Consultant outlines Atlantic Beach Comprehensive Plan priorities: preservation, walkability and targeted growth

Ashley Cowen of Diamond Shores presented draft recommendations for Atlantic Beach's Comprehensive Plan and Land Management Ordinance at the Nov. 3 Town Council meeting, saying the firm has finished groundwork and entered the drafting phase. "We have gone through the groundwork phase of our contract already," Cowen said, explaining public engagement included two in-person open houses, two virtual sessions, targeted interviews and an online survey with 47 responses so far.

Cowen told council that survey respondents emphasized three priorities: ocean and beach access, a close-knit community, and cultural and historic heritage. She cited demographic and housing data that the town's permanent population is small (an American Community Survey estimate of about 283 residents) and noted concerns among residents about gentrification and an aging housing stock; she said roughly 15 percent of residents are seniors and about 57 percent can be classified as low-to-moderate income.

From those findings, Diamond Shores recommended a vision centered on preserving Atlantic Beach's small-town, walkable character while allowing modest, targeted growth. Proposed strategies include mixed-use, place-based development along 30th and 31st Avenues and Ocean Boulevard; incentives such as fee rebates for development that meets specific timelines; and continued emphasis on eco-friendly and cultural events.

The consultant flagged infrastructure and service gaps that the plan can address, including stormwater, sewer hookups on parts of the west side, limited local health-care access, and uneven youth/senior services. Cowen recommended requiring coastal-zone compliance documentation for projects within a half-mile of the ocean and recommended longer plan-review windows, upfront sketch plans and site surveys to reduce back-end delays for applicants.

Council members discussed trade-offs between encouraging development and preserving character. Mayor Pro Tem John David and Town Manager Adrian Jones asked about incentive mechanics; Council discussed phased implementation over several years and cautioned that any tax- or fee-based incentive would require fiscal analysis. Resident Leon Bailey raised comparative cost concerns, citing higher development costs in Atlantic Beach versus neighboring jurisdictions; Cowen said reducing complexity and clarifying rules is likely to lower perceived barriers, while Jones and council members said structural changes would need to be phased and supported by staff capacity.

Cowen also addressed nonconforming properties and the recently designated National Register historic district. She presented options to reduce or accommodate nonconformities: revise setbacks and definitions to reduce technical nonconformance, provide a compliance window for existing properties, or allow contributing historic structures to remain nonconforming to protect heritage. The consultant said the draft Land Management Ordinance will include graphics and clearer cross-references to make requirements easier to follow.

Next steps outlined for the Comprehensive Plan process include continued public outreach (a planning commission workshop and additional Council and Planning Commission hearings), closing the survey in November and circulating draft ordinance sections to staff for review. Cowen said she would provide paper copies of the survey on request and deliver revised ordinance language section-by-section as drafts are ready.