OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Jacksonville Land Use & Zoning Committee Meeting – August 19, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, August 19, 2026
BodyJacksonville, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, August 19, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:13:35
Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

All right.

0:03

Good evening, everybody.

0:05

It is five o'clock on August 19th.

0:07

We're going to go ahead and get started.

0:08

We're going to convene the land use and zoning committee with introductions to my left.

0:14

Good afternoon, Reginald Gaffney Junior, District 8.

0:17

Joe Carlucci, District 5.

0:19

Good evening, everybody.

0:20

Kevin Carrico.

0:21

Good evening, everyone.

0:22

Kevin Carico, District 4.

0:25

Good evening, Raw Areas, District 11.

0:27

Randy White, District 12.

0:30

Terrence Harvey, Office of General Counsel.

0:33

Susan Kelly, Planning Department.

0:34

Karen Abney, Planning Department.

0:36

Casey Cox Planning Department.

0:40

Councilman Johnson.

0:42

Blackman Johnson, District 14.

0:43

Good afternoon.

0:45

All right.

0:45

And we do have a excusal slash late arrival for Mr.

0:50

Diamond, I believe.

0:52

So we will be on the lookout for him.

0:56

So with that, we'll go ahead to our first item on the agenda.

1:01

And staff, I previously said we're gonna take up.

1:05

We're just gonna go in order, basically.

1:07

So we'll just go with that.

1:08

All right.

1:08

Item number one, 2026-124 is deferred.

1:12

Item number two, 2026-125 is deferred.

1:15

Item number three, 2026-126.

1:18

Let's open the public hearing.

1:19

No speaker cars will continue this public hearing until 9126.

1:23

Item number four, 2026-127, open the public hearing.

1:26

No speaker cars will continue this public hearing until 9126.

1:30

Item number five, 2026-376 is deferred with a public hearing next cycle on 9126.

1:37

Item number six, 2026, 436.

1:39

Open the public hearing.

1:40

No speaker cards.

1:41

We'll continue this public hearing until 9126.

1:46

Item number seven, 2026, 523, open the public hearing.

1:50

No speaker.

1:51

Wait.

1:52

Hold on.

1:54

We have one speaker card.

1:57

Paul Harden in support.

2:00

Questions only.

2:01

Yes, sir.

2:02

And item number eight, 2026, 524, open the public hearing, one speaker card.

2:07

Paul Harden in support, questions only, and this public hearing will be continued until 9126.

2:13

First action item.

2:15

Committee members, uh item number nine on page five, 2026, 525.

2:20

Open the public hearing, and let's get a staff report.

2:24

Ordinance 2026 525 is for a small scale land use amendment to change approximately 0.37 of an acre at 4427 Emerson Street from residential professional institutional to community general commercial in order to broaden the commercial uses offered along Emerson Street.

2:46

Emerson Street is an FDO minor arterial roadway.

2:50

The site is a portion of a larger office park, approximately 5.6 acres, and it consists of several buildings.

2:58

However, the proposed land use amendment is only for building one, which fronts on Emerson Street.

3:04

The remainder of the site would stay RPI as a transition between the CGC that fronts Emerson and the residential uses to the north.

3:15

West of the subject site, along each side of Emerson Street.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████62%
Procedural██████████████19%
Community Engagement███████████15%
Public Health██3%
Environmental Protection█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Jacksonville Land Use & Zoning Committee Meeting – August 19, 2026

The Land Use & Zoning Committee of the Jacksonville City Council met on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 5:00 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting was chaired by Joe Carlucci (District 5) and adjourned at 6:13 PM. Seven members were present: Carlucci, Rory Diamond (vice chair, excused late arrival), Raul Arias, Kevin Carrico, Reggie Gaffney Jr., Rahman Johnson, and Randy White. The committee considered 41 agenda items, including several public hearings on land use amendments and rezoning requests. Key actions included approvals of small-scale amendments and rezoning applications, deferral of a contentious concrete batch plant PUD to allow for community outreach, and adoption of conditions on a Gate Parkway commercial development.

Deferred & Continued Items (No Discussion)

  • 2026-0124 & 2026-0125 (Rampart Road FLUM amendment and rezoning) – Deferred to November 17, 2026.
  • 2026-0126 & 2026-0127 (Pitts Road FLUM amendment and rezoning) – Public hearings opened and continued to September 1, 2026. Former Councilman Reggie Gaffney Sr. spoke in opposition at the close of the meeting, raising concerns about lack of community meeting.
  • 2026-0376 (Home Occupations code amendment) – Deferred to September 1, 2026.
  • 2026-0436 (Acree PUD rezoning) – Public hearing opened and continued to September 1, 2026.
  • 2026-0523 & 2026-0524 (Yellow Water Road FLUM amendment and rezoning) – Public hearings opened; applicant Paul Harden spoke in support; continued to September 1, 2026.
  • 2026-0553 through 2026-0567, and 2026-0590 (various rezoning, exceptions, variances, waivers) – All deferred to September 1, 2026.
  • 2026-0569 (Resolution to reschedule committee meetings in May 2027) – Approved 7-0.
  • Second-reading items (2026-0618, 0619, 0620, 0621, 0622, 0623, 0631, 0632) – Read second time and rereferred to LUZ; future public hearings set.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • 2026-0127 (Pitts Road Auto PUD): Reggie Gaffney Sr. (former councilman, district 8) spoke in opposition, stating the community had not received proper notice or a community meeting. He deferred to the committee’s judgment.
  • 2026-0532 (Soutel Industrial PUD – Concrete Batch Plant): Twelve speaker cards were submitted. After the public hearing was opened but before testimony, the committee voted to defer to September 1, 2026, at 5:00 PM to allow a community meeting with Councilmember Pittman. One speaker, Jamie Travis-Leonard, chose to speak immediately, citing health concerns (respiratory issues from cement emissions). She distributed information on health risks and expressed opposition. Additional opposition speakers included Dr. Keshan Chambliss, Wells Todd, Vanessa Cullins Hopkins, Nancy Murrey-Settle, LaShaundra Sawyer, Eunice Barnum, Althea Mikell, Lydia Bell, and James Matchett. Applicant Kristen Reed spoke in support, noting the site is zoned industrial light and already suitable for such uses. Councilmembers urged future community engagement.
  • 2026-0529 & 2026-0530 (Gate Parkway): Zach Miller (applicant’s attorney) spoke in support of both items. Randall Whitfield (president of Ash Properties, representing adjacent property Shops of Gate Parkway) spoke in opposition to the PUD, citing concerns over access points, height, and lack of building limits. Scott Kablowski (James Island HOA president and SE CPAC chair) expressed support for a compromise after conditions were offered.

