Jacksonville council members, residents debate proposed Northeast Development Review Board

Council members and planning staff met at a public notice meeting to discuss an ordinance to create a Northeast Development Review Board (NDRB) covering the area north of the St. Johns River, east of State Road 17/Main Street and extending to the county line, Councilman Mike Gay said at the start of the meeting.

The measure, presented as an adaptation of the existing Downtown Development Review Board, would shift certain planning-review responsibilities for the Northeast from the Planning Commission to a local review board. Proponents at the meeting said the board would give residents and business owners a more accessible forum to shape development. Planning staff and some council members urged caution, citing added administrative cost, potential inconsistency with citywide planning and other intermediary options.

“This will probably be one of several meetings … there’s a very good chance we may not get through all of it today,” Councilman Mike Gay said as he opened the discussion and described the geographic scope and mix of uses in the area, which he called unique for its parks, islands and industrial facilities.

Brett James, director of the Planning and Development Department, said he did not necessarily disagree with the goal of greater community engagement but outlined professional reservations. “Northeast is not the only area of the city where those that live there are discontent with the land development and the change going on,” James said, adding that creating a plan for the area might be a parallel or alternative step. He warned the city would still face entitlements already in place and that landowners can request downzoning or sell development rights in conservation transactions.

Planning staff also raised practical concerns about the proposal. Aaron Amni, chief of current planning, described how community advisory bodies such as CPACs currently provide letters and comments that staff include in planning records and commission packets. He said the North CPAC is the existing forum for monthly community consideration and that many applications sent to CPAC do not result in formal letters because the CPAC does not always take a vote.

“Right now, the only board that we have is the North CPAC, which we do bring applications to once a month,” Amni said. He and other staff members said they fear the NDRB would create additional staff travel time and administrative churn, and that multiple localized review boards across the city could produce inconsistent decisions.

Several council members expressed mixed views. Councilman Matt Carlucci and others suggested organizing neighborhood advocacy groups or producing an area-specific plan and design guidelines—paralleling San Marco’s “San Marco by Design” overlay—before establishing a formal review board. Council members also raised concerns that multiple review boards could undercut consolidation goals and complicate Planning Commission roles.

Public commenters from the Northeast largely supported the proposal as a way to improve local input. Charles Barr, who identified himself as vice chair of the North CPAC, said industrial and commercial sites near residential parcels have produced problematic mixes of uses. “I support that bill, I hope it can pass this,” Barr said.

Resident Risa Grant said she and neighbors are not opposed to growth but want “responsible growth and development” and that many residents feel they have not been heard in previous planning decisions. Charlene Byerrum urged that locally based board members would be better able to “boots on the ground” assess the area. Longtime resident Joe McClure called the proposal a “great opportunity to do what needs to be done in every neighborhood” and emphasized the need for better-staffed planning capacity.

No formal vote occurred at the meeting. Councilman Gay said he expects additional meetings to gather input from council colleagues, planning staff and residents before the ordinance advances.

Provenance: The discussion appears at the beginning of the meeting when Councilman Mike Gay described the ordinance and geographic boundaries; planning staff remarks beginning with Brett James’ presentation and later exchanges with Aaron Amni and Charles Garrison were recorded in the transcript; public comments by Charles Barr, Risa Grant, Charlene Byerrum and Joe McClure appear later in the record.