Oceanway vs City of Jax

Overambitious development and the accompanying destruction of environment and history has become a universal problem in much of America, and especially in Florida. Land that has long been designated and zoned for rural residential building has been rezoned to allow for high density developments that rob the land of all uniqueness and pave over the history and natural beauty of the property where they’re built. While many times we sit by and do nothing to stop it, there comes a time and place when that can no longer be the case, when the proverbial straw breaks the camel’s back, and communities must come together to hold someone accountable and refuse to allow one more acre to be destroyed, one more wildlife species to be forced out, one more community infrastructure to buckle under the pressure, or one more waterway to accept the runoff of one more high density development. In northeast Jacksonville, that time has come. That time is now.

In early 2015, bright orange rezoning signs appeared on a two lane rural road in northeast Jacksonville. The signs announced the proposed rezoning of 395 acres from Rural Residential to PUD, which would allow for a planned community made up of 4 homes per acre and would drastically change the natural and historical landscape of this small, but beautiful acreage adjacent to the Timucuan Preserve, as well as the lives of every person who lived nearby.  Lying on the banks of Edwards Creek, these acres are home to many indigenous species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and aquatic life. Long known as a home for elusive and endangered Florida panther, deer, bear, foxes, gopher turtles, and other wildlife, it has seen an increase in wildlife population since the destruction of thousands of acres nearby to make way for other housing developments.

In spite of the impassioned pleas of neighbors, including emails, letters, phone calls and appearances at various meetings, the proposal has passed the necessary committees and now sits in the laps of the City Council of the City of Jacksonville.  Although this is a committee made up of city council members elected by the people of Jacksonville, the very people who now plead with them to stop the madness and overambitious building of these developments, it appears the pleas are falling on deaf ears, with one councilman assuring his constituents that this is coming and they might as well get used to it.  The community has retained an attorney to guide them through the fight against this destruction of the environment and way of life. It isn’t an attempt to stop all growth, but to enforce the zoning code already in place. Please help in their fight against irresponsible and overambitious building and environmental destruction by donating toward their attorney’s fees.

Learn more http://oceanway.wix.com/wearethecity or like us on Facebook "Stop Development on Boney Road"