Developer presents small RV park proposal near St. Marys River; staff flag floodplain, access and utilities issues

Tabitha Bostick, chair of Nassau County Development Services' Development Review Committee, heard a pre-application presentation Feb. 11 from the engineer for a proposed small RV park near the St. Marys River and was told the project will require rezoning and several technical actions before formal submittal.

The project team, represented by Henry Vorp of AVA Engineers, said the property is “not zoned correctly” and that the owner is pursuing rezoning — likely a planned unit development — through attorney Wyman Duggan. Vorp said the proposal would provide on-site water and sewer and allow public access to a river landing adjacent to the site. “Kind of an unusual project,” Vorp said.

County staff told the applicant the development will face multiple technical requirements before a binding site plan can be approved. Constance Lake, deputy floodplain administrator, said the parcel is mapped on FEMA panel 040F and contains both A and X flood zones and that, because the parcel exceeds five acres, the applicant must establish the FEMA 100-year base flood elevation (BFE) for the site.

Why it matters: the DRC is an advisory, technical committee and does not grant final approvals, but its comments identify regulatory and engineering obstacles the applicant must clear before department heads can approve a site plan or building permits.

County planning staff outlined zoning and land-use paths. Elizabeth Back of the planning department said the applicant could pursue a PUD or seek rezoning to the Recreation and Open Space (ROS) district; either path would likely require a small-scale comprehensive land-use amendment to REC and a conditional use permit for a travel-trailer park. Back cited Article 24 of the Land Development Code and directed the applicant to section 2809 for related requirements. She also noted LDC sections addressing upland wetland buffers and impervious/open-space ratios: a 25-foot upland buffer for jurisdictional wetlands and, for REC land use in the 100-year floodplain, an impervious surface maximum of 50% and a 60% open-space requirement.

Building and accessibility requirements arose around river access. Tom Ray of the building department said structures and the trail to the river must meet the 2023 (eighth edition) Florida Building Code accessibility requirements. Ray warned that making the trail ADA-accessible could be difficult because of steep slopes between the road and the river and suggested ramps or a tiered approach.

Transportation and stormwater: Kenneth Burns and Caleb Perris of Development Services flagged roadway, stormwater and pedestrian requirements. Perris said vehicle use areas must be paved under county roadway and drainage standards, the project must meet county stormwater rules, and a traffic study will be required under BOCC Resolution 2019-174; staff recommended the applicant contact the county traffic reviewer to scope the analysis. The county also requires a six-foot sidewalk along the frontage and a trail shown in the county plan (FTMS 8) along County Road 121; staff said the site will need a connection from the public sidewalk/trail into the property.

Utilities and health licensing: Health department staff discussed on-site water and septic. Ronnie Nestor of the health department said if the project's total wastewater demand remains under the regulatory threshold discussed at the meeting (the speakers referenced a 75-gallons-per-day-per-unit calculation), parts of the permitting could be handled through the Department of Environmental Protection rather than as a community system; the transcript did not specify a final gallons-per-day number for the whole site. Staff also told the applicant to design the park to meet Florida Administrative Code setbacks and RV-park licensing standards and noted the park will need the appropriate annual license.

Fire protection and water supply: Amanda Bauman of the fire department said the area lacks hydrants and that the developer will need to provide fire water options such as drafting pads, a dry hydrant or a specially designed manhole drafting point tied to a pond. Bauman said any pond used for fire drafting must be designed to a 50-year drawdown standard and be maintained as a wet pond.

Other process notes: staff reminded the applicant that DOT issues for US 1 access and timing of DOT permits may apply; the applicant noted an existing small private well on site that is not sufficient for the proposed development. Planning staff also warned that code edits under consideration could change which approvals are required (for example, possible changes to whether alcohol sales would be permitted at an RV park).

No formal approvals were requested or granted at the meeting; the item was a pre-application presentation and the committee closed the topic after providing technical comments. Staff recommended the applicant pursue rezoning or a PUD, complete required engineering work (flood elevation study, stormwater, traffic study) and coordinate utility and permitting questions with the county and state agencies before filing a preliminary binding site-plan or building-permit applications.

Next steps mentioned in the meeting: the applicant will work with the planning department on rezoning options (PUD or ROS/REC), prepare FEMA BFE documentation if required, complete the traffic study scoping call with county staff, and pursue water/septic permitting with DEP or the county health department.