Lupin Beach - new development in Inlet Beach

SHELLY · 01-25-2008, 01:56 PM

Walton developer asks for neighbors' input

Joyce Owen, Florida Freedom Newspapers

Friday January 25th, 2008

Comment on this Story | Read Comments

Jason Comer wants residents of South Walton to be the first to know his plans to develop a small neighborhood in Inlet Beach.

When Comer, Alys Beach’s town founder, announced the project this week, he said his first goal was to call the families that live in the neighborhood and talk with them about his plans for Lupin Beach.

“Our family had the great fortune of owning this property as far back as 1968, when Inlet Beach barely had six or seven homes,” Comer said. “We spent the summers here, often without another soul in sight.”

Now the Alys Beach town founder wants to develop the land with a small, upscale residential development similar to the mix of housing in the surrounding area. The project will not include any businesses or commercial uses.

“I'm told that the best way to describe the location is that it is the southeastern-most point in Walton County that borders Bay County at Camp Helen State Park and the Gulf of Mexico,” Alys Beach marketing director Mike Ragsdale said.

Comer will work with neighbors, local officials and members of the community to ensure the seven-acre development is an asset to the area. Work has already begun to restore and enhance the property’s dune system, which will help to preserve the natural habitat.

Comer is setting up a community advisory panel to holding meetings that will be open to the public. All meetings will take place prior to filing a zoning application with the county.

InletBchDweller · 01-25-2008, 02:01 PM

? I am assuming this is Gulf Side?

I cant for the life of me picture where this is???

anyone??

pgurney · 01-25-2008, 02:06 PM

It's gulf front down on the east end of Inlet Beach....where that old shack has been sitting in the middle of the dunes for years. I've been wondering when they were going to start doing something with that property.

Walton Magnolia Lane.

SHELLY · 01-25-2008, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InletBchDweller

? I am assuming this is Gulf Side?

I cant for the life of me picture where this is???

anyone??

No Big Blue Sign??

.

KISH7374 · 01-25-2008, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pgurney

It's gulf front down on the east end of Inlet Beach....where that old shack has been sitting in the middle of the dunes for years. I've been wondering when they were going to start doing something with that property.

Walton Magnolia Lane.

When we stayed in Seacrest Beach this past August I noticed that it was gone. That used to be my reference point to walk to in the mornings.

pgurney · 01-25-2008, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KISH7374

When we stayed in Seacrest Beach this past August I noticed that it was gone. That used to be my reference point to walk to in the mornings.

I drove by there when I was down for the holidays and didn't even notice it missing.

InletBchDweller · 01-25-2008, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pgurney

It's gulf front down on the east end of Inlet Beach....where that old shack has been sitting in the middle of the dunes for years. I've been wondering when they were going to start doing something with that property.

Walton Magnolia Lane.

ok, that is what I thought. I used to love to play by that "old abandoned house"

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHELLY

No Big Blue Sign??

.

good one....
you know? there is not one on the east end of Walton County and the sign that is on the east end of 30-A points inlet beach going west, AWAY from inlet beach.

talk about confusing a tourist!!!!

Chickpea · 01-27-2008, 11:17 AM

[quote=InletBchDweller;350117]ok, that is what I thought. I used to love to play by that "old abandoned house"

That house was where Jason and his family vacationed as kids!

Smiling JOe · 01-27-2008, 11:25 AM

Somewhere, I have a photo of that old house.

Chickpea · 01-27-2008, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smiling JOe

Somewhere, I have a photo of that old house.

Was a great wooden house that was unfortunately washed away in 2005 (if memory serves me well!)

coastal-edge · 07-31-2009, 06:49 PM

Anyone know the latest of what's happening with Lupin Beach?

SWGB · 08-01-2009, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coastal-edge

Anyone know the latest of what's happening with Lupin Beach?

Nothing as far as I can tell.

