Fernandina Beach's Historic District Council split 3-3 on conceptual approval for Amelia Wharf on Thursday, Aug. 20, blocking a proposed 28,316-square-foot mixed-use waterfront project on North Front Street from advancing in the city's permitting process.

The tied vote means the council did not grant conceptual approval for the three-story development, which would include restaurants, retail shops, a marine welcome center, boardwalk access, parking and access for a possible future marina. Without conceptual approval, the project cannot proceed to Technical Review Committee review or detailed site-plan review. The developer must revise the design and return to the HDC for conceptual approval before seeking final permits.

Council members who opposed the project focused on its sheer size. The building would rise approximately 63 feet from grade to the top of a proposed observation tower, according to council member Byrnes.

"The very first thing that we can have to look at is scale, height, and width ... This doesn't meet scale, height, or width," council member Tammi Kosack said at the Thursday meeting, as reported by the Fernandina Observer.

Kosack called the project "monumental" and said it does not resemble other waterfront structures already present on the Fernandina Beach riverfront. She described it as a major new waterfront development for the city.

The project's design team argued the building's height is driven partly by flood regulations. Ron Flick, a member of the design team, told the council that the finished-floor elevation must be at almost 16 feet because it is a commercial building subject to base-flood-elevation requirements.

The revised plans presented Thursday addressed some earlier concerns. The design team removed a boardwalk encroachment from the northern view corridor and provided additional information about rooftop mechanical equipment and the observation tower. City staff confirmed the required 15-foot view corridors on each side of the property were provided in the updated design.

But the changes were not enough for a majority of council members.

Vice Chair Dylan Psulkowski dissented from the outcome, arguing the applicants had done what the council previously asked. "I'm just having a hard time picking apart anything that this board hasn't asked them to do other than scaling back the structure," he said at the meeting.

Council member Platt acknowledged the project's impact, saying it would change the waterfront and calling it "a big building" while noting the proposed scale appeared to be within what the code allows.

The council did not adopt a formal denial motion. Because conceptual approval was not granted, the project cannot advance to Technical Review Committee review.

The HDC first declined to grant conceptual approval for Amelia Wharf in June 2026. The City Commission adopted an updated Historic District Design Guide on July 21, 2026, the first revision since 2013, which provides new standards for projects in the historic district including the riverfront.

No timeline for the applicant's return to the HDC has been announced.