Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Parking Variance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning board approves parking variance for 16-unit supportive housing at 3 Nesbitt with added parking condition
Summary
The Planning & Zoning Board approved a variance to reduce required off-street parking for a 16-unit supportive housing project at 3 Nesbitt, contingent on the applicant adding more spaces or returning with revisions; the applicant and neighbors discussed narrow streets, emergency access and enforcement of a one-car-per-unit policy.
The St. Augustine Planning & Zoning Board voted to approve a variance reducing required off‑street parking for a proposed 16‑unit supportive housing complex at 3 Nesbitt, but required the applicant to add additional spaces if possible and work with staff to mitigate neighborhood impacts.
The board approved application PCB2025-0103 after hearing a staff report that said the variance could be granted under Section 28‑29 and a presentation by the applicant, Jamie Mackey, who described the site as a long‑established service campus that houses low‑income and formerly homeless families under case management. Mackey said the organization’s experience shows about 80% of residents have one vehicle and that overflow parking could be accommodated in an existing lot across the street.
The board’s discussion centered on whether the proposed reduction — from 33 required spaces to the 17 requested — would create unsafe street parking on narrow, dead‑end residential streets. Resident Michelle Burgess, who lives on Ewing Street, told the board she opposed the variance, arguing that the reduced parking “will only cause parking to extend to other property owners and restrict ability to travel down Chapin and Nesbitt Streets” and that the narrow road widths would hamper garbage and emergency vehicles.
Board members probed design options the applicant could pursue, including restoring a one‑way connection to Ewing with parallel parking, moving the dumpster to create additional stalls, shifting building footprints to pick up spaces near the driveway, and using compact parking standards where code allows. Staff noted that a one‑way drive aisle can be as narrow as 13 feet but must widen to 24 feet where 90‑degree parking is provided.
Several board members praised the project’s social purpose while urging pragmatic fixes. "I don't want the tree to go anywhere," said board member Christina Tucker, and she recommended reconfiguring the internal loop as a one‑way to add parallel stalls. The board asked the applicant to work with staff to identify 4–7 more spaces if feasible rather than removing the large oak tree or encroaching on the wetland buffer.
Ultimately, the board approved the variance with an explicit expectation the applicant explore additional parking and coordinate with staff on signage and enforcement for street parking; the board’s order recorded an approval tied to 22 spaces while encouraging the applicant to add more if possible. The motion passed by roll call vote with all members in favor.
The board directed staff and the applicant to coordinate on deadlines and advertisement requirements if additional variances (for setbacks or other elements) become necessary. The applicant may return with a revised site plan or proceed consistent with the terms the board set.
What happens next: The applicant will work with city staff to finalize site revisions and fulfill submittal deadlines; if additional variances are needed the board may review a revised application at a future meeting.
