SJ County buys second-to-last S.R. 9B land parcel

[Jason]

County buys second-to-last S.R. 9B land parcel

Road would open land in NW St. Johns to business

By PETER GUINTA   |   More by this reporter  |  peter.guinta@staugustine.com   |   Posted: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 ; Updated: 1:24 AM on Wednesday, September 3, 2008

St. Johns County officials are one parcel away from securing the land for State Road 9B, which would reduce traffic congestion and open land for new business and retail centers in the northwest part of the county.

The St. Johns County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to purchase 63 acres of land west of U.S. 1 and a half-mile south of Race Track Road as right-of-way for the future S.R. 9B project -- the second-to-last piece of property needed for that road.

Price: $2.23 million.

Commission Chairman Tom Manuel called the $40,000 per acre price "a bargain because property values are declining."

S.R. 9B will be built directly over only 24 acres of this parcel, with the other 39 acres to remain wetlands and ponds, used for conservation or mitigation purposes.

Mary Ann Blount, director of St. Johns County's real estate division, said the property seller for this land is Centex Homes, and the purchase agreement requires the county to pay Cypress Trace Home Owners Association -- a Centex project -- $380,000 plus attorney fees.

"(The total price) comes from the county's transportation bond," Blount said. "This was a mediated settlement, not eminent domain. It was a true team approach."

Assistant County Attorney Darryl Locklear was a major negotiator for the county, she said.

Manuel said the county had

budgeted $6 million for this property.

"Now is the time to acquire right-of-way and conservation land from willing sellers," he said. "Prices will be attractive. The decline in property values has helped us (here)."

Manuel credited Vice Chair Cyndi Stevenson for working on this project for nearly three years.

Stevenson said, "If the northern development area can't get to the interstate, everyone sits in congestion."

Blount said this acquisition will require another 60 days to close.

This leaves only one 13-acre parcel near the Durbin development to complete 9B's total right-of-way acquisition in St. Johns County.

Blount said that the county had closed Friday on another parcel in the S.R. 9B right-of-way. This 88-acre piece near Russell Sampson Road and County Road 2209 cost just under $6 million, with half the cost from the state. The rest is county transportation bond money.

The seller was Taylor Woodrow, the developer who built Durbin Crossing.

Manuel said that after the county acquires the entire 9B corridor, county officials would then approach the First Coast Metropolitan Planning Organization to get the road on its 2013 funding list.

"It was on the 2012 list but was pushed back because of state funding issues," he said. "Construction will cost $139 million, so we'll have to approach the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. Our (proposed) one-cent sales tax (increase) could be a piece of the puzzle, because we'll probably have to come up with some money of our own."

Duval County also has only one more parcel to purchase for its part of the S.R. 9B project.

Source: http://staugustine.com/stories/090308/news_090308_063.shtml

[Jason]

St. Johns County officials are one parcel away from securing the land for State Road 9B, which would reduce traffic congestion and open land for new business and retail centers in the northwest part of the county.

How do they figure this will reduce congestion by opening up more land for development futher adding to the congestion?

The solution to the NW area of St. Johns is to build an interchange at Racetrack road and convert it to a 4 lane limited access roadway from just west of 95 to the new Nocatee Parkway.  Building a new highway spur on the east end of 95 does nothing to ease the congestion west of the highway where all of the development is.

[apvbguy]

St. Johns County officials are one parcel away from securing the land for State Road 9B, which would reduce traffic congestion and open land for new business and retail centers in the northwest part of the county.

How do they figure this will reduce congestion by opening up more land for development futher adding to the congestion?

The solution to the NW area of St. Johns is to build an interchange at Racetrack road and convert it to a 4 lane limited access roadway from just west of 95 to the new Nocatee Parkway.  Building a new highway spur on the east end of 95 does nothing to ease the congestion west of the highway where all of the development is.

what you say about western SJC is true, and the press release is a load of BS but this project is looking towards the future development of Nocatee and just north of there in Duval, regardless of necessities of new building these areas appear to be the next big developments coming in the near future.

