SoWalSally
05-14-2005, 08:40 AM
Forest View Village approved contingent on land use change
The Walton County Commission has approved another residential and commercial development for the eastern end of south Walton County.
Forest View Village is planned for 91 acres north of U.S. Highway 98 about 3.3 miles east of County Road 395.
However, there’s a chance the project won’t become a reality because the commission gave its approval contingent upon a land-use change that must be approved by the state.
APB Development Inc. in Santa Rosa Beach has asked to change the landuse designation on the 91 acres from “large-scale agricultural” to “coastal center,” which provides for enough density to build the project.
The county has approved the land-use change request and has forwarded it to the Department of Community Affairs for review.
If the state agency doesn’t approve the request, then the development can’t move forward.
Depending on what feedback the state gives the county, the state could take 30 to 60 days to make a decision on the land-use change, said county planner Tita Sokoloff.
“(The request) has been submitted,” she said.
Plans for Forest View Village include 468 single-family homes, 64 live/work units and 160,000 square feet of commercial space. The live/work units will have first-floor commercial or retail spaces, with living spaces above.
The property has already been cleared and is currently used by Regional Utilities as a spray field.
Although it’s not a common practice to approve projects before land-use changes are made official, it is something the commission can do at its discretion, Jones said.
“We did quite a bit of research on it to make sure we could do it,” he said.
With most land-use changes, the county doesn’t know what development may go up, he added.
“It gives us some protection because we know what’s going to be there,” he said.
The Walton County Commission has approved another residential and commercial development for the eastern end of south Walton County.
Forest View Village is planned for 91 acres north of U.S. Highway 98 about 3.3 miles east of County Road 395.
However, there’s a chance the project won’t become a reality because the commission gave its approval contingent upon a land-use change that must be approved by the state.
APB Development Inc. in Santa Rosa Beach has asked to change the landuse designation on the 91 acres from “large-scale agricultural” to “coastal center,” which provides for enough density to build the project.
The county has approved the land-use change request and has forwarded it to the Department of Community Affairs for review.
If the state agency doesn’t approve the request, then the development can’t move forward.
Depending on what feedback the state gives the county, the state could take 30 to 60 days to make a decision on the land-use change, said county planner Tita Sokoloff.
“(The request) has been submitted,” she said.
Plans for Forest View Village include 468 single-family homes, 64 live/work units and 160,000 square feet of commercial space. The live/work units will have first-floor commercial or retail spaces, with living spaces above.
The property has already been cleared and is currently used by Regional Utilities as a spray field.
Although it’s not a common practice to approve projects before land-use changes are made official, it is something the commission can do at its discretion, Jones said.
“We did quite a bit of research on it to make sure we could do it,” he said.
With most land-use changes, the county doesn’t know what development may go up, he added.
“It gives us some protection because we know what’s going to be there,” he said.