Rich Lawler, owner of Florida Machine Works, told the Nassau County Development Review Committee on Nov. 4 that he intends to clear a forested parcel behind his Tradeplex facility for vehicle and equipment parking and staging, and to place gravel in the cleared area.

The request is a pre-application discussion, not a permit. County Development Services staff said no grading is planned and that the area appears to be at existing grade; staff asked Lawler to provide details of the proposed gravel surfacing so the stormwater group can review potential impacts.

“It's really just pushing the trees over, putting some gravel down,” Lawler said, describing the site as previously forested when the facility was developed in 2007. Building staff noted FEMA FIRM information for the parcel and characterized it as an X (non-mapped) flood hazard zone; Planning offered no substantive comment. Development Services staff cited local clearing/grubbing code provisions and said if the original development plans showed the area cleared there would be no further concern, but otherwise staff will need to review the proposed improvements.

Bob Bradley of the Fire Marshal’s Office advised the owner that if a building is added later a hydrant must be within 500 feet of the building base and that gates that restrict emergency access should use the Knox lock/gate system or a Knox padlock so fire personnel can access the site. Health department staff confirmed the proposal was limited to storage and no new buildings were proposed at this stage.

Staff asked Lawler to follow up with a plan showing the extent of the gravel, the materials to be used and any proposed improvements so stormwater staff can complete a review and advise on formal approvals or conditions.

Next steps: Lawler will submit a drawing or description of the proposed gravel area for internal stormwater review; no formal approvals were issued at the Nov. 4 pre-application meeting.