Commercial 30 West Mixed Use on Hwy 98 at West 30A By Howard Group
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It's a Howard Group property. That's what was on the planning docs.
Community Meeting Notification
DATE: Thursday June 29, 2023, at 6:30 pm
Coastal Branch Library
437 Greenway Trail, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
Howard Group is proposing 30 West PUD, a conceptual Planned Unit Development. The 30 West PUD Planned Unit Development (“PUD”) site consists of seven (7) parcels of land located on the north side of US HWY 98 near the US HWY 98 /CR 30A Road intersection within the unincorporated limits of Walton County, Florida. The site is in Sections 29 and 30, Township 2 South, and Range 20 West, and consists of Walton County Property Appraiser Parcel Identification Nos. 30-2S-20-33230-000-0110, 30-2S-20-33230-000-001A, 29-2S-20-33000-050-0000, 29-2S-20-33000-011-0010, 29-2S-20-33000-045-0000, 29-2S-20-33000-046-0050, 29-2S-20-33000-046-0040.
The Applicant is requesting approval of a Conceptual Planned Unit Development (PUD) Masterplan which will consist of mixed-use units, city homes, stacked flats, mews homes, and tuck under units, a total of 717 units, as well as a 309,655 sf commercial component, consisting of grocery, retail and office space, civic and recreational uses, two boutique hotels and all associated infrastructure.
The developer of the project intends to hold a community meeting as an opportunity for interested parties to view the master planned development and offer input on the proposed design. The community meeting will be held on June 29, 2023 starting at 6:30 p.m. It will be held at the Coastal Branch Library meeting room, 437 Greenway Trail Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459. We appreciate your interest in this project and look forward to discussing the plans at that time.
Jenkins Engineering, Inc
DATE: Thursday June 29, 2023, at 6:30 pm
Coastal Branch Library
437 Greenway Trail, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
Howard Group is proposing 30 West PUD, a conceptual Planned Unit Development. The 30 West PUD Planned Unit Development (“PUD”) site consists of seven (7) parcels of land located on the north side of US HWY 98 near the US HWY 98 /CR 30A Road intersection within the unincorporated limits of Walton County, Florida. The site is in Sections 29 and 30, Township 2 South, and Range 20 West, and consists of Walton County Property Appraiser Parcel Identification Nos. 30-2S-20-33230-000-0110, 30-2S-20-33230-000-001A, 29-2S-20-33000-050-0000, 29-2S-20-33000-011-0010, 29-2S-20-33000-045-0000, 29-2S-20-33000-046-0050, 29-2S-20-33000-046-0040.
The Applicant is requesting approval of a Conceptual Planned Unit Development (PUD) Masterplan which will consist of mixed-use units, city homes, stacked flats, mews homes, and tuck under units, a total of 717 units, as well as a 309,655 sf commercial component, consisting of grocery, retail and office space, civic and recreational uses, two boutique hotels and all associated infrastructure.
The developer of the project intends to hold a community meeting as an opportunity for interested parties to view the master planned development and offer input on the proposed design. The community meeting will be held on June 29, 2023 starting at 6:30 p.m. It will be held at the Coastal Branch Library meeting room, 437 Greenway Trail Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459. We appreciate your interest in this project and look forward to discussing the plans at that time.
Jenkins Engineering, Inc
This is a massive project where west 30A meets US98 ....
________________________________________
30West Conceptual Planned Unit Development (PUD) is a request on behalf of The Howard Group for approval of a master conceptual PUD consisting of 717 multi-family units and 309,655 square feet of grocery, retail, office. limited lodging, civic, recreational, and infrastructure on 87.7 acres on the north side of U.S. 98, east of West Hewett Road and west of Hunters Road in Miramar Beach.
[actually Santa Rosa Beach]
The property is composed of Mixed Use and Conservation Residential future land use areas and is in Mixed Use and Conservation Residential 2:1 (two units per acre) zoning districts.
Introducing the project, Stephen Schoen of Walton County Planning and Development Services told the board members that if parts of the site looked familiar to them, it was because portions of it had been included with earlier approvals, one of those being Topsail West and the other Topsail Plaza PUD. He explained that the Topsail Plaza PUD “is defunct” and that the Topsail West PUD “is currently undergoing a less-than-minor amendment to remove a portion of that site,” with some of that PUD site to be taken up in the 30 West Conceptual PUD.
Schoen said that in this instance a simple exchange of land was being proposed without transfer of entitlements. He added that all reviewer comments had been addressed on the 30 West Conceptual PUD proposal.
