JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Neighbors near the former Kings Trail Elementary School want a say in what gets built on the property, but they say the planning commission isn’t listening.
The San Jose Neighborhood Association brought five specific conditions to a recent planning commission meeting tied to a proposed rezoning of the shuttered school’s site. The commission moved forward with the rezoning without adding any of the conditions neighbors requested.
“Those five items were met with resistance that was not favorable to the respect of our neighborhood and our community,” said Chrissy Kinne, government affairs officer for the San Jose Neighborhood Association.
Our news partners at The Jacksonville Daily Record reported that the Planning Commission moved forward with a proposed 110-unit development on the site. Duval County Schools is in the process of selling the property to Dream Finders Homes. Kings Trail Elementary closed last year.
What neighbors are asking for
The association’s five conditions include:
- Routing the development’s entrance and exit to Powers Avenue rather than Old Kings Road
- Height restrictions on smaller lots within the development
- An adequate buffer between the existing neighborhood and the new construction
- Written language in the planned unit development (PUD) description confirming the community will be a 55-and-up senior development
- Preservation of 1.44 acres of wetlands on the property
A neighborhood already feeling the pressure
Grady Pope moved to the Old San Jose area from Mandarin about five years ago — specifically because Mandarin had gotten too crowded. He says the same pattern is now playing out in his new neighborhood.
“You’re seeing a massive amount of building, you know, residential homes, town homes, condominiums, single-family homes everywhere. And we’ve experienced that on each end of Old Kings Road,” Pope said.
Pope says residents deserve to be part of the conversation.
“There’s 1,100 neighbors here that are involved in this decision that they’re going to be making,” he said.
Neighbors say they are pushing for a seat at the table as the rezoning process moves forward, and are hopeful the developer will take their concerns seriously.
“We’re just really hopeful that in the end, the things that we’re putting forward for the builder that eventually buys this property will come through with considerations for us that are meaningful,” Pope said.
No response from officials
News4Jax reached out to Duval County Schools, Councilman Joe Carlucci, and attorneys involved in the rezoning. As of publication, none have responded. This story will be updated when they do.