Dear SWCC members and friends,
Please share this with your friends, especially those living on coastal dune lakes.
On Dec 16, 2014 at 6 p.m. at the Coastal Branch Library, the SWCC will host a forum on a county proposal that could lead to significant changes in the regulations addressing our rare and beautiful dune lakes. Walton County government is drafting and soon will be considering major revisions to the ordinances protecting our coastal dune lakes. The proposed changes include changes not only to protective provisions in the Land Development Code, but also to the Comprehensive Plan.
It is extremely important for the South Walton community to get familiar with what is being proposed and to engage in providing feedback to County Commissioners and to County Planning and Development Services staff.
If you are not familiar with the magnificent resources that comprise the coastal dune lakes, please visit Live Oak Production’s website at http://www.coastaldunelakes.org/home.html and review the work Elam Stoltzfus, a Florida-based photographer and film maker, is doing to bring the importance and beauty of the coastal dune lakes to the attention of the general public.
The revisions the County is proposing to the ordinances and laws that protect our rare coastal dune lakes include (but are not limited to):
The SWCC forum will be held at the Coastal Branch Library. Wayne Dyess, County Planning and Development Services Director and Mac Carpenter, Planning Manager, will participate on a panel to answer any questions you have about the nature of the proposed changes, the need for the changes and the impact of the changes to our coastal dune lakes.
For those of you who are interested in more detail, I am attaching a PDF containing the language of the revised ordinance the County will be considering.
As it stands right now, this will be the only opportunity for members of the public, including dune lake lot owners, to listen to and evaluate the nature of the problem and whether staff's "one size fits all” approach is the best approach.
Please get this issue on your radar screen and attend the SWCC public forum on December 16th. REMEMBER: The ordinance is already scheduled to be heard by the County at the January 8[SUP]th[/SUP] meeting of the Planning Commission.
Best Regards and on behalf of the SWCC Board of Directors, Mary Konovsky
LDC 4_02_00_4_03_00v11.12.8.14.pdf
Please share this with your friends, especially those living on coastal dune lakes.
On Dec 16, 2014 at 6 p.m. at the Coastal Branch Library, the SWCC will host a forum on a county proposal that could lead to significant changes in the regulations addressing our rare and beautiful dune lakes. Walton County government is drafting and soon will be considering major revisions to the ordinances protecting our coastal dune lakes. The proposed changes include changes not only to protective provisions in the Land Development Code, but also to the Comprehensive Plan.
It is extremely important for the South Walton community to get familiar with what is being proposed and to engage in providing feedback to County Commissioners and to County Planning and Development Services staff.
If you are not familiar with the magnificent resources that comprise the coastal dune lakes, please visit Live Oak Production’s website at http://www.coastaldunelakes.org/home.html and review the work Elam Stoltzfus, a Florida-based photographer and film maker, is doing to bring the importance and beauty of the coastal dune lakes to the attention of the general public.
The revisions the County is proposing to the ordinances and laws that protect our rare coastal dune lakes include (but are not limited to):
- Moving most of the standards that protect the coastal dune lakes from the Comprehensive Plan to the Land Development Code. The public cannot request variances from any standards in the Comprehensive Plan. If all of the coastal dune lakes standards are moved to the Land Development Code, then anyone who is developing in the coastal dune lake protection zone will be able to request variances from any development standards applying to their lot on a coastal dune lake, e.g., seawalls could be allowed on any lot. This change is precedent-setting and a major change that could result in impacts currently not allowed in the lake watersheds and the lakes themselves. To be clear, County Staff is proposing to give all lots in the protected zone the right to seek a change in the rules designed to protect the lakes and watersheds regardless of the lot size and location.
- In order to protect our coastal dune lakes, the current ordinances limit clearing of lots directly on the lakes and within 300’ of the lakes and their tributaries to 25%. For lots that were platted on or before December, 1993, the revised ordinance allows 50% clearance of lots along the coastal dune lake protection zone with additional lot clearance allowed if it is for storm water grading. This is an exponential change to our current law which states that development in the coastal protection zone is limited to activities that have insignificant adverse effect on the zone’s resources. The concern is that the proposed change in lot clearing will have dramatic impacts on the integrity of the coastal dune lakes and their tributaries as, again, it applies to all such platted lots regardless of size. Yet no scientific evaluation has been presented to the public that examines the effects these changes will have on our coastal dune lakes and the connected watersheds.
- The County has received several requests for a county sponsored workshop but has apparently chosen not to workshop these proposed changes and to begin the process needed for approval to amend both the Comprehensive Plan and the Land Development Code. The ordinance is already scheduled to be heard by the County at the January 8[SUP]th[/SUP] meeting of the Planning Commission. In response to the absence of a County-led workshop, SWCC has scheduled a public forum on December 16[SUP]th[/SUP] at 6PM to give our community the opportunity to ask County staff any questions we have and to provide staff feedback on the ordinance revisions that protect our coastal dune lakes.
The SWCC forum will be held at the Coastal Branch Library. Wayne Dyess, County Planning and Development Services Director and Mac Carpenter, Planning Manager, will participate on a panel to answer any questions you have about the nature of the proposed changes, the need for the changes and the impact of the changes to our coastal dune lakes.
For those of you who are interested in more detail, I am attaching a PDF containing the language of the revised ordinance the County will be considering.
As it stands right now, this will be the only opportunity for members of the public, including dune lake lot owners, to listen to and evaluate the nature of the problem and whether staff's "one size fits all” approach is the best approach.
Please get this issue on your radar screen and attend the SWCC public forum on December 16th. REMEMBER: The ordinance is already scheduled to be heard by the County at the January 8[SUP]th[/SUP] meeting of the Planning Commission.
Best Regards and on behalf of the SWCC Board of Directors, Mary Konovsky
LDC 4_02_00_4_03_00v11.12.8.14.pdf
Last edited by a moderator:
