GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The county commission unanimously approved three eminent domain parcel resolutions that were necessary for the Bonded Transportation Project during their meeting on Tuesday.

Budgeted at $129 million, the Bonded Transportation Program consists of seven road projects roads, and multiple parcels for three of the projects were purchased for the purpose of reconstructing those roads.

This included Project No. 2, which will reconstruct County Road 209 from C.R. 315B to U.S. Highway 17; No. 4, which will reconstruct Sandridge Road from Henley Road to C.R. 209; and No. 5, which will reconstruct C.R. 220 from Baxley Road to Henley Road.

The purchase of each parcel will help create an intersection, sidewalk, and water retention pond improvements.

Commissioners also heard a proposal to rezone a property in accordance with the Land Development Code. PS-3 zoning permits hospitals and related buildings, including detention centers, drug abuse and alcohol treatment facilities, intermediate care facilities for mentally disabled people and institutions for the mentally insane.

The proposed zoning change would maintain a hospital, medical office and other medical facilities on the property, but create a new PS-6 zoning, which would consist of group homes, detention centers, drug and alcohol treatment facilities, intermediate care facilities, and institutions for the insane and be allowed in the same land use categories as the PS-3 zoning.

The proposed DC changes have generated concerns among some residents, including advisory committees, who expressed discomfort with the mix of allowable uses in the current PS-3 zoning.

Staff proposed separating the group homes, detention centers, drug and alcohol treatment facilities and similar uses from the category of hospital, medical, and medical office category. Staff recommends creating the new PS-6 zoning to accommodate these facilities while keeping PS-3 specifically for hospital and medical facilities.

Under the proposed changes, any property currently zoned as PS-3 would retain its existing uses. This aims to prevent the loss of any uses that are currently permitted. Staff identified 28 PS-3 parcels using Geographic Information Systems data, which would be kept intact with the exact same use.

The Planning Commission voted in favor of the proposed changes unanimously.

A vote by commissioners will be taken on July 25 to make the decision final.