A long planned St. Johns County subdivision is on track for a massive downsizing, if Jacksonville-based Seda Construction gets its way. The company is asking the county to scrap a higher density Sandy Creek plan in favor of a quieter, spread out community called Sandy Lake, trading hundreds of previously approved homes for 81 one acre estate lots, roughly 100 acres of recreation with a proposed marina, and several hundred acres of reserve land. On paper, it is a dramatic swing in scale, cutting the site’s approved build out from 332 residential entitlements to 81 and reshaping the entire feel of the project.
What the rezoning would change
Under the Sandy Lake Planned Rural Development, homes would be clustered on about 41 acres of buildable land, with roughly 370 acres set aside as common reserve and conservation, according to the application. The new layout would strip out about 298 approved multifamily units and 34 approved single family units and replace them with 81 estate homes on one acre lots, grouped around a proposed marina within roughly 100 acres of recreational space. The numbers, and maps showing a net reduction of 251 residential units, are spelled out in local filings and coverage, according to Jax Daily Record.
Who filed it and what land is affected
The rezoning application was filed by Sandy Creek Preservation Corp., an entity tied to Seda Construction Co., which is based in Jacksonville. County administration lists the item as the Sandy Lake PRD request. Property records show the owner controls two parcels totaling about 504 acres, with the application itself covering roughly 411.58 acres. Much of that land is currently classified as recreational, parkland or conservation. Jacksonville-based Adkinson Engineering is listed as the project’s civil engineer. The full submittal is available in the St. Johns County application portal, and parcel details are posted by the St. Johns County Property Appraiser.
Why the developer says it matters
In its filing, the applicant argues that dialing back the number of homes would reduce traffic generation, student counts and other public facility demands that come with a more intense build out. Fewer residents generally mean less strain on roads, parks and utilities and, by extension, smaller impact fee bills in the future. Impact fees are one time charges on new construction intended to help pay for growth related infrastructure, and the application frames the rewrite as creating a lighter load for public services. The documents do not explicitly name fee savings as the main motivation, and county staff will vet the stated rationale during the review process, according to Jax Daily Record.
What's next
The rezoning request now heads through the usual St. Johns County gauntlet, starting with staff review and public hearings before the Planning and Zoning Agency, then on to the Board of County Commissioners, which has the final say. The Sandy Lake application was logged this month in the county submittal system and is currently in the review queue. Sandy Creek Preservation Corp. did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Sandy Lake proposal arrives at a busy moment for St. Johns County planners, who are sorting through multiple large development filings that followed a recent state law change that eased approvals for some agricultural parcels, a trend county staff are actively scrutinizing, according to reporting by Jacksonville Today.
