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SoWal Staff

Serving the Community!
Staff member
Apr 14, 2006
3,835
511
South Walon, FL
SoWal.com


The Walton County Planning Department will conduct three workshops to discuss the Proposed Walton County Mobility Plan. There are two identical sessions on February 2nd at 1PM and 6PM, both focused on the Scenic 30A Corridor. There is a third session on February 4th at 6PM, focused on Miramar Beach and other parts of South Walton.

Join our community and let's work together on this impactful plan for the future of Walton County.
Proposed Walton County Mobility Plan Info >

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What do you think?
 

SoWal Staff

Serving the Community!
Staff member
Apr 14, 2006
3,835
511
South Walon, FL
SoWal.com
Walton County

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING - Mobility Plan and Fee
The Walton County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, 03/23/2021 at 4:00 p.m. in the Walton County Board of County Commissioners Boardroom in Freeport Commons located at 842 State Highway 20 East, Suite 118, Freeport, FL 32439. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, physical occupancy at the meeting will be limited. The meeting will also be accessible to the public via “Zoom.” For instructions on how to access the Zoom meeting platform, please visit www.co.walton.fl.us.

The following items are scheduled for review and action:

Mobility Plan and Fee - Request to approve an ordinance of the Board of County Commissioners of Walton County, Florida, approving and adopting the county’s mobility plan and mobility fee technical report, consistent with the provisions of section 163.3180 et seq., Florida Statutes, specifically subsection (5) (i) with regard to transportation concurrency; providing a conflicts clause, a severability clause, and authority to codify; providing an effective date; and for other purposes.

The Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners regarding these items either to approve, approve with conditions or to deny. Any agenda item that is tabled will be scheduled for a future Planning Commission meeting and will not go forward to the Board of County Commissioners until the Planning Commission makes a recommendation.

Proposed project(s) or plan amendment(s) may be inspected by the public from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday at Walton County Planning and Development Services located at 842 State Highway 20 East, Suite 110, Freeport, FL 32439. Interested parties may appear at the public hearing and be heard with respect to the proposed project(s) or plan amendment(s).
 

soappedaler

Beach Fanatic
Feb 21, 2006
427
121
The Mobility Plan must be amended or denied

Attend or Zoom into the Planning Commission Mobility Plan meeting.

Special Planning Commission - Mobility Plan - March 23, 2021- 4:00 PM Central Time. Freeport Business Park Board Room

Link to Zoom:
Planning Department Meetings Zoom - 2021 | Walton County, FL - Home Page

All infrastructure proposed on Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Grayton Beach State Park, Deer Lake State Park and Point Washington State Forest in the Walton County Mobility Study must be removed. The County has no jurisdiction over our State Parks and Forest.

Bulldozing through one of North America’s most biodiverse ecosystems for a highway is the most egregious part of the Mobility Study! Impacts of hardened surfaces in the largest tract of conservation land in South Walton will directly impact wetlands and adversely affect the Deer Lake and Eastern Lake coastal dune lakes and watersheds. The Peach Creek wetlands and watershed will also be impacted.

A road through Point Washington State Forest will not relieve traffic on 30A. The reality is St. Joe’s development north of 98 on the north end of the proposed road is bringing 300,000 people to the area. Kristen Shell stated this in the Mobility Study Workshop. Seaside owns 3 acres adjacent to the proposed road’s southern end at 30A. The Eastern Lake area will be gridlock.

The Mobility Plan will go to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC)in April and May. The Planning Commission only makes recommendations to the BCC.

In addition to attending the Planning Commission meeting contact the Board of County Commissioners. Tell them to remove all infrastructure in State Parks and Forest from the Mobility Plan. Email the Board of County Commission and Kristen Shell in the Walton County Planning Department.

Commissioners | Walton County, FL - Home Page

SheKristen@co.walton.fl.us
 

Jett

Beach Comber
Mar 27, 2021
12
5
SRB
What about a tunnel under the state forest? It's even someone the proponents think is a god.

There are critters and plants that live underground also. Do they deserve less respect than topside dwellers?
 

Matt J

SWGB
May 9, 2007
24,646
9,496
There are critters and plants that live underground also. Do they deserve less respect than topside dwellers?

At the depths a tunnel is built there's little to no animal or plant life. I posted mostly in jest as I think a forest road is a stupid and selfish idea.
 

Will B

Moderator
Jan 5, 2006
4,530
1,279
Atlanta, GA
Elon Musk's Las Vegas tunnel is an unmitigated disaster, but I'm sure he would get it right, here...;), or he could deploy a fleet of rockets to move everybody assuming they don't blow up when they land!
 

Beauford

Beach Lover
Jun 23, 2015
126
76
Walton Area Chamber of Commerce Champions Education of Proposed Mobility Plan and Fee Structure

Urges Board of County Commissioners to consider alternative options for funding


Walton County, Florida | April 15, 2021 – The Walton Area Chamber of Commerce leadership, along with its board of directors and members are leading the charge urging the Walton County Board of County Commissioner’s careful consideration before passing the proposed 2040 countywide mobility plan.

The document, prepared by the Walton County Planning Commission and NUE Urban Concepts, reads “The Walton County 2040 Mobility Plan is a vision, over the next 20 years, for how the County’s transportation system will transition from one focused primarily on moving cars, towards a multimodal system focused on safely providing mobility and accessibility for people of all ages and abilities consistent with Florida Statute 163.3180 (5)(f).”

In line with the Chamber’s mission to be the area's leading voice of business, the leadership and members have been working diligently to host workshops, attend meetings and communicate to its constituents the myriad of intricacies to the proposed plan and its potential effect.

“We at the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce are in agreement that we need a plan to address our county’s mobility concerns," said Megan Harrison, Walton Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO. “Our hope though, is that the Board of County Commissioners will consider making changes to the plan including a more realistic, prioritized set of projects, and a more reasonable and consistent source of funding, perhaps by way of a sales tax in place of the proposed fees. The current proposed fee structure will be detrimental to our small business community and create a major challenge for economic development efforts to recruit diversified industry to Walton County. It will also exacerbate an already major hurdle we face in regard to affordable and attainable housing.”

Supporting its mission of being the driving force to promote, develop and advocate for successful businesses in the community, the Chamber feels the plan and its current fee structure place an unfair onus on the businesses and its operators. The proposed fees would be charged to any new residential or non-residential building or development and to any expansion to existing structures.

“It’s important for us to consider the financial impact these fees would have on both large and small businesses considering expanding in or relocating to Walton County,” Harrison said. “As the fifth fastest growing county in America, we know Walton County is beloved by those far and wide. Consideration of a sales tax would spread the collection beyond our locals and business owners and include the 4 million+ visitors who frequent our area annually that generate on average 67% of the sales tax collected in the county.”

If you or your business is concerned about the proposed 2040 mobility plan, or you would like to know more, please contact Megan Harrison, President and CEO of the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce via email at ceo@waltonareachamber.com or call (850) 267-0683. If you are willing to email your concerns to the Board of County Commissioners, please contact ceo@waltonareachamber.com for a templated letter.

A special meeting is held for the reading of the plan on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, following the regularly scheduled Board of County Commissioner’s meeting at the South Walton Annex Board Room, 31 Coastal Centre Blvd., Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459. As the time of the meeting is currently unknown, the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce will be opening its conference room, located at 63 South Centre Trail, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459, for guests to work from prior to. If you are unable to attend in person a virtual option is available via Zoom. Please visit Walton County - Home for more information.
 
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