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Planning board approves 44-unit Ocean Trace townhome project after lengthy drainage debate
Summary
The board granted final major development approval for 44 townhomes at the former Atlantic Beach & Tennis Club, with the developer removing two single-family units from the plan and adding stormwater ponds and underground vaults; neighbors raised extensive drainage, easement and wetlands concerns during public comment.
The Planning & Zoning Board approved a final major development order Dec. 16 allowing 44 townhomes on the 6.87-acre site of the former Atlantic Beach & Tennis Club at 8 Ocean Trace, after the applicant revised plans to remove two proposed single-family homes and add additional stormwater infrastructure.
Christina Evans of Gulfstream Design Group said the revised layout uses roughly 54% of the parcelfs permitted density and includes two new stormwater ponds, underground stormwater chambers and reduced impervious area. Engineer Justin Spicer described the chamber system as underground vaults intended to provide additional storage and attenuation for peak events and said the design will follow the St. Johns River Water Management Districtfs (SJRWMD) requirements for a 25-year storm event.
Multiple nearby residents and condo representatives urged greater caution. Ken Revenaugh, president of the St. Augustine Beach and Tennis Condominiums, said prior engineering reported the adjacent roadway as a dead end and warned that raising finish-floor elevations could direct more water toward existing properties; he requested coordination with his associationfs consultant. Other speakers asserted that the existing tennis courts are permeable (not impervious), questioned the accuracy of the applicantfs impervious-area calculations, flagged recorded drainage and beach-access easements, and raised wetlands and long-term maintenance concerns.
Applicant representatives said they will coordinate with agencies during permitting (FDEP, SJRWMD, St. Johns County Utilities, the Army Corps and county/city departments) and that final engineering will determine finished floor elevations, discharge routes and any required pumps or gravity connections. Staff emphasized that the major development review is a finding of conformance with land development code standards and that detailed construction plans and agency sign-offs are required before construction.
The board voted to approve the order as amended — 44 townhomes with the two single-family homes removed — and added a commencement requirement in the order (a deadline by which construction must start). The approval was granted with the understanding that final permitting must confirm stormwater calculations, drainage connections and maintenance arrangements for the underground systems and ponds.
