Transect Based Planning

Yes, and if this group can work with Walton County government to affect some of these kinds of reversals around here, it would be great.
I was dismayed when the historical building was bulldozed up in DeFuniak to make a parking lot....an example of the mind set that has allowed concrete and asphalt to take over our towns and fields.

The other day, as I drove down Nursery Road past the property that Mrs. Kellogg donated to the County for a nature preserve, I was dismayed to see that one of the first things to be done is: to pave a parking lot!

And yet, less than a half mile away Chat Holley road is a disgrace because no pot holes are filled, no white lines painted...the paving which needs to be done on the road, is done, instead, on a nature preserve!

I lived for many years in Tallahassee and one of the things I love most about that city are the trees--and the tree ordinance that preserves them. I spent many years at the Tallahassee (Junior) Museum with my son and his friends...and there were no paved parking lots...it was a nature preserve and the parking areas were natural....

In order to achieve some of the sense of community that the " new urbanism" promotes, leaders and citizens must have a mindset change...that is what I see missing here as it is in many places across our country.

DeFuniak has the potential to be a beautiful little town...it has all the community things that New Urbanism promotes. Yet, the leaders in the town and county have done little to revive those things that made it a good town to live and grow up in. Even when the basic plan is still there...

and, as someone pointed out in another post, the "powers that be" decide to plant Palm Trees in DeFuniak...and oak trees in Seaside! Maybe the oak trees add to Seaside, I have not seen them yet; but, the Palm Trees do not add anything to DeFuniak IMO. What's wrong with oak, dogwood, magnolia....

We had one of the most beautiful beaches/coastlines in the world here in South Walton, yet the planning and zoning that was allowed to run amok has allowed it to become less than it might have been....and the unintended consequences are abandoned neighborhoods with half finished buildings and empty strip mall stores and and office buildings.

And, for all the visioning that has gone on in the last 10 years, as Shelly says above, there seems to be little actually getting done that follows the so-called vision....

I hope this latest effort makes a difference so that my grandchildren can enjoy living in a place that offers a sense of community, a viable economic structure, and the recreational aspects that make for a balanced life.

DeFuniak is full of Historical buildings, quite different here. Our few are generally torn down for new modern structures. Take the old Grayton Hotel, now it's the Wash a Way, at least it's not torn down, but it's used as a rental, where as it should be on the historical register. Bay Elementary is another good example, they say that in order to keep it from being destroyed, it must be used as a school, and modernized. The building was built in the 30's, and my opinion is that it should be used as a museum.
DeFuniak has always been a beautiful little town, and is so, because they don't regulate themselves into misery! So what if they want to plant palm trees, they have lots of Oak, Magnolia, Dog Wood, etc. Let them have what they want! What difference does it make to us? The sense of community comes from it's people, not necessarily from codes, and regulations, and civic planning. Friendly, compassionate people, who are satisfied with what they have, and are generous toward others.

D......................
DeFuniak has always been a beautiful little town, and is so, because they don't regulate themselves into misery! So what if they want to plant palm trees, they have lots of Oak, Magnolia, Dog Wood, etc. Let them have what they want! What difference does it make to us? The sense of community comes from it's people, not necessarily from codes, and regulations, and civic planning. Friendly, compassionate people, who are satisfied with what they have, and are generous toward others.

I'll bet most of these friendly, compassionate people had Oak, Magnolia, and Dogwood. And were satisfied with what they had!..


.

I sure wish there were some DeFuniak and other north-of-bay folks in this conversation so we could hear from some of them. Most of what I've heard from north county citizens at all the Planning Commission meetings about the Comp Plan amendments is a concern about residential development intruding into agricultural areas and then the residents complain about farmers farming-- as if our American family farms didn't have enough going on to make it hard on them as it is. This instrusion is a common problem with sprawl nationwide, and one of the many issues the tool known as transect/smart code planning can be used to address fairly and intelligently.

The other big issue I have been hearing from north county folks is concerns about how to manage development with regard to available water, sewer and fire protection. A lot of discussion on that, and again, I believe transect/smart code approach is designed to handle this sort of thing.

