting existing investments

c) preserve the community’s historic resources for an economically healthy downtown and preservation of the community’s heritage

d) build community pride providing a public space for members from all areas of the community to come together, create new partnerships, and celebrate their downtown.

Hastings is submitting an application and these require the support of local Government through a resolution.

Hastings Main Street Presentation

Regular Agenda Item 4 is a request to modify the Cumberland Industrial Park PUD to add permitted and special uses to Parcels A and B. This is located at 1301 and 1405 County road 210 West. Cumberland Industrial Park PUD

Location of Cumberland Industrial Park

Regular Agenda Item 12 is the First Reading of Proposed Amendments to the St. Johns County Ordinance which prohibits the presence of registered sexual offenders and sexual predators within 300 feet of specified locations designed for children. Agenda Item 12 – Ordinance Presentation

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Posted in PZA

Summary of the August 3 St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

The August 3 Planning and Zoning Agency (PZA) meeting had one lengthy discussion and some interesting conversation about the upcoming August 17 PZA meeting.

The first item on the Agenda was the annual election of the Chair and Vice-Chair. Teresa Bishop, of the Growth Management Department made a request to delay the election of the Chair and Vice-Chair to a future meeting. The rationale for the request was because of a highly controversial item to be heard at the August 17 Planning and Zoning Agency Meeting. After much discussion it was agreed to delay the election of a new Chair and Vice-Chair until after the upcoming review of the Ponte Vedra PUD Modification.

Agenda Item 2, a non-zoning variance for signage in The Shoppes of Tocoi Creek was approved with little debate.

Agenda Item 4 for the Katepally Community Commercial PUD to add a connectivity point and an additional vehicular access point was also approved with little discussion.

The big item of the day was the combined presentation on items 5 – 8, The Landings at Greenbriar and The Landings at St. Johns (Active Adult.)

You can watch the full presentation at this link: August 3 PZA Meeting

I’ve shared screen shots from the presentation throughout the narrative below.

Dr. Hilsenback commented on their package having 946 pages to review. This is an indication of the size and complexity of the proposal.

The 4 items, presented in one presentation were:

  • Agenda Item 5 (370 pages) is “Request for a Small-Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment to change the Future Land Use designation of approximately 31.8 acres of land, located south of Greenbriar Road, approximately one (1) mile west of Longleaf Pine Parkway, from Rural/Silviculture (R/S) to Residential-B (Res-B) with site specific text amendment stating that in locations where the subject property is contiguous to The Landings at St. Johns site, no Development Edges will be required.”
  • Agenda item 6 (87 pages) is “Request to rezone approximately 382 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow for a maximum 588 single family residential dwelling units. This request is a companion application to CPA (SS) 2022-01”
  • Agenda item 7 (340 pages) is “Adoption hearing for a Large-Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment to change the Future Land Use Map designation of approximately 581 acres of land, located south of Greenbriar Road and west of Longleaf Pine Parkway, from Rural/Silviculture (R/S) to Residential-B (Res-B) with a site specific text amendment stating that in locations where the subject property is contiguous to The Landings at Greenbriar site, no Development Edges will be required.”
  • Agenda item 8 (149 pages) is “Request to rezone approximately 581 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) and Residential, Single Family (RS-2) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow for a maximum 761 age-restricted single family homes. This request is a companion application to COMPAMD 2022-06 The Landings at St. Johns.”

Links to each agenda item are here:

Agenda Item 5 – The Landings at Greenbriar

Agenda Item 6 – The Landings at Greenbriar PUD

Agenda Item 7 – The Landings at St. Johns Agenda

Item 8 – The Landings at St. Johns PUD

The Landings at Greenbriar is planned to have 588 single family residential units while the Landings at St. Johns is planned for 761 Age Restricted (55+) single family units.

