By DOTTY NIST
The Walton County Technical Review Committee (TRC) has moved 13 proposals forward, most of which are major or minor development order applications.
The action took place as the committee worked through a lengthy agenda at its Aug. 7 regular meeting at the South Walton Annex.
All votes to move proposals forward were subject to outstanding issues and remaining staff comments being addressed prior to the proposals proceeding to the next stage of the approval process. Depending on code requirements, that will be development order approval or additional review and consideration by other county boards.
One of the five major development order applications approved to move forward at the meeting was the Prominence Planned Unit Development (PUD) amendment.
D.R. Horton, current owner of this 79-acre development just west of Camp Creek Lake on CR-30A, has applied for modifications to the development order for the PUD and to the Development of Regional Impact (DRI) resolution. Both had been approved for the property, which lies both north and south of CR-30A, a number of years ago.
Included in the request are a reduction in the number of residential dwelling units from 650 to 625 and the deletion of the 120-room hotel previously approved for the property. Also proposed for deletion is a 5,000-square-foot spa. The previously-approved 200,000 square feet of retail is being proposed to be changed to 75,000 square feet of commercial. To remain in the development plans are 13,000 square feet for civic uses and 12 bed and breakfast rooms.
At the Aug. 7 TRC meeting, Renee Bradley, county planner, stated that the property had been mislabeled as Traditional Neighborhood on the Future Land Use Map in Walton County’s 2010 Evaluation and Appraisal Report—and that the correct classification was Court Order Overlay. Bradley said there were plans for the county to correct the classification through a large-scale amendment. The next step for the proposed amendment will be the Walton County Planning Commission.
Other major developments approved to move forward were: Bunker Cove, a 55-residential-lot subdivision to be located on a 19.26-acre site on the north side of U.S. 98, about 3.5 miles east of the U.S. 98/U.S. 331 intersection; the Duncan subdivision, a four-residential-lot subdivision to be located on a 1.96-acre site on the north side of CR-30A just north of Fort Panic Road in the Dune Allen area; Inlet Beach Commons, a commercial retail center to be located on a 2.68-acre site on the north side of U.S. 98 between Wall Street and Orange Street in Inlet Beach; and Seacroft Cottages, a 17-residential-lot subdivision to be located on a 2.51-acre site on the south side of Seacroft Drive in Santa Rosa Beach.
According to discussion at the meeting, the latter development, Seacroft Cottages, a PUD, had received final approval from the Walton County Board of County Commissioners in Dec. 2009 for 20 units. Extensions of the development order had been approved through July 2015. Due to the reduction in the number of units to the 17 being proposed for the PUD, the request was treated as a major development. To be removed are the three units and a pool, with the space freed up to be used for a stormwater pond.
Among the minor developments approved to proceed was Grand Boulevard Pad A-2 Retail Site, a 488,900-square-foot commercial space at the northwest corner of the U.S. 98/Sandestin Lane intersection. There are plans to lease the space for a Starbucks and a Buffalo Wild Wings, according to a representative for the proposal. Due to the proposal’s location on the U.S. 98 Scenic Corridor, the next step for it will be the Scenic Corridor Design Review Board (DRB).
Another minor development approved to advance was the Sandestin Welcome Center, a proposal to demolish the old administrative ofices at 1 Horseshoe Bayou Drive and construct a new office for administration and accounting.
In addition, a minor development application for Seabreeze South was moved forward, a request to subivide a 1.64-acre parcel into eight residential lots, the location being the northwest corner of the Seabreeze Trail/Seabreeze Boulevard intersection, east of Camp Creek Lake. According to discussion at the meeting, approval had been granted in March 2009 for a 14-unit townhome development and the eight-lot subdivision being requested was a reduction.
Mac Carpenter, county planning manager, commented that the request would be much more compatible with the surrounding area.
The remaining minor development approved to proceed was Alys Beach Block LL, a request to develop 12 residential lots as part of the Alys Beach PUD.
A request for a petition for abandonment by Ecolead Homes was approved to continue through the process, the location being a 0.112-acre parcel south of U.S. 98 and west of Tang-O-Mar Drive in Miramar Beach.
Approved to move forward was a replat of Waterview at Inlet Beach Phase one, combining four lots into two lots. The location is a 0.413-acre parcel north of U.S. 98 and west of North Orange Street in Inlet Beach.
Approved to proceed, as well, were two additional plat applications, including: Dune Crossing, a seven-single-family lot development to be located on the northeast corner of the CR-30A/Spooky Lane intersection in Santa Rosa Beach; and Spyglass Hill, a six-single-family-lot subdivision to be located on the corner of Louva Lane and North Deno Drive, east of CR-393, also in Santa Rosa Beach.