ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency recommended Thursday that the Board of County Commissioners deny an application from a rowing club to move into a residential neighborhood.
The project will now go before the Board of County Commissioners for consideration in December. The Board of County Commissioners makes the final decision on approval or denial.
The News4JAX I-TEAM has been following the story since the Evans Rowing Club was shut down in 2019.
The owners of Evans Rowing Club are seeking a zoning change to reopen their club at Julington Creek along State Road 13 after complaints of traffic led to the club’s closure.
A court order was issued in 2019 banning the rowing club from operating on a property on Hillwood Road after neighbors complained about congestion from parents picking up and dropping off their children.
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Club owners argued that traffic would not be an issue, explaining their vision for the property, but after a three-hour meeting, the zoning board voted unanimously to recommend that the commissioners deny the zoning change.
Advocates of Evans Rowing Club told the agency how impactful their program was, showing commission members testimonial videos.
“Our mission is to promote mind, body and development through discipline practice, structure training, to build confidence, training, confidence skill, team unity and lasting friendships,” one supporter of the rowing club said at the meeting.
Parents also testified about how their teenagers benefited.
“We all know this is an excellent enterprise for St. Johns County. It’s wonderful for the kids,” a parent said to the zoning board.
Advocates said rowing has led high schoolers to earn scholarships and armed them with the confidence they need to succeed.
People who live off State Road 13 and Wentworth Drive take issue with the rowing club’s proposed location, and the potential for additional traffic.
“Our home is our sanctuary and this club will have a reasonable negative impact on it,” homeowner Rebecca Gonzalez said.
Evans Rowing Club owners said the club would be the first recreational rowing center in St. Johns County.