County commissioners vote down Comp Plan changes for St. Joe Co. land

Leon County commissioners opted not to expand the urban services area and change the future land use designation for 1,100 acres of land near Southwood owned by the St. Joe Company after hearing objections from concerned residents.

A number of people who reside in the Grassroots community spoke out during the commission’s Dec. 9 meeting, saying the expansion would pave the way for more development and harm Old St. Augustine Road, one of the county’s protected canopy roads.

County Commissioner David O’Keefe offered a substitute motion, asking to approve the Comp Plan update without changes affecting the St. Joe-owned land, which sits in his district. 

He said the proposal would change the future land use designation from rural to planned development allowing 20 housing units and 25,000 square feet of commercial space per acre. The land would become a planned development under policy because it’s over 200 acres and owned by a single entity.

“This is not so much about blocking development,” O’Keefe said. “It’s about one owner getting to skip the line and avoid the process that every other owner goes through in the past and will go through again.”

-Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat