On Tuesday, the Leon County Commission voted 6-0 to adopt an ordinance creating the Citrus Grove Planned Unit Development (PUD) for 149.35 acres located between Apalachee Parkway and Old Saint Augustine Road between their intersections with April Road.
The applicant is represented by Robert Volpe and Darrin Taylor of Holtzman Vogel, and the owner is St. Joe Company, LLC, with Jorge Gonzalez listed as the company president.
On March 5, 2024, the Planning Commission voted unanimously (5-0) to find the proposed ordinance consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and recommend approval to the Board of County Commissioners.
The Citrus Grove PUD
The PUD proposes a clustered residential development that allows a maximum of 542 dwelling units at a density of 3.63 units per acre, the same maximum density permitted under the current residential zoning.
The PUD Concept Plan identifies general areas for development (single-family detached, townhomes, and community facilities) as well as conservation and open space areas. The open space includes conservation easements and buffers to adjacent development.
The general intent of the PUD is to allow residential development to be clustered away from sensitive environmental features and historical resources on, and adjacent to, the site. The Citrus Grove PUD is accessed via Apalachee Parkway, a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) owned and maintained principal arterial roadway; Old Saint Augustine Road, a minor arterial roadway owned and maintained by Leon County; and April Road, which is a minor collector that is owned and maintained by Leon County at the time of application.
The item notes that the development is within the Urban Services Area and is also connecting to public facilities (potable water and sanitary sewer) which are already in place along US 27.
The Citrus Grove PUD will incorporate a newly designed road network that meets County design standards and will continue to provide access to Apalachee Parkway and Old Saint Augustine Road.
April Road
The Leon County Commission also voted to formally abandon the 60-foot-wide April Road right-of-way (ROW) totaling approximately 5.9 acres, located between Apalachee Parkway and Old St. Augustine Road.
The ROW abuts the applicant’s real property, and the applicant has requested the County disclaim any ownership of the ROW in order to install a realigned and paved road to meet County design and safety standards, at its cost, as part of the proposed Citrus Grove Planned Unit Development (PUD).
The cost for the County to improve the current April Road ROW would be approximately $3.3 million. The applicant is proposing to redesign, reconfigure and improve new ROW at its cost as part of its PUD. The ROW abandoning will also reduce the County’s maintenance costs associated with this unpaved roadway.
Leon County Approves New 542 Unit Development added by Staff on
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When did we stop making the Developer pay for any Road Improvements needed because of their Development such as Turn Lanes, Traffic Lights, Road Widening/Paving, etc.?
“The applicant is proposing to redesign, reconfigure and improve new ROW at its cost as part of its PUD. The ROW abandoning will also reduce the County’s maintenance costs associated with this unpaved roadway. ”
Finally, someone with an understanding of how the Developers should incur the cost of the infrastructure impacts as a result of their development.
I’m curious what the current school population density is vs. current capacity. Are any maxed out? Close to being maxed out? Have plenty of growth space left? I don’t see how.
With ALL the New Developments going in, this one, a huge one on Blairstone & Paul Russell, the one on Merchants Row and others, has the LCSB even started thinking about new School Zones? I live about 4 Miles from Lincoln but my School Zone is Rickards which is about 12 Miles away.