JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A rezoning request that would allow five row-style houses to be built on a 0.23-acre lot across from the Stockton Street Town Center is headed toward a final vote from the Jacksonville City Council, according to our news partners at the Jacksonville Daily Record.
On June 17, the Council Land Use and Zoning Committee voted 6-0 to recommend approval of Ordinance 2024-0539, introduced in July 2024, which would rezone the property from Planned Unit Development to a new PUD that would allow for the construction of the five two-story homes.
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Documents submitted with the rezoning request show that John Gorrie Investments LLC is behind the project. State records list the managers of the LLC as Dolores Weaver and Wayne Weaver, the former owners of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The plans include no extra parking for the two-story homes that would be built between the Stockton Street Town Center and the John Gorrie Condominiums.
That part of the plan drew criticism during a commission meeting last year.
Zack Burnett, the owner of Bold Bean Coffee Roasters at 869 Stockton St., Suite 1, said the new homes would make it more difficult for customers of the town center businesses to patronize their shops.
“All of the business owners in that strip, we have worked very hard at building this community that really supports us,” he said. “Ensuring the success of these established businesses is going to be much more beneficial for the neighborhood than building these five single-family homes.”
The committee approved an amendment that the developers would work to minimize the effects of the removal of the parking spaces, such as by working on a portion of them at a time and keeping the remainder available.
Committee member Rory Diamond said he understood that parking was limited but urged business owners to consider that the developers could add commercial property that would put far more pressure on the parking supply.