City of Fernandina Beach Press Release
Submitted by Marshall McCrary, Deputy City Manager
At the April 1st City Commission meeting, the Commission approved at first reading voluntary annexations for the Gateway at Amelia commercial center, the Hess gas station, Somerset apartments, the Scott and Sons commercial center, and the FPU substation along S. 8th Street/A1A/SR 200.
File photo of Fernandina Observer.
Together, the 13 properties total approximately 24 acres. Annexations require that properties be contiguous to City limits. Because of the recent annexation of property off of Bailey Road, these properties are now contiguous (adjacent to the City boundary). Property owners for these parcels proposed for annexation signed voluntary annexation agreements at the time they requested connection to the City’s utilities system. These agreements state that the property owners agreed to annex into the City when they became contiguous.
The property owners have received benefit of the City’s utility system since they chose to connect. The City had to run utility lines to the Gateway commercial center in particular because at the time, there were not City lines in that vicinity. Developers always pay connection costs for any development project, whether in or out of the City limits, at the time of connection. This is so tax payers and rate payers do not pay the costs.
When properties are annexed into the City, they are required by state law to switch to the City’s future land use and zoning designations. The commercial properties proposed for annexation will have a future land use and zoning of General Commercial, which allows the same opportunities as their current Nassau County land use and zoning. The same is true of the Somerset property, which will have a high density residential land use and zoning. The City intends to work with property owners to ensure that any prior entitlements they may have received in the County will be honored in the City as well.
The voluntary annexation agreements were recorded through the Nassau County Clerk of Courts at the time of their approval. In processing the voluntary annexations, the City has complied with all voluntary annexation requirements found in Florida Statutes Chapter 171 and notice requirements found in the City’s Land Development Code. The associated future land use and zoning cases will return to the Commission in June after review by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. When future land use changes are over ten acres, the state must review the proposal. Second reading for the annexations will be heard at the April 15th City Commission meeting.
For more information, contact Marshall McCrary, Deputy City Manager, at 904-310-3100 or [email protected] or Adrienne Burke, Community Development Director, at 904-310-3135 or [email protected].
April 4, 2014 11:25 a.m.