The Sandy Lake property in northern St. Johns County, near the Interstate 95 and County Road 210 corridor, is moving through another stage of development review.
The property owner is pursuing Agricultural Enclave Certification for a separate portion of the larger tract, while a previously filed Planned Rural Development rezoning request remains under consideration.
The Sandy Lake projects fall within the Sandy Creek Planned Unit Development, an established residential community approved in 2003 and amended several times since. Portions of the PUD have been built out through multiple phases.
A PUD allows uses, regulations and standards tailored to a property.
Property owner and developer Seda Construction submitted an application seeking Agricultural Enclave Certification for approximately 379 acres of undeveloped land near the Interstate 95 corridor July 29.
According to the project description, the certification request includes a proposed residential community with up to 150 single-family homes.
The application is the county’s seventh Agricultural Enclave Certification request under review.
Florida Senate Bill 686, which took effect July 1, created a streamlined review process for residential development on land certified as an agricultural enclave, allowing qualifying landowners and developers to apply directly for Agricultural Enclave Certification rather than pursue the traditional comprehensive plan amendment process and rezoning process.
The law has drawn concern from some St. Johns County residents who argue the process reduces local oversight and could create additional infrastructure challenges. During a July 21 St. Johns County Commission discussion about agricultural enclaves, residents raised concerns about the state law and its potential impact on local planning decisions.
Citing the potential for thousands of new homes being added to the county, resident Joe McAnarney asked the commission, “Are we ready?”
“I hope that you feel, as we all do, a sense of urgency,” he said.
The Sandy Lake agricultural enclave request follows a previously submitted Planned Rural Development rezoning application for another portion of the property.
Seda Construction filed the PRD application July 18, seeking approval to rezone approximately 412 acres from Planned Unit Development and Open Rural to Planned Rural Development. The request would allow a maximum of 81 residential lots within approximately 41.16 acres of development area, with approximately 370.42 acres preserved as required reserve area.
The PRD application remains under county review and is separate from the Agricultural Enclave Certification request.
The two applications involve the same ownership but different portions of the larger Sandy Lake property.
According to county records, the Agricultural Enclave Certification application was accepted for review, but county staff requested additional materials before the application could proceed.
“Staff has accepted your online application for Agricultural Enclave Certification (Sandy Lake - I-95 area), however the request does not include the required documents. I ask that you forward all required documents to me so that I may scan them into the system for Staff’s review,” county staff wrote to Seda Construction.
The county requested additional documents needed for staff review, including:
• The property deed.
• A legal description.
• A site plan showing all dimensions.
• A letter or narrative sufficient to demonstrate compliance with all agricultural enclave requirements.
The agricultural enclave process is part of a broader change in how certain agricultural properties can seek residential development approval.
Under the new state law, qualifying agricultural enclaves are areas surrounded by development where agricultural operations may no longer be viable. The certification process allows those properties to move through a different approval pathway than traditional comprehensive plan amendments and rezoning applications.
The PRD application represents one path forward for the property, while the Agricultural Enclave Certification request introduces another potential development approach for a separate area of the site.
Other agricultural enclave applications under consideration in St. Johns County include:
• Adler Creek, 610 acres east of Pacetti Road and the Grand Lakes development and west of the future County Road 2209 extension.
• Heritage Development East, 615 acres, east of Interstate 95 and south of Florida 207.
• Heritage Development West, 550.78 acres west of Interstate 95 and south of State Road 207.
• North Palm Valley Road, 4,462 acres north of Nocatee Parkway, west of the Intracoastal Waterway and east of the Duval County line.
• Osceola Lakes, 143.29 acres south of Wildwood Drive and north of Watson Road, about 1 mile west of U.S. 1 South.
• Star IV Investments, 176 acres west of Florida 16, south of the Grand Oaks development and north of the Windward Ranch development.
The first six agricultural enclave applications are scheduled to go before the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 19. The Sandy Lake application has not been scheduled.