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Walton County Seeks Community Input on Growth and Development: Plan for Walton 2040 Survey

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Walton County Seeks Community Input on Growth and Development

The Residents and businesses in Walton County can help plan the future of their communities through a new initiative, Plan for Walton 2040.

“Walton County is a unique place, with world-famous beaches and resort towns, charming historic sites, large areas of conservation, and beautiful rural farmland,” says Plan for Walton 2040 Project Lead Marina Khoury. “Those areas all have their own character and a sense of community. Future growth in these communities, and the intensity of that growth, should reflect those values. Walton County also is a special place for DPZ as we have been helping to guide development there for the past 40 years.”

Plan for Walton 2040 is part of an Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) of the county’s Comprehensive Plan, a state-mandated long-range plan that must be updated every seven years. The planning effort includes a major emphasis on community outreach and engagement to ensure that residents, businesses, and stakeholders have the chance to share their ideas and opinions. This input will be combined with the technical team’s assessment to create a long-range vision plan to guide Walton County's future growth and development.

To conduct the review and planning effort, the Walton County Commission has engaged a team of consultants led by DPZ CoDesign. DPZ may be familiar to long-time residents as they helped author the Trust Plan in the 1980s and also planned and designed the town of Seaside, among others. The consulting team includes experts in transportation, green infrastructure, environmental planning, land economics, zoning analysis and legal review.

On the website, www.PlanForWalton2040.com, residents can learn more about the planning process, sign up for email updates, and take an initial survey to share their ideas and preferences for Walton County's future.

Plan for Walton 2040 also has a Facebook page of the same name where residents can ask questions and engage in the process.

“For this plan to be successful, we need to hear from the wide array of people who work, live or recreate in Walton County. So we invite everyone to visit the website, take our survey, sign up for email updates, and plan to attend all or part of the charrette meetings in May,” said Khoury.

In addition to the website, social media, and email outreach, the planning team will host a week-long workshop here in Walton County from May 1-8, 2024. That workshop, called a “charrette,” will include public presentations, workshops on specific topics such as environment and transportation, open-studio time where stakeholders can interact with members of the planning team, and “pop-up” outreach efforts in different areas of the County.

For more information, visit www.PlanForWalton2040.com or email info@PlanForWalton2040.com.

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Replies

40
bob bob avatar
Beach Fanatic
#27

Check out the latest news on the Plan for Walton 2040 project.​

You’ve come to the right place. Check out the questions and answers below, and if your question isn’t answered, send us a note and we will try to get it answered.

Closing Presentation​

05/09/2024
The Plan for Walton 2040 is a 16-month project to develop a long-range plan for the development, that will guide changes and amendments to your
Read More »

Transportation & Infrastructure​

05/07/2024
What are the important transportation and infrastructure issues that need to be addressed to ensure a sustainable future for Walton County? Alex Navarro of Jacobs
Read More »

Economics of Land Use – Joe Minicozzi​

05/03/2024
If citizens are the joint owners of the “corporation” that is Walton County, and policymakers are your Board of Directors, it’s important to understand the
Read More »

Gridics Zoning Software Now Available for Walton County​

05/03/2024
If you’re someone who really gets into zoning and land use, or just curious about what the allowable development in your neighborhood could be, we’ve
Read More »

Opening Presentation​

05/02/2024
The Plan for Walton 2040 is a 16-month project to develop a long-range plan for the development, that will guide changes and amendments to your
Read More »

Working Session: Land Use & Zoning​

05/01/2024
As part of the planning process, the Plan for Walton 2040 consultant team is reviewing Walton County’s zoning and land use categories. In Wednesday’s working
Read More »
Jim Tucker avatar
Beach Fanatic
#28
Please plan to attend or tune in for Marina Khoury’s virtual presentation to the Board of County Commissioners tomorrow, Thursday, October 17, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. She will present the team’s work from the past few months, and provide an update on the place types and growth scenarios discussed during the charrette.

Following Marina’s presentation, Joe Minicozzi of Urban3 will present to the County Commissioners at 11:00 a.m. on the economics of urban design.

You can find a link to the agenda here.


Review of Current Comp Plan

Since the charrette workshops a few months ago, the planning team has been hard at work applying your input, along with their technical expertise to a review of the existing comprehensive plan.

As you can imagine, this is very detailed and specific work. The consultant team reviewed the current comprehensive plan (more than 150 pages), and made suggestions and best practice recommendations to address the future growth, preservation, sustainability, transportation, and infrastructure needs of Walton County.

These recommendations will hopefully be included and addressed in Walton County’s upcoming Comp Plan amendments later this year.


Approach to Growth Management

As our team continued to work through the summer and engage with your planning staff, in addition to the concept of Place Types, we also developed an approach to overall growth management for the county.

This approach, similar to an overlay district, would identify certain areas in the county where growth should occur, at what level of intensity, and where growth should not occur, or be limited. You will see more about this in the presentation tomorrow, and we will share more about this approach in future communications to you. We will also want to hear what you think about the various place types and development areas.

So, stay tuned for more information, and we’re looking forward to the presentation tomorrow!

