A large group of Southwest Duval County residents voiced concerns Monday night about the proposed 5,000-home Trails development.
The project would bring residential and commercial development to 2,000 acres north of Clay County, south of Normandy Boulevard and between U.S. 301 and Soloman Road.
District 12 City Council member Randy White, who represents the area, hosted a neighborhood meeting to discuss the development, the process of the land use and zoning change and the timeline.
Steve Diebenow, the attorney for the property owners, explained the nine-month schedule to complete the process and the upcoming public hearings for the initial land use amendment.
The Jacksonville Planning Commission will make a recommendation for the transmittal phase of the land use amendment, Ordinance 2019-309, on July 18, followed by the council’s Land Use and Zoning Committee hearing on Aug. 6 and the full council Aug. 13.
If the application is approved, it will be transmitted to the state Department of Economic Opportunity to review for consistency with the Duval County 2030 Comprehensive Plan.
If found consistent, it will return to the county for adoption and join a companion application for rezoning, which will follow the previous steps.
The land use amendment is conceptual. Details such as roadway, commercial and residential density locations are in the design process and will be available for the rezoning submittal.
Neighbors are concerned about traffic, drainage, wetland impacts, wildlife, school capacity and increased crime.