Strategy would surround historic St. Johns County cemetery with industrial buildings

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County officers have proposed a prepare to commercialize section of Our Girl of Fantastic Counsel Catholic Cemetery’s land.

The county’s communications supervisor says retail and business area would be built in entrance of the cemetery off State Road 16, But some men and women disagree with the strategy and want to hold the land sacred.

St. Johns County officials submitted an software to rezone 12.34 acres of the cemetery land to make room for 54,000 square ft of industrial structures. The retail and company properties would be developed in entrance of the cemetery. The county is contacting it Mill Creek Crossing planned device advancement.

The cemetery, which is located a half-mile to the west of Our Lady of Very good Counsel Catholic Church, has been used as a burial website since the late 1800s.

Terry Pacetti, who’s from the very same loved ones that Pacetti Street in close proximity to the church is named soon after, states he’s not delighted about the proposal.

“My mother and dad and uncles and aunts are buried there,” Pacetti mentioned. “The notion of business development appalls me.”

Pacetti says he’d like to see the cemetery continue on to grow as far more Catholics move to the spot.

“I’m not opposed to progress, and I’m not opposed to setting up things,” he said. “It must definitely be established apart for growth functions for the cemetery.”

Our Lady of Great Counsel Catholic Cemetery in on Point out Street 16 in close proximity to Nine Mile Road. (WJXT/Jud Hulon)

Sam Pacetti, who’s component of the exact same household, has a mother and other loved ones members who are buried there. He says he does not concur with the prepare.

“They don’t care about honoring tradition or, in this case, the sanctity of our deceased kinfolk,” he mentioned. “It just would seem to be a truly bad thought. And by what I’m observing already as a result of pals and individuals who are in the know, they are mad that this concept would even be regarded as.”

There is a community assembly scheduled for March 3. Individuals will be capable to participate in the arranging of the venture over Zoom.

There is no established date still for rezoning the land.

News4Jax reached out to county officials to converse about the program but had not read back again as of Monday night.