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Beauford

Beach Lover
Jun 23, 2015
126
76
Letter to the Editor...

Rampant development in South Walton County. These words illicit strong feelings on both sides of the fence. We have seen many changes in our neighborhood between 331 and 393 – Chat Holley to the Bay. What some consider overdevelopment, bringing back images from Dr. Suess’ The Lorax, others may see as progress.


Two projects currently applying for rezoning are of particular concern to us personally. One on the corner of Joy Lane and Indian Woman Road, most of which is wetlands, and the second on the west side of Nellie Road between Chat Holley and Nursery Road. Both are zoned “Conservation Residential” and the owners are seeking a change to “Low Density Residential.” Do not be fooled by the term low density - it is anything but low density.

South Walton County is growing at a rapid rate. It is one of the fastest growing counties in the country. Who wouldn’t want to live here? The natural beauty of South Walton County also makes us one of the most visited places. This rapid growth needs to be managed properly, so we are not left with problems. Generations before us have conserved the natural beauty of South Walton as our county emblem reads: Pride…Preservation…Conservation. We need to honor that tradition.

A large portion of land in our county is left in its natural state. There is a reason for this; wetlands and wooded areas protect us from storm damage - from flooding and wind. Rampant development in areas designated as Conservation Residential areas will most certainly lead to increased impacts from storm events. A mature tree can soak up a tremendous amount of water, but what’s even more important is that a large stand of trees together protects all of us from wind damage. This is why some land in South Walton has been zoned “Conservation Residential” in the first place. This zoning designation was specifically put in place not only to protect wildlife and our environment, but also to protect us from flooding and wind damage. It was not decided on capriciously. This zoning classification is intended for low density on land that is environmentally significant or sensitive. However, with our rapid growth the amount of vacant developable land is becoming more and more limited. Developers are finding that if they rezone parcels of land, they can build more homes. This puts our community at risk!

We have seen the impact of overdevelopment in other parcels of property. Much of the corner of Nellie Dr and Chat Holley, (40 acres!!!) has been clear cut leaving a random tree here or there. This DR Horton development will most certainly have a negative impact on neighboring properties and the community. The trees which have soaked up water and provided protection from strong winds are gone. This will also put hundreds more people trying to get in and out of an already busy intersection. DR Horton is a multimillion-dollar business, headquartered in Texas. If you look on the applications, it seems many of the developers are from out of state. This is particularly egregious since they have no stake in our county. We are the ones left behind to deal with storm water issues and loss of critical habitat. We cannot continue to allow zoning changes so developers can “fit” more homes into a parcel of property. The designation of Conservation Residential zoning was intended to protect all homeowners.

The property on Nellie Road is being heard by the Technical Review Committee on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 8:30am. Links to attend this meeting via zoom or in person follow this letter. This property was purchased in 1990 for $38,000. The county appraiser’s office has the land valued at $175,333. However, the seller has it actively listed for $1,795,000.00, in Emerald Coast Association of Realtors, in MLS # 863918. Link to the listing below:


Click to view listing(s)


As you can see, the listing description says: “A rare prime 20-acre parcel for residential development in the booming South Walton Santa Rosa Beach area, which is one of the highest growth districts in the county; and Walton County is one of the highest growth markets in the state as well as the Southeast. A rezoning process is in the works to Conservation Residential CR 2/1 with a total of 2 units per acre for the approximate 20 acres. Expected completion of rezoning is April 2021. Agreements are in place for the adjacent 20 acres to the east which are also available, call agent for details. I want to point out that underlined last sentence of the “arrangements” that have been made. This of course must mean that the eastern property owner is planning to either try to rezone as well, or market the property to a new buyer as something that can easily be done.

There are many problems associated with higher densities. Traffic will certainly be increased. During mandatory evacuations, this will cause bottlenecks getting out of our neighborhoods. The Florida panhandle is vital to many bird populations. We are situated in the middle of the Atlantic Flyway and are a first stop for thousands of exhausted and hungry migratory birds. Wetlands are some of the most productive and diverse ecosystems on the planet. They also act as powerful sponges that soak up huge amounts of excess water from rainfalls. This helps prevent flooding and purifies water. Retention ponds do not and cannot provide the same protection from wind and storm water or sustain the amount of wildlife seen in wetlands. Storm water runoff from these areas not only causes turbidity in the bay but increases concentrations of pollutants that enter the bay. This has a negative effect on game fish.

How many times lately have we all heard about someone having a bear, fox or some other wild animal in their backyard? If we continue to develop areas that were zoned for conservation, they will have fewer and fewer places to go.

Please do not misunderstand, we do not want to deny someone a chance to make a living or a profit. We just ask that they do not make their profits at the risk of our community. We simply ask that they follow the zoning rules that were in place when they purchased the land, and not squeeze in more homes than the land was intended to handle. The same standard should apply to all of us. Overbuilding, cutting down mature trees, and changing land uses chip away the protection that these zoned areas have afforded us for many years. Our neighborhoods, infrastructure and environment in South Walton are not suited for high density.

