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County OKs 408 new homes By PETER GUINTA St. Johns County commissioners this week unanimously approved a new 39-acre project directly off Old Moultrie Road that is named, not surprisingly, Old Moultrie Road. The board approved 312 units there, then gave a green light for 36 more off County Road 305 and State Road 206, meaning that in one sitting they approved 408 additional houses in a county that has a surplus of an estimated 60,000. However, Commission Chair Ron Sanchez said factors about both projects will benefit the county. For example, Old Moultrie prevents urban sprawl by being "in-fill growth" with "connectivity" to the surrounding commercial, industrial and medical businesses. The property entrance will be located directly across from South Park Boulevard. County officials said that intersection must get a signal light before the first tenant is allowed to move there. "Many times it's difficult to get out onto Moultrie," said Vice Chairman Ken Bryan. Commissioner Phil Mays made the motion to approve. It passed unanimously. DOWNLOAD THE SITE PLAN FOR OLD MOULTRIE ROAD DEVELOPMENT > The other project, Crescent Ranches on S.R. 206, "will pretty much set the standard for that area," Sanchez said. The 36 custom homes will be on one- to four-acre lots with horse trails and 221 acres of wetlands. "It could also open up contiguous development as well," Bryan noted. The sole owner and developer, Fredrick G. Crack, says it will be a private, gated "equestrian community" that "maintain(s) the rural nature of this section of the county." His application to the county says this project has something rarely seen in any development -- a commitment to build bat houses as a green method for insect control. Crescent Ranches will sit one mile east of South Woods Elementary School and one mile west of Pedro Menendez High School and have two access points off S.R. 206. The developer also agreed to contribute his half of the right of way and a drainage retention area in case C.R. 305 is ever extended southward. Sanchez said the developer will sell the lots individually, "which does tend to favor local contractors, and that's good for the county. I want to help local builders as much as I can." He made the motion to approve this project, which passed 3-1 with Bryan dissenting. Crack said his project has taken six years to get to this point because every one of his permit applications to the Army Corps of Engineers, the St. Johns River Water Management District and other authorities was contested by a neighbor. After this approval, he said, it might take 36 months to get the rest of the permits required and six months after that to break ground. He, like Sanchez, expressed an interest in using local contractors and builders. "I want to build really great custom homes," Crack said. DOWNLOAD THE SITE PLAN FOR CRESCENT RANCHES DEVELOPMENT > Hyde Park projects approved The St. Johns County Commission approved two adjacent developments off U.S. 1 South on Tuesday -- one commercial, residential and industrial, the other purely residential -- on 270 acres near the Flagler County line. Both developments will be connected by interior roads and operate under the same name -- Hyde Park. One expensive hurdle the developer must clear before commencing construction is laying out $8.2 million to construct a 7.5-mile-long water line and sewer line from State Road 206 to both sites. That may mean that little will be developed over the next three years or so until the water and sewer lines are installed. Residents along Faver Dykes Road, a narrow lane that runs along the property's southern edge, told the board that building activity, as well as noise and light pollution will frighten away the fox, bear, turkeys and occasional panther who live in the undisturbed forest. And, they added, runoff from the site would ultimately ruin near pristine Pellicer Creek. Local resident Greg McDonald said, "Poor Pellicer Creek." Lifelong Pellicer Creek resident Frankie Pacetti said, "This was definitely the wrong thing to do. It's all about money. (The commission) could care less about the environment or the people here." Her neighbor, Glenda Delany Frawley, who owns 12 acres abutting Faver Dykes Road, said the state once had a chance to buy the property but didn't. "We lost it years ago," Frawley said, shaking her head. The developer presented figures showing that the county will collect $3.3 million in impact fees from Hyde Park, and significant property and sales taxes after its completion. The project's western 90 acres will feature 295,000 square feet of commercial space, 55,000 square feet of office space and 25 single-family homes. The eastern portion of 179 acres may have 37 single-family homes on one-acre lots. Roughly 92 percent, or 165 acres, will stay undeveloped due to the more than 1,000 endangered gopher tortoise that have been counted there. The developer, Edmond R. Saoud of First Coast Ventures LLC, did not attend the hearing but was represented by attorney Doug Burnett of St. Johns Law Group. "We feel strongly that this is a site poised for development," Burnett said. "As the years go by, there will be a demand for this project." In 2006, the same developer presented a plan to build 500 homes across the entire site. That application was withdrawn, Burnett said. This application offers 180 acres of open space, "green" development, treated runoff and .17 acre impact to wetlands. In addition, the project had a reduced footprint of 13 percent, or 89,000 square feet, he said. According to a report from Fishkind & Associates of Orlando, commissioned by the developer to study the economics of the project, "There are a lot of people looking at the area and saying, 'This is where growth will occur over time.' Things change a lot in three years." One bone of contention in the earlier application, rejected by the PZA in July, was the two six-story hotels with a combined 175 rooms on Faver Dykes Road. This was opposed strongly by the residents, so it was moved to the U.S. 1 side of the project, Burnett said. The residents said that there once were seven businesses nearby, but three or four were long gone. Elizabeth Nauright, a Faver Dykes Road resident, said there are empty businesses and homes all across the county. She said, "Why would tourists want to stay 20 miles out of town? We're not near anything, and we like it that way. Where is the need? Why disrupt the environment to build more empty businesses?" DOWNLOAD THE SITE PLAN FOR HYDE PARK DEVELOPMENT > Commission to consider Hyde Park development Two adjacent, connected and related developments off U.S. 