Enhancing our entry – 8th Street

Press Release
City of Fernandina Beach
Community Development Dept.
Kelly Gibson
204 Ash Street, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
www.fbfl.us/cdd
February 3, 2016 9:38 a.m.

8th Street 2
8th Street – Circa 1940’s

Following citizen feedback over a multi-year process, the City is introducing policy changes for 8th Street to allow a wide range of housing options while keeping all current commercial uses. The goal is to create a vibrant and welcoming mixed-use corridor with unified attractive visual character that serves as a gateway and connects to the history and character of Downtown Fernandina Beach. The next step towards accomplishing this goal involves YOU! We need your comments and feedback on how we can work to enhance our entry – 8th Street. Learn more details by visiting www.fbfl.us/8thStreet. Please join us to check out proposed map updates and have a conversation about policy changes.

8th Street

For more information, please contact Kelly N. Gibson, Senior Planner at 904-310-3135 or [email protected].

Background: The South 8th Street Corridor serves as the primary entry onto Amelia Island from the Shave Bridge and into the City of Fernandina Beach and historic downtown. Historically, this corridor evolved as an extension of downtown, and served as the first auto-centric commercial corridor in Fernandina Beach. Gas stations and automobile dealers located on S. 8th Street in the mid-20th century.

As time went on, more commercial development appeared on S. 8th Street and restaurants, retail, banks, and other businesses developed along the corridor. When Fernandina Beach continued to expand with new shopping centers on 14th and Sadler Roads, and businesses also began moving to the growing Yulee area, S. 8th Street entered a period of decline. Properties have sat vacant for years, businesses have come and gone, and the general appearance of the streetscape has deteriorated.

Despite the lack of a coordinated effort, improvements to 8th Street have taken place over the past several years. The proximity to historic downtown and the benefits of being in an urbanized area served by infrastructure make the area attractive for rehabilitation. It is the hope that this effort’s associated changes to the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code will help further revitalize the area and provide better opportunities for reuse and redevelopment of property, while maintaining the character of Fernandina Beach

The City’s current effort to enhance 8th Street stems from direction in its Comprehensive Plan (Guide for Growth and Development in the City) which was most recently adopted in late 2011. In early 2014, planning staff organized a working group to consider potential policies and land use mechanisms to foster and support redevelopment directives. This group assisted planning staff with evaluating options and chose to focus initial efforts on the 8th Street corridor.

Working Group: Members of the group included an architect, engineer, the County Economic Development Board director, a citizen-at-large, Planning Advisory Board members, and a representative from the County planning department. All meetings were noticed and open to the public, and minutes were taken. All input was welcomed. The group met monthly from March 2014 through March 2015. Stakeholders from particular fields or interest groups related to 8th Street and the area were invited to meet with the working group.

The group immediately identified several challenges to reinvestment in 8th Street which included the following along with other that are identified in the 8th Street Small Area Plan found at www.fbfl.us/8thStreet.

  1. The current zoning that includes a mix of C-1 (Neighborhood Commercial), C-2 (General Commercial), C-3 (Central Business District), and MU-1 (Mixed Use) from 7th Street to 9th Street.
  2. The lack of residential zoning on 8th Street specifically in the C-2 General Commercial zoning district, and
  3. The varying jurisdictions along 8th Street (city and county properties and Florida Department of Transportation ownership of the roadway).

After a year of meeting which included initial public outreach efforts through survey efforts and viewpoint articles, the working group decided to issue its recommendations to the Planning Advisory Board (PAB). The PAB formed a subcommittee and have been working towards a strategy which combines a new land use designation and zoning district along with development standards for the 8th Street small area, and large-scale land use and zoning map amendments.

Proposed Changes:

The PAB Subcommittee and Staff are working on one piece of the 8th Street puzzle at this time which includes a new land use and zoning category, design standards for the new zoning, and map changes. Click here for specific details on the land use and zoning proposed.

Design requirements tied to the new 8th Street Small Area Mixed Use (8MU) land use category and MU-8 zoning designation have been drafted to reflect a goal of becoming more Centre Street like by providing an opportunity for residential development mixed with commercial development opportunities. It is intended to provide for a wide-range of housing options with access to amenities located downtown. The zoning changes have been crafted to accommodate existing uses along 8th Street and anticipate future uses for the area. It is unlikely that the City will experience immediate change resulting from the new land use and zoning within the area. Changes will occur over time. ###

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Steve Crounse
Steve Crounse (@guest_46615)
8 years ago

Looking at that Photo of 8th st. Was hay some thing never change

Patty Sorensen
Patty Sorensen (@guest_46616)
8 years ago

The city should plant some trees, maybe Crepe Myrtles…problem solved. Trees are what makes streets beautiful.

david merrell
david merrell (@guest_46743)
8 years ago

Citizens asked for landscaping on 8th but what we get is 45 ft buildings- how does that work?