The legality of the county's action is in question by developers because the county did not have any hearings before passing legislation that effectively prohibited development until 2002. But they think they can, and they've done it. They did it. And whether it is fair or not, the land in the Northwest portion of the county will remain in its current zone designation for a year and a half, thus delaying growth. Unlike other counties such as Duval where a zoning map is passed along with a comprehensive plan, the current zoning map for St. Johns County has no significance to speak of, Metcalf said.
Every time there is a new development, the county has to rezone a parcel of land.
So when the county said no rezonings, it meant no development. The commissioners disagree though. They say there are still plenty of places in that part of the county that are zoned for development and will not be affected by the moratorium if the ordinance is passed. Also, Jacalone said the Board of County Commissioners would hear zoning variance requests if an applicant is seeking to decrease the intensity of development for a parcel of land. Upgrades, however, will not be heard.