The board voted on Nov. 4 to recommend a change in future land use from Residential Medium to Commercial Low intensity and a rezoning from RG‑1 to CL‑1 for a small parcel at Flagler Crossing that will host a cafe and a fenced dog park. The developer and project team also requested several related exceptions: off‑site parking within 400 feet; approval to sell beer and wine (≤14% ABV); and conservation‑overlay approvals to construct a bulkhead and remove a single slash pine within the city portion of the parcel.

Representative Andre Green said most of the proposed dog park and pondside development is located in St. Johns County, but the city parcel will house the small café building. "All of the alcohol consumption will be either in the cafe building or within the fenced dog park," Green told the board. The County had already approved a related special use permit for the dog‑park portion on their side of the pond.

During public comment residents raised objections focused on tree canopy loss, the proposed bulkhead, marsh impacts and stormwater/runoff concerns. An adjacent resident asked whether the bulkhead is permitted within conservation overlay areas and urged the board to protect significant trees and view corridors. Project designers said only one 20‑inch slash pine in the city portion would be removed due to grade changes and that longleaf pines (a protected species) were not present.

The board approved the requested use‑by‑exceptions and conservation items subject to conditions: the off‑site parking exception was approved; beer and wine sales were approved but limited to on‑site building areas and the fenced dog‑park perimeter and restricted to 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (sale of alcohol) with earlier operating hours for non‑alcoholic services; removal of the identified slash pine and bulkhead construction were approved contingent upon City Commission approval of the land‑use and rezoning changes. The board also required that any future permanent changes to operations or hours come back for review.

Action: Motion to recommend the future land use map amendment and rezone from RG‑1 to CL‑1 to the City Commission and to approve the use‑by‑exceptions for off‑site parking and beer/wine (≤14% ABV) and the conservation overlay actions (bulkhead, removal of identified slash pine) as conditioned. Vote: 5–0.

Why it matters: The approvals would enable a small café and fenced dog park at a pond edge, bringing a mix of recreational and commercial activity to the Flagler Crossing area but also triggering conservation and stormwater scrutiny because of the wetland interface.