St. Johns County is reviewing plans for Water Lily, a mixed-use development that includes 3,000 homes and 280,000 square feet of commercial space.
Developer Aegis Gibson LLC submitted a permit application to the county Sept. 27.
The 1,118-acre Water Lily site is at County Roads 214 and 13 North, about 15 miles west of the Interstate 95 interchange with County Road 207 and about 13 miles north of Hastings.
In a statement, Aegis Gibson said the project is planned as an age-restricted community, but that may change if a school is required. Age-restricted communities are usually for residents age 55 and over.
Comments from the county’s building department are due Oct. 10.
The project is planned to be fully built-out by 2038, the developer said in a statement. It is named for the Timucuan word tocoi, which translates to “water lily.”
State corporate records show that Aegis Gibson is based in Miami and was created in 2023. Records show it is managed by Mohammad Alam of St. Johns County and Charles Welsh of Jacksonville.
Jacksonville-based Boomi CR 214 LLC owns the property. The LLC was created in 2023. Its registered agent is Upender Reddy Ratnam of Jacksonville.
Title managers include Sai K. Konda of Tallahassee; Goda Rudrappa Yellappa Reddy of St. Johns; Venkat Gagganapally of Sanford; Sowjanya Cherukuri of Dulles, Virginia; and Pasham Vikram of Plano, Texas.
BGE Inc. of Houston is the civil engineer. St. Johns Law Group represents the project.
An access road connecting County Roads 214 and 13 North into Water Lily is planned to ease traffic flow, according to site plans.
The land is surrounded by farms and agricultural structures. At least 10,000 trees will be planted, the developer said in a statement.
Rezoning is required to move the project from Planned Rural Development to Planned Unit Development.
The project scope has changed since the county first saw plans March 19 for Water Lily. Initially, the 1,030-acre development included 2,800 homes and 385,000 square feet of general and neighborhood commercial uses.
Aegis Gibson says its residential projects include the Chelsea Meadows and Stillwood communities in Durham, North Carolina, and Grove Park in Raleigh.
Aegis Gibson LLC was registered in 2001 in North Carolina and was dissolved in 2010, according to Secretary of State documents. It also was managed by Welsh, North Carolina state records show.
The company said in a statement Southern Village in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is the blueprint for Water Lily.
According to the Urban Land Institute, Southern Village is a mixed-use development on about 312 acres with office, retail, hotel and restaurant space with 1,145 residential units. Bryan Properties Inc. developed it in 1994.
Southern Village says it is an example of a “New Urbanism” walkable community. Andres Duany, known as the founder of New Urbanism, developed Seaside, Florida.
According to the Aegis Gibson website, the developer is committed to “sustainable development.”
“At Aegis Gibson, we believe that responsible land development is the cornerstone of a sustainable future. Our commitment to sustainable development extends far beyond the confines of our assignments. It’s a pledge to uphold the delicate balance between progress and nature,” the site says.
“In the heart of Florida, we meticulously plan each development, prioritizing eco-friendly practices that minimize our ecological impact. By integrating innovative sustainability measures into our projects, we strive to set a new standard for responsible development in the state.”
Boston-based Freehold Communities, the developer of Shearwater in St. Johns County, also is planning a residential development about 9 miles east of Water Lily off County Road 214.
The “Agrihood” development is planned to add 3,300 homes over 10 years.
The Agrihood plans include 250,000 square feet of retail and commercial space. Residential components include 2,077 single-family homes, 340 town homes and 915 age-restricted single-family units.
By comparison, Shearwater, along County Road 210 in northern St. Johns, is a 1,500-acre development with plans for 2,000 homes.