ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County will hold a community meeting Wednesday to discuss a new affordable housing development along State Road 16.
The meeting, which starts at 6 p.m., is at the World Golf Village Renaissance Resort.
The development is part of a larger push to create more affordable housing in St. Johns County. It would be at the south end of Silverleaf Parkway near Wards Creek Elementary.
Rising home values have priced out many essential workers, like teachers and police, in the county, which is one of the wealthiest and fastest-growing counties in Florida.
The average price of a home in St. Johns County is about $500,000, according to Redfin.com, and county leaders are working to make housing more affordable.
The Preserve at Wards Creek would have 288 units and 618 parking spaces for residents, but some people who live near the proposed development are fighting it.
Right now, the area is mostly farmland. This complex would go behind a U-Haul site that’s already under construction.
Some neighbors told News4JAX they are worried the area doesn’t have the infrastructure to support more people.
“I’m opposed to the project and most of the people in the community are, and it’s more so not because of the affordable housing aspect of it. It’s because the infrastructure isn’t in place,” Scott Craij said. “The roadways, the school district. We have a fifth grader at Millcreek Academy. The school is completely overcrowded.”
Earlier this year, the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners approved an affordable housing grant worth nearly half a million dollars. The commission also passed an ordinance last year that defers some fees for affordable housing developments.
But some neighbors tell News4JAX they don’t want the complex in their neighborhood.
“I think that a lot of people are afraid it’s going to depreciate their home values,” resident Joe Keating said. “Other than that, it’ll be good for St. Johns County.”
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