[gradco2004]

Why do we want to open up land to EVEN MORE SPRAWL!? They should take that 130mil and figure out a way to make another connection in-between the fuller warren and the buckman; or to fund a light rail line from SJC to the SouthSide; or I don't know... anything but more roads.

[lindab]

I always thought that there was coordination between transportation planning and city/county planners but am coming to believe that this is just a myth. Each blames the other for sprawl.

[Jason]

SJC blames nobody for sprawl, they enbrace it wholeheartedly.


From what i'm seeing in the map below is that Racetrack road is to be realigned and extended beyond US1 and tie into the parkway.  Why not just drop an interchange at Race Track and I95?  Its just ascinine to build a new highway spur to do the same job as a simple interchange.

[apvbguy]

SJC blames nobody for sprawl, they enbrace it wholeheartedly.


From what i'm seeing in the map below is that Racetrack road is to be realigned and extended beyond US1 and tie into the parkway.  Why not just drop an interchange at Race Track and I95?  Its just ascinine to build a new highway spur to do the same job as a simple interchange.

I don't see what you are harping on, the race track road extension is miles from I95 and it's purpose is to provide easier access for e/w traffic. It is possible that an I95 interchange is needed at racetrack road but that has little to do with this project

[cline]

The solution to the NW area of St. Johns is to build an interchange at Racetrack road and convert it to a 4 lane limited access roadway from just west of 95 to the new Nocatee Parkway.  Building a new highway spur on the east end of 95 does nothing to ease the congestion west of the highway where all of the development is.

Actually, 9B will extend west of I-95 and connect with the new CR2209 between Race Track Road and Russell Sampson.  This will relieve congestion at I-95 and CR210 by providing residents that live in the new developments north of CR210 with another way to get to the interstate.

[copperfiend]

An image was posted on here a little back that will show how close 9B will be to Bartrum Springs. Does anybody have that?

[apvbguy]

An image was posted on here a little back that will show how close 9B will be to Bartrum Springs. Does anybody have that?

from what I've read 9b is dead in the water, there is no funding for the project and none is projected in the near future

[cline]

rom what I've read 9b is dead in the water, there is no funding for the project and none is projected in the near future

It is not dead.  Construction funds have been pushed back a year. 

[Jason]

I don't see what you are harping on, the race track road extension is miles from I95 and it's purpose is to provide easier access for e/w traffic. It is possible that an I95 interchange is needed at racetrack road but that has little to do with this project

I'm harping on the fact that 9B won't connect to Nocatee Parkway so therefore won't alleviate any of the future congestion.  Nocatee Parkway is a limited access highway that currently connects Palm Valley/ Ponte Vedra to US1 and eventually to Race Track Road.  Why not utilize that east/west connection with an interchange to help the current Julington Creek congestion as well as the future Nocatee congestion?  Julington Creek right noe could use a more direct connection to I95 as well as Nocatee in the future.

Actually, 9B will extend west of I-95 and connect with the new CR2209 between Race Track Road and Russell Sampson.  This will relieve congestion at I-95 and CR210 by providing residents that live in the new developments north of CR210 with another way to get to the interstate.

Exactly.  But an interchange at Racetrack will have the same effect.

[Jason]

Here's a look at the preferred "Outer Beltway" corridor and the proposed 9B extension.






Source: http://www.sjrbridge.com/




As you can see, 9B is nowhere near Nocatee.  Now picture the pink interchange of 9B and I95 replaced with a similar interchange at Racetrack.  That would give Julington Creek, Fruit Cove, etc direct access to I95 and points further east via Nocatee Parkway.

Also, future road 244 will connect with 9B and eventually the outer beltway.  Instead 244 could connect at Racetrack.

[cline]

Exactly.  But an interchange at Racetrack will have the same effect.

From what I understand there are constraints with placing an interchange at Race Track due to the proximity to the rest stop.

[Jason]

I've heard the same thing but there are plenty of examples throughout the state that go against this.  Given the right political push and perhaps some development restrictions around the rest area, the two could co-exist.