Anyone know of a website with online forums that is frequented by everyone in the whole county? I know the ACT Walton group is looking for ways to increase and speed communication between, for instance, north end farmers and south end eaters/markets/restaurants about what produce is fresh and ripe, to support local farms and the burgeoning local food movement.... Maybe they will create a county-wide site? (No offense, Kurt, we all love SoWal!)

I sure wish there were some DeFuniak and other north-of-bay folks in this conversation so we could hear from some of them. Most of what I've heard from north county citizens at all the Planning Commission meetings about the Comp Plan amendments is a concern about residential development intruding into agricultural areas and then the residents complain about farmers farming-- as if our American family farms didn't have enough going on to make it hard on them as it is. This instrusion is a common problem with sprawl nationwide, and one of the many issues the tool known as transect/smart code planning can be used to address fairly and intelligently.

The other big issue I have been hearing from north county folks is concerns about how to manage development with regard to available water, sewer and fire protection. A lot of discussion on that, and again, I believe transect/smart code approach is designed to handle this sort of thing.

Anyone know of a website with online forums that is frequented by everyone in the whole county? I know the ACT Walton group is looking for ways to increase and speed communication between, for instance, north end farmers and south end eaters/markets/restaurants about what produce is fresh and ripe, to support local farms and the burgeoning local food movement.... Maybe they will create a county-wide site? (No offense, Kurt, we all love SoWal!)

I was born in DeFuniak, and went to high school there. Most folks I know there really don't want to get involved with what goes on in SoWal.

I was also born there and my relatives and many of the people I know are very involved in South Walton....for Pete's sake, it is all Walton County!

Susan, I think the idea of a county wide discussion board is an excellent one!

I was born in DeFuniak, and went to high school there. Most folks I know there really don't want to get involved with what goes on in SoWal.

The "folks you know" are also afraid to cross the bridge because of all the rabid environmentalists down here. :roll:

Speaking for the slightly more rational Defuniak folks I know, they would love to have a more comprehensive plan and some smart planning in Sowal. Many have property, beach homes, jobs, or relatives that would be affected by these decisions.

DeFuniak is full of Historical buildings, quite different here. Our few are generally torn down for new modern structures. Take the old Grayton Hotel, now it's the Wash a Way, at least it's not torn down, but it's used as a rental, where as it should be on the historical register. Bay Elementary is another good example, they say that in order to keep it from being destroyed, it must be used as a school, and modernized. The building was built in the 30's, and my opinion is that it should be used as a museum.
DeFuniak has always been a beautiful little town, and is so, because they don't regulate themselves into misery! So what if they want to plant palm trees, they have lots of Oak, Magnolia, Dog Wood, etc. Let them have what they want! What difference does it make to us? The sense of community comes from it's people, not necessarily from codes, and regulations, and civic planning. Friendly, compassionate people, who are satisfied with what they have, and are generous toward others.

Gee, it's a shame there wasn't a message board back when the Wash-A-Way sold and became a rental. You could've posted endless rants about it and done nothing.

Looks like you were just missing the message board huh?

Herald-Breeze article

For anyone who didn't see last Thursday's Herald-Breeze, here is the article I referred to in my original post, copied and posted here with permission from the editor/publisher Ron Kelley. IMHO, The Herald-Breeze is the best, most consistent and reliable source for news of local gov't goings-on. Only costs about $20 a year to subscribe and it's in my mailbox every Wednesday by noon.

The "land-use based zoning" Stratmann mentions is, I believe, what planners refer to as Euclidian zoning, apparently regarded as an obsolete and unworkable methodology now for all kinds of reasons including the fact that it actually encourages sprawl and all its concommitant ills.

