‘Agrihood’ Plan Could Return to St. Johns Commission

A plan to build more than 3,300 units on 2,600 acres of land rejected by the county in November could be headed back to the County Commission.

The application by developer Freehold Communities called for the creation of an “agrihood” concept that included agricultural elements in the residential neighborhood. The property, owned by the Robinson Improvement Co., is situated on the north side of County Road 214, south of County Road 208. Commissioners rejected the application after the county’s Planning and Zoning Agency unanimously recommended denial in October of last year.

Assistant County Attorney Ryan Ross briefed commissioners at a recent meeting about the latest developments in the case. He said typically when a project is denied a developer or affected property owner would challenge the action by going to court. In this case, the issue is headed for an alternate procedure created by the Florida Legislature under the Florida Land Use and Environmental Dispute Resolution Act to be heard by a special magistrate.

“It is important to note this is a mandatory process,” Ross said. “Government does not have the option to participate in this process or not to participate.”

Ross said the process involves mediation before a special magistrate.

“If the mediation is unsuccessful or if the board rejects whatever proposal comes up then it goes to a public special magistrate hearing,” he said.

Ross stressed that commissioners were not being asked to make a decision or take any action.

“if you decline to take action or reject the proposal, then the matter would still proceed to a hearing with the public and public notice in front of the same special magistrate that served as the mediator,” he said. “They are non-binding recommendations (and) you still have the options to accept or decline the special magistrates’ recommendations.”

Commissioner Sarah Arnold said it was her preference to let the matter go to the public hearing with no commission action.

“I simply recommend taking no action and let it proceed to the special magistrate,” she said.

Commissioner Christian Whitehurst said he would be interested in hearing what the special magistrate had to say on the matter.

Commissioner Clay Murphy, who was not on the Board of County Commissioners when the matter first came up, said he expected commissioners would have to consider the issue regardless.

“It’s coming before us either way,” he said. “We’re going to have to deal with this sooner or later.”

In the end, commissioners declined to take any official position.