Developers present 1.62-acre Fernandina Beach self-storage plan at Nassau County pre-application meeting

Tim Davidson, chair of the Nassau County Development Review Committee, opened a pre-application discussion Tuesday about a proposed self-storage facility in unincorporated Nassau County near Fernandina Beach.

The applicant, Cody Smith of HAF, told the committee the site is about 1.62 acres, currently cleared, and that the proposal calls for ground-level parking and three stories of storage above, with an office at the front and dumpsters near the entrance. "We spoke with the city of Fernandina Beach and they were open to serving the site," Smith said, adding the city indicated it would not require annexation to provide water and sewer extensions.

County planning staff said the property is zoned Commercial Intensive (CI) and described several development limits that will apply at full submittal. "In section 28.2, the maximum length of any self storage building is limited to 250 feet," Elizabeth Beck of the planning department said. Staff also noted the site’s maximum impervious surface ratio is 67 percent, maximum floor area ratio is 40 percent, maximum lot coverage by buildings is 70 percent and a minimum landscaped area equal to at least 10 percent of the lot will be required. The site falls on Amelia Island, so the island tree and the county’s sign ordinances apply.

County engineering and transportation staff said stormwater design must meet Nassau County Article 10 and the rules of the St. Johns River Water Management District, and that vehicle-use areas must be paved per the Roadway and Drainage Standards (Ordinance 99-17). Caleb Hurst of Development Services said a 6-foot sidewalk connection into the site will be required under the comprehensive plan (T-4.04) and that a traffic-impact analysis may be required under BOCC Resolution 2019-174; staff will first hold a conference call with the applicant’s traffic engineer to determine the appropriate level of analysis.

Fire staff raised concerns about emergency access and water supply. Amanda Bowen of the Fire Department said the apparent one-way in/one-way out layout would be problematic for apparatus and that the county requires either a hammerhead, cul-de-sac, Y or T turnaround or a secondary access if any dead-end access exceeds 50 feet. Bowen said hydrants will likely be required on-site given the distances to existing hydrants and reiterated that buildings must be sprinklered and that site gates would need Knox access controls.

Applicants and staff also discussed buffering and setbacks along State Road 200 and whether the parcel’s historic survey references to older rights-of-way would affect development; county records show no active right-of-way through the parcel. Planning staff said perimeter landscape strip widths differ by road classification and recommended the applicant review the State Road 200 overlay and supplemental standards for dumpsters, screening and landscaping. Parking requirements for self-storage remain unclear and staff said they will review past practice for similar uses because a strict square-footage formula yields a high count.

The Development Review Committee provided the advisory comments listed above and closed the tab; no formal approvals or conditions were recorded at the pre-application stage. The applicant was told to address the staffing comments and to provide documentation such as utility availability letters for Environmental Health if public utilities will be used.