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rapunzel

Beach Fanatic
Nov 30, 2005
2,514
980
Point Washington
The Board of County Commissioners has asked the Planning Department to look into changing the code to allow drive-thru restaurants in areas zoned Village Mixed Use. It seems one of the commissioners feels that the problem with SoWal is the lack of places for people to get food to enjoy in the car. Currently, drive-thrus are allowed only in the Miramar area...the VMU change would impact 98 as well as parts of 30A.

Is the lack of 20 or 30 national chain fast food restaurants really a curse? I kinda consider it a blessing.

Sara Comander has asked staff to draft an ordinance to make the change to change the VMU. Apparently, the ordinance will not be ready in time for the March 12 Planning meeting and will be continued, so we have time to weigh in with our commissioners.
 

Camellia

Beach Fanatic
Nov 26, 2004
420
113
Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention.

Yesterday when I was driving my 20 year old son to the airport, as we drove by McDonalds I commented that it was the closest one to our house and he said,"that's so great." It is a blessing to have purveyors of non food as far from 30A as possible.
 

GoodWitch58

Beach Fanatic
Oct 10, 2005
4,816
1,921
this really makes me sad. The lack of drive thru, fast food restaurants is one of the truly unique aspects of life in South Walton...if this happens, then one more aspect that draws people to the area will be gone...and we will be just like every other place...

especially now when the economy is down, the last thing we need is chain restaurant competition for our local eating places.

give us another casual, fish and oyster place, but please no drive thru fast food....please.
 

DD

SoWal Expert
Aug 29, 2005
23,885
457
70
grapevine, tx. /On the road to SoWal
I don't live in SoWal, but I'd jsut be plain pissed off if they had fast-food drive- throughs everywhere. :angry:
 

SHELLY

SoWal Insider
Jun 13, 2005
5,770
802
I'm betting the folks holding "investment" (read: vacant) commercial buildings and lots are pushing hard for this...I think the requests for space to house candle shops; upscale artsy craftsy beachy shops; and $19 Lunch Entrees' Restaurants; have pretty much dried up. Here's the buzz words you'll be hearing: increased variety/choice; increased employment; increased opportunities; and (the biggie) increased tax revenue.

Recessions--like bubbles--make many things change for the worse.

.
 
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TooFarTampa

SoWal Insider
I have often compared SoWal to Sanibel/Captiva. The reason we fell in love with SoWal is because it was so much like our (previously) favorite vacation spot -- quaint, a small amount of signage, very few chains, with an emphasis on lower impact architecture and conservation land.

We don't need drive-throughs in SoWal. I have no problem with curbside takeout for example. But drive-throughs would require NEW buildings with lots of space around them for cars -- probably not economically feasible anyway and certainly ugly. Please. Let's not.
 
I don't live in SoWal, but I'd jsut be plain pissed off if they had fast-food drive- throughs everywhere. :angry:
Ditto. We can get that at home. Boring. One of the things that sold us on SoWal was the unique local restaurants and the lack of chain restaurants.

Is the BCC trying to turn this into Destin? Do they have friends who are fast-food franchisers trying to get a toehold to cash in on the market in SoWal and as a result change SoWal as we currently know it? Hope not. Frankly, I don't mind fast food on 98. But south of 98 is fighting words for me.
 

rapunzel

Beach Fanatic
Nov 30, 2005
2,514
980
Point Washington
I'm betting the folks holding "investment" (read: vacant) commercial buildings and lots are pushing hard for this...I think the requests for space to house candle shops; upscale artsy craftsy beachy shops; and $19 Lunch Entrees' Restaurants; have pretty much dried up. Here's the buzz words you'll be hearing: increased variety/choice; increased employment; increased opportunities; and (the biggie) increased tax revenue.

Recessions--like bubbles--make many things change for the worse.

.

Yes, let's sell out our greatest strength -- the thing that sets us apart from Panama City and every other geography of nowhere, beach edition town -- away for an everlasting solution to a short term problem. This is exactly the type of short term thinking that will undermine everything that makes this community so special. It will only serve to reduce the future tourism revenue. I believe it was Mary Brown with the TDC who pointed out that today SoWal attracts a high dollar per capita tourist compared to other counties -- maximizes tourist revenues while minimizing impact. Those tourists choose SoWal for it's natural, scenic, organic character. A bunch of McDonaldlands and parking lots will send them in search of the next quaint beach town.

I'm sorry, but I just don't buy that a McDonalds = opportunity. I've seen too many fast food restaurants in miserable and destitute neighborhoods to buy that one. Put the drive-thrus in District 4!
 

TreeFrog

Beach Fanatic
Oct 11, 2005
1,798
212
Seagrove
Private beaches. Vacationers under arrest.
Too many signs.
Ugly signs.
Closed state parks.
High rises on the north side of the bay.
McDonalds, Wendy's, and finally, Mexican on 30A (Taco Bell).


Goose. Golden egg. Dead.
 

SHELLY

SoWal Insider
Jun 13, 2005
5,770
802
We don't need drive-throughs in SoWal. I have no problem with curbside takeout for example. But drive-throughs would require NEW buildings with lots of space around them for cars -- probably not economically feasible anyway and certainly ugly. Please. Let's not.

Most food places require parking in some form or another. Rents are too high to try to cashflow "fast food" places (both local and corporate) with just foot traffic. In other towns, I've seen them tear down large, old 70-era McDonalds/Burger Kings and replace them with places half the size (I guess the new-millennium microwave doesn't take up nearly the same footprint as the old 70's clunkers).

I'm not "over the moon" about the prospect of having drive-thru's down here--but then again, I wasn't too happy with all the other changes I've seen happen to our quaint beach towns over the last 10-15 years either--and moreso during the last 5-7. With the prospect of "low cost" air carriers dumping tens of thousands of tourists at our new airport terminal to swarm southward toward what's left of our public beaches, I expected fast food and drive-thru's to be the next chapter in the evolution of this area.

I won't fight it, I'm plumb tuckered out from fighting and losing. I'll sit back and let the current crop of "NIMBYs" (that's what they'll call you) fight this battle.
 
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