ASH · 08-01-2009, 12:28 PM

Hasn't there been some BCC items regarding abandoning some property in that area? Might have something to do with the beach restoration. I don't know that particular area well.

coastal-edge · 08-01-2009, 12:44 PM

Thanks both of you. I'll keep checking a few more resources...

kurt · 08-01-2009, 02:42 PM

There is a community meeting open to the public at Camp Helen from 4-7 on 8/10/09.

Lady D · 08-01-2009, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pgurney

It's gulf front down on the east end of Inlet Beach....where that old shack has been sitting in the middle of the dunes for years. I've been wondering when they were going to start doing something with that property.

Walton Magnolia Lane.

That wood structure has been gone for several years, is a picture of it in my member photos on here that I took of it. To me it looked more like a lifeguard stand. I could have thrown a rock to it from where we rent. Walton Magnolia Lane already has beach houses and townhouses on it gulf front and non gulf front, starting right at the curve at Walton Lakeshore Drive and Walton Magnolia Lane.

There are expensive places there. I've spoken with the man we rent from, , he is against the development, he knows the guy who is behind it. I didn't figure there was a good deal of land available where it dead ends at the end of Walton Magnolia, but there is. That will make it too crowded down through there. We like that area because of the lack of crowds.

Is this the building you are referring to??? This is one of many pictures I took of this place.

coastal-edge · 08-01-2009, 05:44 PM

Does anyone know how many acres there are and if there will be more property that they are going to buy up before beginning? I cannot be at the August 10th meeting so I hope someone on the boards goes and brings back a report.

I personnaly love what Jason Comer has done at Alys Beach. He has the financial wherewithall behind him to do a project right, and to completion. I will be very interested in seeing the master plan.

Here's a video I found on YouTube... this is the site isn't it?

kurt · 08-01-2009, 10:16 PM

Yes - that's the site. It is about 7 acres and no, they won't be adding any property to it.

http://www.lupinbeach.com

Lady D · 08-02-2009, 08:36 AM

I was told that also by the man we rent from. He owns the place we rent and also owns a two story beach home on Walton Magnolia Ln across from the townhouse he rents. He told me no properties that existed were being bought out. He and his wife are snowbirds and spend the winter months down there, actually more than the winter months, they stay through late May, then go back home.

totally · 08-10-2009, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coastal-edge

Does anyone know how many acres there are and if there will be more property that they are going to buy up before beginning? I cannot be at the August 10th meeting so I hope someone on the boards goes and brings back a report.

I personnaly love what Jason Comer has done at Alys Beach. He has the financial wherewithall behind him to do a project right, and to completion. I will be very interested in seeing the master plan.

Here's a video I found on YouTube... this is the site isn't it?

YouTube - In the dunes at Inlet Beach, Florida

Coastal Construction Control Line and VE Zone, how much is there tp develop on the property?

PalmBeach · 08-12-2009, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by totally

Coastal Construction Control Line and VE Zone, how much is there tp develop on the property?

The property appraiser website says 4.99 acres but the CCC line reduces the buildable area significantly according to the GIS website.

JPM · 11-02-2009, 02:27 PM

We just spent a week at Inlet Beach and fell in love with the privacy and peacefulness. We stayed in one of the townhouses at the end of Walton Magnolia Lane. I have avoided the Panhandle for years because of overdevelopment. We felt like we'd found a hidden gem.

Just out of curiousity, I was looking online at real estate prices in the area and stumbled upon this thread. My heart sank. I had commented to my wife that it was amazing that space where the vacant house is had not been developed. I guess should have added "yet" to that comment.

Does anyone know if anything has moved forward with this development? We were planning on going back in the spring, but if "construction" is going to be going on, I'm not sure we will.

DuneLaker · 11-02-2009, 07:49 PM

I've often wondered how much, if any, of Camp Helen State Park land is still in Walton County. Is this property directly adjacent to state park? Very nice.

kurt · 11-22-2009, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuneLaker

I've often wondered how much, if any, of Camp Helen State Park land is still in Walton County. Is this property directly adjacent to state park? Very nice.

Yes, it borders the park.

kurt · 11-22-2009, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Dear Neighbor,

As part of our continuing effort to inform and involve our Inlet Beach neighbors and the broader South Walton community in the planning of Lupin Beach, we are pleased to announce that we have completed preparation of our application for Planned Unit Development (PUD) approval and expect to file it the week of November 16th. The schedule for review of our application, established by the County staff, is as follows:

Application submittal due date: November 18, 2009
Planning Commission Meeting: February 11, 2010
Board of County Commissioners Meeting: February 23, 2010

Our plan for 20 single-family residences on the 6.36-acre property reflects the input and feedback from the Lupin Beach Community Advisory Panel and others who attended our August 10th open house and August 27th community meeting. We sincerely appreciate all of your ideas, questions and comments. If you have further thoughts or ideas to share with us, or questions to ask, please don’t hesitate to call me or Marieanne Khoury-Vogt at the AlysBeach office, (850) 213-5500. We would be pleased to hear from you.

In the meantime, please accept my best wishes for a happy holiday season.

Sincerely,

Jason L. Comer
Town Founder, Alys Beach

kurt · 02-25-2010, 09:09 AM

Walton Board of County Commissioners has approved the project.

kurt · 03-07-2010, 12:25 PM

The Defuniak Herald » LUPIN BEACH CONCEPTUAL PUD APPROVED

By DOTTY NIST

Quote:

“It will be top-notch quality,” Jason Comer said of a new residential development in extreme southeastern Walton County.

Comer, town founder of Alys Beach, and his team of experts went to bat for Lupin Beach on Feb. 23 with the Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC); despite opposition they prevailed with BCC approval of their development concept.

Comer works for EBSCO, the Alabama company that developed Alys Beach and that now owns the 6.36-acre Lupin Beach property. He told the commissioners and attendees at the Feb. 23 BCC meeting that the Lupin Beach property was previously owned by his family and was a place where they vacationed throughout his childhood for many years. “I care greatly about this piece of property,” he said on the Inlet Beach-area site.

Gary Vorbeck, a local attorney representing EBSCO, told the commissioners that 50 units would be allowable per county code on the property but that just 20 residences are being proposed. Vorbeck said the applicants are seeking conceptual approval of their development—and that they must then seek approval of some aspects of their proposal from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Next they plan to return to the county for approval of their detailed plan, Vorbeck explained.

Vorbeck continued that abandonment of several easements on property owned by the applicants was being sought from the county in connection with the conceptual approval.
He explained that Lupin Beach had been in the planning phase for approximately two years, with developers creating a “citizen advisory panel” tasked with studying the property, meeting several times, and making recommendations for the development.
Contrary to rumors, Vorbeck said, Lupin Beach will not destroy the dunes on the beachfront development site but will be “enhancing” the dunes with a project for which they have a permit “in hand.” Lupin Beach is proposing to build some of the homes south of the coastal construction control line (CCCL), he explained, and, for that, they will be seeking permission from the state.

Comer noted that the dune enhancement project is expected to cost between $500,000 and $600,000. He added that neighbors have been allowed to walk across the property to the beach and that EBSCO has agreed to pay for a public dune walkover in that area, right at the county line.

David Smith, a civil engineer and surveyor, noted that the Lupin Beach property encompasses six lots fronting the Gulf of Mexico and two additional lots. He explained that the abandonments being sought are for two unused 33-foot-wide easements in the center of the property that allow for public roadway and utility use, plus another easement on the east end of the property. He said EBSCO is proposing to abandon 18 feet of the eastern easement and construct the public beach access referenced by Comer on the other 15 feet, with the access being maintained by the South Walton Tourist Development Council.

Jim Martelli, another engineer speaking for the developers, explained that two parking spaces are proposed at the beach access, which is to be a neighborhood beach access rather than a regional access. Martelli said the development will be accessed from Walton Magnolia Lane, and that 49 parking spaces are planned for the site. The developers plan to use clustering on the site, he said. They also plan to construct a turnaround at the end of Walton Magnolia Lane, he added….

Read the full story in the March 4, 2010 edition of the Herald Breeze.

Sandcastle · 03-07-2010, 08:20 PM

This is a welcome relief, after watching development after development go under.