Nature Walk Beach Club and retail development NOT approved yet!! There is still time!
The development
Nature Walk purchased the Old Seagrove Motel Beach front property. If approved, it will include 20 gulf front condos, retails shops with minimal parking and a Beach Club with beach service, pool, alcohol etc.. The Beach Club was added in an effort to help sell the 500+ lots in Nature Walk subdivision. Anyone that is an owner in Nature Walk will be a member of the club. They are projecting that they will shuttle bus 2500 people in per day during high season. The Seagrove Motel at full capacity was 200 people per day.
The Problems
If this Beach Club is approved, it will set the standard for all developers to be able to buy a parcel of beach front property (not designated as residential) and build a beach club on it for their development regardless of the location of their subdivision. This is not just a Seagrove problem-- This is a 30-A problem. If approved, these "beach clubs" will start popping up all over 30-A whenever the right parcel is for sale.
Walton County does not have the manpower or infrastructure in place to support all the traffic, illegal parking, beach clean up and patrol required to support this many people in such a concentrated area. That is why Walton has so many public beach accesses in place. To keep people and cars spread out. Walton also has a 50' height limit on all buildings. That is to prevent the building of high rise condos. Another method of preventing a large number of people in a concentrated area. Busing in 2500 people per day to 340' of beach frontage is just like having a high rise condo!!
Who is going to pay for all the additional support/services that will be required to handle the increased head count? As this will probably cause a decrease in property value and Walton will be forced to decrease property tax, who will bear the burden of the expenses? It is clear that one piece of property//beach club itself will not generate enough revenue to cover all the expenses it creates the county and us. What if the developer has a subdivision in another county and only has to pay taxes on one small piece of property?? Are we talking decrease in property value and increase in property tax?
Everyone has the right to enjoy and use the beach but I doubt that everyone in Nature Walk would end up in the exact same area if there was not a beach club to attract them there. But, if it is "their" club, then they will come and all those that do not want to take the shuttle will drive. Imagine all the traffic with the cars and shuttle buses!!
Then there are the beaches. What kind of impact will 2500 people per day have on 340' of beach? Goodbye sea turtles and sea oats. Will dunes ever recover with that kind of traffic? Again.. this will be a 30-A problem ...not just a Seagrove problem.. Greed can cloud peoples better judgement... Beach Clubs will spring up everywhere if just ONE is approved.
Everyone needs to consider the long term impact an approval of the Beach Club will have on all of 30-A. We need to fight to preserve the charm and way of life of this precious area. There are so few coastal areas like ours left. Please help to preserve this area!!
I urge everyone to not only email all the commissioners but to also attend the PUBLIC hearing where the commissioners will decide if they are going to approve the Nature Walk Retail and Beach Club development. I beleive the meeting date is Jan 24th. You can verify this on the Walton.gov site.
Below are the commissioners email address. Please ask them to deny at minimum the approval of the Beach CLub.
meacindy@co.walton.fl.us
brascott@co.walton.fl.us
prikenneth@co.walton.fl.us
jonlarry@co.walton.fl.us
comsara@co.walton.fl.us
Best and thanks for your support!!!!!!!!
The development
Nature Walk purchased the Old Seagrove Motel Beach front property. If approved, it will include 20 gulf front condos, retails shops with minimal parking and a Beach Club with beach service, pool, alcohol etc.. The Beach Club was added in an effort to help sell the 500+ lots in Nature Walk subdivision. Anyone that is an owner in Nature Walk will be a member of the club. They are projecting that they will shuttle bus 2500 people in per day during high season. The Seagrove Motel at full capacity was 200 people per day.
The Problems
If this Beach Club is approved, it will set the standard for all developers to be able to buy a parcel of beach front property (not designated as residential) and build a beach club on it for their development regardless of the location of their subdivision. This is not just a Seagrove problem-- This is a 30-A problem. If approved, these "beach clubs" will start popping up all over 30-A whenever the right parcel is for sale.
Walton County does not have the manpower or infrastructure in place to support all the traffic, illegal parking, beach clean up and patrol required to support this many people in such a concentrated area. That is why Walton has so many public beach accesses in place. To keep people and cars spread out. Walton also has a 50' height limit on all buildings. That is to prevent the building of high rise condos. Another method of preventing a large number of people in a concentrated area. Busing in 2500 people per day to 340' of beach frontage is just like having a high rise condo!!
Who is going to pay for all the additional support/services that will be required to handle the increased head count? As this will probably cause a decrease in property value and Walton will be forced to decrease property tax, who will bear the burden of the expenses? It is clear that one piece of property//beach club itself will not generate enough revenue to cover all the expenses it creates the county and us. What if the developer has a subdivision in another county and only has to pay taxes on one small piece of property?? Are we talking decrease in property value and increase in property tax?
Everyone has the right to enjoy and use the beach but I doubt that everyone in Nature Walk would end up in the exact same area if there was not a beach club to attract them there. But, if it is "their" club, then they will come and all those that do not want to take the shuttle will drive. Imagine all the traffic with the cars and shuttle buses!!
Then there are the beaches. What kind of impact will 2500 people per day have on 340' of beach? Goodbye sea turtles and sea oats. Will dunes ever recover with that kind of traffic? Again.. this will be a 30-A problem ...not just a Seagrove problem.. Greed can cloud peoples better judgement... Beach Clubs will spring up everywhere if just ONE is approved.
Everyone needs to consider the long term impact an approval of the Beach Club will have on all of 30-A. We need to fight to preserve the charm and way of life of this precious area. There are so few coastal areas like ours left. Please help to preserve this area!!
I urge everyone to not only email all the commissioners but to also attend the PUBLIC hearing where the commissioners will decide if they are going to approve the Nature Walk Retail and Beach Club development. I beleive the meeting date is Jan 24th. You can verify this on the Walton.gov site.
Below are the commissioners email address. Please ask them to deny at minimum the approval of the Beach CLub.
meacindy@co.walton.fl.us
brascott@co.walton.fl.us
prikenneth@co.walton.fl.us
jonlarry@co.walton.fl.us
comsara@co.walton.fl.us
Best and thanks for your support!!!!!!!!