Plans for a St. Augustine location for a global industrial equipment rental company may be in jeopardy.
The St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency voted 7-0 on Aug. 7 to recommend denial of two requests that would allow a United Rentals store to move forward.
Planned at 2898 U.S. 1, the facility would be the company’s first location in the county. The site is the former Hyundai of St. Augustine dealership, which relocated in 2023 to 1111 Marketplace Drive.
Property records show 2898 U.S. 1 is owned by DDN St Johns LLC led by Andrew, Joseph and Samuel Diefo, Andrew Difeo is the general manager of Hyundai of St. Augustine.
United Rentals specializes in equipment ranging from portable generators to mini excavators and forklifts.
The company’s requests are twofold.
It seeks to rezone the site by removing provisions tied to its Commercial Intensive with Conditions classification. The conditions allow uses such as vehicle and auto parts sales, service repair shops and rental car agencies, but do not specifically permit heavy equipment rentals. The site is bordered by residential neighborhoods to the east.
Jacksonville-based Matthews | DCCM is the project’s civil engineer. Christina Evans, a senior planner with DCCM, told the agency the project would generate less traffic, be less busy and cause less disruption than a car dealership, making it compatible with the area.
Nearby businesses include Coggin Honda of St. Augustine, Nissan of St. Augustine, Family Kia of St. Augustine, AutoZone Auto Parts and AAMCO Transmissions & Total Car Care.
PZA member Judy Spiegel questioned that logic.
“My concern is I don’t see how renting heavy equipment is less intense than a car dealership,” she said. “It may be less busy, but it has bigger equipment.”
Spiegel also expressed concern that lifting the zoning restrictions could allow other businesses that aren’t expressly permitted by site’s zoning classification to move in.
PZA member Robert Olson questioned why United Rentals would choose “prime retail frontage” rather than a more industrial area.
“It seems like heavy equipment rental is not an impulse thing,” he said. “It’s not like a car dealership. You don’t just go by the site and say, ‘Oh, I want to rent a Bobcat today.’”
He said other businesses might be “better and more compatible” for the site.
United Rentals’ second request was for a zoning variance to reduce the required buffer between the site and adjacent homes to the East from 20 feet to 10 feet. Evans said the company would plant trees and add an 8-foot fence — taller than the existing 6-foot fence — to minimize disruption to neighbors.
Evans said noise should not be a concern since most activity would take place on weekdays when residents are at work and children are in school.
She added that project designs were based on the 10-foot buffer that was the standard before the expanded requirements were enacted in 2009. She said if the project is required to meet the current 20-foot buffer, the number of trees and the height of the proposed fence would be reduced.
Agency members were not convinced and both requests failed.
The PZA’s vote is a recommendation, not a formal county decision. The project can still be heard by the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners in as little as two weeks.
According to a March 2025 investor report, United Rentals operates 1,705 locations globally, including 1,591 in North America, 39 in Europe, 37 in Australia and 19 in New Zealand. The company, founded in 1997 and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, offers about 4,800 classes of rental equipment valued at $20.59 billion.