Speaking on behalf of the applicants, engineer Scott Jenkins said the location for the project is at the gateway to CR-30A, directly north of the western intersection of CR-30A with U.S. 98. Jenkins said the applicants had worked hard to ensure that all requirements for a PUD were met. However, he explained that the only reason for proposing the request as a PUD was due to the mixture of different zoning designations on the property.
Jenkins said that no deviations from the Walton County Land Development Code (LDC) or any setback reductions are being requested for the PUD.
Bringing up public benefits associated with the PUD, Jenkins told the board members that its mixture of uses will be able to “capture” trips and commercial uses in the vicinity and reduce the need for residents to have to get on U.S. 98 and travel to other areas.
“They are going to extend Dune Lakes Boulevard from its current end at Terra Mar Apartments,” Jenkins continued, explaining that that roadway would traverse the site to serve as a connector running all the way to the CR-30A intersection, reducing traffic in that area and providing a different bypass from Walmart for areas to the west.
He added that a pedestrian overpass or underpass is proposed for pedestrian connectivity to the north side of U.S. 98— and that The Howard Group is in discussions with the state Department of Transportation (DOT) on this. Jenkins said that the connectivity that this would provide to the bike paths on CR-30A and to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park would be a big asset to the area in general.
Jenkins also spoke about a regional type of stormwater plan that is proposed with the project that would treat not just stormwater from the project site but a large portion of a basin south of U.S. 98 that currently receives no treatment.
“Now there’s kind of a confluence of two mosquito control ditches at the corner of that property,” he said, “that right now just discharges directly to the ditches along here…and then it goes to the bay; what we’re going to do is try to collect that, take it into the pond, treat it, control the discharge, so that helps with some of the downstream issues that they’ve had in the past.”
Architect Mauricio Castro of Place Alliance spoke about the place making aspects of the project. He envisioned a vibrant village center similar to others in the area but located at the end of CR-30A. “It will have a series of parks, plazas, spaces, buildings, that will be mixed use in and out,” Castro said.
Castro said a beautiful pond is planned for the front of the property and cafes and corner areas to engage the public, along with a festival green and a promenade opposite of the green. He described plans for an open-air building combining different uses and a village green flanking a hotel as part of a second entry to the property at U.S. 98.
Castro said the connected, walkable aspect of the community is being highlighted as part of a variety of means of transport within the property, together with plazas and pocket parks. A series of building types is to make up the 717 multi-family units on the property, he explained.
Castrol said other aspects the applicants would like to highlight are connectivity with Topsail Hill Preserve State Park plus conservation of wetlands on the site.
Jenkins provided additional information on the wetlands, which he quantified as almost 14 acres of high-quality wetlands. He said the applicants are proposing to conserve all but 1.4 acres of those , with those 1.4 acres to be used as retention areas. Jenkins said that, in addition, seven acres of low-quality wetlands are on the site, primarily manmade features and area that had been timbered in the past—and that plans are for those areas to be impacted.
Barbara Morano of the South Walton Community Council (SWCC) spoke in support of the project. “As Scott mentioned, there are public benefits. It is a gateway project, and what we particularly like is a pedestrian overpass, and I certainly hope F-DOT does that as opposed to anything underground,” she said.
Morano also mentioned the large regional stormwater feature and the multi-modal transport network as pluses. She was appreciative of the applicants for reaching out to the SWCC, which had resulted in a community meeting on the project. “It is not going to be a short-term rental project,” Morano continued, adding that the development will appeal to many age groups and could include children.
In other public comment, residents voiced concern about potential impacts on traffic congestion and gridlock and on public school capacity/crowding.
On a motion by Planning Commissioner Fred Tricker, the board members voted to recommend approval of the conceptual PUD.
________________________________________
30West Conceptual Planned Unit Development (PUD) is a request on behalf of The Howard Group for approval of a master conceptual PUD consisting of 717 multi-family units and 309,655 square feet of grocery, retail, office. limited lodging, civic, recreational, and infrastructure on 87.7 acres on the north side of U.S. 98, east of West Hewett Road and west of Hunters Road in Miramar Beach.
[actually Santa Rosa Beach]
The property is composed of Mixed Use and Conservation Residential future land use areas and is in Mixed Use and Conservation Residential 2:1 (two units per acre) zoning districts.
Introducing the project, Stephen Schoen of Walton County Planning and Development Services told the board members that if parts of the site looked familiar to them, it was because portions of it had been included with earlier approvals, one of those being Topsail West and the other Topsail Plaza PUD. He explained that the Topsail Plaza PUD “is defunct” and that the Topsail West PUD “is currently undergoing a less-than-minor amendment to remove a portion of that site,” with some of that PUD site to be taken up in the 30 West Conceptual PUD.
Schoen said that in this instance a simple exchange of land was being proposed without transfer of entitlements. He added that all reviewer comments had been addressed on the 30 West Conceptual PUD proposal.
