Development Roundup: What Passed, What Failed at Last Week’s St. Johns County Meeting

The St. Johns County Commission on Nov. 3 denied two development requests, including a contested Inman Road flex-industrial proposal, while approving a church-related commercial rezoning, a Bartram Park housing project and other development actions.

The most closely watched decision involved a proposed 250,000-square-foot flex-industrial and warehouse business park on Inman Road near State Road 16. The county previously approved a 125,000-square-foot Amazon last-mile distribution facility consisting of six smaller buildings, but construction never commenced and the approval expired.

Commissioners were skeptical of the proposal to double the square footage of the project. The applicant sough to assuage their concerns by adding a prohibition on distribution centers and dozens of other uses, arguing the new project would generate less daily traffic than the former Amazon plan.

Developer Michael McNaughton encouraged the board to consider the job creation and property tax revenue the project might bring.

"We have county staff on the county payroll traveling overseas to bring investment — well here it is. Here's the job creation, here's the tax growth," said McNaughton. "This what you've asked for, this is what the county needs, and this is what we are bringing you."

McNaughton argued commissioners were "intentionally suppressing the future needs of this county" and putting the seller of the property through "hell."

But residents and members of the nearby Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 113 raised concerns about traffic on State Road 16, which they said is already congested. Commissioner Krista Joseph, who moved to deny the application, pointed to the anticipated workforce and customers.

“When you mention 400 workers or 600 workers, they are coming and going working as well as people who will visit that place on top of that.”

The board denied the proposal 4-1. Retiring Commissioner Sarah Arnold, who was serving in her last meeting on the board, cast the lone vote in favor of the project.

The board also unanimously denied an agricultural-enclave certification request for the 70.83-acre Star IV property west of State Road 16, between the Grand Oaks and Windward Ranch developments. The applicant argued that updates to the county staff report came after a state-law deadline, but commissioners found the property did not meet the requirements for certification.

The denial brings the scorecard for agricultural enclaves in St. Johns County to three approvals and four denials. Six other applications have been withdrawn or resubmitted and three are still pending; St. Johns County has received far more agricultural enclave applications than any other county in Florida since SB 686 took effect July 1.

Approved Projects

Commissioners unanimously green-lit a commercial component of Fruit Cove Baptist Church’s planned campus near County Road 16A and Silverleaf Parkway. The action rezoned about 9.16 acres from Open Rural to Commercial General. The church owns about 29 acres in the area and said future commercial uses could provide community services while helping support a future church campus.

Nearby residents raised concerns about traffic, access and the lack of turn lanes along County Road 16A. County staff said a site-access analysis will be required once specific uses are proposed, and turn lanes could be required based on traffic volumes. The church’s pastor, Heath Woolman, said, “Our desire is to be a blessing not a burden to our community.”

The board also unanimously approved three related actions for Bartram Grove, a 42-acre property south of Race Track Road. The approvals incorporate the site into the larger Bartram Park development, change its future land use from Intensive Commercial to Mixed Use, and allow 90 townhomes, 90 single-family homes and up to 50,000 square feet of commercial space.

The applicant said the change eliminates 411 vested external trips associated with a previously approved indoor recreation and special-events project. About 33% of the Bartram Grove site will remain wetlands.

In other development-related business, commissioners approved a modification to the Shoppes at Mill Creek Forest PUD. It converts 120,000 square feet of office entitlement into 41,500 square feet of commercial-retail space, while reducing the project’s overall approved square footage.

Separately, the commission enacted a one-year moratorium on applications for medium- and large-scale data centers, which becomes effective Nov. 15.