Discussion Items

  • 2026-0529 (Gate Parkway FLUM Amendment – RPI to CGC): Staff recommended approval. Zach Miller explained that two-thirds of the site would become CGC for commercial uses along Gate Parkway, with the western third remaining RPI for a plant nursery buffer. The amendment passed 7-0.
  • 2026-0530 (Gate Parkway PUD Rezoning): This was the main discussion item. Staff presented the request to rezone from PUD (2015) to a new PUD allowing commercial uses and a plant nursery, with conditions including a $60,000 payment to James Island HOA and a traffic study. Councilmember Raul Arias (District 11) led negotiations. After public testimony, the committee approved several amendments offered by Arias:
    1. Deceleration lane on Gate Parkway (subject to traffic engineer review).
    2. Height limit of 30 feet to roofline plus 5 feet for architectural features on parcels C, D, E, F, G (maximum 35 feet).
    3. Landscape buffer of at least 10 feet along Gate Parkway for those parcels.
    4. Developer commitment to a 240-foot deceleration lane on Gate Parkway. The amended PUD was approved 7-0. Councilmembers Gaffney Jr. and Diamond commended Arias for his work with the community.
  • 2026-0532 (Soutel Industrial PUD – Concrete Batch Plant): After staff presentation, Councilmember Gaffney Jr. raised the lack of a community meeting. Councilmember Johnson noted the importance of proactive outreach. The committee voted to defer the item to the next regular meeting (September 1, 2026) and continue the public hearing, directing the applicant to coordinate a community meeting with Councilmember Pittman.

Key Outcomes

  • Approvals (with votes):
    • 2026-0525 & 2026-0526 (Emerson Street FLUM amendment and rezoning) – Approved 5-0.
    • 2026-0527 & 2026-0528 (Spring Glen Road FLUM amendment and rezoning) – Approved 5-0.
    • 2026-0529 (Gate Parkway FLUM amendment) – Approved 7-0.
    • 2026-0530 (Gate Parkway PUD rezoning, as amended) – Approved 7-0.
    • 2026-0531 (Wheat Road rezoning) – Approved 6-0.
    • 2026-0569 (Committee meeting rescheduling) – Approved 7-0.
  • Deferrals: Several items deferred to next cycle (September 1, 2026), most notably the Soutel Industrial PUD (2026-0532) due to lack of community meeting; also numerous other rezoning and exception items.
  • Conditions imposed: For 2026-0530: $60,000 to James Island HOA, traffic study, deceleration lane, height limit 35 ft (including parapet) for specified parcels, 10-ft landscape buffer, and revised legal description.
  • Next steps: The next regular LUZ meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 5:00 PM.

Meeting Transcript

All right. Good evening, everybody. It is five o'clock on August 19th. We're going to go ahead and get started. We're going to convene the land use and zoning committee with introductions to my left. Good afternoon, Reginald Gaffney Junior, District 8. Joe Carlucci, District 5. Good evening, everybody. Kevin Carrico. Good evening, everyone. Kevin Carico, District 4. Good evening, Raw Areas, District 11. Randy White, District 12. Terrence Harvey, Office of General Counsel. Susan Kelly, Planning Department. Karen Abney, Planning Department. Casey Cox Planning Department. Councilman Johnson. Blackman Johnson, District 14. Good afternoon. All right. And we do have a excusal slash late arrival for Mr. Diamond, I believe. So we will be on the lookout for him. So with that, we'll go ahead to our first item on the agenda. And staff, I previously said we're gonna take up. We're just gonna go in order, basically. So we'll just go with that. All right. Item number one, 2026-124 is deferred. Item number two, 2026-125 is deferred. Item number three, 2026-126. Let's open the public hearing. No speaker cars will continue this public hearing until 9126. Item number four, 2026-127, open the public hearing. No speaker cars will continue this public hearing until 9126. Item number five, 2026-376 is deferred with a public hearing next cycle on 9126. Item number six, 2026, 436. Open the public hearing. No speaker cards. We'll continue this public hearing until 9126. Item number seven, 2026, 523, open the public hearing. No speaker. Wait. Hold on. We have one speaker card. Paul Harden in support. Questions only. Yes, sir. And item number eight, 2026, 524, open the public hearing, one speaker card.

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