St. Augustine CRA recommends West City redevelopment plan to city commission

The Community Redevelopment Agency of St. Augustine voted unanimously to forward a recommendation to the City Commission to adopt the West City CRA plan, approving Resolution 2025-12 after staff described minor edits and a local planning board endorsement.

Jamie D. Perkins, Neighborhood Services and CRA manager, told the CRA that staff made wording changes requested at the agency's prior meeting and that the changes were reviewed and recommended by the local planning board (PZB). Perkins said the edits were largely reorganizational and did not change the substance of the plan; she singled out revisions to the historic-preservation language and the addition of a historic-preservation reinvestment concept.

Perkins also responded to a public commenter’s concern about the plan's “catalytic public investments” language. "So catalytic basically is capital improvement projects," Perkins said. "It doesn't specify anything, relative to any particular project in any project in particular. It doesn't specify anything about the funds once this plan is adopted. So that catalytic language is very broad for any capital improvement project."

A West City resident, BJ Kolady, asked the agency to remove language she said could allow tax-increment financing (TIF) dollars to pay for a parking garage at U.S. 1 and King Street and urged removing septic tanks in West City instead. "If this means WCCRA TIF tax dollars can be used for garage at US 1 And King Street, please eliminate this wording. Septic tanks in West City should be removed, which will benefit the area more than a garage," Kolady said during public comment.

Commissioner Cynthia Garris moved to recommend adoption of Resolution 2025-12 (the West City CRA plan); another commissioner seconded the motion (the seconder was not named on the record). The motion passed with affirmative votes recorded for the named commissioners on the record: Carl (yes), Adia Garth (yes), John DePrater (yes), Jim Springfield (yes) and Barbara Blonder (yes). The transcript records the motion as: "recommend that we go forward with resolution 20 25, dash 12 for adopting a WCCRA plan."

Perkins said the changes the agency requested at its prior meeting were reflected in the plan's table of contents, in the mobility and community stabilization sections and in Chapter 6 (the six-point strategic action plan), which she indicated begins near page 40 of the plan document. She noted the edits were minimal and primarily relocated language to emphasize historic-preservation identity initiatives and alternatives for preserving historic assets.

With the CRA's recommendation, the West City CRA plan will move to the City Commission for consideration. Perkins and staff did not state a City Commission hearing date in the recorded discussion. The PZB recommendation and Perkins's presentation were the primary staff steps described prior to the CRA vote.

The agency adjourned its portion of the meeting to reconvene for a time-specific City Commission special meeting immediately afterward.