Speaking on behalf of the applicants, engineer Scott Jenkins said the location for the project is at the gateway to CR-30A, directly north of the western intersection of CR-30A with U.S. 98. Jenkins said the applicants had worked hard to ensure that all requirements for a PUD were met. However, he explained that the only reason for proposing the request as a PUD was due to the mixture of different zoning designations on the property.
Jenkins said that no deviations from the Walton County Land Development Code (LDC) or any setback reductions are being requested for the PUD.
Bringing up public benefits associated with the PUD, Jenkins told the board members that its mixture of uses will be able to “capture” trips and commercial uses in the vicinity and reduce the need for residents to have to get on U.S. 98 and travel to other areas.
“They are going to extend Dune Lakes Boulevard from its current end at Terra Mar Apartments,” Jenkins continued, explaining that that roadway would traverse the site to serve as a connector running all the way to the CR-30A intersection, reducing traffic in that area and providing a different bypass from Walmart for areas to the west.
He added that a pedestrian overpass or underpass is proposed for pedestrian connectivity to the north side of U.S. 98— and that The Howard Group is in discussions with the state Department of Transportation (DOT) on this. Jenkins said that the connectivity that this would provide to the bike paths on CR-30A and to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park would be a big asset to the area in general.
Jenkins also spoke about a regional type of stormwater plan that is proposed with the project that would treat not just stormwater from the project site but a large portion of a basin south of U.S. 98 that currently receives no treatment.
“Now there’s kind of a confluence of two mosquito control ditches at the corner of that property,” he said, “that right now just discharges directly to the ditches along here…and then it goes to the bay; what we’re going to do is try to collect that, take it into the pond, treat it, control the discharge, so that helps with some of the downstream issues that they’ve had in the past.”
Architect Mauricio Castro of Place Alliance spoke about the place making aspects of the project. He envisioned a vibrant village center similar to others in the area but located at the end of CR-30A. “It will have a series of parks, plazas, spaces, buildings, that will be mixed use in and out,” Castro said.
Castro said a beautiful pond is planned for the front of the property and cafes and corner areas to engage the public, along with a festival green and a promenade opposite of the green. He described plans for an open-air building combining different uses and a village green flanking a hotel as part of a second entry to the property at U.S. 98.
Castro said the connected, walkable aspect of the community is being highlighted as part of a variety of means of transport within the property, together with plazas and pocket parks. A series of building types is to make up the 717 multi-family units on the property, he explained.
Castrol said other aspects the applicants would like to highlight are connectivity with Topsail Hill Preserve State Park plus conservation of wetlands on the site.
Jenkins provided additional information on the wetlands, which he quantified as almost 14 acres of high-quality wetlands. He said the applicants are proposing to conserve all but 1.4 acres of those , with those 1.4 acres to be used as retention areas. Jenkins said that, in addition, seven acres of low-quality wetlands are on the site, primarily manmade features and area that had been timbered in the past—and that plans are for those areas to be impacted.
Barbara Morano of the South Walton Community Council (SWCC) spoke in support of the project. “As Scott mentioned, there are public benefits. It is a gateway project, and what we particularly like is a pedestrian overpass, and I certainly hope F-DOT does that as opposed to anything underground,” she said.
Morano also mentioned the large regional stormwater feature and the multi-modal transport network as pluses. She was appreciative of the applicants for reaching out to the SWCC, which had resulted in a community meeting on the project. “It is not going to be a short-term rental project,” Morano continued, adding that the development will appeal to many age groups and could include children.
In other public comment, residents voiced concern about potential impacts on traffic congestion and gridlock and on public school capacity/crowding.
On a motion by Planning Commissioner Fred Tricker, the board members voted to recommend approval of the conceptual PUD.
By DOTTY NIST
A conceptual planned unit development (PUD) master plan for the large 30 West mixed-use development recently passed its first reading before the Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC), getting a favorable reception from the commissioners and public support.
This was at the Nov. 13 regular BCC meeting at the Walton County Courthouse.
The location is 87.7 acres on the north side of U.S. 98, east of West Hewett Road and west of Hunters Road in Miramar Beach, considered a “gateway” site to the west end of CR-30A.
The Howard Group is the project applicant.
Introducing the ordinance for the conceptual PUD master plan was Stephen Schoen of Walton County planning and development services.
The master plan consists of 717 multi-family units and 309,655 square feet of grocery, retail, office. limited lodging, civic, and recreational use and infrastructure on the 87.7 acre site.
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I may be Capt Obvious but what I see in the future is "Destin" from 331 to the East Pass. Just as now visitors and many locals call everything from Sandestin (including Miramar Beach) to the east pass, "Destin".