FLU elements of EAR gain conceptual approval
By LEAH STRATMANN
The Beach Breeze



After eight public workshops to discuss future land use (FLU) elements of the evaluation and appraisal report (EAR) mandated by the state, the planning commission finally granted conceptual approval, pending a report on one small section by county attorney Mike Burke.
The murky issue concerns the category known as neighborhood commercial (NC) in south Walton, permitting limited commercial uses in close proximity to residential areas. The question concerns which properties were designated either by covenant, the county, or deed restrictions prior to November 1996 as commercial. Burke was asked to investigate this particular issue and provide guidance. As he was not at last week?s workshop, the commission voted to accept the rest of the document, pending his report.
Planning department Lois Le Seur, the chief architect of the FLU section of the EAR, came equipped with a laptop to correct errors or make changes in text according to the vote of the planning commission. She said, ?We have done our best to roll in everything we can roll into this document. I hope the only thing left is cleanup.?
Before the document was accepted, commissioner Susan Horn suggested some additional language be added to the document. ?I would like to have some language in the document saying the county intends to move toward transect-based planning in the future, even if it isn?t possible to redo this document right now. Transect planning handles the compatibility issue. I think we can do better than this, and I?d like to get that in the works now.?
Le Seur said, ?We already have inherent in our plan a lot of transect concepts and I think we have incorporated as much as we can. If we are to do more, we have to do so at the direction of the county.?
Transect-based coding or smart zoning is a system that organizes land in a gradient from the most natural/rural to the most urban. Transect replaces traditional land-use based zoning. Land-use zoning segregates land uses and is an auto-dependent system which together form what is commonly known as sprawl.
The transect system was introduced to the commissioners by a group of citizens in late December who came together with a visioning plan for Walton County.
Commission chairman Tom Terrell said, ?Some of the items presented by the visioning group are workable in certain areas, but the commission did not agree with the entire concept. Since we have to go through this process again in seven years, smart zoning or the transect concept may be the desire of the Board of County Commissioners (BCC).
Commissioner Randy Gardner said, ?I don?t think we can say today how we should go forward in seven years. I?m comfortable with the way the document is written.?
Terrell said, ?I would like to thank the planning department for the time and effort they have put in on this. From my reading of this, it looks like we have ridden this horse as far as we can ride it. We have had eight meetings on this, plus a lot of individual meetings between the public and planning department members.?
Citizen Marsha Weingartner addressed the commission saying, ?I just want to protect agricultural areas. I think it is a travesty to put into law that you can have one house per acre in the agriculture category. I want lower density in the neighborhood. You have a person build a house in an agriculture region and then they want all the benefits of the city and want to complain about the agricultural operations nearby,? she said.
Bill Bard said, ?The first word in your name is planning. I think this document is where we should start to move forward with smart zoning for the future. If we wait seven years for the next commission and they decide to wait, we get further and further behind. This body is reactive rather than proactive. I think Commissioner Horn got steamrolled on this.?
South Walton Community Council executive director Anita Page chimed in saying, ?I would like to see a workshop or something where people can learn more about transect zoning so Walton County does not get further and further behind other communities who are using this to good effect.?
Terrell suggested those opinions should be brought to the BCC. ?There is no steamrolling or stonewalling, all we are doing is expressing our opinion. The BCC would be the more proactive body. Convince the BCC to get involved and more educated. I don?t think anybody on the planning commission had a problem with what was presented.?
Commission Tom Patton said, ?Susan?s idea has some merit. If we put it in there, it goes to the BCC.?
Gardner disagreed saying, ?The document we are trying to create is a working document. If there is a separate motion to be passed onto the BCC concerning transect zoning, it does not affect this working document. We can suggest the issue be explored and addressed.?
Terrell agreed, suggesting a recommendation to the BCC to establish a series of workshops. In the end Commissioner Horn made the a motion for the planning commission to direct the BCC to direct the planning department to explore a transect-based approach for Walton County as a whole for the possibility of inclusion in the land development code (LDC) as well as incorporation of the comprehensive plan for the next round of EAR-based amendments.
The motion was seconded by Patton and passed by all.
Once conceptual approval had been given to the FLU document, the group moved on to the 19-page glossary of terms used within the document. Planning director Pat Blackshear noted, ?It is a work in progress that we had to make consistent with state and federal rules. This is a first draft. Where you see a definition, they will all be consistent with state law. Most of the more technical terms will be found in the LDC. It is a judgment on our part which ones go to which document.?
The commissioners and the public then starting reading the glossary and going page by page to clarify it according to suggestions by the commission and the public. The changes to the FLU document as well as the glossary can be downloaded or viewed on the county?s Website.
The next meeting of the planning commission on Feb. 12 will start two hours early to further explore the glossary. The FLU element is the first of ten sections that must be addressed in the EAR.

