ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – You might feel like you’re in Whoville as you watch RiverTown come alive in St. Johns County with nice houses, waterfront views, and even a brand new school.
Andrew Dortch has lived in RiverTown since 2018 and said he wouldn’t live anywhere else.
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“The neighborhood’s great. I love it out here. Schools are great. Kids are really having a good time with all of it,” Dortch said. “The traffic and some of the infrastructure things kind of stink. But, you know, I got no complaints overall.”
Traffic challenges go hand in hand with growth, but the county has adopted a new model for development that requires an upfront investment from developers to improve traffic conditions.
“RiverTown is one that’s been a long project here in St. Johns County, one of our few (Developments of Regional Impact) that we have here,” said Dick D’Souza, assistant director of growth management for St. Johns County’s Transportation Development Division. “They’re getting closer to completion.”
RiverTown’s growth includes a new gas station, some retail, office space, and a Publix.
“It’s predominantly a residential community. We’ve got some of those, kind of on the outskirts, those commercial users,” D’Souza explained. “What we’re seeing now is probably more of that commercial development.”
While it’s been a large project in the making for years, D’Souza said it’s also a sign of how the county is growing when it comes to housing.
“What you’re seeing isn’t, you know, those big box type things coming in right there,” he said. “It’s predominantly residential. You’re seeing that kind of pattern.”
