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Jacksonville council approves two zoning map amendments; members press staff to broaden public notice
Summary
Council approved rezoning of a small Lejeune Boulevard parcel for commercial use (Extivity LLC) and rezoning/assignment of the annexed Patrick property to RSF-5; council questioned the visibility of statutory rezoning notices and asked staff to explore social-media and digital outreach.
The Jacksonville City Council approved two zoning map amendments after presentations and public hearings and raised questions about how the city advertises rezoning requests.
Map amendment 11: Lejeune Boulevard (Extivity LLC) Planning staff (Ryan King) presented a request filed by Charles F. Riggs & Associates on behalf of Extivity LLC to rezone a 0.356-acre parcel at Hargate Street and Lejeune Boulevard from RSF-7 to corridor commercial to allow redevelopment and align the parcel with adjacent commercial zoning. King told council the request is consistent with the CAMA land-use plan and the Planning Board recommended approval.
Applicant representative Charles Riggs told the council the parcel has been a paved parking lot connected to the former Wachovia building since 1980 and that the applicant intends to renovate and redevelop the site. "That parking lot that stands today is been there for 46 years," Riggs said.
After the presentation and a brief Q&A, Mayor Phillips moved (and a colleague seconded) to find the required facts in the affirmative and approve the map amendment; council approved the rezoning by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
Map amendment 12: Patrick property (annexation zoning assignment) Staff (Ron) presented a second item to assign city zoning to an annexed parcel, moving it from county conservation to Residential Single-Family 5 (RSF-5). The applicant's representative, Brock Fister (also listed Kimberly Horn), appeared and thanked staff; no members of the public spoke against the request. Council moved and approved the coordinated rezoning and the CAMA land-use-plan amendment by voice vote.
Notice and outreach discussion During the Lejeune Boulevard discussion council members questioned whether statutorily required newspaper notices and letters to adjoining property owners adequately reach impacted residents. Councilman Smith said the printed signs can be hard to read from the roadway and urged staff to review notification options. He added that digital outreach could be more targeted: "If we post it on social, we can geo-tag it with the neighborhood or the street," he said, arguing that social media may reduce confusion compared with billboard or newspaper notices. Staff said state law limits required notice to newspaper run and adjoining-owner letters but that the department could pursue expanded digital outreach if directed by council.
What council decided Both map amendments were approved by voice vote after the respective hearings and Planning Board recommendations. Council did not adopt any formal new notice policy during the meeting but asked staff to explore options for broader digital outreach and to report back.
Votes and procedural notes Both rezonings were approved on motions that found the statutory findings (facts A–J) in the affirmative; the transcript records voice votes with no roll-call tallies.
