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 local input while keeping final approval with LUZ and council.

Helena Parolla, chief of community planning for the City of Jacksonville, told council staff and members the planning department continues to recommend denial. "We feel like it unnecessarily replicates the responsibilities of the planning commission, sets an unwanted precedence for more planning commission like bodies to be created in the future, would increase administrative burden and operating costs," she said, adding that the department's principal concern is maintaining "consistent decision making from a single body, charged with reviewing proposed land use changes and zoning changes," specifically the Jacksonville Planning Commission.

Parolla and planning staff outlined expected additional costs tied to the proposed hearing structure: several planning department staff would remain on duty into overtime (she named "at least 3 to 4 planning department representatives" plus a Duval County Public Schools representative, a Navy representative, an Office of General Counsel representative and a court reporter), and she said the department is concerned about quorum logistics and administrative scheduling.

Several council members questioned how the proposal differed from existing neighborhood advisory processes. Council Member Will Lane summarized a common objection: "I don't like how we have different exceptions for different parts of town." Members discussed Certified Planning Advisory Committees (CPACs) as nonbinding recommending bodies and heard that CPACs do not have the same training as planning commissioners. Sponsor Gay said appointees would receive training from the planning department and that the NEDRB members would be expected to have some relevant background.

Public comment split along predictable lines. Austin Nicholas, representing the Northeast Florida Builders Association, urged council to oppose the ordinance, saying the association was "concerned with an opposition to proposed ordinance 2020480851" and warned it "could raise prices, increase uncertainty for businesses, and drive away investment" and that it would create "a new layer of government bureaucracy." By contrast, multiple residents urged approval as a way to give northside neighborhoods more voice. Joe McClure said neighborhoods often "don't pay attention until something is knocking on their front door" and urged council to "support this because the neighborhoods are paying attention;" James Match said the proposal reflected "what community engagement look[s] like" for areas with environmental and access concerns; Charles Barr, a longtime northside resident, said the community feels it has "0 word or 0 voice" and asked council to support the bill.

Council discussion touched repeatedly on representation and alternative fixes. Several members suggested addressing representation on the existing Jacksonville Planning Commission or adjusting meeting times and locations—planning commission bylaws set the commission's meeting time and location, and staff said that could be changed through the commission's bylaws. Staff and council members noted the planning commission's current meeting time had been set at 1 p.m. in recent practice, creating accessibility concerns for working residents; the NEDRB sponsor proposed 5 p.m. hearings to improve community participation. Council members also discussed whether the change would set a precedent if applied citywide and whether an 18-month or 12-month sunset would be more appropriate for a trial.

No formal vote was taken during the notice meeting. The sponsor and several council members urged colleagues to "give it a chance" and said the ordinance would next be considered at the City Council meeting scheduled for the following day.

For reference, planning staff reiterated their recommendation of denial in the department's March 14 addendum report and warned of administrative and fiscal impacts; supporters argued those concerns could be managed and emphasized the perceived lack of northside representation in current processes.

Questions remaining in the record include a citywide acreage accounting for preserved/unbuildable land in the northeast districts (requested but not specified during the meeting), the exact overtime dollar estimate for staff at 5 p.m. hearings (not specified), and final decisions on whether the sunset will be 12 or 18 months (to be decided at the council vote).