Sincerely,
The Plan for Walton Team
bob bob avatar
Beach Fanatic
#29
Here is the video of the presentation:

jm tucker
#30
planforwalton2040.com

Future Land Use Recommendations - Plan for Walton 2040

Future land use recommendations from the Plan for Walton 2040 DPZ team.
planforwalton2040.com planforwalton2040.com

After our comprehensive analysis of the Walton County Comprehensive Plan (“Comp Plan”)and integrating your feedback from the visioning workshop, we’re pleased to share our recommended updates.

Thanks for being part of the process—your input shaped the vision.

The recommendations are organized by each element of the Comp Plan. Each section begins with a summary list of key recommendations, followed by more detailed policy suggestions along with explanations for each.

Every few days, we’ll be sharing one element of the Comprehensive Plan along with its recommendations. This gives you time to review and reflect on each section before the next is posted. County staff is currently reviewing the full recommendations report, which has also been shared with the Board of County Commissioners. They’ll ultimately decide which recommendations will be incorporated into the updated Comp Plan.

The first element we present is the broader set of Future Land Use recommendations.

The FLU recommendations are organized around a proposed new planning framework that makes development and conservation more adaptable and predictable.

We divided the County into three context-sensitive sectors that should be mapped:

  • Protected Areas (conservation lands, agricultural and rural areas, generally north of the bay)
  • Maintained Areas (established neighborhoods where character is preserved, generally south of the bay)
  • Growth Areas (targeted corridors for walkable, mixed-use development, generally around existing municipalities and priority corridors).
A key feature of this framework is the use of Place Types, to further guide development based on location, intensity, and character appropriate to each sector.

This place-based approach helps align policies and investments with local needs, ensuring that growth supports economic sustainability, environmental stewardship, and community identity.

To learn more about the proposed changes to the Future Land Use, click here.

If you wish to review the entire document of recommendations, click here.

{Contents
Introduction ............................................................5
Capitol Improvements Recommendations ........... 10
Conservation Recommendations ......................... 16
Coastal Management Recommendations ............22
Future Land Use Recommendations ....................42
Housing Recommendations ................................. 74
Infrastructure Recommendations ........................79
Recreation Recommendations .............................84
Transportation Recommendations .......................87}

A substantial portion of Walton County significantly restricts or outright prohibits residential development. As illus-
trated in the accompanying maps, a total of 78% of the county falls under these restrictions, including:

• 17.3% zoned for conservation and open space parcels
• 17.9% zoned for Eglin Air Force Base
• 42.8% zoned for agriculture

Even excluding industrial parcels that could potentially be rezoned for residential use in the future, only 22% of
the county remains available for residential or commercial development. Within this limited area, some parcels are
already developed, others remain vacant, and some present opportunities for redevelopment or infill. Consequently,
how the county chooses to grow—and the strategies it employs to do so—will have a significant and lasting impact
on its future.
SUP Boarder avatar
Beach Lover
#31
Thanks for sharing Jim. Most likely some much needed changes / recommendations:

Future Land Use Recommendations FLU Policy Recommendations Summary
  1. Adopt a Sector Map for Walton County to assist with growth;
  2. Encourage rural clustering for the rural village place type in the north planning area (concentrated around the commercial centers);
  3. Incorporate Place Types as FLU Categories;
  4. Consolidate FLU Categories;
  5. Move regulations in Comprehensive Plan to LDC where possible;
  6. Adopt a TDR Program; and
  7. Increase or align the maximum permitted density to the intent for a few FLU categories that are included in new Place Types

It will be challenging to determine which recommendations to implement while still ensuring an effective FLU plan. Some of the frustrations in the past IMO were requests and approvals for deviations and exceptions to density.


FLU Policy - Recommendation 7
Increase or align the maximum permitted density to the intent for a few FLU categories that are included in new Place Types. All adjustments should also be subject to the additional density restrictions of the underlying zoning categories.

Residential FLU: Max density: 8 du/ac, except for:
• Residential in a designated Receiving Area. Max density: 16 du/ac
• Residential in permitted Growth Sector Place Types. Max density: 12 du/ac
• Residential in permitted Maintain Sector Place Types. Max density: 10 du/ac
• The increased densities shall not be permitted for the following zoning districts within the Residential FLU: LDRs and RP.


Probably a good recommendation to "point or direct" development into specific areas....

FLU Policy - Recommendation 6
Adopt a TDR program to transfer density credits from sending areas seeking to reduce development intensity below their current zoning allowance to receiving areas aiming to support future development at a higher intensity than currently permitted.
Beach Comber
#32
Our county governement has its hands full with infrastructure considering the massive growth happening. It seems we are no different than anywhere else in Florida in limiting development so we don't get overloaded. The cart always goes before the horse. Or does it? Why not limit growth?

