St. Johns County residents help shape the future with 25-year comprehensive plan
County leaders have gathered input for what the county needs through 2050 at a series of community meetings. St. Johns County leaders are seeking public input for a 25-year comprehensive plan for the county through 2050. The public input session was held at The Waterworks in St. Augustine to discuss key issues such as affordable housing and public access to the water. The county is one of the fastest growing areas in Florida, with the population in unincorporated areas expected to increase by 97% or nearly double by 2050. Early survey results showed that residents care about infrastructure and traffic congestion. Commissioner Henry Dean is tasked with ensuring these ideas are included in the plan. There are already plans in place to handle some of the growth.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Zach Wilcox in
County leaders have gathered input for what the county needs through 2050 at a series of community meetings.
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ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — St. Johns County leaders are shaping what the next 25 years will look like and they want help from residents.
Community members came together at an input session Wednesday at The Waterworks in St. Augustine to let county leaders know what’s important to them, with things like affordable housing leading the way.
“It’s truly been the access to the water," said St. Johns County Resident Matt Lahti when asked about what he loves about living in the county. "The beach, growing up surfing, fishing, enjoying what St. Johns County has to offer.”
“As we expand public access to the waterways and really try to improve on our boat ramps and beach access is important," said Lahti.
Those were some of the ideas he brought to a community meeting for St. Johns County’s 25-year comprehensive plan.
Early survey results have shown there are two things folks who live in the county care about the most – infrastructure and traffic congestion.
“I don’t think over the last 25 years that the infrastructure has kept up with the residential growth," said St. Johns County Commissioner Henry Dean.
University of Florida research shows St. Johns County is one of the fastest growing areas in the state – with the population in the unincorporated areas expected to increase by 97%, or nearly double by 2050.
Not everyone in the county is thrilled about that number.
“It seems like they’re setting the stage for more rapid growth, when we’ve already grown too fast," said Nicole Crosby.
“Make actions toward this comprehensive plan to make sure the West side of 95 is protected for as long as we can," added Michael McDonald.
Commissioner Dean says there are already plans in motion to handle some of the growth – like widening County Road 210 and State Road 16 to clear up bottlenecks and adding four new parks.
Now he’s tasked with making sure the stuff folks brought up at the community meetings is included in the 25-year plan.
“For them to come and they’re filling out real time information on these charts as to what their highest priority is, I think it’s pretty cool, really," said Dean.