Commission approves rezoning for S & F warehouse campus after contentious public hearing; conditions include 75-foot buffers and no hazardous materials

After extended public comment and technical discussion, the Liberty County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a rezoning request by S & F Holdings to rezone about 88.43 acres on South Coastal Highway and Oak Creek Road from agricultural/residential to light industrial for a proposed warehouse and finished-product storage campus.

The proposal drew substantial public opposition at the meeting. Nearby residents described longstanding drainage problems on Oak Creek Road, concerns about groundwater for private wells, noise from truck movements and backing beepers, and the loss of wildlife habitat if timberland is cleared. Speakers urged the county to place any warehouses at an existing industrial park rather than near rural neighborhoods.

S & F's engineer, Marcus Sack of MESAC Engineering, and the applicant's representatives said the warehouses would store nonhazardous finished product (polyacrylamide powder, used in water treatment), that access improvements (a veer lane and left-turn lane on Highway 17) would be provided to mitigate traffic, and that the applicant would supply on-site detention to address stormwater. S & F also agreed to a series of conditions recommended by the county planning commission: maintain at least a 75-foot existing vegetative buffer along Oak Creek Road and South Coastal Highway; no direct access to Oak Creek Road; require a professional traffic study; and conduct an on-site sound study with mitigation committed if the study shows off-site impacts.

Commissioners debated the trade-offs between preserving rural character and allowing industrial development adjacent to other industrial properties nearby (including the Tradeport West holdings and existing industrial parcels across Highway 17). Board members and S & F agreed during the meeting that the company would not store hazardous materials at the site; the board added a condition that any future request to store hazardous materials would require a separate public application and review.

The final motion approved the rezoning with the LCPC-recommended special conditions and additional language prohibiting hazardous materials storage without a new application. The approval was seconded and passed by a show-of-hands vote.

Why it matters: The rezoning clears the way for a sizable industrial campus and reflects ongoing pressure to grow industrial uses along U.S. 17, while signaling the county's attempt to balance neighbors' concerns through buffer and study conditions. Residents said they would continue to monitor downstream drainage and sound issues.