JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Oceanway residents were disappointed after the Land Use and Zoning Committee voted to approve rezoning to make way for a proposed Chick-fil-A.
Residents have been fighting against the location for several months because if the Jacksonville City Council approves it, the popular restaurant would be built in front of the North Creek subdivision across from First Coast High School. It would also use the subdivision’s front entrance as an entryway.
The final traffic study said more than 1,000 trips generated by a Chick-fil-A would have a nominal impact. It also recommends adding a traffic light at the intersection of Bradley Cove Road and Duval Station Road and a right-turn lane on Lady Lake Road.
RELATED: Oceanway residents continue to make it clear they do not want Chick-fil-A as a neighbor
With a 6-to-1 vote, the restaurant that would be built on Lady Lake Road and Bradley Cove Road is one step closer to becoming a reality.
“I actually had faith in the system, and that it could work for the residents,” Christine Brundage said. “I’ve had lots of neighbors say to me, ‘Christine we’re fighting a losing fight. This was a done deal. The city of Jacksonville has a reputation that the developers always win. So it’s wasted breath. And I just had faith that actually residents could make a difference that active civil involvement could mean something. And clearly in the city, we’re just not there.”
Councilman Reggie Gaffney Jr. was the lone “no” vote on the project. He noted multiple times during the LUZ meeting that he felt Chick-fil-A wasn’t meeting the community halfway with their concerns.
“It’s heartbreaking for the community to know that they came out and their voices were felt on deaf ears. I’m sick. The community pleaded. They came out, voiced their opinions, and my colleagues didn’t even consider their opinions,” he said.
Residents were left feeling like their concerns weren’t heard.
Roberta Smith said the vote shows “they don’t care.”
“It was everything to appease Chick-fil-A. Nothing was about the residents. Nothing was about the community,” Smith said. “I guess money does truly talk.”
Gaffney still encouraged the community not to give up hope.
“It’s not over. There’s still hope. We need 10 votes. We vote next Tuesday. Seven members voted tonight. We have 12 members voting next week. So there’s still hope. You never know how things might work out,” Gaffney said.
The final vote for the property rezoning will happen at next week’s city council meeting. Brundage said the community efforts will continue but it might not be on the same scale as it has been.
“We will show up. We can’t speak next week. But we will continue to make our voices heard. You’ve heard the council members. They’ve had hundreds of emails. They’ve had hundreds of phone calls. We will continue to work those efforts,” Brundage said.
A Chick-fil-A representative was at the meeting but declined to comment.