Fernandina survey sounds alarm over development and preserving neighborhood character

FERNANDINA BEACH - Overdevelopment poses the greatest threat to the City’s community character, according to residents who participated in a six-month planning process that will help guide the city through 2050.

Seventy-three percent of survey respondents identified overdevelopment as the city’s greatest challenge, far outpacing rising housing costs at 13% and traffic congestion at 6%.

The findings were presented to the City Commission Wednesday as part of the city’s Evaluation and Appraisal Review, or EAR, of its Comprehensive Plan. The state-required review examines whether the plan must be revised to reflect changes in Florida law and the community’s priorities.

The planning team collected approximately 150 survey responses through neighborhood meetings and appearances at community events, including the opening of the beaches, the opening of Publix and the Sea Turtle Festival.

The survey revealed growing concerns about growth and the preservation of established city neighborhoods.

She said the city could address those concerns through new Comprehensive Plan policies followed by changes to its Land Development Code.

Preservation of community character was selected as the city’s most important planning theme by 42% of respondents. Environmental sustainability and resiliency followed at 21%, while livability and future-ready infrastructure each received 17%. Mobility and transportation ranked last at 4%.

Half of respondents said they want their neighborhoods to remain low-density and suburban, with single-family homes, larger yards and quiet streets. Another 35% favored mixed-use neighborhoods combining housing, small businesses, restaurants and services within walking distance.

The survey also highlighted a conflict between residents’ desire for alternatives to driving and the city’s existing transportation network.

Distance was identified as the biggest impediment to replacing car trips with walking or bicycling, followed closely by the lack of sidewalks and bicycle lanes.

“We heard a lot of people saying safe routes to school,” Bryla said. “You can go a block and it takes you five minutes on a golf cart, but it may take you 20 minutes in a car based on the traffic and the transportation circulation.”

Environmental protection also ranked prominently. Thirty-nine percent selected forests and the city’s tree canopy as the environmental resource most in need of protection. Beaches ranked second at 32%, followed by wetlands and floodplains at 23% and rivers and streams at 6%.

For resiliency investments, 28% favored hardening utilities by burying power lines and strengthening substations. Tree canopy expansion and heat mitigation received 24%, while stormwater and flood-control improvements received 20%.

• Preservation of community character

• Managed growth, redevelopment and compatibility

• Environmental stewardship and conservation

• Walkability and connectivity

• Resiliency and infrastructure

• Affordable housing and community livability

Those amendments are expected to address neighborhood character, resiliency, affordable housing, water-supply planning, infrastructure and future land use. The proposed policies will return to the City Commission for public hearings, transmittal to the state and final adoption.

The review will help shape how the city regulates growth, redevelopment, transportation, housing and environmental protection as Fernandina Beach prepares its long-range vision through 2050.