Land Use & Zoning Committee Meeting - May 5, 2026
Land Use & Zoning Committee Meeting - May 5, 2026
The Jacksonville City Council Land Use & Zoning Committee met on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at 5:00 PM in the Council Chamber, City Hall, 117 W. Duval Street. The meeting was chaired by Joe Carlucci and lasted approximately 23 minutes, adjourning at 5:23 PM. Six members were present (Carlucci, Diamond, White, Gaffney Jr., Arias, Johnson); Terrance Freeman was excused. The committee considered several rezoning applications, land use amendments, and public hearings, taking action on four items and deferring or continuing others.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Sallie Barnes (opposing items 2026-0168 and 2026-0169) expressed concerns about a large septic tank on the property at Commonwealth Ave and McDuff Ave, stating the lot is too small for proposed development. She also questioned the applicant's compliance with permits and raised concerns about existing commercial activity and traffic safety.
- Carolyn Griffin (opposing items 2026-0168 and 2026-0169) submitted a speaker card indicating opposition but did not speak.
Discussion Items
- Items 2026-0122, 2026-0123, 2026-0126, 2026-0127 (Old Kings Rd and Pitts Rd properties): Public hearings opened and continued to June 2, 2026. No speaker cards were submitted.
- Items 2026-0124, 2026-0125 (Rampart Rd properties): Deferred to the next cycle on May 19, 2026.
- Item 2026-0209 (Almeda St rezoning from RLD-60 to RLD-50): Staff reported the rezoning would allow single-family homes on 50-foot lots consistent with the surrounding neighborhood. No opposition speakers; applicant not present. Committee approved unanimously (6-0).
- Item 2026-0210 (Owens Rd PUD rezoning to add senior facilities, nursing homes, etc.): Staff recommended approval with two traffic conditions. Councilmember Gaffney declared ex parte communication with the applicant. The applicant was not present, but after discussion, the committee approved the amendment and the bill as amended (6-0).
- Item 2026-0168 (Commonwealth Ave FLUM amendment from LDR to MDR): Staff recommended approval as a transition use. Public hearing included opposition from Sallie Barnes. Committee approved 5-1 (Johnson nay).
- Item 2026-0169 (McDuff Ave/Commonwealth Ave rezoning to CRO): Companion rezoning. Staff recommended approval. Sallie Barnes spoke in opposition, citing proximity to residential properties and past violations. Councilmember Gaffney noted the lack of opposition from the district councilmember and stated the evidence presented was insufficient to change his vote. Committee approved 5-1 (Johnson nay).
- Item 2026-0208 (Wilson Blvd PUD rezoning for self-storage): Staff recommended approval with three conditions. One speaker, Michael Herzberg, supported (questions only). Committee approved the amendment and the bill as amended (6-0).
- Items 2026-0273 through 2026-0276: Deferred.
- Items 2026-0289 through 2026-0311, 2026-0345, 2026-0363, 2026-0364: Read second time and re-referred to full council.
Key Outcomes
- Approved (6-0): Item 2026-0209 (Almeda St rezoning to RLD-50).
- Approved (6-0): Item 2026-0210 (Owens Rd PUD rezoning as amended with conditions).
- Approved (5-1): Item 2026-0168 (Commonwealth Ave FLUM amendment to MDR). Councilmember Johnson voted nay.
- Approved (5-1): Item 2026-0169 (McDuff Ave/Commonwealth Ave rezoning to CRO). Councilmember Johnson voted nay.
- Approved (6-0): Item 2026-0208 (Wilson Blvd PUD rezoning as amended with conditions).
- Deferred: Items 2026-0124, 2026-0125, 2026-0273, 2026-0274, 2026-0275, 2026-0276 to next cycle (May 19, 2026).
- Continued: Items 2026-0122, 2026-0123, 2026-0126, 2026-0127 to June 2, 2026.
- Second Reading & Re-refer: 18 items were read second time and re-referred to the full City Council for further action.
Meeting Transcript
All right. It is five o'clock. Sorry, we didn't have the one minute warning. Kind of snuck up on us. I appreciate that. Thank you, Vice Chair. Let's get all the cards tonight to Councilmember Diamond. I'll do my all of them. No, it's only fair I do. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's a total of uh three cards. All right, good evening, everybody. It is May 5th, 5 o'clock. Welcome to the land use and zoning committee. We are going to get started with introductions to the left. And yep. Testing. Tested the button. Testing. Testing. Okay. Rockman Johnson, District 14. Good afternoon. Reginald Gaffin and Julian, District 8. Good evening, Roy Diamond, District 13 in Beaches. And George. Joe Carlucci, District 5. Good evening, Raw Aries, District 11. Randy White, District 12. Terrence Harvey, opposite general counsel. Susan Kelly, Planning Department. Karen Abney, Planning Department. All right. And we also want to introduce our pages tonight. We have Miss Kelly Mendez from Bold City High School. Give her a round of applause. And Miss Kennedy Brunin over here from Hendrix Avenue Elementary in District 5. All right. Thank you both so much for being here. So with that, we are going to go ahead and jump right into the agenda. Item number one, 2026, 122, open the public hearing. No speaker cards. We'll continue this public hearing until 6226. Item number two, 2026, 123, open the public hearing. No speaker cards. We'll continue this public hearing till 6226. Item number three, 2026-124 is deferred with a public hearing will be next cycle on 519-26. Item number four, 2026-125 is deferred with a public hearing. Next cycle on 519 26. Item number 5, 2026-126.
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