GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The city council heard the first reading on an ordinance last Tuesday requesting to rezone property from Agriculture/Industrial to Planned Unit Development for the Ayrshire Development on land owned by Gustafson’s Cattle, Inc., approximately 560.52 acres on County Road 15A.  

Rogers Tower PA, representing the developer of the proposed Ayrshire Development D.R. Horton, presented the proposed layout of the development, the PUD traffic study, and school proportionate share agreement. D.R. Horton is proposing to build up to 2,100 single family homes in the Ayrshire Development located on the east side of C.R. 15A, west of the railroad tracks, south of Green Cove Ave and north of Jersey Ave. D.R. Horton also wants to build a four-lane roadway to the development that crosses City property bought to develop a regional park.

Both D.R. Horton and the City are in talks with FDEP about exchanging the land. If the land exchange isn’t approved by Florida Department of Environmental Protection, a maximum of 231 homes can be built on the property. The development also includes 27 acres of park land, including a 10-acre public park. D.R. Horton agreed to pay a $400 per home park dedication fee for capital improvements to parks around the City as well as pay for the construction of a police substation.

Staff recommended approval of the first reading of this ordinance with the following conditions: subject to requirements of site-specific Future Land Use police set in Ordinance O-04-2021, no more than 231 homes may be built prior to the approval, construction, and dedication of the four-lane roadway or before an updated traffic study showing the removal of that roadway and the agreement for the park dedication fee is approved.

A majority of the members of City Council voiced concerns of the traffic study not being accurate to traffic patterns and damage that construction vehicles could cause to Green Cove  and Oakridge avenues as the development is constructed. Developer said it is willing to work with city on looking over the traffic study and make efforts to lead construction vehicles away from residential roads.

The council approved the first reading, 5-0, provided the developer and City agree to language for sending traffic south, set the minimum lot at 1,500 square feet and mitigate traffic on Oakridge Avenue.