Levy County planning panel recommends rezoning Cornelius Williams Park to allow revitalization

The Levy County Planning Commission voted to recommend that the zoning map be amended to reclassify Cornelius Williams Park from industrial to a public and institutional facilities district, a change proponents said would allow phased improvements to an underused community park.

Erin Mertens, a planner with North Florida Professional Services representing Levy County staff, told the commission on May 20 that the applicant’s rezoning request concerns only the zoning map atlas and is consistent with the county comprehensive plan and the Land Development Code. “This application is requesting to amend only the Zoning Map Atlas to public and institutional facilities under Division 2, Section 56-64 of the Land Development Code,” Mertens said, adding that county code lists public recreation as a permitted use in that district.

The recommendation matters because it clears a procedural hurdle: the staff finding means the project can proceed to later site-planning phases where access, buffering and other design details will be decided. “Tonight, we’re only addressing the entitlement on the property. You will get to see this project several more times as they go through the site planning phases,” Mertens said.

Laura Jones, planner for the City of Williston and the applicant representative, described a multi-phase master plan to make the park more accessible and playable, with the first phase focused on improving access from Northeast 40th Street and creating a permanent parking area to reduce unsafe cross-field driving. Jones said the parcel (0503700000, mailing address 21000 Northeast 40th Street) was purchased by the city in 2004 with a Firdap grant and later received an African American historical and cultural grant from the Department of State to support site improvements.

Jones acknowledged several constraints discussed during the hearing: annexation was considered but county and city attorneys concluded intervening private parcels prevented direct annexation at this time; utilities appear available but final hookups would require coordination with the City of Williston; and some site elements — such as extended hours for lighting or amplified sound — would require additional permits. “We originally came with a planned development to change, and the staff did not want to support that. So…public facilities is the best,” Jones said.

The applicant also flagged a practical trade-off: the city would like to install a buffer fence adjacent to nearby residences but estimated current fencing costs at about $200,000, roughly half the value of the grant supporting improvements. “We wanna put up a fence around the whole park… It’s about $200,000,” Jones said, noting the city will revisit fencing at later phases if additional funds become available.

Walt Nickel, the project engineer with Wright Pierce, confirmed on-site utilities are tied to a small grinder pump station and the existing restroom will be renovated and connected to improved sanitary and potable water service as part of future construction. He said the project team expects those systems to be upgraded during site development review.

Two residents told the commission they supported the rezoning. Quentin Mitchell, who identified himself as the father of a youth player who began his football career at the park, said the site hosts camps and community events and could become “the best park in this entire area” with the county’s support. Jacqueline Appling, a longtime local teacher, said the park serves as a community gathering place and urged commissioners to back improvements that provide safe places for children.

A planning commission member noted a nearby homeowner (identified in the record as Mr. Scoggins) had expressed concern about cut-through traffic to the park; the member asked that the concern be noted so the applicant could address fencing, access, and traffic mitigation during later design phases. Mertens and Jones both said access and buffering will be addressed in the site-plan review and that noise and lighting are regulated in the county code.

After questions and discussion, a commission member moved to recommend that the council amend the zoning map from industrial to public facilities; the motion was seconded and approved with the commission recording vocal “Aye” votes and no opposing votes. The commission chair then adjourned the meeting.

Next steps: the planning commission’s recommendation is to be transmitted to the council for final action; site plans, utility hookups and any permits or special exceptions will be handled in subsequent review stages.