Board approves temporary commercial parking lot at 303 S. Ponce de Leon to serve Nights of Lights; approval limited through Jan. 30, 2026
November 04, 2025 | St. Augustine, St. Johns County , Florida
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The Planning & Zoning Board on Nov. 4 approved a use‑by‑exception to allow a commercial parking lot at 303 South Ponce de Leon Boulevard to serve Nights of Lights and other high‑demand holiday events.
Applicant Adam Lynn, representing the owners, told the board the lot is intended as a temporary solution "mainly for, like, the night of light season," not as a year‑round commercial parking enterprise. "There's no long term goal of making this a commercial parking lot from us, anyways," Lynn said.
Staff reminded the board that policy requires buffers, landscaping and mitigation of light, glare and noise for parking facilities. Board members discussed surfacing and said they preferred to avoid paving to limit impervious surface; the applicant said the plan is to keep the lot largely unpaved and use it as a permeable surface.
The board conditioned approval on a limited time frame, setting the permit end date of Jan. 30, 2026, to allow the lot for Nights of Lights activities and other peak holiday events. The board also discussed safety—applicant said minimal lighting would be provided to ensure patron safety but not extensive permanent fixtures—and landscaping buffers where the lot abuts adjoining properties. The approval requires conformance with applicable landscaping and buffering standards and is temporally limited; the board noted any application for a permanent lot would require fuller review of surfacing, lighting and circulation.
Action: Motion to approve PCB2025‑0080 (use by exception for a temporary commercial parking lot at 303 S. Ponce de Leon Blvd.) with conditions and a time limit to Jan. 30, 2026. Vote: 5–0 (Ashley Barnes, Charles Pappas, Carl Blow, Christina Tucker, Susan Johns voted yes).
Why it matters: The decision adds temporary parking capacity for high‑demand holiday events in a central location while giving the city a review point before permanent development is allowed.
Applicant Adam Lynn, representing the owners, told the board the lot is intended as a temporary solution "mainly for, like, the night of light season," not as a year‑round commercial parking enterprise. "There's no long term goal of making this a commercial parking lot from us, anyways," Lynn said.
Staff reminded the board that policy requires buffers, landscaping and mitigation of light, glare and noise for parking facilities. Board members discussed surfacing and said they preferred to avoid paving to limit impervious surface; the applicant said the plan is to keep the lot largely unpaved and use it as a permeable surface.
The board conditioned approval on a limited time frame, setting the permit end date of Jan. 30, 2026, to allow the lot for Nights of Lights activities and other peak holiday events. The board also discussed safety—applicant said minimal lighting would be provided to ensure patron safety but not extensive permanent fixtures—and landscaping buffers where the lot abuts adjoining properties. The approval requires conformance with applicable landscaping and buffering standards and is temporally limited; the board noted any application for a permanent lot would require fuller review of surfacing, lighting and circulation.
Action: Motion to approve PCB2025‑0080 (use by exception for a temporary commercial parking lot at 303 S. Ponce de Leon Blvd.) with conditions and a time limit to Jan. 30, 2026. Vote: 5–0 (Ashley Barnes, Charles Pappas, Carl Blow, Christina Tucker, Susan Johns voted yes).
Why it matters: The decision adds temporary parking capacity for high‑demand holiday events in a central location while giving the city a review point before permanent development is allowed.
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