The William Burgess District(WBD) implements the 2032 Vision Plan and 2030 Comprehensive Plan. More specifically, the WBD is the implementation vehicle of Policy FL.02.05, the William Burgess Mixed-use Activity Center Overlay District. The William Burgess District is the same land area as defined in Comprehensive Plan Policy FL.02.05 as the William Burgess Mixed-use Activity Center Overlay District.
The William Burgess District (WBD) represents the philosophical shift in land-use planning away from the unsustainable automobile oriented development pattern that has been prominent in Nassau County over the preceding decades. It is the intent of the WBD to create a sense of place in the form of a compact, mixeduse, walkable community, designed at a pedestrian scale, that promotes strong social ties and the cultivation of community. Through the application of sound land-use planning, urban design and placemaking techniques, each element of the development program is designed to encourage the daily face-to-face interaction of community members lost with the sprawling suburban scale development pattern of the last half century.
As such, the WBD was not created within the vacuum of a single tract of land but rather as an integrated component of the greater environment. It is imperative to recognize that the built environment is not the ‘community’ but rather the vehicle that facilitates the creation of community.
The goal of this project is to facilitate the cultivation of community through the built environment. The goal is not to maximize intensities and densities but rather provide for a healthy mix of uses at the scale necessary to activate the nucleus of the WBD and serve as a catalyst for community formation - to create lasting public value.
The WBD is based around a future multi-modal transit facility located at the intersection of CSX’s rail-line and William Burgess Boulevard. Given the formative role the railroad has played in the community and will continue to play in the future, it is only fitting the theme of the WBD be an emphasis on the Vintage Railroad. More specifically, Vintage Florida Railroad.
It is the intent of Nassau County that this document will control development within the WBD. Furthermore, it is the intent of these regulations to promote creativity in design, a compact walkable development pattern, socially engaging and interconnected developments, and create a sense of place by capturing the historical context of the area and requiring implementation via the design and material standards defined herein. |