BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS LEON COUNTY, FLORIDA

PCM130106 Jackson Bluff/Ausley Rd.
residential neighborhoods located away from the universities from student housing
encroachment. In order to achieve this, the category may only be applied to lands generally
within the polygon created by Florida State University’s main campus and Florida A & M
University, Tallahassee Community College/Lively Technical Institute campuses and
Innovation Park. It is intended to transition from present industrial and lower density
residential land uses to those more compatible with vibrant urban areas. Under this category,
retail commercial, limited to a smaller scale classification to provide essential services to
immediate residents and ancillary needs of universities may be permitted, as well as
restaurants, movie theaters, and other entertainment commercial uses. The proposed
amendment meets the locational criteria for the University Transition category.
2. Effects of the proposed change on character of the area
The subject site is located in an urbanized area, comprised of a mixture of student rental
housing, large apartment complexes, and older neighborhoods. Most of the housing stock is
geared toward student use. All four parcels of the amendment front on Jackson Bluff Road,
with two parcels having dual frontage on Ausely Road. Both roads are classified as major
collectors and all four parcels lie within 1000 feet of the intersection of these two corridors.
The West Pensacola Sector Plan identified the corridors as having underutilized parcels that
over time would be converted to uses in keeping with the surrounding university influences.
In addition, recommendations from the public directed high intensity/density development to
the major transportation corridors, while encouraging mixed uses, pedestrian oriented
development and good urban design. For the Jackson Bluff Road area, the public
recommended that it remain a walkable/pedestrian friendly road with a mixture of housing
types and uses and that existing retail and multi-family areas be allowed to redeveloped with
greater intensities/densities. They also recommended that if additional development was
approved it should be compatible with the existing single-family housing and utilize urban
design techniques. The goal was to create projects that resulted in a mixture of land uses,
encouraged walkability and supported other modes of transportation.
In addition to the recommendations pertaining to retail and existing multi-family areas, the
Sector Plan also provided recommendations for the single family residential neighborhoods
along the roadway. Jackson Bluff Road is generally a residential corridor with a combination
of single family residential and apartments. The existing residential neighborhoods are the
most likely location for affordable single family housing in the sector. This is important
since the sector is the home to some of those most in need of affordable housing. It was the
recommendation of the rental-owners and resident-owners who attended the public meetings
to preserve those neighborhoods with the Residential Preservation designation where
homeownership was the highest and most stable. For the Jackson Bluff area, that
neighborhood was Bradford Manor. Bradford Manor is located north of Jackson Bluff Road,
between Ausley Road and Mabry. At the time of the Sector Plan (2005), the neighborhood
had a homeownership rate of 37%. Today the ownership rate has dropped to 22% (see
Attachment 2 for map of homestead properties in the vicinity of the amendment). However,
the housing stock is still affordable for those who chose to reside in the sector.
Page 296 of 622 Posted at 5:00 p.m. on April 1, 2013
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Attachment #7
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