Aerial view of Site location

To mitigate impacts to roads, the project includes a Proportionate Fair Share agreement that would:

  • Widen a portion of Greenbriar Road to 4-lanes from Greenbriar Road/Longleaf Pine Parkway intersection west approximately .90 mile at an estimated cost of $8,162,869.
  • Widen an additional .5-mile segment of Greenbriar Road extending to approximately 930 feet west of Brambly Vine Drive/Project Entrance intersection for a total of 1.48 miles.
  • Include improvements to the intersection of Greenbriar Road and Longleaf Pine Pkwy.

The representative for the developer shared information about the status of road improvements.

Active and Funded Road Improvement Projects:

  • Longleaf Pine Parkway four-lane
  • CR 210 four-lane from Cimarrone to 210-West
  • Longleaf Pine improved with the Greenbriar Helow Mixed Use Development

A timeline was shared to demonstrate that the first homes will not be closing for new homeowners until 2026 and that much of the road improvement construction will be done before the new traffic is generated.

Also shared was two proposed road improvements that will be of benefit for school traffic and included in the package was a letter of support from Superintendent Forson about the benefit of these improvements;

The School District had previously determined there is no available capacity in the Concurrency Service Area impacted by this development. In the months since that determination the developer had been working with the School District and there is now an agreed Proportionate Fair Share Agreement with the School District.

The Developer shared information about the impacts on schools with these slides:

Public Comment

During Public Comment there were concerns raised that this is NOT compatible with surrounding neighborhoods. This was based on lot sizes and density in existing developments compared to the proposed development. There was frustration expressed with the number of expert witnesses in the room for the developer. A comment was made that the added turn lane for the schools was not helpful and only provided to win “brownie points.”

Concerns were raised about the overcrowding in the schools and the number of temporary classrooms already in place.

During rebuttal from the developer they pointed out the requirement for the expert witnesses for a quasi-judicial application such as this and that is why they have the experts who helped prepare the reports in the room to answer any potential questions.

They addressed concerns about compatibility by sharing the following slide and chart:

Discussion before the vote

After this discussion Dr. Hilsenbeck indicated he had more concerns about compatibility. He also asked about how many approved and platted but unbuilt lots are in the county today.

Ms. Bishop provided these numbers:

  • 142,555 approved lots
  • 83,888 are built
  • 58,267 unbuilt, county wide

Dr. Hilsenbeck went on to share that he felt the traffic would be “crushing” and that this development is premature until the roads and schools can catch up.

Mr. Matovina pointed out that there were other sources of funding for road improvements, not just those indicated for this development. He also shared his view that as road improvements come online, people will change their travel habits and that will alter the traffic patterns.

All four applications were approved 5-1 with Dr. Hilsenbeck being the Nay vote.

The next step is review with the County Commissioners on Sept. 5.

Staff Reports and Final Discussion

During staff reports, Ms. Bishop shared that the School Board is working on finding a replacement for their vacant PZA position.

There was discussion about the upcoming PZA meeting on August 17 where the controversial Ponte Vedra Resorts PUD will be reviewed.

-The hearing is set for a time certain at 3:00 and it is anticipated the meeting may go very long based on the recent community meeting with over 400 people in attendance.

-They are setting a time certain for the Chairman to be allowed to continue the meeting if it is still going at 8:00 PM.

-They could extend the meeting to 10:00 PM.

-If the meeting goes past 6:00, they will schedule a 30 minute dinner break.

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Posted in BOCC, St. Johns County

Summary of the August 1 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

Tuesday’s meeting began with a Proclamation recognizing St. Johns Housing Partnership’s 25 years of service. Bill Lazar and the Housing Partnership have been a vital part of the community for 25 years. Mr. Lazar commented on how far they have come and noted how much is yet to be done.

Public Safety Update

SJSO Director Tara Wildes presented on behalf of the Sheriff’s department reminded everyone about Back to School and the need to adjust your driving habits as school buses and children are back on the roads. She also shared information about the inaugural job fair held at the St. Johns County Jail. They had 8 employers and 100 participants, former inmates, who applied for a total of 200 jobs. This is part of the Sheriff’s program to reduce crime and repeat offenders. Having an education and a good job are ways to decrease criminal behavior in the community. This was so successful they plan to do this at least twice a year.

