Nassau County BOCC Hosts Workshop Regarding Timber to Tides

On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, the Board of County Commissioners hosted a Workshop to discuss the Timber to Tides Design Overlay (T2TDO), a proposed regulatory document that would enforce the principles and priority actions established in the State Road 200/A1A Corridor Master Plan adopted by Resolution in December 2021.

The T2TDO consists of Transect Based Zoning (TBZ) standards, first established in the William Burgess District, and expands upon this foundation by employing Community-Based Design Standards (CBDS) and priority programs for to the SR 200/A1A Corridor, specifically from the Shave Bridge to just west of the Tributary community. Transect zones depict the transition of development form from rural to urban, ranging from natural preserved areas to urban core, and allows for special districts that fall outside these typical transect designations.

The Workshop began with an introduction by County Manager Taco Pope who stated, "I appreciate the hard work of the planning team, getting this to the forefront. This is a project that started several years ago that's been implemented over time. We're starting to see the fruits of those efforts with the landscaping along SR200 and some of the other public realm improvements. This is that next evolutionary step in bringing into fruition what the citizens requested of us through the Timber to Tides Overlay Design Study."

Next, Senior Planner Joshua Macbeth provided a detailed presentation on the project. In his introduction he stated, "This started back in 2019 when we (the County) was getting hit pretty hard by the community. The State expanded the 200 corridor by adding lanes but all that did was allow for more automobiles to use to road. It didn't look at the pedestrian realm or bicycle safety. It was creating a conflict for our community. Citizens were upset so we started this engagement process to reimagine this corridor. SR200 is the heart of our community. We all use it as our main thoroughfare."

He continued, "After the widening and resurfacing was completed by the State, we were left with wide right-of-way conditions, high speed traffic, lack of landscaping, lack of community identity, lack of lighting, unprotected bike lanes, lack of sidewalk connectivity, and lack of a public realm interface. So in 2019, the County began a community engagement campaign to get feedback on what residents envision for the corridor."

Over 400 individuals participated in workshops, community meetings, interviews and online surveys. Here's what they had to say: 

• 82% of respondents rated their experience on SR200 as negative citing congestion, construction, and ugliness
• 76% of respondents indicated that they use SR200 daily (40% claimed they use it for shopping, 20% for work, and 17% for visiting friends)
• 74% of respondents rated their feeling of personal safety as poor, citing inadequate sidewalks and bicycle paths
• 65% of respondents specifically mentioned a need for trees, parks, or amenities commonly found in gathering spaces (benches, restrooms, etc.). 

The feedback collected was used to create the first draft of T2TDO which was shared with the public in June 2024. The County immediately started the engagement process again to obtain feedback on the first draft. The information collected during this engagement process led Version 2 which was presented to the residents at three community meetings held in September and October 2024, the Planning & Zoning Board on January 21, 2025 and the BOCC at their February 19, 2025 Workshop. A final version 3 will be drafted based on information still being collected from stakeholders and is anticipated to be presented to the Planning & Zoning Board on April 1, 2025 at 6pm, followed by two public hearings of the Board of County Commissioners on April 28 at 5pm and June 9,2025 at 5pm. All drafts and meeting information can be found here.

At this time, residents are encouraged to watch Mr. Macbeth's presentation from the February 19th meeting for a better understanding of the T2TDO. If approved, the T2TDO would create a new corridor with cohesive building designs, natural areas, transect zoning that separates the corridor into distinct districts, parallel corridors to relieve traffic on SR200, and an environment that is safe for pedestrians and cyclists.

Questions? Please contact Josh Macbeth at (904) 530-6320 or via email at jmacbeth@nassaucountyfl.com.