A rezoning request that would help pave the way for a St. Augustine Airport development and expansion project advanced through a St. Johns County review July 23.
The county Planning and Zoning Agency approved a request to rezone nearly 23 acres at the airport from Open Rural to Airport Development.
The measure passed 5-1, with PZA member Chuck Labanowski dissenting, citing concerns regarding potential flood impacts of homes north of the project.
PZA member Henry Green recused himself from the vote. An active private pilot and aircraft owner, he leases private hangar space at the airport.
The St. Johns County Airport Authority owns the property, located south of Gun Club Road and north of Hawkeye View Lane, about 0.3 miles east of U.S. 1 North. St. Augustine-based Passero Associates was the applicant and civil engineer.
The property was acquired by the airport authority from the St. Augustine Rod and Gun Club through Game Club Properties Inc. in 2024. The county’s property appraiser values the parcel at $1.2 million.
The Airport Development zoning district is intended to support airport-related uses, including aviation, aerospace, corporate facilities, manufacturing and compatible commercial development.
The rezoning would support a two-phase project tied to the airport’s terminal access road improvements. The first phase includes demolishing and realigning a portion of Hawkeye View Lane and constructing a new road, East Terminal Drive, connecting Gun Club Road to aviation facilities on the airport’s east side.
That phase also includes roadway lighting, stormwater facilities, wetland mitigation and utility work. The second phase would bring new hangar facilities and supporting infrastructure.
County staff found the proposed Airport Development zoning consistent with the site’s existing Airport District future land use designation. The property sits within the county’s Airport Overlay District, subjecting any new facilities to FAA Part 77 airspace protection standards and airport height limitations.
The maximum building height is 35 feet if structures are located completely away from flight paths and runways. Height allowances decrease based on required clearance slopes for aircraft operations.
Staff identified potential jurisdictional wetlands, specimen trees and a xeric hammock, an environmentally sensitive habitat, on the site, which will require at least 10% preservation as the rezoning moves forward. A 2023 cultural resource survey found a scattering of archaeological relics on the property, and a follow-up Phase II survey will be required before construction plans can move forward.
No civil plans have been filed. Passero Project Engineer Matt Singletary told the PZA phase one designs were 60% drafted with an estimated Aug. 7 completion date ahead of applications with the St. Johns River Water Management District and the county. He added the project is partially funded through grants and appropriations from the Florida Department of Commerce, the federal government and Florida Department of Transportation totaling about $20 million.
Singletary said the first phase is planned to start in 2027.
In a letter of support of the rezoning addressed to the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners in May, Airport Authority Interim Executive Director Courtney Pittman wrote that the parcel is intended to accommodate future aviation, aerospace, manufacturing and corporate aviation development as part of the airport’s long-term growth strategy.
“The Authority believes this rezoning request represents an important step toward supporting orderly growth, regional economic opportunities and long-term operational sustainability for both the airport and the surrounding community,” Pittman wrote.
The airport was officially rebranded to St. Augustine Airport in June 2025 after operating as Northeast Florida Regional Airport since 2010. The name change, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, was championed by the airport authority to reduce passenger confusion and strengthen the facility’s alignment with the area’s tourism brand.
With approximately 750 acres dedicated to airfield operations and terminal facilities, major airport tenants include Northrop Grumman, its largest industrial tenant; Atlantic Aviation, its primary fixed-base operator; and Banyan Air Service, a maintenance, repair and overhaul provider.
The airfield also has dedicated facilities for the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office aviation unit and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. It does not offer commercial flight service.
The rezoning recommendation now heads to the Board of County Commissioners, which is scheduled to take up the request Aug. 18.