Why you should care about PUD: revisions could ruin city neighborhoods

Narrow streets in Amelia Park restricts emergency vehicle access

Commentary

Fernandina Beach property owners dodged a bullet Tuesday night over a proposal that if approved had the potential to devastate the tranquility of city neighborhoods.

PUD is the acronym, and you need to care about the peril that changes to requirements of a planned unit development would have on our town.

The underlying rules for a PUD are governed by "negotiated terms" between the city and developers. And it only takes three commissioners to vote to approve those terms.

Why would a PUD devastate neighborhoods?

Under negotiated terms a developer could be allowed to do the following:

• Build zero lot line homes or structures where buildings are constructed very close to the property line, often touching it on one side.

• Exceed maximum allowances for the height of structures.

• Build roads that do not meet the minimum city standards.

• Exceed the allowances for pervious surfaces (think rainwater being prevented from soaking into the soil) on properties.

Planning Director Kelly Gibson explains negotiated terms to city commissioners

As presented to the city commission Tuesday, standards to allow for a PUD would have been lowered from five acres to zero acres. There are no more five-acre parcels remaining in the city for development. That precipitated the city's Planning Advisory Board to approve these PUD revisions.

That means that a single lot could qualify as a PUD and a house could be built right on the property line with no setback from the adjacent home.

Although flexibility in city planning is often touted as a way to promote innovation and adaptability, this proposal raises significant risks that cannot be ignored.

Allowing developer to build zero lot lines would dramatically alter the character of Fernandina's neighborhoods. While developers will argue that it allows for more efficient land use, the reality is that zero lot line developments create overcrowding, reduced privacy, and a detrimental quality of life for residents. The charm of many of Fernandina's long-standing neighborhoods lies in their spaciousness and openness; sacrificing those elements for an increase in density would lead to an environment which is more like the urban sprawl that ruined islands like Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Then there's exceeding maximum building heights, that poses a threat not only to aesthetic property values but also to the integrity of city infrastructure. Tall buildings often cast giant shadows over lower structures, disrupt sensitive local ecosystems, while creating a 'canyon effect' that alters wind patterns and air quality.

Allowing substandard roads further exacerbates these issues. Shell Cove and Amelia Park off Citrona Drive are examples of a PUD road system gone wrong. Their streets are so narrow that emergency vehicles are challenged to navigate through those neighborhoods. The potential for road congestion and inadequate emergency access cannot be understated. Safety cannot be compromised in exchange for developer's profit.

As Fernandina's neighborhoods are impacted by changes to city codes, the strain on existing infrastructure must be carefully considered.

The fact that a simple majority vote among three commissioners can alter these critical safeguards is alarmingly insufficient. PUD and city development code decisions will shape the landscape of Fernandina Beach for generations to come.

Fortunately, commissioners kicked back the ill-conceived PUD changes to the PAB for further evaluation. Hopefully those PAB members now recognize the flaws in making these changes and reject moving any PUD revisions further.