Quality of life quality of community is the key. Keep Scenic 30A Scenic! Keep South Walton charming! Don't let sign pollution, utilities pollution, light pollution, noise pollution and trash rule the landscape - take control and do the right thing for residents!!
Beach Lover
#33
Between the 3 large multifamily properties in Freeport (Hammock Bay, Riverwalk, Owl's Head), there are 1,012 units. Despite rents that keep falling, 43%, or 440 units, are vacant. That's before delivery of 3 (?) new projects - one next to Freeport Publix and two south of 20 and east of 331. Every single multifamily project in Freeport will fail.

Market vacancy for the county is 25%. Rents continue to tick down due to the crazy amount of new supply that somehow keeps coming. $1.90 per foot avg now with so many new projects just delivered or under construction.

I've been tracking the area's slow moving train wreck on this thread to show there is no housing shortage in the area.

Walton, Okaloosa officials meet to discuss housing challenges
Beach Fanatic
#34
Between the 3 large multifamily properties in Freeport (Hammock Bay, Riverwalk, Owl's Head), there are 1,012 units. Despite rents that keep falling, 43%, or 440 units, are vacant. That's before delivery of 3 (?) new projects - one next to Freeport Publix and two south of 20 and east of 331. Every single multifamily project in Freeport will fail.

Market vacancy for the county is 25%. Rents continue to tick down due to the crazy amount of new supply that somehow keeps coming. $1.90 per foot avg now with so many new projects just delivered or under construction.

I've been tracking the area's slow moving train wreck on this thread to show there is no housing shortage in the area.

Walton, Okaloosa officials meet to discuss housing challenges
I just saw the Jewel apartments across from Christian international. Yikes!

I have no doubt Freeport will boom even with growing pains. I'm surprised there aren't a golf course community or 2 started, catering to rich retirees.
Beach Lover
#35
I just saw the Jewel apartments across from Christian international. Yikes!

I have no doubt Freeport will boom even with growing pains. I'm surprised there aren't a golf course community or 2 started, catering to rich retirees.
Owl's Head tried to build a golf course before the GFC but it never got off the ground. I wish there were more courses than just Windswept, but in a market like Freeport, golf courses are neighborhood amenities rather than stand alone businesses.
Beach Fanatic
#36
Owl's Head tried to build a golf course before the GFC but it never got off the ground. I wish there were more courses than just Windswept, but in a market like Freeport, golf courses are neighborhood amenities rather than stand alone businesses.
Oh yeah I forgot about Owl's Head - that was very ambitious. Maybe it's just people moving to Freeport that are willing to accept the most basic DR Horton style housing. It's depressing. Those neighborhoods are not far off from government housing. And the apartments are even sadder.

Back in yonder day I envisioned golf course communities and wealthy retirees all along 331. Looks like all crappy homes and cheap strip malls instead.
Jim Tucker avatar
Beach Fanatic
#37
As summer approaches and more and more tourists flock to Walton County, many of us are thinking about two things—housing and recreation.

Throughout this process, we’ve heard a lot about the need for affordable and attainable housing. We’ve also heard from you that this cannot come at the expense of adequate space for recreation and quality of life.

These two principles are critical in preserving neighborhood character and ensuring sufficient public and recreational spaces, and we hope you’ll take time to review these recommendations and let us know what you think.

Click Here for Housing Recommendations

Click Here for Recreation Recommendations
If you’re interested in learning more, check out our full report of recommendations here.


As always, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.


Warmly,

- The Plan for Walton Team


P.S. If you missed any of our previous recommendations regarding land use or transportation, be sure to check them out now on our blog.
Ken avatar
Beach Lover
#38
Announcing Public Workshops

Thursday, May 29, 2025 - 4:00pm - County Planning Staff Presentation

At this workshop, members of the Walton County Planning Department will present the Sector Map and Place Types for your review. This will be a good opportunity for you to make suggestions on specific areas for Place Types and give comments on the Sector Map.

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 - 4:00pm - DPZ Comp Plan Recommendations Presentation

During this presentation, members of the DPZ team will present their Comp Plan recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners. If you’d like to get caught up, check out the latest updates on our web page: Landing - Plan for Walton 2040


Both meetings will be held at the South Walton County Annex, 31 Coastal Centre Blvd, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459]
Jim Tucker avatar
Beach Fanatic
#39
If you missed the planning workshop last week, or want to get a refresher on the materials (it was a lot of information), check out the latest post on our website.

We’ve added a larger-format version of the Preliminary Sector Map, which is still highly conceptual, for you to review in closer detail.

In addition, we've posted the slide deck from the consultant team.

You can find it all here on our latest website update. Click the button below to get caught up!

Sincerely,

Marina & the Plan for Walton 2040 Team


Contact Info

(850) 267-1955
info@PlanForWalton2040.com
842 State Highway 20 East #110 | Freeport, FL 32439
Mike Jones avatar
Beach Fanatic
#40
Marina Khoury of DPZ and the Plan for Walton 2040 consultant team will present their report to the Walton County Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners next week.

Board of County Commissioners
Tuesday, August 12, 2025 1:00 pm
Defuniak Springs BCC Boardroom

Planning Commission
Thursday, August 14, 2025 4:00 pm
Freeport Commons Boardroom

This will be a great opportunity to share your thoughts on this important project, which will help guide the future of development and preservation in Walton County.

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