Residents push back on 'missing middle' language in comprehensive-plan amendment, hearing continued

Dozens of residents and neighborhood advocates urged the Land Use and Zoning Committee on March 18 to remove “missing middle” language from the city’s Evaluation and Appraisal Report amendments (EAR ordinance 2025-0090), saying proposed policy text would allow duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes in single-family neighborhoods and otherwise accelerate denser development without adequate safeguards.

Speakers including urban designer Chrissy Bhatt and civic leaders like Herbert Ramsdale and Steve Matchett asked the committee to delete specific policies that they said would encourage by‑right conversion or expansions of density. “I’m going to urge you to please remove the missing middle language,” Chrissy Bhatt said during public comment. Herbert Ramsdale argued proposed policy language would “remove the rights or restrict the privileges of the citizens of Jacksonville” and urged removal of any missing‑middle references from the ordinance.

Opponents highlighted three provisions of concern described in the draft: a new policy encouraging missing‑middle housing types, a policy direction to double multifamily‑zoned land in the city, and language that would create a “presumption of appropriateness” for rezoning that doubles density relative to surrounding development. Several speakers, including Alan Bott, warned those provisions could make denser zoning changes harder to reject and predicted legal challenges if the city later tried to block such projects.

Planning staff told the committee the EAR amendments include multiple, citywide technical and policy changes to the comp plan and that the adoption round must meet state timelines. Staff said some changes are textual and intended to respond to state review; they recommended adoption of the overall EAR transmittal language and noted that the city can still refine detailed implementing zoning and process changes.

After extended public comment and committee discussion, the committee continued the public hearing on 2025-0090 to April 1, 2025, to allow more review and options for amendments. Committee members and some speakers suggested creating a more detailed public process and additional committee review to resolve the contested missing‑middle language before adoption.

What’s next: The committee continued the public hearing to April 1 so the council and planning department can consider edits and additional outreach. The EAR is the city’s formal comp‑plan update process; changes approved in adoption rounds are later transmitted to the state for review.