Greg Gerber posted on September 07, 2008 00:40
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Flamingo Lake RV Resort on Jacksonville's Northside is built around a spring-fed lake with a sandy beach and bass ready for catching.
But what lies just beyond the tree line - or what could - troubles Mike Fisher, the resort's marketing director and a part owner.
A few months ago, the Army Corps of Engineers notified Flamingo Lake that the owners of property next door planned to develop 317 acres into up to 5.5 million square feet of warehouses.
It represents a growing trend in Jacksonville.
As the housing market soured, developers began to look for new uses for property zoned for residential development. They began applying to rezone to light industrial, paving the way for warehouses and other commercial construction.
Land like that near Flamingo Lake, which is just off Interstate 295 near Lem Turner Road, is attractive because it would be easily accessible for trucks that pick up containers and other items unloaded at the new terminals near the Dames Point bridge.
Opponents worry about increased truck traffic and the noise of around-the-clock activity.
"Our first impression was we feared for the worst," Fisher said. "There is a lot of precedence of industrial sites opening near or on top of RV resorts and it's really the kiss of death."
City Councilman and executive director of the Northeast Florida Builders Association Daniel Davis said it makes sense to let the market dictate trends, and that port expansion is at the forefront.
"You are going to have so much distribution space needed to handle the containers and cargo that are coming in," Davis said, adding the trend will likely hold for the next 10 years.
But Mike Saylor, Thoburn's predecessor as planning director, has been hired by Flamingo Lake as a consultant. He believes the city is taking steps backward by allowing warehouses to be built next to houses.
Flamingo Lake is asking for an additional 200-foot-wide vegetation buffer in addition to the wetlands and trees that already divide the two properties. Also requested is an earthen berm at least 12 feet high and a 10-foot fence on top of that to block the view of whatever is built.
"We have a great venue here for the community to enjoy," Fisher said. "It would just be a shame for our business to suffer so much that we have to close our doors or, even worse, go industrial."
SOURCE: Florida Times-Union