GREEN COVE SPRINGS – After months of wrangling, the city council and Clay County moved closer to a possible agreement to approve a second administration building to house the economic development, building and code enforcement departments.

The council voted 5-0 Tuesday to amend its Gateway Corridor Design guidelines to allow the county to move its parking lot between a yet-to-be-built building and Orange Avenue (U.S. Highway 17). The Gateway Corridor requires buildings to be next to the roadway, with parking between the back of the building and Palmetto Street.

County officials first approached the city council on Nov. 28 for a change in the ordinance. Six months later, both sides agreed the county could buffer the area between a possible front parking lot and Orange Avenue with a low wall and landscaping.

County Manager Howard Wanamaker said the elevation difference was one of the primary reasons the building needed to be pushed to the rear of the property. The street, he said, was significantly higher than the property.

“If you look at the elevation change between the Admin Building and Highway 17 and sidewalks there, it’s pretty simple,” he said. “We just recently re-landscaped it because the erosion was happening.”

He also said having a government building close to a roadway posed protection issues.

“You don’t want a government building right next to an expressway,” he said.

Wanamaker said the county is close to completing the design plans. Depending on how long it takes the city to approve the permits, Wanamaker believes the build will take one year to complete.

But there’s more work to be completed with the council. Tuesday’s approval, however, was only the first step. The council said final approval would require an exemption to the newly crafted Form-Based Code Ordinance with established regulations on existing downtown streets and block patterns for promoting development.

“I think the building looks great. I think it’s definitely an improvement to that area,” said Steven Kelley, elected by fellow council members as mayor. “I think the only concern discussed here is that we spent all the money on expert opinion players and what would help us create a multicultural city or sit and try to contract with the 17. Because when you have those unique challenges, as you guys are no strangers to challenges when it comes to traffic, we are split right in half by (U.S.) 17. And it can make a lot of things challenging for quality of life and for our pedestrians, and people who are point A and point B, both live within the city.

“We’re also trying to ensure that we can protect that comfort and quality of life because they are ultimately our responsibilities to them.”

In other business, the council recognized Assistant Public Works Director Steve Thomas, who announced his retirement after 37 years with the city.

Thomas thanked the council, family and friends before saying, “I ain’t going anywhere. I’ll be around.”

Also, the council approved rezoning a 6.03-acre parcel south of Cooks Lane to allow for 50,000 square feet of warehousing and 26,000 square feet of office space.

In addition to Kelley being elected as the new mayor for the next year, the council elected Thomas Smith as the vice-mayor.

The Green Cove Springs City Council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at City Hall.