Wait, what is urban sprawl, some might ask…
To sum it up, urban sprawl is a community planner’s worst nightmare: unplanned expansion into rural areas, encroaching on our agricultural communities and creating problems, like traffic congestion, in places where virtually none of that exists today.
To help stop urban sprawl from forever changing the landscape & culture in the north end of our county, commissioners can approve recommendations proposed by the Land Development Code task force.
This task force was created to review and update the governing document for development in Santa Rosa – its Land Development Code (LDC), which contains more than 300 pages of requirements.
To hash out an update to the LDC, County Commissioners picked a dozen appointees, from environmental activists, like Dara Lynn Hartigan of Save Our Soundside and Chris Curb of Flood Defenders, to representatives from the construction and development industries.
The temperature these task force meetings at times became heated as the group scrutinized the lengthy LDC, debating issues like clear-cutting and erosion control. Subsequently, both sides agreed on recommended changes to the LDC, which commissioners will vote on November 10.
In the end, members like Hartigan and Curb scored a lot of revisions, leaving some unhappy with the newly proposed regulations.
The illegal flyers are aimed to keep County Commissioners from supporting their proposed LDC changes as written.
The flyers falsely claim that a Conservation Community provision would allow houses on “any size lot” WITHOUT a zoning change.
But that is untrue. Developers will be FORCED to meet the requirements of the platting process and be expected to provide community water services, stormwater management, and fire protection.
The flyers also claim “the county commissioners will be voting on whether to bring back Alternative Subdivisions,” which is another misleading assertion because unlike Alternative Subdivisions, Conservation Communities require PERMANENT natural areas dedicated for tree preservation, parks, walking trails, wildlife corridors, and open space (at least 25% of the total area).
Furthermore, clear cutting will be PROHIBITED under Section 4 of the proposed LDC changes. Clear cutting should not be allowed in Conservation Communities or any other development in Santa Rosa County!
Additionally, that provision uses the same density as traditional, one house per acre development, but with more benefits, including:
- Increased water quality protection and stormwater management (conservation design results in a 38% decrease in runoff);
- 25-foot vegetative buffers, which provide a natural filtration for pollutants and decrease erosion;
- 25% REQUIRED permanent conservation creates undisturbed habitat corridors essential to wildlife and increased opportunities for passive recreation, like trails;
- With development restricted to 75%, it reduces clear cutting, preserving vital tree canopies;
- Reduced infrastructure costs, allowing more affordable roads, sidewalks and utility lines;
- Better response times for first responders; and
- Perhaps most importantly, preserving rural character and reducing urban sprawl.
Will Santa Rosa County Commissioners cave into pressure against the changes recommended by the LDC Task Force? If you want to see the character of our rural areas preserved and oppose urban sprawl, email Commissioners, asking them to approve the LDC revisions as proposed by the task force:
- district1@santarosa.fl.gov
- district2@santarosa.fl.gov
- district3@santarosa.fl.gov
- district4@santarosa.fl.gov
- district5@santarosa.fl.gov
The LDC revision meeting will take place at 5 p.m., Monday, Nov. 10 at the County Administrative Complex, located at 6495 Caroline Street in Milton.
