Nocatee Preserve Plan approved, Construction to begin
St Johns County secures funding for first phase construction in the Nocatee Preserve

(Ponte Vedra, FL — June 10, 2009) —The PARC Group, master developer of the Town of Nocatee announced that the first phase of construction within the Nocatee Preserve is scheduled to begin in the near future. After months of planning, St. JohnsCounty has allocated funding to design, permit and construct the first phase of improvements within the Nocatee Preserve.

The Nocatee Preserve is comprised of approximately 2,400 acres of land spanning more than three miles along the banks of the Intracoastal Waterway. The land was donated to St. JohnsCounty in 2006 by the Nocatee developers, making it the largest transfer of private, Intracoastal land in the County’s history.

“We are pleased to work with the Parc Group to help secure this land for public access.  The site is pristine ‘Old Florida’ as it looked to the explorers and Native Americans who inhabited and visited this area” said Wil Smith, Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation. “Once open, the site will afford the user a walk, bike ride, jog or horseback ride through ‘Old Florida’.  Signs will be placed throughout the site to educate the user of the importance of these natural communities, offering plant and animal identification, paddling access to the State Designated Paddling Trail and other educational and recreational opportunities” 

Improvements in the first phase will include a trail head that will offer parking facilities for pedestrian traffic and equestrian trailers, restroom facilities and a picnic area. The Nocatee developers recently donated an additional five acre parcel of land to accommodate the Preserve trail head to the south of the PonteVedraHigh School.  St. JohnsCounty has contracted with Matthews Design Group, Inc. to design and permit the construction improvements.

“Preserving this Intracoastal land is important for the County, our residents, and the environment”, says Richard T. Ray of the PARC Group.  “Parks, recreation and preservation have been high priorities, and these facilities will allow County residents to enjoy all that all surrounds Nocatee”. 

The Preserve creates and maintains important wildlife habitat corridors connecting ecologically sensitive lands and provides additional protection to the northern TolomatoRiver Basin. It also provides an important buffer from development of up to one and a half miles in width. In addition, the Preserve complements and protects the GuanaState Park, located on the east side of the Intracoastal. Residents can enjoy this land through passive activities such as nature hikes and bird watching, activities that were previously limited because of the property’s private nature.

The Town of Nocatee is a master-planned “new town” that is a balanced approach to development. It is a green community with an environmentally-conscious development plan. The Nocatee Preserve, neighborhood parks and the Nocatee Greenways are included in the more than 9,000 acres of protected land. Nocatee has won several awards for its eco-friendly plan including the 2008 Green Community of the Year and the 2008 Master Development of the Year from the Florida Homebuilders Association.