Development should be fair to all property owners. Understandably, developers want to make top dollar on their investment, property owners want top dollar when they sell and residents want to protect their property values. These desires are at times at cross purposes. We need balance. As members of this community for over 20 years, we have seen a great deal of change and we feel it is imperative that we speak out and become involved before it is too late. Rezoning issues often go unchallenged and unnoticed until the bulldozers arrive! We challenge you to GET INVOLVED.

Our County Commissioners and Planning Department are here to help, but our voices need to be heard. We are asking that our residents also become an active participant. Join groups that support responsible development. Speak out and voice your opinions to our County Commissioners and tell them you oppose the rezoning and plead that they consider all facets of these zoning changes. I can assure you that our Commissioners are hearing plenty from developers, but they are NOT hearing from our community, which needs to change to see the changes you desire. You can find the Walton County Calendar online at:

Walton County - Home


You can click on a day and see the agenda for meetings. Due to Covid, many of these meetings are happening via Zoom, which is even more reason to have your voice heard. It is a lot easier to overrule one participant that is not in the room. It is a lot more difficult to overrule several. There is strength in numbers.

You may wonder why many of these zoning changes occur without much notice or opposition. It’s because Walton County only requires an owner to notify those properties within a 300-foot radius. So, when you are dealing with large parcels, as many of the Conservation Residential parcels are, you have only a handful of owners notified. The other reason is because there is no requirement to notify neighbors until 10 days before the application is being heard. This gives developers a considerable about of time to organize. However, it doesn’t allow the community much time to organize and respond. The only other indication of the meeting will be on the County website, on the sign they are required to post on the property, and in notices in the newspaper. So, if you are not paying close attention and watching for new signs, these rezoning meetings often go unnoticed until it’s too late.

We do not see any justification to allow rezoning in areas that negatively impact our community. These rezoning applications are clearly inconsistent with the intent of the comprehensive plan for our area. If they are allowed to go forward, we will certainly have more damage to property from flooding and wind, not to mention the impact it will have on our area’s traffic infrastructure. If we do not become more involved in zoning issues as a community, the developers will likely prevail.

In closing, let us say that we are reluctant zoning advocates. We are both extremely busy raising families and working in this place we call home. However, to ignore this issue any longer would be irresponsible, or the equivalent of an ostrich sticking his head in the sand, which will cause irrevocable and irreparable damage to this beautiful area that we call home. As Dr. Suess said: “Unless someone like us cares an awful lot. Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”



Respectfully yours,


Mandy Cooper Margaret D. Landry

1075 E Nursery Road 21 Joy Lane

Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459

mandy@mandycooper.com mdlandry@bellsouth.net



To attend the Technical Review Committee meeting on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 830 am either in person or zoom:

Freeport Commons (a.k.a. Freeport Business Park) is 842 State Hwy. 20 East, Suite 118, Freeport.

Agenda: Walton County - Meeting Information

Meeting to also be accessible to the public via ZOOM

Link to join the webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89226239547

Telephone:

US: +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 6833

Webinar ID: 892 2623 9547
 

SUP Boarder

Beach Lover
Jun 12, 2019
108
71
Seacrest
Well drafted letter! Frankly, I am surprised that your post did not “illicit strong feelings on both sides of the fence”. As a relatively newcomer to SoWal, I already have concerns about the recent growth and expected future growth in the area. SoWal claims to be a “small beach town”, but I’m not quite sure that label fits anymore. We are on our way to becoming a Destin-look-alike. As you know, Destin was once called a “small fishing village”.

SoWal promotes its natural resources (beach, forest, parks, trails, etc) but these natural resources are at risk of compromise by over-development. I believe that future development in SoWal should be in accordance with a formal strategic growth plan to ensure responsible use of land, readiness of infrastructure, and preservation of natural resources. I feel we are passengers on a runaway train. We must rely on our BCC to make decisions that are in the best interest of our "small beach town".
 

steel1man

Beach Fanatic
Jan 10, 2013
2,291
659
Well drafted letter! Frankly, I am surprised that your post did not “illicit strong feelings on both sides of the fence”. As a relatively newcomer to SoWal, I already have concerns about the recent growth and expected future growth in the area. SoWal claims to be a “small beach town”, but I’m not quite sure that label fits anymore. We are on our way to becoming a Destin-look-alike. As you know, Destin was once called a “small fishing village”.

SoWal promotes its natural resources (beach, forest, parks, trails, etc) but these natural resources are at risk of compromise by over-development. I believe that future development in SoWal should be in accordance with a formal strategic growth plan to ensure responsible use of land, readiness of infrastructure, and preservation of natural resources. I feel we are passengers on a runaway train. We must rely on our BCC to make decisions that are in the best interest of our "small beach town".
Please don’t count on BCC... they are looking out for #1 as the saying goes...
 
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