GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Residents along Shedd Road, where only about 20 homes already exist, are concerned by a potential development that could erase more rural land.

St. Augustine-based developer Matthews DCCM has applied to rezone property along Sheed Road to build as many as 62 homes on a 20-acre stretch currently zoned for four homes.

The planning commission will meet on Jan. 2 at 5 p.m. at the County Commission meeting room at the County Administration Building. If the request is approved, it still needs approval from the Board of County Commission.

Stacee Reape is a longtime resident. She said she and several other residents were at the planning commission meeting on Dec. 5 to oppose the plan. The commission decided to delay a vote until Jan. 2 so they could evaluate the specifications.

“Quite a crowd of us got up and spoke against it. Honestly, I don’t think they were prepared for that,” she said. “I think they thought it would be just like any other planning and zoning meeting and that it would not be met with opposition.”

Ryan and Katie Marcys are neighbors of Reape. They said the development would create more density and trap residents between two neighborhoods. The Willow Springs community already is on one side. Willow Springs Drive ends at Shedd Road, where the pavement meets dirt.

Residents want a balance between rural living and suburban development.

The Marcys said they’ve lived on Shedd Road for 30 years.

“We live here because of the peace and quiet,” Katie Marcys said. “This is pretty much the last little piece of rural area that we have left near Green Cove Springs.”

“This was all family land at one point, and now, it’s all being sold off to the highest bidder,” Ryan Marcys said.

The Marcys and Reape said the development could create a traffic catastrophe.

“Shedd Road used to (connect) U.S. (Highway) 17 to County Road 315 before Willow Springs was built. Now, (those) people are using Shedd Road as a cut-through to get to U.S. 17. These people are cutting through and flying down this dirt road. If we’re supposed to create infrastructure before (building) developments, this is the prime example of what not to do,” Reape said.

Katie Marcys also said there are additional concerns because the road is prone to flooding because it’s between two wetlands.

“People fly up and down that road. We’ve seen numerous accidents. It’s ridiculous. And if rain (comes down) at any point, that makes (Shedd Road) even more challenging (to navigate),” she said.

They believe an additional 62 homes would increase traffic by nearly 75%.

The wetlands are home to several animals, such as alligators, raccoons, deer, turtles and opossums, Katie Marcys said.

The area also creates potential problems for emergency vehicles.

“I don’t think the (proper infrastructure is there), and I don’t think the builder has a clue. It could be a heck of a time (dealing) with an (emergency situation),” Ryan Marcys said.

“The flooding and drainage issues we’ve had to deal with since all of these developments (have been built) like Magnolia West and Willow Springs has been unbelievable,” Reape said. “(The builder) hasn’t walked this property personally. He doesn’t see the value and the character of these generational, family lands that have been here. And he hasn’t seen the water flow and (flooding and drainage issues) that we have on Shedd Road, either. He does not understand what we deal with on a daily basis. And we don’t want to be closed off and boxed in besides cookie-cutter homes.”

Katie Marcys said growth has become troubling, especially in the Lake Asbury and Green Cove Springs area.

“You have to figure in: if they start changing this area, what will happen down the road in a couple of years? All of Clay County could be changed, and I don’t think that our citizens really want that to happen,” she said.