Group eyes project in Baker:
County officials working with South Florida developers on possible new community.

By RYAN GEDDES
The Times-Union

With nearly all of its Northeast Florida neighbors announcing new mega-developments, Baker County was bound to feel jealous.

But it could soon get its first large-scale development if county officials and a group of Miami-based developers can work out a plan to turn about 3,600 acres of undeveloped land into a new community.

County planning director Cathy Rhoden is scheduled to meet Monday with regional and state planners and Adar Developers L.L.P., a Miami-based company that recently purchased the land, located northwest of Macclenny in eastern Baker County.

Adar Developers has not yet filed an official development of regional impact, or DRI, application for the property.

"Their planners came, and they asked us what kind of development we would like, and they talked about bringing a school with them," Rhoden said.

But schools are not all the largely rural area would need, said Rhoden, naming road improvements and other infrastructure as areas that would have to be addressed if the project is to move forward.

An Adar Developers official was unavailable for comment, but Ryan Bailine, a Miami attorney who represents the company, said they will have more to say once the project moves closer to reality.

Bailine declined to discuss the proposed DRI's specifics but said the company's approach "will be a very dedicated and long-term investment in Northern Florida, and we are very much looking forward to working in the area."

DRIs have been a popular approach to large-scale master planning for area developers and municipal governments in recent years. The Nocatee, Palencia and RiverTown communities in St. Johns County were all DRIs, as were the OakLeaf Plantation and Eagle Harbor communities in Clay County. Nassau and Flagler counties have also had recent DRIs approved.

Ray Rodriguez, a Jacksonville real estate industry analyst, worked with Adar Developers on the Baker County deal. While he would not comment on the project's details, he said Baker County's relatively cheap land prices and its proximity to downtown Jacksonville make it attractive to developers.

"They look at statistics in Duval County and ask which way people are going to go -- north, south or west," said Rodriguez. "If you can buy land and offer cheaper housing, it's much more feasible to do that in Baker than somewhere else that already has a lot of DRIs in the works."

Julie Combs, chair of the Baker County Board of Commissioners, said a DRI could be a good solution for a county that could see high growth in the future.

The growth will come, she said, and the county has an opportunity to help manage it.

By The Numbers: Baker's population

According to the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, Baker County had a population of 23,769 in 2004 and is projected to reach 25,494 people by 2009, having grown by nearly 27 percent from 1990 to 2004.

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