ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A newly approved townhome development near International Golf Parkway in St. Johns County will contribute $5 million toward critical road improvements in the rapidly growing area.
The 295-unit townhome project, located near the Buc-ee’s travel center, will help fund improvements to the busy IGP and Interstate 95 intersection, where traffic currently backs up to the I-95 off-ramp during peak hours.
“We still see that St. Johns County is a place that people want to live in,” said county officials, highlighting the continued growth in the region.
Dick D’Souza, assistant director of growth management for St. Johns County, emphasized the immediate impact of the developer’s contribution.
“Instead of it being a project that’s going to take upward of a year plus, it’ll be basically an immediate transfer to the county whenever that developer is ready to transfer that over,” D’Souza said.
The IGP intersection improvement is one of three priority projects the county is submitting to the state for funding consideration. During Tuesday’s legislative priority projects action plan meeting, officials discussed the design costs for the IGP and I-95 intersection improvements.
The county is also seeking $7 million for intersection improvements at State Road 2209 and 210, along with $10 million to widen State Road 16 from IGP to I-95.
County Commissioner Sarah Arnold confirmed during the meeting that the funding “would mostly complete the design and the construction of off-ramp.”
The approved townhome development is situated in what county officials describe as one of the last developable areas in the northeast corridor of St. Johns County. Construction on the new homes could begin within the next six months.
The project represents a significant step in addressing infrastructure needs in the rapidly growing IGP area, combining private development with public infrastructure improvements.