Chief Bullard shared that Fire Rescue has been doing a better job of collecting on billing for transports. They have been able to collect on 74% of the billing compared to a state average of 51%. For reference, in Fiscal Year 22 they billed for 70,230 transports which brought in $6.8 Million to Fire Rescue. This year, to date, they have collected $3.8 Million.

The Clerk of Court’s Report highlighted and upcoming Passport Saturday, August 12, from 8:30 to 2:30. This is intended to make applying for a passport more convenient for county residents. More info is at this link: Passport Saturday

Consent Agenda

There were 28 items on the Consent Agenda. Commissioner Joseph asked to pull items 15, 23, and 27 from the Consent Agenda and move to the Regular Agenda. Attorney Migut requested that Consent Agenda Item 2 be pulled and moved to August 15.

Regular Agenda Items

Consent Agenda Item 27 was moved to Regular Agenda Item 1A and was heard first. This item was “Allocation of Tourist Development Tax Reserves for Sing Out Loud.” This came out of a request from the Tourism Development Council to transfer $500,000 of Category 1 Reserve Funds to Contractual Services and allocate an additional $500,000 of Category 4 Reserve funds to Special Events to be expended for support of the upcoming September 2023 Sing Out Loud event.

Commissioner Joseph had concerns about the expenditure of these fund for advertising as she felt it was too late in the process to be helpful.

It was explained that the purpose of the Sing Out Loud Festival is to bolster tourism in what is traditionally one of the slowest tourism months of the year. Night of Lights was started with the intent of bolstering tourism during December, which at that time was the slowest month of the year and it is no longer a slow time.

After discussion, the motion to move these funds was approved with a 4-1 vote (nay was Commissioner Joseph.)

Regular Agenda Item 1

This item is for the Mills Place Time Limits Waiver. October 18, 2022, the Board denied a request for Mills Place with a 4/0 vote. The Mills Family is requesting the waiver to the 1 year limitation on refiling. Their plan is to refile with a request to rezone to Workforce Housing and no Comprehensive Plan Amendment and no Planned Unit Development. The attorney pointed out this would be an ideal placement for workforce housing with the proximity of major employers within 12 miles of the property.

There was public comment pushing back against the approval of the waiver. After discussion amongst the Commissioners, this was approved 3-2 (Whitehurst and Joseph Nay votes.)

Agenda Item 5

This is the First Reading of Proposed Amendments to the St. Johns County Ordinance 2009-43, the Prohibited Holiday Activity Ordinance for Sexual Offenders and Sexual Predators.

Proposed changed include definitions for “non-familial children” and “practice” in relation to Holiday activities.

There will be a Second Reading of the Proposed Amendment at a later date.

Agenda Item 6

This is the Second Reading of the Floating Structures Ordinance. Further clarification was provided that Floating Structures are not self-propelled and may create a hazard in the event of an emergency situation. Additionally, it was noted they may leak hazardous materials. The ordinance would be applicable to all waters of St. Johns County. Some exceptions were added at the request of the State of Florida Navigation District in order to allow them to do necessary maintenance work.

Agenda Item 7

Presentation of the Fiscal Year 2024 Recommended Budget and Proposed Millage Rates.

Director Jesse Dunn presented the 2024 Budget proposal. Do check the link below to the Budget Summaries for specific details about what is proposed in next year’s budget. It is easy to navigate to specific areas of interest and you can print out for later reading if you desire.

The proposed budget is just under $1.2 Billion for the year. There will be some carryover items from the 2023 Capital budget that Director Dunn will present in the September budget presentation.

The county did receive $59 Million in appropriates from the State of Florida for specific projects.

  • Critically Eroded Beach Restoration – $25 Million
  • CR 2209 and International Golf Parkway Extension/4-Laning – $15 Million
  • CR 210A and US 1 Interchange – $6 Million
  • State Road A1A Intersection Enhancements – $6 Million
  • Summerhaven Managed Retreat – $5 Million
  • Pine Island and US 1 Intersection Improvements – $2 Million

Taxable values of property in St. Johns County increased by $16.5% resulting in a $43.6 million gain in property taxes for St. Johns County.

