Jacksonville council holds final notice meeting on ordinance to create Northeast Development Review Board

Council Member Mike Gay held a final notice meeting on ordinance 2020480851 on behalf of a proposal to create a Northeast Development Review Board (NEDRB) to hear land-use matters for a defined portion of northeast Jacksonville ahead of a council vote scheduled for the following night.

The ordinance would add a localized review body composed of five community appointees named by the mayor plus four current Jacksonville Planning Commission members, with the commission chair participating; those combined members would convene for NEDRB hearings that would then forward recommendations to the Land Use and Zoning Committee (LUZ) and ultimately to full City Council. Provisions in the draft ordinance set an evening (5 p.m.) start time for the NEDRB meetings and include a trial/sunset period proposed at 18 months by the sponsor, with some council members urging a 12-month trial instead.

Council Member Mike Gay, who described the ordinance as an effort to respond to neighborhood concerns, said the amendment "proposes having 5 members from the community as outlined in the original bill that is appointed by the mayor," and explained the meeting logistics: "the planning commission will gavel out, the 5 members will gavel in with 4 of the existing commission members, with the commission chair, and they'll gavel back in. We're proposing it to be at 05:00 so we can have the community there as well." He framed the change as a way to give northeast neighborhoods more…