JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Bill McCarthy built his home off Normandy Boulevard in Southwest Jacksonville for the peace and quiet.
He said, “People say to me, from Connecticut, 'How come you didn’t move to the beaches?' Because we like the country.”
Signs posted near his neighborhood indicate that thousands of homes could be coming to the area.
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“It’s just very discouraging to even think that we’re going to have 5,000 homes right across the street,” McCarthy said.”
Neighbors got their hands on a map of the plans.
A proposed city ordinance would change the land use for about 2,000 acres.
If passed, the ordinance would allow developers to build 5,000 homes from Maxville-Middleburg Road to Solomon Road.
McCarthy said, “We just don’t have any crime out here, and we don’t want any.”
Crime is one of several concerns mentioned in a petition against the development.
The petition has more than 1,500 signatures.
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Other issues mentioned are traffic congestion, damage to nature and inadequate infrastructure.
“The last rainstorm we had here, no one could come down the road out there,” McCarthy said.
He said he’s okay with development as long as it’s done correctly, in 2.5 acre plots.
He said, “It’s ridiculous, ridiculous to bring that out here.”
Future hearings about the property are set for the coming months.
Cox Media Group
