Residents press council on Arlington rezonings and Brentwood morgue; large turnouts oppose several projects

Several land-use rezonings and related items on the agenda prompted sustained public comment and debate at the council meeting, particularly projects in Arlington and on the city's North Side.

Arlington residents and neighborhood associations spoke against a proposed townhome project near Fort Caroline Road (agenda item 20 25 0 0 0 5) and related rezonings. Multiple speakers described the area as a series of single-family neighborhoods and said new, higher-density townhome projects would overwhelm local roads and alter neighborhood character.

At the podium, residents provided site-specific details. Deborah Gelwicks, representing Ashley Green, said the developer bought 11.3 acres and intended to return about 4.3 acres to a church, leaving roughly 7 acres for the proposed units; she and other speakers said the latest plan showed 69 townhomes on that buildable acreage. "We feel that if this goes through the way it is, that is a major leap, loophole where the council needs to address this issue of what is actually being built," Gelwicks said.

Multiple speakers from Southside Estates and other nearby neighborhoods objected to a separate rezoning (2024-0920) that they said was incompatible with existing low-density zoning and the 2045 comprehensive plan. Jeremiah Dernberger said his neighborhood opposed the rezoning because it was inconsistent with the city's comprehensive-plan standards and would increase density beyond surrounding character.

Several councilors declared ex parte communications on those land-use items, disclosing contacts with developers and neighbors; the council chair reminded members that such statements would be filed with Legislative Services. The council proceeded through a series of motions, amendments and votes on land-use matters over the course of the evening; several rezonings were approved with recorded roll-call votes later in the agenda.

On the North Side, residents and community groups again urged the council to reconsider a planned forensic lab and morgue in Brentwood and called for the site to be repurposed for community uses such as a skills center, urgent care or grocery store. Lydia Bell, president of the Metro Gardens Neighborhood Association, distributed a "neighborhood bill of rights" and called the proposed morgue placement "death into the community" and urged that the $62 million appropriated be redirected to community needs.

Public commenters also used the meeting to press the council on a widely publicized proposal from the sheriff's office to build a new detention complex. Speakers and organizations including the Jacksonville Community Action Committee urged the council to open any major jail decision to a public vote and to prioritize housing, mental health and other social services over additional incarceration capacity.

Council action on the specific rezonings followed normal procedures: public hearings were opened and closed, amendments offered, and, where applicable, bills were moved and recorded. Some items were continued for later public hearings as noted on the agenda.

The transcript of the meeting and the Clerk's file will show the full roll-call outcomes for each land-use ordinance; residents and neighborhood advocates said they will continue to press the council through CPACs and follow-up meetings.