Councilman outlines Northeast Review Board proposal as residents press for development limits

Councilman Mike Gay opened a notice meeting to discuss an ordinance to create a Northeast Review Board covering the area “from the north bank of the St. Johns River to the county line, east of Main Street to the county line,” saying the proposal is intended to “get development right” in a part of Jacksonville he described as unique.

The proposal would add a Northeast‑focused panel that, as presented, keeps the existing nine planning‑commission seats and adds five members drawn from the Northeast area to form a segmented second commission for applications in that geography. “This ordinance ... is to establish ... the Northeast Review Board,” Gay said as he outlined the boundaries and the membership idea.

Why it matters: meeting participants and speakers said the Northeast area faces heavy development pressure and contains environmentally sensitive features — including about 15 named islands and Huguenot Park, which the meeting record says attracts roughly 400,000 visitors annually — that speakers say could be damaged by high‑density development. Residents at the meeting emphasized traffic, limited road access, flood and drainage concerns, and compatibility of new housing with existing single‑family neighborhoods.

Planning department overview

Fred James, identified in the meeting as Director of the Planning Department, told the group the city cannot easily “take away entitlements,” meaning that current land…