1 South and Faver Dykes Road -- one residential, one commercial -- will be considered for approval this morning by the St. Johns County Commission. Both projects together make up what developer Edmond R. Saoud of First Coast Ventures LLC calls Hyde Park. He is asking the county to rezone 179 acres from open rural to planned rural development in order to build 37 single-family homes on one-acre lots. Most of the residential area -- 165 acres, or 92 percent of the parcel -- will remain undeveloped. There is a large gopher tortoise population living on those two properties. One resident estimated it to have 1,000 nests, along with deer, bears, turkeys, bobcats and foxes. The adjacent 90-acre portion is designated as mixed-use, which allows commercial, residential and industrial uses. There the developer wants to put 295,568 square feet of commercial space, 55.149 square feet of office space and 25 single-family homes. This is the second request to rezone this area. The first, in 2006, asked for hundreds of homes. Doug Burnett of St. Johns Law Group, representing First Coast Ventures, said Monday that in July, the county's Planning & Zoning Agency recommended approval for the residential portion but voted 4-3 to recommend denial of the commercial portion. "Since then we've modified the text (of the application) and agreed to put in central water and sewer and (in response to the lack of a nearby fire station) to equip our buildings with fire sprinklers." He would like the county to approve both sites. Residents along Faver Dyke Road had expressed dismay that the developer's plan to use septic tanks in both portions would have threatened to contaminate pristine Pellicer Creek. To get county water to the site, the developer would have to run a 7.5 mile, $8 million pipeline from State Road 206. In addition, through directional signs, less traffic will find itself using narrow Faver Dykes Road. "From our increasing traffic to 83 percent of the road's capacity, we'll increase it only to 50 percent," Burnett said. Planners have also moved two proposed hotels totaling 175 rooms from Faver Dykes to U.S. 1, found ways to control all storm water on their site and decided to build "green," he said. In addition, the company will pay for studies to determine how careful use of reduced light and noise can prevent disturbances to local residents and wildlife. Saoud's company built St. Johns Town Center in Duval County. Burnett said, "We think that what we've done is address all the concerns that were expressed. Our presentation will show how we've addressed them." What, where, when The St. Johns County Commission will meet today at 9 a.m. in the County Auditorium, 500 Sebastian View, off U.S. 1 north of the city. Two public hearings on Hyde Park are items three and four on the agenda.
Sidewalk driving ban appealed RICHARD PRIOR If the sidewalks of Florida are open to joyriders on Segway Personal Transporters, the sidewalks of St. Augustine Beach should be available to a disabled man in a golf cart, the man's attorney argued Wednesday. David Morris Steinheimer, disabled years ago in an automobile accident, needs the golf cart to get around, attorney Tom Cushman said in his appeal of a ruling last summer. She survived a severe brain injury when she was 11 years old. But she remains even more disabled than Steinheimer, Cushman told St. Johns County Circuit Judge J. Michael Traynor on Wednesday. County Court Judge Charles Tinlin last July upheld the constitutionality of the law that bans Steinheimer from driving his cart on the sidewalks. Steinheimer had been given written warnings and citations for the offense. A Florida statute prohibits all but "human-powered" devices from the state's sidewalks, Cushman said. Not even motorized wheelchairs are permitted, he added. However, the Legislature followed up the original statute with another that allows for one type of "motorized" vehicle: the Segway, a two-wheeled, self-balancing electric vehicle with a top speed around 18 to 20 mph. Information about the Segway "would give one the impression it was some type of handicap vehicle," Cushman told the judge. "It's not. "Frankly, I don't see any way a mobility-impaired individual could get aboard one." Steinheimer has a qualifying disability under the Americans with Disability Act, said Cushman. That entitles him to "reasonable accommodation" so he can get around and pursue "normal" life activities, the attorney added. His client has tried and failed to get a driver's license, said Cushman. That keeps him from driving the cart on the roadway. The Sunshine Bus and buses provided by the Council on Aging don't stop near Steinheimer's home. And the closest bus stop is too far for the couple to walk to, Cushman explained. "Because the state allows Segways, we know a reasonable accommodation could be made for Steinheimer's golf cart," he said. His client is a victim of "disparate impact," said Cushman. "If a disabled person is impacted differently than the general population because of the same regulation, it's a constitutional infringement of the Americans with Disabilities Act," he said. "The general population has a right to ride Segways on the sidewalk. The City's reaction is that disabled people can do that, too. "Of course, they can't." Steinheimer and Fugate "essentially have been confined to quarters" since last summer's ruling, said Cushman. "They're totally dependent on her mother for transportation," he said. Arguing for the City of St. Augustine Beach, Amy Marie Vo insisted, "The use of the sidewalk is not a reasonable accommodation offered by the City." The statute should stay in place, and Steinheimer's golf cart should stay off the sidewalks for four reasons, she said: * The sidewalks are primarily intended for pedestrian traffic. * The golf cart takes up nearly the entire width of the sidewalk. * At a top speed of 18 mph, the cart could cause "considerable safety issues" for adults and children. * If the City allowed Steinheimer to drive on the sidewalk, the same accommodation would have to be offered to all others who have a disability and cannot travel. Steinheimer has several alternatives, Vo said. He could drive his cart on the shoulder of the road; he could take public transportation; he could use an electric wheelchair; he could put a governor on the cart that would make the top speed 3 mph. Cushman said no one had brought up the possibility of putting a governor on Steinheimer's golf cart capping it at any reasonable, safe speed so he hadn't raised it with his client. "I can't speak entirely for them, but right now they have nothing," he said. "So a crumb would be better than nothing." |
