JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve seeks public input to inform future site improvements and management at Kingsley Plantation.
The park is in the early stages of preparing a Development Concept Plan (DCP) for the plantation site and is seeking input from the public to inform early ideas for the future of the site. A public commenting period will be open from September 12 to Oct. 14, 2022 and includes opportunities to submit written comments and participate in public meetings.
Three meetings - one virtual and two in-person - will be held to discuss the plan and answer questions about the project. The virtual meeting will take place on Monday, September 19 at 6:30 p.m. (ET) and in-person meetings will take place on Thursday, October 6 at 6:00 p.m. (ET) at the park visitor center at Fort Caroline and Saturday, October 8 at 10:00 a.m. (ET) at Kingsley Plantation. More information about the meetings and a link to join the virtual meeting may be accessed on the project website at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/KingsleyDCP.
During the meetings, National Park Service staff will explain the DCP process, showcase methods for public comment, and answer participants’ questions. The virtual and in-person meeting presentations will be identical and interested parties are encouraged to attend at the time most convenient.
Comments and ideas may be submitted by visiting https://parkplanning.nps.gov/KingsleyDCP, selecting “Open for Comment" on the left menu, and selecting “Kingsley Plantation Draft Management Strategies." There is also a second online platform that provides information about Kingsley Plantation and an interactive opportunity to examine future options for the site. It may be accessed at https://arcg.is/1WC5C9.
The preferred method for commenting is through the park planning website, but written comments may also be submitted by mail to:
National Park Service - Denver Service Center
Attn: Kingsley DCP / Charles Lawson
12795 West Alameda Pkwy
Denver, CO 80228
Please ensure written comments are postmarked prior to Oct. 14, so there is time to consider them. Additional opportunities for commenting and public engagement will be offered throughout the project.
About the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve Kingsley Plantation Development Concept Plan
Kingsley Plantation is located on the northernmost point of Fort George Island in Jacksonville, Florida. The plantation, which lies on more than 60 acres, is the oldest surviving example of an antebellum Spanish Colonial plantation. The tabby cabins that were home to enslaved Africans at the site represent one of the largest intact collections of such buildings in the United States and serve as a window into the lives of the enslaved people at the plantation. The cultural landscape of Kingsley Plantation gives a voice to the plantation owners and enslaved Africans who lived and worked there.
The existing management guidance for the Kingsley Plantation is the preserve’s General Management Plan (GMP), which was developed in 1996. Several major changes have occurred that call for a reexamination of recommendations in that plan, including archeological discoveries, updated guidance on cultural landscapes, land acquisition, and increases in visitation and traffic.
A comprehensive DCP will help with planning and land use requirements for the Kingsley Plantation site. The plantation site requires a formalized planning process to provide for resource protection, visitor access, and interpretation. Further, the DCP will help formalize treatment recommendations provided in more recent cultural resource planning.
A DCP for Kingsley Plantation will allow the Preserve to comprehensively reevaluate its vision for the site, including the status of non-historic structures and features on the landscape, and redefine management goals. It will also address cultural landscape treatment, visitor access, circulation, and consider the effects of sea level rise, storm surge, and flooding.
After public comments are received, park staff will work to develop further refined strategies, before developing the plan. There will be another opportunity to comment on the DCP once it is in full draft.
www.nps.gov
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
