Traffic plan envisions changes to Holmes

Traffic plan envisions changes to Holmes

Improvements designed to mitigate impact of traffic from proposed developments

PETER GUINTA
peter.guinta@staugustinerecord.com
Publication Date: 08/07/06


The developers of two projects in West Augustine -- attempting to mitigate the traffic impact of their combined 1,083 homes -- have offered the county a $1 million plan to improve Holmes Boulevard from State Road 207 to Four Mile Road.

This plan must be accepted if the two developments are to go through.

Public hearings on the traffic proposal, and on the two housing projects themselves, are scheduled at Tuesday's regular meeting of the St. Johns County Commission.

According to commission agenda documents, the two projects are:


232-acre St. Augustine Lakes, planned west of Holmes Boulevard, south of Thompson Bailey Road and northeast of Carter Road on vacant agricultural timberland.

The applicant, Phil Mays of Mays Real Estate Investment Group of Atlanta, hopes to build 380 single-family units and 420 multi-family town homes there. The School Board estimates a total of 393 school-aged children will be generated by this project.

However, the county's Planning & Zoning Agency on April 6 recommended denial of this project in a 4-2 vote.

The Planning Division said it has "serious concerns" that 800 homes would all have to use one access road.

280-acre Morgan's Cove, planned north of County Road 214 east of Interstate 95. Fourteen of the 283 single-family homes will be equestrian lots and have barns and stables.

The site contains 117 acres of wetlands and will generate 125 school-age children.

The county's Planning & Zoning Agency recommended approval of the rezoning July 20 in a 5-1 vote.

Bill Hartmann, the county's transportation planning manager, told the commissioners in a July 25 memo that the proposal "will serve as the developers' commitment to build the transportation facilities necessary to serve the impacts of (those developments)."

The $1 million would pay for adding a southbound left turn lane and a southbound right turn lane at Holmes Boulevard and County Road 214.

In addition, improvements would include a southbound left turn lane at the King Street Extension at Holmes Boulevard.

The county's Concurrency Review Committee voted 3-0 to support this agreement.

However, the committee also found that there isn't enough existing road capacity for either project right now.

St. Augustine Lakes only has enough traffic capacity for 192 of its proposed 800 homes.

Morgan's Cove has capacity for only 20.

But there's more at stake than a delay. A county staff report said, "If the (concurrency) agreement is denied, the proposed rezonings for both (residential) projects cannot be approved."


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