GREEN COVE SPRINGS—A month ago, the Rookery politely stepped aside and asked to be removed from the Green Gove Springs City Council meeting agenda when more than 100 residents packed City Hall to debate details of the 2024-2025 budget.

Although the proposed 2,100-unit development may have been delayed by a month, developer D.L. Horton and its representatives' patience paid off when the council approved the final reading, 3-1, of its PUD modification request to convert up to 10% of its single residential units into duplexes.

Horton made the late request after determining that Green Cove Springs needed to select homes that served a wider family range of ages and incomes.

Mayor Steven Kelley and Council Members Connie Butler and Matt Johnson agreed.

“We are casting a wider net for people able to buy a home,” Kelley said.

The Rookery was approved for 2,100 homes. The original plan called for 1,470 single-family homes and 630 townhouses. The modification will allow Horton to take 10% of the residential houses and turn them into duplexes, which means the new development can have as many as 1,260 single-family homes, 630 townhouses and 210 duplexes. According to Horton attorney Ellen Avery-Smith, all three will be built in separate “pods. "

The average size of a single residential home will be 1,800 square feet, while townhouses and duplexes will be about 1,400 square feet. The difference between townhouses and duplexes is that townhouses have eight units per building, while a duplex has two units.

“I like the variety. I like the duplexes,” Kelley said. “We need these different options. For a lot of people, it’s the first stage.”

Councilman Ed Gaw opposed the modification. He argued that interest rates are dropping and the demand for housing has never been greater.

“You could pre-sell them this week and be done with it,” he said.

Moments after the council gave the final approval with the second reading for The Rookery, it also approved the rezoning of 24.22 acres in the 4,000 block south of U.S. Highway 17, across the entrance from The Rookery.

D.R. Horton also owns the land, and the developer plans to build a shopping plaza with a major grocery store as an anchor to serve the Rookery. To do this, the land needed to be rezoned from a mixed-use highway to a general commercial.

In other business

The city council honored the volunteers and proclaimed Saturday, Oct. 5, Soul Food and Music Festival Day. The 3^rd annual festival will be at the Vera Francis Hall Park, starting at noon.

The council also honored the city’s linemen with a proclamation for their tireless work, especially during last week’s Hurricane Helene.

The city council meets on the first and third Tuesday at 6 p.m. each month at City Hall, 321 Walnut St.