Committee approves series of land-use and rezoning measures; multiple items carried or deferred

The Duval County Land Use & Zoning Committee approved a slate of ordinances in February, advancing several land-use amendments, PUD rezonings and a zoning exception after staff presentations and limited public comment.

Key approvals included Ordinance 20260008, a land-use amendment near Port Jacksonville Parkway and Alta Drive that redesignates roughly 27.47 acres to light industrial and reserves 2.4 acres for conservation; the committee approved the ordinance by voice vote (recorded as 5-0). The companion rezoning, Ordinance 20260009 (a new PUD for the site to allow commercial and light-industrial development while preserving mapped wetlands), was amended to add two traffic-related conditions — a developer-led traffic study with methodology to be coordinated with city traffic officials, and access limitations to Alta Drive and Port Jacksonville Parkway — and then approved (5-0).

The committee also approved a set of additional items after brief staff reports and minimal public opposition: a land-use amendment along University Boulevard West with a companion PUD for private automotive storage condominiums (20261010/20260011 was deferred for design refinements and community review), a 10.9-acre land-use amendment to low-density residential to provide access to Gold Star Family Parkway (920260012), a large companion PUD to add an entrance parcel for a residential development entitled for up to 1,000 homes (20260013), a small rezoning to expand employee parking for the Jacksonville Port Authority (20260014), and an exception to allow full off-premises alcohol sales at a long-standing convenience store on Atlantic Boulevard (20260061). Many items carried unanimous or near-unanimous recorded votes (examples: 20260009 — 5-0; 20260013 — 5-0; 20260024 — 6-0; 20260026 — 6-0).

Several items were deferred to allow additional outreach or because applicants asked for more time to refine elevations or community buffers, including the Seaboard-area subdivision item (item 320260006) and the garage-condominium proposal along University Boulevard West (developer-provided elevations were circulated late and the chair asked for more review).

What it means: the committee moved ahead with multiple commercial and industrial rezonings that staff had found consistent with the comprehensive plan while asking applicants to resolve design and buffering concerns directly with neighborhoods where opposition surfaced. Several continued hearings are scheduled for the next committee meeting on 03/03/2026.

Ending: The meeting closed after second-reading items were noted and the chair adjourned the session.