The Santa Rosa County Commission is moving forward with the establishment of a task force to review and revise specific sections of the Land Development Code (LDC). The advisory panel will focus on priority issues including erosion and sediment control, clear-cutting, and alternative subdivisions.
According to Commission Chairman Kerry Smith, the task force is being formed to address a few areas of the Land Development Code that need to be tweaked.
“That's with getting with our county engineer, with getting with our county planner; they saw some deficiencies that could be tightened up,” Smith said. “And we're never going to have a perfect code, but we can fix these items as we go.”
The idea for a task force was originally brought forth by Commissioner Colten Wright but was pushed to the back burner until the board’s workshop on Jan. 28.
“We were in our meeting and then they brought it up again. I was like, yeah, I'm all for it,” Smith recalled. “And then when he started really breaking down what his ideas were, I was like, that is great, that's a genius idea. I love it and I'm all on board.”
It was during the workshop that commissioners hashed out some of the specific issues they wanted to address in the Land Development Code.
Chairman Smith got the conversation started by explaining that one of his big gripes is sedimentation in local waterways and estuaries. As an example, he cited Arbor Ridge Road, which is a clay road.
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“When you look at aerial maps, you can see the amount of clay that that thing has been feeding into Pond Creek,” he said. “But we’re also running into problems with right-of-way...and some of the neighbors up there, their road’s falling apart and they’re not wanting to let go of any of their land to fix this stuff.”
At recent board meetings, residents have come forth to complain about sedimentation and erosion in the Mulat Bayou area. Also, Smith pointed to developments like the Lakes of Woodbine to highlight concerns about how clear-cutting contributes to erosion.
“They had all of that acreage cleared out for five years before they even built the first house on it,” stated Smith. “They didn't have any mitigation on their erosion controls. So then it took county staff to go around that large swath of property and sit there and call out all their deficiencies.”
Commissioner Bobby Burkett, a former code enforcement officer for Santa Rosa County, pointed out that tighter regulations are needed.
“We need to strengthen our LDC and erosion control and get more teeth in our enforcement,” said Burkett. “And, I’m speaking from experience, because I used to be on the other side trying to enforce it.”
And, when it comes to the preservation of wetlands on large-scale neighborhood developments, Commissioner Wright suggested his colleagues reconsider bringing back the recently removed alternative subdivision provision or something like it.
“I think there’s an opportunity to bring some type of density back and have those protections in place. And, I think we accomplish a lot of things,” said Wright, noting that such a provision would satisfy the need for affordable housing. “Because, frankly, it’s cheaper to build on the uplands, rather than do all that 'fill and build.' The cost of the homes is going to be less and if you have less land that you’re developing, it’s going to be less for the developer, it’s going to bring the home price down and we’re protecting the environment. To me, it’s a common sense ‘win-win.’”
Wright’s initial proposal for a Land Development Code task force called for a 10-member panel, with each commissioner getting to appoint one person (from Santa Rosa County) and the collective selection of five expert appointees, mostly representing the fields of engineering and conservation.
But, at Thursday’s regular meeting, Wright requested the expert membership be extended by two, upon realizing that — with just one homebuilder — the building industry, including the Home Builders Association, was underrepresented.
“They have a trade organization that represents over 350 members and I do think it’s fair to have them have a seat at the table,” he began. “And, then I looked at commercial construction, and ABC (Associated Builders and Contractors) and NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association) are two organizations that kind of represent that field and they didn’t have a seat at the table.”
The move did not go over well with Milton resident Jerry Couey.
“In my humble opinion, we’ve just shifted the balance away from the citizens,” said Couey. “I was OK when we started out with your five picks, Commissioner Wright, and then five citizens from the other commissioners, but we just shifted it again. The citizens’ view of that will not be kind.”
Undeterred by the criticism, commissioners moved forward with plans for a 12-member task force that includes seven experts.
“It helps to have this panel well-rounded to make it a credible organization,” said Rowell.
Eddington added, “I’m okay with 12, let’s make sure we get the right 12. That’s all I ask.”
The expert appointees include:
Matt Posner, director of the Pensacola Perdido Bay Estuaries Program; Chris Curb, a representative of the group Flood Defenders; Trent Matthews, a farmer and district conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service; Paul McCloud, professional engineer; Nick Herbst, local homebuilder; Austin Tenpenny, president of the West Florida Homebuilders Association; and Kelvin Enfinger, member of the board of the Associated Builders and Contractors of North Florida.
To date, commissioner picks include engineer Jeff Helms, Phillip Robbins, who serves on the board of the Chumuckla Water System, and Carmen Reynolds, a conservation activist and former zoning board member.
In addition to expanding the size of the panel, it was also suggested that consensus on proposed changes to the Land Development Code be shifted from a two-thirds vote to a simple majority of the task force. And, commissioners are considering a 60-day period for the panel’s work.
“I’m concerned about if we make it too short and we try to put too short a timeline, then we’re pressuring and I’m not sure we end up with the best outcome,” said Wright.
Chairman Smith agreed, saying an adequate amount of fact-finding and deliberation time is necessary to preserve the integrity of the process, which board members know is important to the public.
”Yeah, I’m scared we may have to come back and amend it and anytime we do that, it kind of messes with the credibility of it and that’s a danger.”
The changes to the resolution establishing a Land Development Code task force will be taken up at the board’s next meeting on Feb. 24.
