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Fernandina Beach planning board tables proposed PUD code changes amid concerns about acreage and state "Live Local" rules
Summary
The Planning Advisory Board discussed proposed changes to Planned Unit Development rules — including a proposal to lower acreage thresholds — raised concerns about unintended neighborhood impacts and state Live Local legislation, and voted to table the ordinance to an undetermined future date.
The Fernandina Beach Planning Advisory Board on March 12 discussed proposed changes to the city's Planned Unit Development (PUD) regulations and voted to table further action to an undetermined future date.
Chair Dawson opened the meeting and asked staff to summarize the project. Margaret Pearson, the city's senior planner, told the board it began a comprehensive review of the PUD regulations in December 2023, drafted an ordinance in 2024 and sent that draft to the City Commission; the commission returned it to the board for further consideration.
The meeting's debate centered on whether to lower the minimum PUD acreage and how much of the code to change. One board member urged care and guardrails, saying the current draft risks "unintended consequences" for neighborhoods and proposing a one-acre minimum to avoid zero-lot-line impacts on adjacent single-family lots. "I would recommend a minimum size of an acre," the member said.
Other members pushed back that the PUD process increases public participation compared with straight zoning and defended a smaller threshold to capture existing 0.92-acre parcels. Several members also said the board's original objective was to focus on acreage but that the draft had "drifted" into much broader changes.
The board also discussed recent state-level proposals and a March 7 American Planning Association legislative summary. One member flagged Senate Bill 1730 (and a House companion, HB 943) and warned the board to be cautious because state changes tied to the Live Local initiative could expand where multifamily or mixed residential uses are allowed and affect local control.
A motion was made to table the proposed PUD ordinance to an uncertain future date so staff and the board can gather more information and watch state action; the motion was seconded and the board tabled the item. The transcript does not include a clear, named roll-call tally of the vote.
Staff then shifted to other business: Pearson said staff will return next month with a landscaping item and the board discussed compiling 2025 goals (landscaping, parking standards and commercial redevelopment). A staff member also explained that the City Commission will consider a resolution on March 18 to opt out of property-tax exemptions tied to Live Local projects in fiscal year 2026, meaning eligible Live Local projects in the city would not receive that exemption if the commission adopts the resolution.
During public comment, resident George Haffey of Amelia Park asked the board to enforce the Land Development Code's stated purpose to "protect the character and maintain the stability of residential areas" when reviewing development proposals near his neighborhood.
The board adjourned after the regular agenda.
Next steps: staff will return with a landscaping agenda item next month and the PUD proposal remains tabled pending further work by staff and the board and developments at the state and commission levels.
