Zoning text amendment on pool lot-coverage tabled after GIS review shows draft threshold misses target lots

Staff presented LDCA2026-04, a draft amendment to the Ponte Vedra Zoning District Regulations that would allow an additional 4% impervious surface area exclusively for swimming pools on residential lots below a specified square-foot threshold. Jacob Smith explained the draft used 7,200 square feet (the minimum lot size referenced for some districts) but GIS work showed many lots in target neighborhoods fall slightly above that threshold; staff proposed running a range of analyses (7,300–8,000 sq ft) and recommended tabling for re-advertisement once a practical cutoff is chosen.

Board members asked about drainage and capacity. Growth-management reviewer Wesley Woodward and staff explained lot grading and drainage plans are required at permit stage and that any application must demonstrate no negative impacts to adjacent properties; the division had not run a system-wide hydraulic model for the aggregate additional impervious area but noted the total potential added impervious surface across the zoning districts would be modest (approximately 30,000 sq ft by staff calculation).

Public commenter Kitty Switkus urged caution, noting R1C and R1D lot sizes vary and changes could prompt increased variance requests in nearby neighborhoods. After discussion the board voted to table LDCA2026-04 so staff can refine the advertised lot-size threshold, run additional GIS queries, and return with revised language for formal advertisement and further board consideration.