Locals unhappy with city council after they gave the greenlight for a future subdivision

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tensions are high between homeowners near The Pumpkin Hill Preserve area and developers. That’s because Jacksonville City Council voted to move forward with the development of nearly 100 homes near there. Locals there are not happy about last night’s decision.

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Right now, Pumpkin Hill Preserve is full of greenery and wetlands. But one day you are going to see driveways, roads and many more homes nearby after Jacksonville City Council voted to rezone the area so it could be developed into a subdivision.

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“Not good, I feel like money and development is just over running everything we have,” resident Earl Baker said.

Land developers and residents like Baker who have lived near Pumpkin Hill Preserve for nearly 30 years have been going back and forth on whether the piece of land should be developed, allowing for nearly 100 new homes.

“Don’t take city park land, don’t take state park land. There’s plenty of other woods and countryside to develop,” Baker said.

Related Story: Neighbors fighting council to protect their slice of nature from potential Pumpkin Hill development

Last night city council members voted 10 to 9 in favor of moving ahead to rezone the property.

Baker calls the motion to turn the area near Pumpkin Hill Preserve into a subdivision disappointing. He says he and his wife moved to the area 26 years ago from the Baymeadows area to get away from what he feels is now the hustle and bustle of Duval county.

Baker says one day the subdivision is going to make his home and others more vulnerable to fires and flooding.

“When you put in the drainage, the sewer, septic tank and everything for that many homes everything underground is definitely going to shove water our way,” Baker said.

Anne Coglianese, is the city’s Chief Resilience Officer. It’s her job to work on how new developments are built so they don’t negatively affect surrounding neighborhoods.

“Really thinking about how we can encourage smarter design that can accommodate water when it does happen and also give people the opportunity to be near water,” Coglianese said.

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Pumpkin Hill preserve happens to be in Jacksonville’s prime resiliency area. Meaning that when and if any type of natural disaster occurs nearby homes like Mr. Bakers could be the first to be affected.

“Very, very disappointing,” Baker said.