St. Johns County approved a 300-unit townhome community near the Sandy Creek neighborhood and County Road 210. | St. Johns County
Published on May 6, 2025 at 1:09 pm
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The St. Johns County Commission approved rezoning for a 300-unit townhome project near County Road 210 and the Sandy Creek neighborhood Tuesday morning.
Despite concerns about whether the infrastructure could handle more cars on the road, county commissioners said the project would be less of a burden than apartment buildings that the developer would be allowed to build under state law.
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The development is a project from Jacksonville-based developer Mattamy Homes. The proposal calls for the construction of 297 high-end townhomes on 67 acres currently owned by a subsidiary of the Gate petroleum company.
Attorney Ellen Avery-Smith, who represents the developer, said Mattamy’s proposal was a much better fit for the area than what would be allowed under Florida’s Live Local Act.
Passed in 2023, that law allows developers to bypass some of the otherwise-required steps in the development approval process if the developer commits to building affordable housing.
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A number of residents from the nearby Sandy Creek neighborhood complained about the number of cars the townhomes would introduce to County Road 210. The road already handles more traffic than it was designed for.
Avery-Smith said she imagined residents would like to see apartment buildings even less.
That also was the mindset of the members of the County Commission who supported the project.
County Commissioner Sarah Arnold said the county would be able to use the millions of dollars worth of impact fees that the developer will pay to fix up County Road 210. The developer also agreed to cover the cost of other road improvements.
“It’s picking the project that’s going to give us the least amount of impact,” Arnold said Tuesday. “In my opinion, this isn’t a vote for development. This is a vote to reduce traffic to the best of our abilities.”
The project was approved by a 3-2 vote with support from Arnold and fellow commissioners Christian Whitehurst and Clay Murphy.
Murphy said as much as he dislikes it and believes it threatens the county’s “sovereignty,” the Live Local Act is here to stay, and it’s something local government officials have to keep in mind when they see new development proposals.
County Commission Chair Krista Joseph and County Commissioner Ann Taylor voted against the project, citing concerns about more growth in the county.
One of the county’s own transportation staff members said an affordable housing project sanctioned by the Live Local Act could bring more traffic than what Mattamy plans to build, but Joseph said she wasn’t interested in voting on hypotheticals.
“We’re voting on possibilities of the future,” Joseph said of her colleagues. “I’m voting on actually what they’re bringing to us today.”
