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?It has withstood hurricane after hurricane and it?s still there?
Condo on dunes creates sand storm
Residents in South Walton County want developer to redesign project so dunes aren?t destroyed
By HEATHER CIVIL
heatherc@nwfdailynews.com
****SEAGROVE BEACH ? Plans for a small development are stirring up some big controversy over sand dunes.
****Angelos, a 24-unit condominium project, is slated for 3.57 acres of gulf-front property south of San Roy Road.
****It might have gone unnoticed because of its small size in relation to many other developments in South Walton County.
****But the developer?s plan to tear up a portion of a primary dune system on the property is getting attention.
****?Everyone would really like it (the dune system) preserved,? said Meg Nelson, president of the Walton County Coastal Dune Lake Advisory Board.
****Angelos still needs approval from the county and the state Department of Environmental Protection before construction can happen.
****The Walton County Commission will discuss the project at a meeting Aug. 14.
****Locals and some experts think the developer, William Wilson, should redesign the project, which they say could possibly destroy or damage several thousand square feet of the dune system.
****Wilson could not be reached for comment.
****Bill Mancil lives near the Angelos project site. He worries the condominiums will destroy a dune system that offers protection for nearby structures during storms.
****?It has withstood hurricane after hurricane, and it?s still there,? Mancil said.
****The roughly 31-foot-tall primary dune is part of a large dune system held together by the roots of vegetation such as sea oats.
****The condominiums, if built as planned, will destroy some vegetation on the landward side of the dune.
****The developer is offering something in return for building the condos.
****Project plans include the addition of about 4,000 cubic yards of new sand and sea oats to restore the gulf side of the dune, which has eroded over time.
****However, restoring the gulf side of the dune will not make up for the damage done to the landward side if construction moves forward as planned, some say.
****It can take a long time for newly planted sea oats to develop a root system strong enough to hold a dune together during a storm event, such as a hurricane, Brad Pickel said.
****Walton County has retained Pickel as a coastal management expert on the Angelos project. Pickel is the former beach management director for the Walton County Tourist Development Council.
****The new sea oats and sand at the Angelos site would have to escape storms for several seasons to become strong enough to support the dune, Pickel said.
****?It has to have time to establish,? Pickel said.
****A primary dune, such as the one at the Angelos project site, provides storm protection to the upland areas, including buildings.
****The dune also provides good habitat for many species, including the federally endangered Choctawhatchee beach mouse.
****It?s not known whether any beach mice reside on the property in question, but it?s possible, said Billy McKee, environmental planning manager for Walton County.
****If the condominium project moves forward, that?s something the developer will have to determine.
****The dune on the Angelos property is probably more than 50 years old, McKee said.
****Replacing old vegetation with new vegetation is ?not the same thing,? he said.
****Walton County requires Angelos preserve 95 percent of the vegetation on the property because the project is being built seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line, McKee said.
****Projects built seaward of that invisible line must meet specific requirements set by the county and DEP designed to preserve the beaches and dune systems.
****The plans for Angelos as they are now do not preserve enough of the existing vegetation to meet the county?s requirement, McKee said.
****There is an alternative that could preserve the dune and vegetation while allowing the developer to build the condominiums.
****The footprint of the building needs to be reduced by about 8,700 square feet, McKee said.
****However, the developer has not been receptive to that idea, he added.
****?They have so far been unwilling to do that (footprint change),? he said.
****Mancil and others hope the county will not allow the project to move forward as planned.
****If the developer would change the project to offer less damage to the dune, there might not be as much opposition to it, he said.
****?They?re stretching the limits on too many things,? he said.
Photos by DEBI HAUSSERMANN | Daily News Established dunes along Beachside Drive and the Gulf of Mexico in South Walton County may soon be affected by a proposed condominium. Local residents are afraid that destruction of the primary dune will cause severe problems when the next hurricane hits the area.
Hal Smith talks Thursday about a proposed 24-unit condominium some say would destroy a primary dune. To see a video of the dune system, go to nwfdailynews.
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