GREEN COVE SPRINGS – With the electric rate increase settled, Tuesday night’s City Council meeting was centered around the official badge pinning for a new police officer, a farewell to the city’s Development Services Director and the approval of the first step to rezone property on Cooks Lane to allow for light industrial warehouses.

Green Cove Springs Police Department Chief Shawn Hines swore Air Force veteran and former Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputy Jacob Gann into a role within the agency.

Mike Daniels, who served in the Green Cove Springs zoning department for six years, was honored by Assistant City Manager Mike Null for his service.

STAFF PHOTOS BY DON COBLE

That was followed by Assistant City Manager Mike Null presenting outgoing Development Services Director Michael Daniels, who had resigned to accept a job in Maitland, with a golden “clicker.”

Daniels gained a reputation for his PowerPoint presentations, which explained zoning and permitting applications, including three amendment requests for 5.08 acres on Cooks Lane.

The land is part of an eight-acre plot, but owner Joe Wiggins said the site was divided into three segments. One of the segments is under contract to be sold, he said, but he wants to build a warehouse on one of the segments and a 48,000-square-foot building that will be divided into 3,000-square-foot bays.

The request, which included amending the future land use, reviewing the large-scale future land use text and changing the zoning from mixed use to industrial, sailed through the first reading.

Daniels said all traffic would be directed to Energy Cove Court, which immediately ended concerns about traffic on Cooks Lane. He said an industrial property generates far less traffic than residential housing or a shopping center.

“Nobody will be allowed to access the property from Cooks Lane,” Daniels said.

With the first of two public readings completed, the proposed ordinance now must be approved by the state before the city council can vote on it.

The vote was 4-0 on all three ordinance requests.

In other business:

• The council agreed to the payment of $413,725 to Sawcross for the ongoing construction of the Harbor Road Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility.

• Agreed to pay CPH (formerly Mittauer) $178,090 for permitting and design services for the Magnolia Point Reclaimed Water System and Potable Water System Improvements.

• Approved closing Walnut Street abutting Spring Park for the Keller Williams End of Summer Event.

The city council meets at 6 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month at City Hall. The next meeting will be on Aug. 5.