Of the online message sites, SoWal is by far the largest and most active. Also, the others are primarily for discussing politics and have strong Republican leanings. Just my opinion, of course, but I think this discussion is best suited for right here.

Btw, I'll guarantee that most of the active internet users in Walton County are tuned in to SoWal.com. They may just be lurking, but they are here.

Bay Elementary is another good example, they say that in order to keep it from being destroyed, it must be used as a school, and modernized. The building was built in the 30's, and my opinion is that it should be used as a museum.

What is wrong with Bay Elementary being used for what it was built for? Should they have made it a museum and then built another super-modern school that would have not had the charm of Bay somewhere else in Point Washington or on 30-A? Would you not be complaining about the growth that caused something else to be built? I totally do not get your reasoning.

My children have been to both Butler and Bay. I LIKE the fact that it is an old school that is still used today. It is a lovely little school that I enjoy taking my kids to each day.

My children have been to both Butler and Bay. I LIKE the fact that it is an old school that is still used today. It is a lovely little school that I enjoy taking my kids to each day.[/quote]


Organicmama, both my boys went to Bay too, and before that, I was a Chapter One Aide/substitute teacher there (Dist 5 Commissioner Cecilia Jones was teaching kindergarten there at the time). I LOVE that place. Back in the day, it was the main gathering place for the entire South Walton community -- the only place big enough to hold us all. In return for allowing the community use the auditorium for meetings and such, the entire community was an enormous support to the school, raising funds, volunteering, painting the fence, whatever. Tom Stein always did auctions, and hay rides for the Halloween Carnival. I remember one year in particular, we did a Gong Show fundraiser for the school and it was hilarious! Stand up comics (Tyrone McCarthy?), acrobatic tricks by a retired but still quite young and vivacious exotic dancer (vavoom), a real goofy night of fun.

It was such a sweet time, and I for one am delighted we've managed to keep it in use as a school. Love it that the kids can walk down to Eden for picnics, science, nature, etc.

Since those sweet days at Bay, it seems like all kinds of liability issues and who's - gonna-clean-up-and-lock-up issues have made it so community can't use any of the public school spaces any more. At least, last time I checked that was the default policy. Wish we could find a way around that so those publicly owned facilities could be used for more than school months/hours. Especially since we still don't have a community center down here. I must stop rambling, LOL.

Walton County, Florida Online

For anyone who's interested, there's another Planning Commission meeting about proposed Comp Plan amendments this Wednesday at 5 p.m., South Walton Annex. Elements to be considered at this meeting are:

Economic Development
Housing
Coastal Zone Conservation

To view these and other elements, contact the Planning Department and ask to receive them via e-mail. 267.1955. Or go in person and request hard copies (there may be a small charge). Or go in person and read the copy they put out for public viewing.

I've had a look at Housing and Economic Development, but just got my hands on the Conservation one. It's 27 pages. All three seem to be very important and inextricably interrelated with each other and all other elements I've looked at so far.

Would love to hear comments from any sowallers who take the time to review these documents.

Dates, times and locations of this and all other Plannig Commission, BCC, etc., meetings are legally noticed in the DeFuniak Springs Herald-Breeze, and are also posted on the county's website. Very often, meeting agendas, and documents to be considered/discussed at these meetings are usually available on the county website a few days prior to the meetings. f not available online, they are available at the Planning Department office.

Added to SoWal.com home page.

SWCC Forum on Transect Planning

A citizen-based process that could result in a Transect Planning Code for Walton County will be explained and illustrated in a slide show when the South Walton Community Council presents its monthly public forum, May 28, at 7 pm at the Coastal Branch Library.

