The Jacksonville Planning Commission recommended approval Thursday to rezone the 29-acre Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Airport hotel property at southwest Interstate 95 and Airport Road in North Jacksonville.
Property owner Gregory Morris, manager of Blue Sky Jaxap LLC and Eagle Landings of Jax LLC, proposes to renovate the hotel and add 100,000 square feet of commercial, medical and senior living facilities and up to 85 apartment units.
Ordinance 2019-635 seeks to rezone the property from commercial community/general-1 and industrial business park to planned unit development to allow the proposed mixed-use development.
The 1980s-built hotel is on 10 acres at 14670 Duval Road. That site, on the north end of the property, will be limited to hotel use.
Morris previously said the hotel is under a $10 million dollar renovation that should be completed by the end of 2020.
The southern undeveloped 18.9 acres will comprise senior living, medical, hotel-motel and multifamily use.
Morris, a resident of Ponte Vedra Beach, owns three assisted-living facilities in Florida and has experience in the hospitality industry.
The Planning Commission approved a zoning exception for:
• The Mulch Factory Outlet at 2480 Lane Ave. N., north of 12th Street West, to allow the manufacturing, storage and outside sales of mulch in an industrial light zoning district. FedEx Ground owned the 27-acre property for use as a freight distribution facility, comprising an 81,294-square-foot warehouse and truck parking. The owner is Reynolds, Ohio-based Mulch Manufactiring Inc., the largest producer of packaged mulch products in the country, according to their website.
The Planning Commission recommended approval for land use changes and rezoning for:
• Ordinance 2019-679, which seeks a large-scale land use amendment for 59.06 acres along the south side of Jones Branch Circle, southwest of Pritchard Road and Interstate 295. It would change from community/general commercial to light industrial and conservation to allow for truck parking and storage and the conservation of 5.17 acres along Sixmile Creek. The application is within the transmittal round and will be sent to the state for review. Upon return, the application will be joined with a companion application to rezone the property from planned unit development to industrial light and conservation. The property is owned by Robert's Diesel Service Inc., a truck and trailer dealer with parts and service.
• Ordinance 2019-680, which seeks a large-scale land use amendment on 16.11 acres on the north side of West Beaver Street, between Otis Road and Zephyr Dairy Drive. It would change from light industrial to recreation open space to allow for a 300-lot recreational vehicle park. The application is within the transmittal round and will be sent to the state for review. Upon return, the application will be joined with a companion application to rezone the property from PUD to recreation open space. Applicant Curtis Hart said the location is appropriate because it is west of the Interstate 10 and First Coast Expressway interchange.
• Ordinance 2019-688, which seeks to rezone 9.11 acres at 3011 Marbon Road, southwest of Orange Picker Road and San Jose Boulevard. It would change from PUD to PUD to modify the existing master plan to allow an access road from Orange Picker Road to the JTA Park & Ride and commercial outparcels. Businesses for the outparcels have not been identified. The property owner and developer is Jacksonville-based First Coast Energy LLP.
Land use amendments and rezonings require approval by the City Council Land Use and Zoning Committee and then full Council approval.