ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — What would be the largest workforce housing project to date in St. Johns County just cleared a major hurdle Thursday.
The proposed neighborhood, called Osceola Lakes, received the approval from the county's Planning and Zoning Board, even though dozens of people asked the board not to approve it yesterday.
Many people who live near the suggested project say that workforce housing is desperately needed, but Osceola Lakes isn’t the answer.
"This has been my view for 26 years, which as you can see," Nancy Rawson said. "It’s pretty nice." She pointed to her backyard which faces the woods. Those woods are not her property, but she has enjoyed the shade, wildlife, and quiet it provides.
That wooded land extends for one mile from Wildwood Drive to Watson Road. The owner wants to turn it into a workforce housing neighborhood that would include 640 homes on 145 acres. Single-family houses, townhouses, and duplexes are in the plans.
However, many, such as Rawson, believe it's too many homes for the size of the land. "The density is too much."
Dianne Christensen lives in the Coronado neighborhood on Wildwood Drive. She said, "It'll be way too crowded." Among her concerns are "the infrastructure, the water, the traffic, the schools." She said while some area schools are not full now, she is concerned the additional 640 homes would put the schools over-capacity.
The project would create a road that connects then western end of Watson Road to Wildwood Drive.
Many neighbors fear those two two-lane roads would not be able to handle the expected additional traffic.
The Coronado neighborhood owns a ditch with a small creek in it. The ditch has a significant erosion issue the residents are trying to solve. Folks there say the proposed neighborhood’s stormwater would run into their ditch.
Kathy Frederick lives in the Coronado neighborhood. She said, "We will be receiving more (water) at a faster pace" if that neighborhood is built.
The land for the proposed neighborhood is zoned open-rural. The owner of that land wants to rezone it to "workforce housing". The designation allows more homes to be built per acre.
Of the 640 proposed homes, 30% -- or 192 homes -- would have to be priced at the county’s workforce housing cost of $267,000, meaning it could be affordable for an owner with a minimum household annual income of $97,000. The workforce housing unit price could be up to $274,000 if the developer chooses to provide more benefits.
Some people question if that's a price the workforce can afford.
Dozens of neighbors from the affected area sat through the six-hour-long Planning and Zoning Agency meeting Thursday. The Osceola Lakes agenda item lasted for three hours.
The Osceola Lakes Project Leader is Motavina & Company. Greg Matovina is also a board member of the Planning and Zoning Agency, which is legally acceptable. He recused himself from the board for this agenda item. Motavina then explained the project to the board during the developer's presentation.
At the meeting, while most people spoke against the project during the public comment time period, there were two people who spoke in favor of it.
Jim Stockton said, "I think it’s good for our first responders, for our teachers. And I think it’s something this county should support and embrace and encourage other people to do other projects like this in the county."
However, others want the developers to reduce the number of homes and make the home prices more affordable.
As for Rawson, she has known the land behind her home would eventually be developed, but she opposes this plan.
"I actually choked up talking to somebody (about it) this morning. It’s not as much as because it’s in my backyard. It’s because the magnitude of so many people being against it... yet it’s being passed so readily. It’s the bigger picture that really sort of hurts my heart," she said.
The proposed project now goes before the St. Johns County Commission for final approval.