ULI North Florida, the local council of the Urban Land Institute, based in Washington, DC, the oldest and largest network of cross-disciplinary real estate and land use experts in the world,  assembled a group of accomplished ULI members with expertise in land planning, landscape architecture, real estate development and environmental design on June 26 and 27, 2018 for an intensive two-day workshop to address the challenges facing the City of Neptune Beach.

The Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) was tasked with examining the City’s Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan with a focus on the land areas north of Seagate and east of Third Street (A1A) in Neptune Beach. The panel utilized provided  information on Neptune Beach’s demographics and economic data; Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Map; Zoning Atlas and Land Development Code; drainage and North Florida Transportation Planning Organization studies; maps and examples of nonconforming lots to develop practical recommendations for code re-writes and/or amendments that would address concerns with the code language, how to promote redevelopment, stormwater management issues and access for residents and visitors.

The workshop included presentations led by Amanda Askew, Deputy City Manager, and interviews with Mayor Elaine Brown, Vice Mayor Scott Wiley, Councilor Fred Jones, and council members Richard Arthur and Rory Diamond. The panelists further discussed solutions to the issues to be addressed, formalized their observations and made recommendations based on input from the stakeholders and the information provided to them by the Sponsor. At the day’s end, their recommendations were presented to the Neptune Beach City Council.

“What is wrong with Neptune Beach can be fixed by what is right about it,” said Jim Sellen, planning principal for VHB from Orlando and chair of the ULI panel.

The final report was released on September 4, and provides specific implementation recommendations on re-writes and amendments to the City’s Land Development Code.

The ULI Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) included Jim Sellen, planning principal for VHB from Orlando; Garrett Avery, senior project manager with AECOM from New York, NY; Doris Goldstein, consultant from Los Angeles, CA; Holly Grimes, senior project manager with Wakefield & Beasley Associates in Ponte Vedra Beach; Margaret Jennesse, president of Twin Branch Corp. in Oakland, TN, and Brian Wheeler, RLA, GGI-Tapestry in Jacksonville.

An ongoing initiative of ULI, Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs) provide strategic advice on complex land use and real estate development issues for local clients, such as municipalities, public agencies, and non-profit developers. Find the report for the City of Neptune Beach and other TAPs at NorthFlorida.uli.org/community-initiatives.