The company behind a controversial 3,000-home development is temporarily pausing the project after the St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency (PZA) voted against it last month.
The PZA — which issues non-binding recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC), who have the final say — unanimously rejected the Water Lily project amid vocal public opposition.
Observers noted that Aegis Gibson, the firm behind the development, withdrew its application from a pivotal May 20 BCC hearing following the PZA’s resounding vote.
Spokesperson Ashley Allen told The Citizen that the developer plans to revise the proposal after drawing additional public input.
“We dropped the ball initially as far as soliciting feedback,” she said. “We didn’t get the input we needed.”
A parade of objectors at the PZA meeting argued the project would worsen congestion in the traditionally rural area and further erode St. Johns County’s vanishing bucolic character.
Dozens of speakers said the scale of the plan would inevitably exacerbate traffic and strain local resources.
In promoting the project prior to the PZA vote, the developer had argued that Water Lily would improve existing infrastructure, conserve significant swathes of land within the bounds of the project and help meet demand for housing in the area.
Those assertions, however, failed to sway both the public and the PZA.
Allen said Aegis is now willing to modify the project in response to community critiques.
“We are going to work with the neighbors and the farmers to come up with a happy medium — something that makes us happy and makes them happy, something that will contribute to the community,” she said.
Aegis plans to hold individual meetings with residents who spoke at the PZA gathering, along with other local stakeholders.
The firm is also considering a town hall meeting to gather concerns and suggestions.
While Allen said the developer is open to amending the application, she emphasized that the land’s current agricultural use is temporary.
“It’s not always going to be farmland,” she said. “But we don’t want it to be something the community will hate. We want it to be something they will appreciate. If it’s not going to be a farm, what’s the next best thing?”
She explained that the original landowner sold the property to a developer, who then leased it to the current agricultural tenant.
Aegis is currently under contract to purchase the 1,100-acre property at County Roads 214 and 13 North, about 15 miles west of the I-95 interchange at County Road 207.
Allen did not offer a timeline for the community engagement process or for resubmitting the Water Lily proposal.
