Villages of New Augustine opens 92 apartments
New income-restricted housing, Sing Out Loud turns 10, and the Garden Club hits 100.
Villages of New Augustine, a 92-unit community developed by Ability Housing, is now open in West Augustine. The property sits at North Volusia and Chapin streets. It has 20 one-bedroom apartments, 36 two-bedroom units and 36 three-bedroom units. The homes are open to households earning up to 60% of area median income. Published leasing rates range from $634 for a one-bedroom unit to $1,599 for a three-bedroom unit, based on household size, income and apartment type. Ability Housing's property page links to an online interest list for applicants. The community also has on-site leasing offices, a computer lab, a library, a playground and a walking trail.
Three new officers, and an award for DUI enforcement
The St. Augustine Police Department welcomed three new officers in July. Officers Schneider, Greene and Cowan were sworn in on July 6 and have started work with the department. The city also announced that Cpl. Schuster earned a Century Achiever Award for outstanding DUI enforcement. The hires and award were announced in separate city notices on Aug. 13.
Sing Out Loud turns 10, still free, still three weekends
Sing Out Loud Festival returns in September with three weekends of free live music. This is the tenth anniversary. It began in 2016 as a small celebration of the local music community, and it has since grown into one of Northeast Florida's largest live music festivals. For the anniversary, organizers are steering back toward that grassroots spirit. Free is the operative word, and it has been since the start. That's the reason the festival became a September habit for people here instead of another ticketed event you talk yourself out of. This year brings more than 100 free performances across roughly a dozen venues during the first three weeks of September. Opening weekend runs Sept. 4-6, followed by Sept. 11-13 and Sept. 18-20. The lineup spans indie rock, bluegrass, hip hop, country, spoken word and comedy. Set times and the performer schedule are still to come.
Jackson Dean plays a barn on September 26
Concerts For A Cause returns to Tringali Barn at Heritage Farms this fall. Platinum-selling singer-songwriter Jackson Dean headlines the annual benefit on Saturday, September 26. The benefit supports St. Augustine Youth Services. Country music in a barn on a working farm is either exactly your evening or exactly not, and there is not much middle ground. Either way, it's a Saturday night in late September, which is when the air here finally stops feeling like a wet towel. Ticket prices and start time have not been posted yet.
The Garden Club has been at this for a century
The Garden Club of St. Augustine is 100 years old. For its 100-Year Jubilee, the club is inviting residents and visitors to a Holiday Craft Market and a Tour of Homes. A hundred years of one group planting, conserving, and looking after this city's green spaces is a genuinely long run. Most traditions here get measured in years. This one gets measured in generations. The Tour of Homes is the real draw for most people, since it's a rare chance to see inside houses you've walked past for years. Dates and ticket details haven't been shared yet.
Planning and Zoning meets September 1 at one in the afternoon
The Planning and Zoning Board meets Tuesday, September 1, from 1 to 2 p.m. That single hour is often where a project near your street gets its first real hearing. It is also one of the few rooms where a resident showing up still changes the outcome. One o'clock on a workday is not a friendly time for anyone with a job, and that is part of why these meetings stay quiet. The agenda has not been posted yet. Residents planning to attend should confirm the agenda closer to the meeting date.