Florida’s Save Our Homes provision caps Homesteaded property owners so these properties will see an approximate 3% increase in their tax bills because of the increased property values.

At the last budget presentation, the Commissioners by Consensus asked the office of OMB to provide financial information on four proposed items in the 2024 budget. The items and incremental cost are:

  1. 7% employee inflationary adjustment and some micro adjustments for certain pay grades – $0.65 Million increase to the budget
  2. Addition of 18 firefighter positions — $1.9 Million
  3. Land Acquisition & Management Program (LAMP) $1.5 Million
  4. Reinstate Library Branch Hours to FY 2008 Levels – up to $0.49 Million

All four additions were approved by the Commissioners.

Director Dunn presented information about the TRIM (Truth In Millage) notices that will be mailed out in September. Once mailed, millage rates can go down but not up.

The proposed millage rates are flat to 2023.

The Public Hearing for the new budget will be September 5, at 5:01 PM in the County Auditorium.

Budget Summaries can be found at this link: 2024 Budget Summaries

Background information on the Budget:

“The annual County budget process requires a number of steps, ranging from its preparation through adoption, per Florida Statutes (F.S. 129.03(3) and F.S. 200.065, Truth in Millage requirements). The Truth in Millage (TRIM) process informs taxpayers and the public about the legislative process by which local taxing authorities determine ad valorem (property) taxes. On July 18, 2023, the Board of County Commissioners received the FY 2024 Recommended Budget, balanced with expenditures and adequate reserves within each County fund equal to projected fund revenues. County Administration’s Recommended Budget represents a funding level that can reasonably assure the achievement of St. Johns County’s operational needs while minimizing the tax impact on its citizenry. An electronic version (in pdf format) of the workbook may be found on the County’s website at: http://www.sjcfl.us/OMB. Following the development and presentation of a Recommended Budget, the County is obligated to provide certain information concerning that budget to the Property Appraiser. This information includes 1.) The FY 2023 adopted millage rates; 2.) The FY 2024 proposed millage rates; 3.) The FY 2024 calculated rolled-back rates; and 4.) The date, time, and meeting place of the tentative budget hearing. This information is placed on Department of Revenue DR–420 forms provided to the Property Appraiser. Those forms provide the basis for the “TRIM” notice mailed by the Property Appraiser to property owners in St. Johns County. The BCC will need to approve proposed Millage rates (see the attached sheet) for the County’s TRIM mailing, and approve September 5, 2023, at 5:01 PM in the County Auditorium as the Date, Time, and Place of the first public hearing for the adoption of the FY 2024 Annual Budget. For practical purposes, once the proposed Millage rates are set, they can still be decreased but not increased.”

Agenda Item 8

Regular Agenda 8 was the Employment Agreement for the Interim County Administrator. The contract is for an annual salary of $237,000 for a period of 90 – 120 days until a permanent County Administrator is hired.

Regular Agenda Item 9, formerly Consent Agenda Item 3

Commissioner Joseph requested this item be pulled to the Regular Agenda. This item is an Impact Fee Credit Transfer from the Marshall Creek PUD to Ravenswood Village. Commissioner Joseph was concerned that this is setting a precedent for other impact fee credit transfers.

The applicant explained that the reason for the cross-area transfer was based on drive times from the original Impact Fee area. It was noted the park in Palencia is already constructed so the impact fees are not needed.

The transfer was passed 4-1.

Agenda Item 10, formerly Consent Agenda Item 15, also pulled by Commissioner Joseph was for the LAMP acquisition of 46 acres of land.

Commissioner Joseph’s concerns were that the land in question is a salt marsh and can’t be used by the public. Discussion around the purchase identified that the purchase of the wetlands would allow the County to add to the mitigation banks for future development.

This was approved.

