Residents press council to deny land‑use change after developer offers 7.9‑unit cap; committee postpones vote for traffic data

The Duval County Land Use & Zoning Committee on April 7 continued consideration of a contested land‑use amendment after hours of public testimony and detailed questioning from council members. The proposal, filed as small‑scale land‑use amendment 2026006 with a companion planned unit development, would change 9.7 acres along Morse and Seabard Avenues from Low‑Density Residential to Medium‑Density Residential to enable a higher residential density than the existing seven units per acre.

Planning staff recommended denial, saying the unrestricted MDR designation would allow an abrupt density increase “that would disrupt the existing land development pattern and detract from the character of the area.” At the meeting, the developer’s representative, Hayden Phillips, described several revisions and concessions: reducing the proposed unit count from 89 to 77, widening a portion of lots to 40–60 feet for about 18% of the units, adding large perimeter buffers and a park, and submitting a site‑specific policy that would cap permitted density for this parcel at 7.9 units per acre.

“We decreased the density from 9.2 to 7.9 units per acre,” Hayden Phillips said, adding that the product would be single‑family detached homes and that the project is intended as infill rather than sprawl. “We’ve included increased buffer sizes and added a large park in the southeast corner.”

But the changes did not defuse opposition from the neighborhood. More than two dozen residents — many of them longtime homeowners who described the area as rural or “estate‑lot” in character — told the committee the proposal would increase traffic and flooding risk, harm privacy and property values, and set a precedent for further densification. Tanya Wells, who said she owns 43 acres across from the site, told the committee she measured hundreds of vehicles at nearby intersections and pressed for a traffic study before approval.

“Please help us keep our neighborhood the way it is,” Wells said. “We do not have 30‑foot lots anywhere in our neighborhood.”

Planning commission materials show the applications previously won approval at the commission level, but the planning department’s land‑use review cited the possibility that MDR could permit up to 20 units per acre and concluded that the change would be incompatible with surrounding low‑density development.

The debate turned to procedural safeguards and transportation capacity. Council members pressed staff and the developer for specificity about the proposed cap and for the practical effects of a site‑specific policy. Transportation staff told the committee that a short section of Morris Road (between Rampart and Blanding) is currently operating at 100% of its designed capacity, and that while the applicant must still produce a traffic study at verification, that existing capacity constraint is a major concern.

Council member Rory Diamond said the applicant’s 0.9‑unit difference over the LDR cap is small and—if enforced through a site‑specific policy—could be acceptable in many cases. Council member Aras and others said they were sympathetic to neighbors but that the code needs updating to allow more gradations of density.

In the end the committee voted to open‑continue the item to April 21, 2026, so staff can provide clearer traffic counts for the corridor and the applicant can consider firm, written conditions (for example, an explicit 7.9‑unit cap enacted as part of a site‑specific comprehensive plan policy). Council members emphasized that the applicant bears the burden of proof for traffic, safety and other impacts when staff has recommended denial.

What comes next: The committee will reconvene on April 21 with additional traffic information and, if presented, a formal amendment locking in any site‑specific density cap and other conditions. If the applicant cannot demonstrate mitigation for traffic and infrastructure impacts, the committee could deny the land‑use change or amend the request to a form consistent with staff recommendations.

Speakers quoted above appear in the committee record. The public hearing remains open for the April 21 session, and neighbors were advised to submit any additional traffic observations or reports to legislative services before that date.