The presentation of Transect planning, urban design and smart growth will be given by Mark Schnell, urban designer and planner based in Seagrove Beach. He provides visioning, design codes and design review for both public and private sector clients. This program is very timely as the county is in the process of amending and revising many elements of the Walton Comprehensive Plan which affects everyone who lives, works and plays in the community.

Schnell has worked nationally and internationally to create sustainable places, with an emphasis on walkable mixed-use communities. The presentation was created by a group of concerned citizens with expertise in architecture, planning and the environment.

This forum is one of the monthly series sponsored by SWCC and is open to the public at no charge. SWCC will also display the documentary sea turtle protection films they have had made for television public service announcements and other uses. For more information call Ella Caro, 231-6038.

Looking forward to this- thanks for the reminder, Chandra!

How did the presentation go?
Mixed use and walkable? Where do the visitors park? Or are the commercial props sustained from inside community? If visitors allowed have developer's found a way to keep the parking space cost under say $20,000 a piece?

The Point Washington State Forest lands and Eglin have left developers with only so much land to work with. Is this movement just a way to justify more units per acre? I think we already call .07 acres a buildable lot. The old land use and density rules were much more sustainable, environmentally.

We could do a great service to the ecco of the area by reducing speed limits on North-South roads in SOWAL to 35mph and the sections of 30_a that are above that speed limit. That would then make the bay to beach roads legal for electric vehicles. (Gem Cars, golf carts)

Also this seems like a really great idea in reclaimed urban areas like abandoned downtowns in Cleveland , Detroit, New Orleans etc. I am just not sure it relates well to undeveloped piney woods in the panhandle

In fairness to the presentation by Mark Schnell, there is no way to reiterate what transpired last night, BH. You had to be there. The presentation was one of the best I have ever seen on community planning. It was set up in such a way as to be very easy to follow and understand. The crux of the matter is transect planning definitely has a place in the future development of Walton County as an enjoyable and pleasant place to live.
To accomplish it or even a quasi-version of the concept will not be easy, but then the proper development of any land area is never so. It does appear to be on the right track for our needs and desires here in Walton County, IMO.
To sum up, the presentation was excellent, informative and very well presentated. Kudos to Mark Schnell for a very productive and useful evening.
Oh, and BTW, all your questions would have been answered had you been there.

In fairness to the presentation by Mark Schnell, there is no way to reiterate what transpired last night, BH.
Oh, and BTW, all your questions would have been answered had you been there.

Was working but thanks. Maybe be we will get lucky and Shelly was there and can give us a report. Oh wait I see post 37 so it's all good.

The "folks you know" are also afraid to cross the bridge because of all the rabid environmentalists down here. :roll:

Speaking for the slightly more rational Defuniak folks I know, they would love to have a more comprehensive plan and some smart planning in Sowal. Many have property, beach homes, jobs, or relatives that would be affected by these decisions.

I guess that makes me one of the less rational rednecks. South Walton Politics revolve around trying to control what your neighbor can or cannot do on thier on property. The idea to force someone to build a certain way, to force a color scheme, to require certain square footage for houses on certain lots. This is all to control what someone else wants to do on property they own. How about dealing with your own property and leave your neighbor alone. The idea of zoning allowing mixed commercial and residential areas is great until you add in the reality of noise and noise ordinances. People really working and making a living interfering with thier neighbors by waking them up. Call the police my neighbor is breaking the noise ordinance by building a boat on his property. These new urban towns are mostly FAKE. No one wants to live next to real businesses that makes real products and employees many real people and put money in thier pockets. People complain about everything noise from bands, aircraft, conjestion, drunks, neighbors having parties, in the end everyone likes the idea of a utopia where every lives and works in walking distance but the reality is if you don't incorporate real money making businesses that require extensive material, people, space, and more, then the only people that can live in your "Multiuse" invironement are people who alread have substaintial money and don't have to wory about feeding thier family. Yes on some small scales the idea will work but mostly the self sufficient town is not possible. Someone said DeFuniak was but that is not correct. DeFuniak was the town but it supplied and was supplied by the farmers, loggers, and other around the town. The stores in DeFuniak purchased wares from outside of the are and sold to locals. Some locals worked in these mom and pop stores but most people worked on farms or logging or Coke factory or Chicken Plant (and in your ideal town who gets to live next to the rendering plant at the Chicken Plant). DeFuniak could not have survived by itself any more than Seaside could today.