After additional Public Comment, they moved on to Commissioner’s Reports

Commissioner Joseph raised again her 14 Points of Revisions to the Land Development Code and shared that the Land Development Code related to tree preservation has not been updated in 25 years. She also shared information about the Friends of Anastasia State Park and challenged the other Commissioners to join the group.

You can learn more about the Friends of Anastasia State park at this link: Friends of Anastasia State Park

Commissioner Dean shared a request from our Florida Representative Cyndi Stevenson for the County to support the inclusion of the Orangedale to Mickler trail Corridor in the 2024-2028 Florida Greenways and Trails System Plan. The Board agreed to send the letter of support. If you subscribe to Commissioner Dean’s newsletter you will have seen his update on the letter being sent:

“I am eager to share that the Board wrote a letter to the Florida Greenways and Trails Council respectively requesting the inclusion of the Orangedale to Mickler Trail Corridor in the 2024-2028 Florida Greenways and Trails System Plan. This gorgeous proposed trail would begin at the new First Coast Expressway Bridge, proceed east over I-95 to US 1 before aligning with existing trails in Nocatee, and then continue farther east to State Road A1A. This corridor presents a unique opportunity to expand recreational options and multi-modal connectivity by linking the trail network in Clay County to the coastline of St. Johns County and other trail corridors, such as the St. Johns River-to-Sea Loop. I look forward to sharing more with you soon on this exciting natural asset.”

Learn more about the Greenway at this link: Florida Office of Greenways & Trails

Commissioner Alaimo brought forward an item about the ability of the County to make use of SHIP funds to assist with Down Payment assistance. Commissioner Alaimo would like to see the Housing Finance Authority to review and make a recommendation to the County if these funds could be utilized.

The next Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting is August 15.

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Posted in PZA, St. Johns County

August 3, St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

Big Agenda Items include The Landings at St. Johns and The Landings at Greenbriar

Planning and Zoning Agency (PZA) meetings are held the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month at 1:30 PM in the Auditorium at 500 San Sebastian View.

The scheduled PZA meeting has 8 items noted with the last 3 being of particular interest to the Northwest Sector of the County.

Link to the full agenda is here: PZA Agenda

Items of interest are below:

Agenda Item 1 is the annual election of the Chair and Vice-Chair. Will there be a change this year?

Agenda Item 2 is a non-zoning variance for signage in The Shoppes of Tocoi Creek. The monument sign should not be larger than 28 square feet. The applicant is requesting a variance for a 60.7 square foot sign to accommodate the large number of tenants in this shopping center (over 20.)

Details are at this link: Shoppes at Tocoi Creek Signage

Agenda Item 4 is for the Katepally Community Commercial PUD to add a connectivity point and an additional vechicular access point. This will require .58 acres of wetlands to be filled in. The intent of this change is to reduce traffic congestion related to the property.

Details are here: Katepally Community Commercial PUD

Agenda Items 5 – 8 are related to The Landings at Greenbriar and The Landings at St. Johns (Active Adult.)

Agenda Item 5 (370 pages) is The Landings at Greenbriar – “Request for a Small-Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment to change the Future Land Use designation of approximately 31.8 acres of land, located south of Greenbriar Road, approximately one (1) mile west of Longleaf Pine Parkway, from Rural/Silviculture (R/S) to Residential-B (Res-B) with site specific text amendment stating that in locations where the subject property is contiguous to The Landings at St. Johns site, no Development Edges will be required.”

Agenda item 6 (87 pages) is The Landings at Greenbriar – “Request to rezone approximately 382 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow for a maximum 588 single family residential dwelling units. This request is a companion application to CPA (SS) 2022-01”

Agenda item 7 (340 pages) is The Landings at Saint Johns – “Adoption hearing for a Large-Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment to change the Future Land Use Map designation of approximately 581 acres of land, located south of Greenbriar Road and west of Longleaf Pine Parkway, from Rural/Silviculture (R/S) to Residential-B (Res-B) with a site specific text amendment stating that in locations where the subject property is contiguous to The Landings at Greenbriar site, no Development Edges will be required.”

