Freehold Communities' Arden development in South Florida would be an agrihood with a 5-acre farm and event barn. | Freehold Communities
Published on May 1, 2025 at 12:11 pm
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The developer of a controversial 3,000-unit development in St. Johns County may get another shot at building an “agrihood” west of St. Augustine.
Last year, Boston-based Freehold Communities’ proposed building a community that would include thousands of single-family homes as well as agricultural elements, like a community farm, on a 2,673-acre property between County Roads 208 and 214.
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The St. Johns County Commission rejected the project last November, but the developer has cited an obscure Florida law as an opportunity to ask for a do-over of the county’s decision.
Using the Florida Land Use and Environmental Dispute Resolution Act, or FLUEDRA, Freehold got the OK from a county special magistrate to bring the project back before the county.
The St. Johns County Commission previously said that Freehold’s proposal was, as County Commissioner Sarah Arnold put it, not ready for “primetime.” But Freehold says it has a revised plan with more detail.
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In addition to the original proposal, the new plan includes room for businesses.
The County Commission will hear from the developer Tuesday during its regular meeting. County Commissioners will have to decide whether they want to give the agrihood another chance or move on.
If the County Commission agrees to discuss the project again, the agrihood will be added to the agenda of a future meeting.
Mike Roberson, St. Johns County growth management director, said that if the project has undergone significant enough changes, the County Commission could send it back to the Planning and Zoning Board before the county may discuss it again.
The St. Johns County Commission meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View. Meetings are also broadcast live on the county’s website.
