Waterways Commission approves small-scale land-use change for Pickettville Road site; ordinance moves to city council

Ed Lukakovic, a planner with the City of Jacksonville planning department, presented a small-scale land-use amendment application (LSA l5998-24c) for a 15.87-acre site at 5355 Pickettville Road at the Waterways Commission meeting on April 10. The companion adoption ordinance was numbered 2025-0166. Lukakovic said the Planning Commission had approved the application on April 3, and the city council's land use and zoning committee would review it on April 15 ahead of a final city council public hearing on April 22.

Lukovic said the site is currently designated low-density residential and the application proposes changing the future land-use category to light industrial. The parcel contains about 1.57 acres of Category 2 wetlands that buffer 6 Mile Creek; Lukakovic said those wetlands are regulated and that a 100-foot industrial buffer along the creek applies. He described the site as largely undeveloped, with nearby uses including Pickett Elementary School, Westview Cemetery, a closed sanitary landfill to the south, and a mix of residential and industrial parcels in the vicinity.

Lukovic presented maps showing that more than half the site (about 10.4 acres) is within the FEMA 100-year floodplain (AE zone) and most of the property would be subject to coastal high-hazard and adaptation-area considerations. He said any encroachment into wetlands would require mitigation by law.

Michael Sittner, speaking for the property owner, said the owner does not have a specific end user identified but would market the site for light-industrial uses; potential uses mentioned included truck storage or parking, though Sittner said conventional light-industrial uses permitted in the zoning district would be allowed if approved.

Commission members asked about wetland class and mitigation requirements; Lukakovic confirmed the wetlands are Category 2 and subject to mitigation if altered. Commissioners also asked about stormwater controls if the site were paved or used for truck parking; staff said development of impervious surfaces would trigger required stormwater management and detention features.

A motion to approve the adoption ordinance 2025-0166 was made and seconded; the commission took a voice vote. The chair called for ayes and the motion passed. The commission recorded the action as an approval to forward the small-scale amendment and adoption ordinance through the city review process; the final decision is scheduled at the city council public hearing on April 22.

Quotes in this article come from Ed Lukakovic and Michael Sittner as recorded in the meeting transcript.