Future land use recommendations from the Plan for Walton 2040 DPZ team.
planforwalton2040.com
After our comprehensive analysis of the Walton County Comprehensive Plan (“Comp Plan”)and integrating your feedback from the visioning workshop, we’re pleased to share our recommended updates.
Thanks for being part of the process—your input shaped the vision.
The recommendations are organized by each element of the Comp Plan. Each section begins with a summary list of key recommendations, followed by more detailed policy suggestions along with explanations for each.
Every few days, we’ll be sharing one element of the Comprehensive Plan along with its recommendations. This gives you time to review and reflect on each section before the next is posted. County staff is currently reviewing the full recommendations report, which has also been shared with the Board of County Commissioners. They’ll ultimately decide which recommendations will be incorporated into the updated Comp Plan.
The first element we present is the broader set of
Future Land Use recommendations.
The FLU recommendations are organized around a proposed new planning framework that makes development and conservation more adaptable and predictable.
We divided the County into three context-sensitive sectors that should be mapped:
- Protected Areas (conservation lands, agricultural and rural areas, generally north of the bay)
- Maintained Areas (established neighborhoods where character is preserved, generally south of the bay)
- Growth Areas (targeted corridors for walkable, mixed-use development, generally around existing municipalities and priority corridors).
A key feature of this framework is the use of
Place Types, to further guide development based on location, intensity, and character appropriate to each sector.
This place-based approach helps align policies and investments with local needs, ensuring that growth supports economic sustainability, environmental stewardship, and community identity.
To learn more about the proposed changes to the Future Land Use,
click here.
If you wish to review the entire document of recommendations,
click here.
{Contents
Introduction ............................................................5
Capitol Improvements Recommendations ........... 10
Conservation Recommendations ......................... 16
Coastal Management Recommendations ............22
Future Land Use Recommendations ....................42
Housing Recommendations ................................. 74
Infrastructure Recommendations ........................79
Recreation Recommendations .............................84
Transportation Recommendations .......................87}
A substantial portion of Walton County significantly restricts or outright prohibits residential development. As illus-
trated in the accompanying maps, a total of 78% of the county falls under these restrictions, including:
• 17.3% zoned for conservation and open space parcels
• 17.9% zoned for Eglin Air Force Base
• 42.8% zoned for agriculture
Even excluding industrial parcels that could potentially be rezoned for residential use in the future,
only 22% of
the county remains available for residential or commercial development. Within this limited area, some parcels are
already developed, others remain vacant, and some present opportunities for redevelopment or infill. Consequently,
how the county chooses to grow—and the strategies it employs to do so—will have a significant and lasting impact
on its future.