How this story made only the second page is beyond me. This is Headline news, above the fold, page 1.
The story was in the NWF Mullet Wrapper on Wednesday:
Developer proposes 25-story condominium near Freeport
FREEPORT ? A local developer is aiming for new heights with plans to build a 25-story condominium off Jolly Bay Road south of here.
At 250 feet, the high-rise would be the tallest building in Okaloosa, Walton and Santa Rosa counties.
Walton County has a 50-foot height restriction south of Choctawhatchee Bay, but has not set a limit for points north.
The proposal is an example of why the county should set a height limit north of the bay soon, said County Commissioner Scott Brannon.
Brannon suggested about two years ago that the county set a 50-foot restriction along the bay and other waterways in the north and central areas of the county.
County commissioners considered it, but took no action.
Now the first high-rise could soon arrive, and it?s time to stop more of them, Brannon said.
He plans to ask his fellow commissioners to reconsider setting height restrictions north of the bay. Tall buildings are ?out of character? for the county, he said.
?We don?t have the infrastructure in place to facilitate these types of impacts,? he said.
The high-rise is part of a mixed-use project proposed by Freeport-based Jolly Bay LLC on 60 acres just north of the bay.
The project, which has not been named yet, is still in the county?s approval process. It should go before the Walton County Planning Commission sometime in October.
The development includes 55 recreational vehicle spaces, a swimming pool, a 1,500-square-foot camp store, shower house and laundry facility.
The RV area will be built first. Later amenities will include a clubhouse and commercial/retail facility, 1,600 square feet of retail space, 3,250 square feet of office space, a restaurant and bakery, and the condominium.
The 120-unit high-rise probably won?t go up for several years, said attorney Dana Matthews, who represents the developers.
Eglin Air Force Base has objected to tall buildings in the past because they can interfere with flights and/or radar operations.
Matthews said that Eglin has expressed no concerns with Jolly Bay?s project.
Bob Arnold, chairman of Eglin?s Mission Enhancement Committee, could not be reached for comment.
The developers, Walton residents Carl Post and Kim Maxwell, opted to build a high-rise rather than spread out the development and affect wetlands, Matthews said.
?They could have gone and raped this site,? he said. ?That?s not what they did.?