Owners of 1,744 acres near St. Augustine in St. Johns County want to rezone and change the land use classification to operate it for industrial uses.
Four landowners control the property east of Interstate 95 between Florida 16 to the north and County Road 214 to the south.
The location’s address is listed as 2020 County Road 214.
The applicants want to create an “industrial corridor” to expand and recruit industry to St. Johns County “and provide economic opportunity and careers to residents,” says the rezoning application dated Jan. 20.
Gulfstream Design Group LLC of St. Augustine is the civil engineer and agent. Principal Matthew Lahti could not immediately be reached for comment Jan. 25.
St. Johns County is reviewing the rezoning application.
Indianhead Group, the applicant, wants to rezone the land to industrial and commercial classifications.
The rezoning will run concurrently with a comprehensive land amendment.
The four owners comprise four ownership entities led by Roy Hinman II of St. Augustine and three more groups based in St. Augustine, St. Simons, Georgia, and Temple, Texas.
The application explains that Indianhead Biomass on the property has generated jobs and economic development the past several years.
Its scope of work includes solid waste collection and processing; agriculture-based activities such as the cultivating of bees, raising of cattle and other livestock; other activities such as aquaculture, aquaponics and hydroponics; and fill dirt excavation.
The site also practices other modern farming techniques in addition to traditional practices, says the application.
Most of the properties are within a “vacant” land use classification.
The rezoning request wants to allow for industrial uses on the properties. It says that in 2009 a small scale comprehensive plan amendment was approved on a smaller portion of the properties.
“In the time since this approval, the applicant’s needs, and prioritization of community development have dictated an expansion and diversification of their business operations,” dictating the need for rezoning.
“By expanding these business operations through a connected and ‘corridor’ like group of properties, the Applicant will be able to provide: Pedestrian and Vehicular interconnectivity to areas as dictated by individual property Construction Permitting, increased Utility interconnectivity between parcels/opportunity for expansion, Contiguous Land Use and Zoning Classifications where possible to minimize any undue hardship on the general public.”
The application says that because of the amount of residential construction in the area of the project, “and the fact that there is an Economic Opportunity Zone(s) within the vicinity, the applicant wants to expand growing industries, bring new industry and provide economic opportunity” to residents in St. Johns County.
The applicant wants to create an “Economic Opportunity Corridor” to allow for a diversity of industrial, commercial and agricultural uses “to support expanding development within St. Johns County as a whole.”
