Roundtable needs help to stop Elkton Industrial Park

St Johns County Civic Roundtable Government Affairs Committee Chair Janet Patten and Vice Chairman and Treasurer Lisa McGlynn informed local Historic City News reporters that their Board of Directors has determined a dangerous rezoning and comprehensive plan amendment application will come before the County Commission for action on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at 10:30 a.m.

The project, Elkton Industrial Park in southern St Johns County, is seeking to change ninety-two acres of land from Open Rural to Industrial Warehouse to accommodate 1.2 million square feet of industrial warehouse space with truck loading docks.

UPDATE:

Elkton Industrial Park was voted down 4-1 (Dean). The park of 92 acres of agriculture land located at SR 207 and CR 305 in the Elkton area was proposed for 1.2 million square feet of warehouses.

“If this industrial park in the southeast quadrant of the intersection of SR-207 and CR-305 is built as proposed, it will significantly alter the historically important Elkton, Armstrong, Spuds, and Hastings area,” Patten stated. “This land use intensification is outside of the development boundary area and only one parcel separates it from the proposed Parrish Farms development. Once individual parcels start to get up-zoned, a domino effect allowing more intense development inevitably follows.”

The position of the Roundtable Board is that the future of southwest St Johns County should be part of a long-term vision and not a one-off singular rezoning plan request. According to McGlynn, the subject is better addressed during public comprehensive plan deliberations.

If approved, the Elkton Industrial Park will subject rural, agricultural land in St Johns County to more intense development, so the Roundtable is asking Historic City News subscribers to contact their individual members of the Board of County Commissioners and to encourage them to deny COMPAMD-2022000004/ REZ 2022-16 for the Elkton Industrial Park.

Because of the short notice prior to the Tuesday meeting, Patten and McGlynn have requested that you reach your commissioner by e-mail to:

• Christian Whitehurst bcc1cwhitehurst@sjcfl.us
• Sarah Arnold bcc2sarnold@sjcfl.us
• Paul Waldron bcc3pwaldron@sjcfl.us
• Jeremiah Blocker bcc4jblocker@sjcfl.us
• Henry Dean bcc5hdean@sjcfl.us

You can help stop development outside of the Development Boundary Area. This area along SR-207 is Menorcan-settled land, part of an intact, historic community whose cultural roots date back to the late 19th century. We do not need development encroaching on our agricultural lands, Patten said.

St Johns County Civic Associety Officers:
Jim McLane, Chairman, Lisa McGlynn, Vice Chairman and Treasurer, Elizabeth Tate, Member At Large

Committee Chairs:
Janet Patten, Government Affairs, John Pilecki, Education, Barbara Olson, Health Care