Agenda item 8 (149 pages) is The Landings at Saint Johns – “Request to rezone approximately 581 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) and Residential, Single Family (RS-2) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow for a maximum 761 age-restricted single family homes. This request is a companion application to COMPAMD 2022-06 The Landings at St. Johns.”

Links to each agenda item are included below.

High level description of the project

These two communities have generated a lot of concern and interest in the Northwest sector. This is the Adoption Hearing for this development as it was approved for Transmittal in May of this year.

Location of the project

Residents Concerns

At the hearings for the transmittal, there were many residents who spoke both for and against the project. There were complaints raised by some of the residents opposed to the project that residents speaking in favor had some affiliation to the project, either directly or indirectly. Regardless of their affiliation, they are still residents of the county and are therefore able to share their opinions on the project.

The opposition to the project is largely around increased traffic on the roads, lack of capacity in the schools today, and the further eroding of Rural Silviculture in St. Johns County and thus the continued removal of trees and impact to wildlife.

What’s included

These items will probably be presented in one presentation that we can anticipate will be lengthy. The complete project is an overall “master planned and interconnected” residential community that will be made up of The Landings at Greenbriar and The Landings at St. Johns.

The Landings at Greenbriar is planned to have 588 single family residential units while the Landings at St. Johns is planned for 761 Age Restricted (55+) single family units.

To mitigate impacts to roads, the project includes a Proportionate Fair Share agreement that would:

  • Widen a portion of Greenbriar Road to 4-lanes from Greenbriar Road/Longleaf Pine Parkway intersection west approximately .90 mile at an estimated cost of $8,162,869.
  • Widen an additional .5-mile segment of Greenbriar Road extending to approximately 930 feet west of Brambly Vine Drive/Project Entrance intersection for a total of 1.48 miles.
  • Include improvements to the intersection of Greenbriar Road and Longleaf Pine Pkwy.
Proposed road improvements

The School District has determined there is no available capacity in the Concurrency Service Area impacted by this development. The applicant has stated they are aware they will need to begin the proportionate fair share mitigation process or wait until there is available capacity.

In the staff review they noted that this region of the county has had “notable impacts” to school capacity and has deficient roadway segments.

The applicant has proposed traffic mitigation that they believe will provide a public benefit. This includes:

• Widen a one (1) mile segment of Greenbriar Road from two (2) lanes to four (4) lanes from just east of its intersection with Longleaf Pine Parkway to the west, including the widening of the Greenbriar Road/Longleaf Pine Parkway intersection to accommodate the four-lane reconfiguration of Greenbriar Road.

• Widen an additional one-half mile section of Greenbriar Road from the terminus of the Landings at Greenbriar project improvements (outlined above) just west of the project entrance.

• Turn lane improvements to Greenbriar Road at the entrances to Switzerland Point Middle School and Hickory Creek Elementary School, which the applicant attests will relieve traffic congestion on Greenbriar Road when school is starting and ending.

• Turn lane improvements to Longleaf Pine Parkway at the entrance to Bartram Trail High School, which the applicant attests will relieve traffic congestion on Longleaf Pine Parkway when school is starting.

Additionally, they note these benefits:

• Providing a provision of funds for the construction of roadway improvements to Greenbriar Road, Longleaf Pine Parkway, or other regional roads that are currently in need of widening.

• Provision of much-needed housing in an area that is surrounded by existing residential communities, schools, parks and other public facilities that are already available to serve project residents.

• The age restricted community will have no impact on school capacity and yet contribute ad valorem tax revenue to the St. Johns County School District.

There is a lot to digest and a lot of background reading necessary to understand the full proposals. For more of the details, check the links below.

Links to each submission are here:

Agenda Item 5 – The Landings at Greenbriar Plan Amendment

Agenda Item 6 – The Landings at Greenbriar PUD

Agenda Item 7 – The Landings at St. Johns Plan Amendment

Agenda Item 8 – The Landings at St. Johns PUD

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