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Planning board defers PUD code changes, asks joint workshop with city commission
Summary
After heated discussion about PUD size, neighborhood protections and missing definitions (civic spaces, native plants), the Fernandina Beach Planning Advisory Board voted to postpone items 6.1–6.3 and refer them to a joint workshop with the City Commission for further review.
The City of Fernandina Beach Planning Advisory Board voted unanimously on Nov. 13 to postpone consideration of several planned-unit development (PUD) amendments and to discuss them with the incoming City Commission at a joint workshop.
The items — listed on the agenda as 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3 — were returned by the commission for additional refinement. Board members debated whether the code should retain a 5‑acre PUD minimum, reduce the threshold (one member recommended 2.5 acres), or leave it at the previously approved 0 acres. Vice Chair Stevenson and other members said smaller minimums risk enabling very small PUDs that could alter neighborhood character; others, including staff, said the PUD process is a public, quasi‑judicial review that provides protections and does not automatically bypass the Land Development Code.
Several members pressed for clearer definitions to be added to the code before any adoption: 'civic spaces,' 'recreation,' 'residential areas,' and a cross‑reference to the Comprehensive Plan rather than a laundry list of exceptions. Joyce Tutin, a resident and conservation advocate, urged replacing the phrase 'Florida Friendly' with an explicit definition of 'native plants,' citing ecological benefits and the risks posed by invasive species such as non‑native lantana.
Board members agreed to compile definitional edits and to present items 6.1–6.3 to the new commission for direction. Chair Robins called the motion to postpone and defer the items to the joint meeting; after a second, the motion passed by voice vote. The board also flagged tree protection and several technical clarifications for future discussion.
Next steps: staff will work with the city clerk to schedule the joint workshop and circulate a streamlined list of definitions and proposed exceptions for PUDs. The board said it will bring samples of protective language tying exceptions to comprehensive‑plan objectives rather than attempting to enumerate every condition in the LDC.
