Summary of Major Trends and Conditions

Presented to Economic Element Task Force

City of Fernandina BeachMarch 27, 2013

Population Growth

• The City will continue to grow; however, its growth will be a little slower than experienced in previous decades. This dynamic needs to be accounted for when considering economic development opportunities within the City.

• It is projected that the City’s population share of roughly 17% in 2009 will decline within the 2030 planning horizon to less than 14% of the County’s total population. This statistic reflects a westward population movement off of Amelia Island, and must be taken into account when considering economic development in the City.

Demographics & Income

• Fernandina Beach tends to have an older population with roughly 7.5% more people aged 65 and over compared to the national average of 12.6%. Economic development strategies must take into account this demographic, and should consider the needs and interests of this population.

• The City has attained an increase in its high school degree achievement with 89.8% of its population, nearly 5% higher than the national average. This statistic can be important to communicate when businesses are considering relocation.

Housing

• There is a recognized need to provide more workforce housing in the future.

• A housing needs assessment will provide valuable information about the type and condition of existing units, deficiencies in the existing housing stock, and the number and types of housing units needed in the future for all income ranges based on current projections.

Employment

• The City’s economy is diverse, ranging from tourism-based employment to pulp and paper mill industries to charter fishing and shrimping. The Port of Fernandina, operated by the Nassau County Ocean Highway and Port Authority, continues to play a crucial role in future economic development.

• Sufficient land is owned by the airport to provide for future growth and expansion needs for both airport operations and commercial businesses.

Employment

• The accommodation, food service and retail industries (visitors and hospitality sectors) employ the largest share of Fernandina Beach’s workforce making up over 35% of its economic base. The County’s economy is twice as dependent on tourism as the average Florida County, according to Florida Legislative Research. Therefore, the continued economic vitality of Fernandina Beach is critical to Nassau County.

• Approximately 46 percent of Nassau County’s employed workforce commute outside of the county for work.

Land Use

• Just over 21% of the City is held as industrial land and about 4% of the City is commercial. The remaining land use designations are mixed use districts comprised of both commercial and residential uses (CBD, ORMU, and WMU) and public/institutional lands (PI); combined, these categories hold the remaining 4% of the City’s available land uses.

• With less than 6% vacant land available the City is nearing build-out within its existing municipal limits. This figure further supports the City’s intent to provide for infill and redevelopment opportunities that incentivize low impact development strategies and green building techniques.

Land Use

• The General Commercial category reflects an intensity increase in FAR from 0.5 to 1.5 and the Mixed Use category contains an intensity increase in FAR from 0.5 to 1.0. Both of these changes serve to support the City’s desire to obtain a more compact urban development form and act as an incentive for green building and low impact development techniques.

• With an average household size of 2.30 people per unit (2010 Census), the City has more than double the necessary capacity depicted on its Future Land Use Map to provide housing for its future population.

• In the future, the City should anticipate witnessing additional land use changes within its CRA as these property owners will likely take advantage of the categories that afford them mixed use residential density options.

Infrastructure

• The City’s form, geographic location, and patterns of development lend themselves to our consideration of a broad range of transportation possibilities to better provide and assure safe, efficient, and sustainable traffic circulation.

• Recently, the Council on Aging also started offering a “Nassau Transit” system that is open to any rider. This limited service functions as the only truly public transit option in the County.

• Off-island residents enjoy living in close proximity to Fernandina Beach’s downtown historic district and beach area. However, the city’s largely built-out status makes right-of-way acquisition for roadway expansion extremely difficult, especially along the City’s A1A segments.

Infrastructure

• The City has more than adequate infrastructure in place to support the increased intensities as well as its anticipated population increase through 2030.

• Natural gas is the most recent addition to the suite of utility options provided by FPU. It is not currently available to all properties at this time, but is being rolled out in phases across Amelia Island and Nassau County.

Educational Facilities

• The City understands the need to coordinate with major employers and other economic development partners in order to offer education and training programs that will strengthen development of the resident workforce in order to ensure economic prosperity into the future.

•• It is also important to note that the school age population in the

City is declining. Recruitment for jobs in the future may depend more on schools in the rest of Nassau County.

Community Amenities

• Amelia Island is critical to the economy of Nassau County and its natural resources have undoubtedly contributed enormously to the success of Amelia Island as a tourist destination and desirable community in which to live.

• Fernandina Beach is unique in being able to provide and manage both user-oriented and resource-based recreation.

• Wildlife viewing is a significant pastime for many, and it can help the economy.

• Historic preservation has been documented to have a significant effect not only locally, but on a regional and statewide level.

Community Amenities

• Statewide, public facilities providing boat ramps, parking, and dry storage slips are increasingly being redeveloped for other uses, often private development. While Fernandina Beach has largely escaped this trend up to now, this trend continues throughout the state, and could place additional pressure on public boat facilities and infrastructure in the near future.

• The City should continue to support the Waterfronts Florida Partnership Program and participate as necessary to ensure the viability of the Fernandina Beach Waterfronts Partnership and assist in the protection and revitalization of local recreational and commercial working waterfronts.

Community Amenities

• There is an interest in the community to explore the option of reopening shellfishing in Amelia River waters, due largely to the fact that shellfishing is permitted across the river along the Georgia border. Restoring these waters to Class II would be of benefit to the City economically and recreationally.

Summary of Findings

• By 2030, approximately 81 percent of the total population of the County will live in unincorporated areas.

• The average household size in the County will decrease in the next 20 years.

• The Tourism Development Council intends to market Amelia Island as “a pristine environment that is untouched, unspoiled, and non-commercialized”. This will require the City to promote future development that protects natural and historical resources, ensures an efficient transportation system, and provides adequate infrastructure to accommodate visitors.

Summary of Findings

• Nassau County must be a part of a regional multi-modal transportation system that allows for the quick and efficient movement of people and goods within and out of the region.

• The logistics airport concept is focused around an airport, often a former military air base, developed into a business and industrial airport complex. Initial tenants are primarily aircraft-related businesses and retail distribution centers; if these tenants are successful it will make the location a good candidate for long-term inland port development. The Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport meets this definition.