376-home neighborhood axed near St. Augustine Lakes over overcrowding, flooding fears

The St. Johns County Commission on Tuesday denied a proposal to build 376 homes near the existing St. Augustine Lakes neighborhood.

Even more than concerns about already-congested roads getting even busier, residents worried that building The Preserve at St. Augustine Lakes near their homes could result in more flooding.

The development, proposed on 247 acres south of State Road 16 and west of Holmes Boulevard, was pitched as a single-family neighborhood. The rejected project’s developers are affiliated with Atlantic Land Cos., a West Palm Beach-based development and property management firm.

After presentations about the project and from people who live nearby, County Commissioner Sarah Arnold said she couldn’t get behind it. Quoting a resident who spoke against the project, Arnold said the area always seems to be “wet, wet, wet.”

“I know everywhere in St. Johns County is wet right now,” she said, “but it seems like you guys have always had a drainage problem.”

Representatives from the development team said nearby homeowners would not need to worry about worsened flooding from this project. But, with recent near-nonstop rain top of mind, County Commissioners remained worried.

On top of that, people shared fears of school overcrowding and standstill traffic.

“Already it’s challenging to make Deer Run Road either onto Holmes Blvd or to Four Mile Road,” one resident said, “and people make dangerous decisions.”

The vote against the project was unanimous.

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