St. James opens ordinance process to vacate portion of 9th Street South for 12th Avenue South expansion

The St. James City Council opened a public hearing and then took the first reading Oct. 7 on an ordinance that would vacate a portion of 9th Street South to provide access for a pond tied to the 12th Avenue South highway district expansion.

A staff member told the council the proposed vacation would remove a right-of-way described on the recorded plat for James Square and allow access to a designated pond area as part of the larger highway-district project. Notices were sent to the Economic Development Authority, which owns nearby land, and to Homestead as a courtesy, the staff member said. The hearing closed with no questions from members of the public.

The council then approved the first reading of proposed ordinance number 032, fourth series, which is the procedural step required by the city charter for street vacations. The staff member said the next step is a second reading at the council’s next regular meeting, followed by formal approval and publication if the ordinance is adopted.

Council members voting on routine matters throughout the meeting recorded no formal objections to advancing the ordinance. No final vacation was adopted at the Oct. 7 meeting; the action on Oct. 7 was limited to the public hearing and the ordinance’s first reading.

If adopted after the second reading, the ordinance would transfer jurisdiction of the described right-of-way and allow the city and the EDA to proceed with planned work associated with the 12th Avenue South expansion. The staff member emphasized the need to consolidate land interests to facilitate development and access for the planned pond area.

The council did not announce a specific timeline for final action beyond noting the first- and second-reading process required by city code.