ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County denied a workforce housing rezoning on Tuesday as the housing remains a need for hospitality workers, first responders, teachers and others who struggle to afford living in the area.
A recent proposal for nearly 60 townhomes on Pacetti Road in the World Golf Village area was denied by the county commission, following a similar rejection of a project on County Road 208 just weeks earlier.
The proposed development included 30% of developments being workforce housing units, priced no more than $275,000, aimed at providing affordable options for local workers.
However, residents expressed concerns about increased traffic and neighborhood compatibility as well as county commissioners.
All five commissioners voted in disapproval.
Before the vote, Christina Evans, chief planner for Matthew’s, spoke on behalf of the applicant and said the project met county needs.
“We are still preserving 28%of the property with those buffers with legislative landscape and trees are not going to be touched, and 43% is those preserved wetlands so almost 60% of the property is not going to be touched,” Evans said.
Mike Roberson, director of growth management for St. Johns County, explained the commissioners’ considerations: “While I think workforce housing is important to them, they also have to look at other issues, such as compatibility, nuisance issues, the safety issues with traffic, is it aligned with the character of the neighborhood?”
Workforce housing zoning is a relatively new initiative in the county, established in October 2020 as a response to growing housing affordability challenges during the COVID-19 era.
Currently, St. Johns County has 339 workforce housing units spread across six neighborhoods.
- Ravenswood 97 WH units
- Stokes Landing 86 WH units
- Volusia Woods 36 WH units
- Cordera 70 WH units
- Cypress Village 17 WH units
- Sebastian Oaks 33 WH units
Aliyah Meyer, economic development coordinator for the local chamber of commerce, advocates for accelerating workforce housing development. She recently visited Pinellas County, which she says has been a leader in meeting the needs of the community.
“Pinellas County has been a leader in affordable and workforce housing development. They have almost 1,600 units developed in the past 10 years dedicated to workforce and affordable housing,” Meyer said.
St. Johns County has recently approved changes in its comprehensive plan to allow developers to build more units per acre. The plan now awaits state approval.
The county also launched an interactive web page with updates on featured projects and ongoing developments.
Click here to visit.
