The city of Fernandina Beach’s Planning Advisory Board approved recommending the city take in the site of a proposed luxury RV park to provide water and sewer services in order for the property to be developed into townhomes.
Late last year, the owners applied to the city to annex the property in order to provide water and sewer services for a 17-space luxury RV park. The city declined to do so. Subsequently, the Nassau County Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously not to approve the project, based on traffic safety issues and concerns about installing a septic system. The county’s planning staff, however, recommended approval of the development plan. The local community spoke out in opposition to the RV park, saying that, while the area surrounding the park site is not zoned residential, the area is in fact residential and RVs moving on Ryan Road and in the Pirates Bay neighborhood would be disruptive and, in fact, dangerous. The Nassau County Board of County Commissioners approved the construction, despite that opposition.
However, it appears the owner, Ben Buchanan, has pivoted to build a townhome development on the 1.41-acre property at 2194 Sadler Road. The property is currently in Nassau County, where it is zoned Commercial General and has a Commercial Future Land Use Map assignment. The application filed with the city requests a FLUM assignment and zoning of Mixed Use. Along with those changes, the owners asked for approval of a preliminary plat for a 12-lot townhome development. The PAB approved all the requests.
Board members had questions of the project’s engineer, Asa Gillette, regarding drainage, utilities and trees on the property, which Gillette addressed.
Daphne Forehand, city planner, said the request for Mixed Use zoning allows for the area to transition from the commercial area along Sadler Road to the residential area of Pirates Bay, which surrounds the property. She said Mixed Use also allows for more flexibility in terms of placement of the buildings on the lot, which could preserve more trees.
PAB member Richard Doster questioned building townhomes in the city.
“The question to us is, do we want 12 townhomes in the city?” Doster asked. “The ones that are around … I don’t think add much to the city. They don’t make it any more charming; in fact, they probably make it blander and more ordinary.”
Member Pete Stevenson said providing sewer service is a major factor he considered when considering the application.
“I think this solution provides for a more optimal solution (than septic tanks) for that piece of property,” Stevenson said. “My view is, that piece of property is going to get developed. I don’t want septic tanks. I don’t care if it’s a store, if they have septic tanks, I don’t want it.”
“It strikes me that the city is forever choosing the lesser of two evils,” Doster said. “We have the threat of even higher density, so we are going to pick something that is less bad than that. (The townhomes will) end up looking like the ones right over here and over there, we lose. The city loses. I don’t think it’s a wise decision to say, let’s do more bland, boring buildings that aren’t as bad as other buildings.”
“You are right that it would be the lesser of two evils in some people’s mind, but any development would be evil in some people’s mind,” PAB member Nick Gillette said. Gillette’s firm, Gillette and Associates, designed the engineering plans for the development and recused himself from voting on the agenda items.
Several residents addressed the PAB, opposing the annexation.
“I don’t trust this whole situation, I just don’t,” Jack Imber said. “You are inheriting something the county doesn’t want. Talking about do we need this, why we need this, that’s the most logical thing I’ve heard from a board member in a long time. The sales job is tremendously impressive, but it is a sales job.”
After discussion, the PAB voted 5-1 to approve the annexation, extension of water and sewer services and preliminary plat. Doster cast the dissenting vote.
Forehand said the plat will now to go the city’s Technical Review Committee and then come back to the PAB for final approval before it goes before the City Commission.
jroberts@fbnewsleader.com
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Fernandina Beach Planning Advisory Board members say taking this property into the city to provide water and sewer service will require the developer to adhere to the more stringent laws governing trees and will eliminate the need to install septic tanks. The site was to become a luxury RV park, but the owner has submitted plans to build townhomes on it. Photo by Julia Roberts/News-Leader
