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St. Augustine commission adopts West City CRA plan amid policing, facade and funding questions
Summary
The commission approved the West City Community Redevelopment Area plan after minor edits requested by the commission; the plan includes business façade grants, mobility measures and language allowing CRA funds to be considered for policing if the agency so chooses.
The St. Augustine City Commission on June 23 adopted the West City Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) plan, clearing the way for a new CRA that city staff, the steering committee and residents said aims to preserve local history while directing investment to West City neighborhoods and commercial corridors.
Jamie D. Perkins, Neighborhood Services and CRA Manager, presented the final plan and told the commission the document incorporated several edits requested by the commission and the Community Redevelopment Agency. Perkins noted the plan’s six-point action list and said staff had added chapter headings, clarified historic-preservation language and moved a mobility recommendation addressing heavy commercial wear and delivery zones into a more prominent mobility section.
“On page 7 of the plan we do address community policing and, with this board's approval we would be able to expend funds, through the West City CRA for additional policing efforts in West City CRA,” Perkins told commissioners during her presentation.
The plan also includes goals for locally oriented business development (including a building façade grant), historic preservation collaborations, mobility and connectivity measures, and potential public–private collaboration language vetted with the city attorney. Perkins said the CRA could be a potential funding source for future improvements to the Middleton House archaeology center, if the agency chooses to allocate funds in the future.
Public speakers included neighborhood residents and West City stakeholders. BJ Kaledi (spelled in the public record) questioned whether CRA funds would be used for policing and whether city-owned property shown on a map would be used for an archeology/community center project, and asked whether those projects were already in the CRA budget. Perkins said no specific CRA budgeted dollars had been committed for the archaeology center; the plan simply identifies the CRA as a potential funding source.
Commissioners praised the steering committee and staff for broad outreach and said the plan reflected community input. Several commissioners emphasized that the Community Redevelopment Agency (the legal entity) would decide how CRA funds are spent and that funding policing through CRA dollars would require an explicit decision by the agency.
After discussion, the commission approved ordinance 2025-07 adopting the West City Community Redevelopment Plan by roll call vote. The commission and staff said next steps include steering-committee implementation planning and potential budget conversations tied to the FY26 budget.