TechPyle, you weren't at the meeting, were you? If you were in attendance, you didn't see the same presentation I did. Your opinion of the reason for community planning and how communities should be developed is warped, to say the least, IMO.

TechPyle, you weren't at the meeting, were you? If you were in attendance, you didn't see the same presentation I did. Your opinion of the reason for community planning and how communities should be developed is warped, to say the least, IMO.

Andy,

No I was not at the meeting and with BCC meetings scheduled at 4:30 or so on a Tuesday the chances of me attending are slim. Most people will be at work at that time.

My idea of community planning is extremly warped. I have a huge problem with the idea that the government can decide what is the best use of a private persons property is. The government can then use planning, land use, zoning and other restrictions to control what a private individual can do WITH THIER OWN PROPERTY. Since when did Government get the knowledge to be able to say what is the Best done with a private individuals property. With the knowledge that governement can control private property usage who influences the government controls of private property. It is generaly people who can afford to be at the BCC Meetings, it is people whose job it is to influence the BCC, and it is people who have a problem with thier neighbors and are trying to control them in one way or another.

As to community bassed planning or the idea that a person will live, and work withen walking distance of thier job. Great idea. Now what job will be used to support the classic Two adults, two children family in the community with $300,000 dollar homes? Will it be the local coffee shop that pays $8.00 per hour? For a real community you need real jobs most of these will center around businesses that people do not want to live next door to. Plan with the knowledge that if your "Community" is to support itself even in some limited since that it will require real businesses and not the small shops envisioned mixed into your residential areas. Show me the business that is moving into the area that will support your community. If there are no businesses that can support the people living nearby then you have a fake community. One where the help gets drove in so that the people that can afford to live their can have thier fancy coffee.

Now lets say you get your nice community with the perfect mix of business and residential all withen walking distance. People are cantankerous you will have the neighbor who complains about noise that gets resturant owners put in jail by using noise complaints, in your walking community you will have people that complain about pedestrians taking shortcuts through thier lawns or sitting next to thier porches. These things already happen and it only takes one or two people complaining and raising a ruckus to spoil a whole neighborhood.

Is the current land use and planning perfect? NOOOOOOO!!!!!! but who is to say that these new rules and regulations are any better. I do not want to be the ginney pig for pie in the sky regulations.

TP, if you had attended the meeting (which was at 7 PM, hardly considered normal working hours by most) you would realize the concept is not just living and being able to walk to your job and the grocery store. I am not going to argue with you regarding community planning as you are obviously of a different mindset than I am. No one ever said this concept would eliminate neighborhood complaints. They will be with us 'till the end of time regardless of what kind of planning or lack of planning is done.
Oh, and BTW, BCC meetings extend far, far beyond 4:30. You won't miss much if you arrive as late as 6:00 P.M. the way things have been going lately.

TechPyle, the government already controls what you can and can't do with your property. These regulations come part and parcel with the privilege of land ownership and these regulations are in place to control the exact outcomes you describe.

Had you been at the presentation you might have picked up on the fact that transect planning actually gives EVERYONE more choices. The PUD type of communities we have in SoWal are not legal to build based on the current codes (the same across much of the country) and therefore create a natural division between the haves and the have-less-thans. Believe it or not, there are many people that would choose to live in a walkable community, even above a commercial space. But because these places are such an anomoly, they are out of many peoples price point.

I find it quite entertaining that you can expound on something at such great length, that you really don't have an understanding of.

I especially love how you talk about "fake" communities and all the problems created by noisy neighbors spoiling a whole town. That's why urban areas (and we may as well throw in Seaside for all its fakiness) all over the country are uninhabited and failures as viable living options.

If you had been at the presentation, you may also had discovered that rural and sub-urban living arrangements are part of transect planning and architectural style and color schemes are not.