High rise condos coming to SoWal

I've heard that the new county commissioners are pro-development, and they will abolish the 50-foot height limit in SoWal. Supposedly there are over 2 dozen projects already drawn up that are waiting to be approved once the code is changed.

Anyone think this will happen or if it's a good idea?

Bad Idea, and who knows if it will happen.

I'm seliing and moving on as soon as that happens.

I'm seliing and moving on as soon as that happens.

To a place that has fewer property rights?

I guess we could always pull an Edward Abbey if they started building them.

(Edward Abbey is a crazy author, who wrote fabulous tales against the evils of development and the cancerous growth of "civilization.")

I guess we could always pull an Edward Abbey if they started building them.

(Edward Abbey is a crazy author, who wrote fabulous tales against the evils of development and the cancerous growth of "civilization.")

So we could write fabulous tales?

So we could write fabulous tales?

live fabulous tales

Is there a height limit on the North shore of the bay?

I believe the limit is 4 stories. There are also density limits, no more than 4 units per acre if both city water and sewer are available. Right now where I am, we have water but are on septic, so the density is only 3/acre, but Freeport will be bringing sewer to the north end of the bridge within 2 years. I think that any high-rise thoughts for the north side of the bay would be way off in the future.

I believe the limit is 4 stories. There are also density limits, no more than 4 units per acre if both city water and sewer are available. Right now where I am, we have water but are on septic, so the density is only 3/acre, but Freeport will be bringing sewer to the north end of the bridge within 2 years. I think that any high-rise thoughts for the north side of the bay would be way off in the future.

I bet you would be surprised.

It won't happen. The County Commissioners aren't idiots. 30-A will always be protected because our beauty comes from the fact that we don't have high rises. What MAY happen is more high rises in Mirimar Beach where they already exist. Perhaps that is what you are referring to. The last high rise in S. Walton to be approved has not yet been built, but it will be in Seascape.

I believe the limit is 4 stories. There are also density limits, no more than 4 units per acre if both city water and sewer are available. Right now where I am, we have water but are on septic, so the density is only 3/acre, but Freeport will be bringing sewer to the north end of the bridge within 2 years. I think that any high-rise thoughts for the north side of the bay would be way off in the future.

There are many people in local gov't who are postioned to make a killing if the height restrictions are lifted. Current building heights in north walton are 50' or 4 stories, which ever comes first.

Chris V is is partly accurate. Density in Freeport varies. Inside the city limits, R3 zoning allows densities up to 8 units per acre. R1 Zoning is max of 4 units per acre. However, some commercial zoning allows 16 units per acre for townhomes. Typically, when County water and septic are at the property, the greatest density is supposed to be 1 unit per 1/2 acre, not 3 units per acre. However, variances occur often due to lack of gov't control and regulation.

If you look at Blue Water Bay in Niceville, it is easy to see the same or greater potential for major development in the way of condos on the north side of the Bay. I know the Chairperson on the Planning Committee, and a couple of County Commissioners, whose names I will not mention, would love to see the major changes.

Freeport is poised to become a major town over the next 8-10 years, and we will see condos popping up. They may not be high rises, but they will be built.

Also, high rises are starting to be planned for the ghetto. Not Panama City Beach, but Panama City itself. There is a development order for a project in Panama City just as you get to the other side of Hathaway Bridge. It is where the old Toyota dealership is. I can't figure out the attraction--it is waterfront, but you're right next to the pier and all the industrial shipping. You've got a very busy road on the other side and not much of natural beauty anywhere. However, it is going through. Whatever.

High rises are a big topic in Panama City. There is quite a bit of redevelopment potential on the Bay in Bay County.

Unfortunatley these days, he with the most money to pay soulless lawyers wins. I wouldn't be surprised to see the county get sued over height limits if they get pressed. And we all know that the county likes to bend over. Maybe Seaside, Rosemary, and such would fight to keep the limits because they;ve already sold their land. But St. Joe and others might like to build high rises.

Unfortunatley these days, he with the most money to pay soulless lawyers wins. I wouldn't be surprised to see the county get sued over height limits if they get pressed. And we all know that the county likes to bend over. Maybe Seaside, Rosemary, and such would fight to keep the limits because they;ve already sold their land. But St. Joe and others might like to build high rises.

Golden Rule <= He who has the gold makes the rules =>

I want to say Bluewater proper maxed out at about 4 stories over by the marina, and single family is something like 80% of the housing stock there. Then they let that apartment building go in by White-Wilson that was like 5-6 stories, and North Bay Fire got stuck buying a new ladder truck to handle the extra height. I just love my property taxes going toward someone else's new development. Grumble. I think overall the density in BWB is something like 2-3 housing units per acre if you go by the all land within Herden's original purchase boundaries including the golf course, wetlands, and rec areas.

But then Bluewater was largely developed during a time when people wouldn't put up with the 50x90 foot lots that are so common here today.

I want to say Bluewater proper maxed out at about 4 stories over by the marina, and single family is something like 80% of the housing stock there. Then they let that apartment building go in by White-Wilson that was like 5-6 stories, and North Bay Fire got stuck buying a new ladder truck to handle the extra height. I just love my property taxes going toward someone else's new development. Grumble. I think overall the density in BWB is something like 2-3 housing units per acre if you go by the all land within Herden's original purchase boundaries including the golf course, wetlands, and rec areas.

But then Bluewater was largely developed during a time when people wouldn't put up with the 50x90 foot lots that are so common here today.

Isn't Blue Water Bay and Ft. Walton, and some other areas limited in height because of Eglin AFB?

Maybe Seaside, Rosemary, and such would fight to keep the limits because they;ve already sold their land.

Rosemary Beach received a variance in Feb '05 regarding height limitations, allowing them to exceed the height limitations and build "Clock Tower" attached to a residential building. They stated that the clock tower was for the benefit of the "public."

Isn't Blue Water Bay and Ft. Walton, and some other areas limited in height because of Eglin AFB?

Eglin controls much of what happens regarding heights of buildings. If you look at a map, you will see that Eglin owns most property in this area, north of Hwy 20 and West of Hwy 331, all the way to DeFuniak Springs. Another consideration by local Freeport Govt is that they do not have the means to fight fires greater than 4 stories. I don't know that building height in Freeport will play a major role in the next few years. There is plenty of land to develop into low rise condos around the water. Currently, sewer and water are standing in the way, but those two items will quickly be checked off the list.

The clock tower at Rosemary will be on a commerical building, not a residential building.

The clock tower at Rosemary will be on a commerical building, not a residential building.

Oops, my mistake if it is true. Regardless, Rosemary Beach's variance is just another example of finding ways to bend the rules.

It is true, I try not to gossip . It is going on the hotel. I don't have a problem with something like a clock tower or a church steeple. It will probably get struck by lightning anyway! It is nice to have a little variety in architecture.

The Eglin limit that's most visible is a 7 story limit on Okaloosa Island. Drive down Santa Rosa Blvd, and almost all the buildings on the Gulf side are exactly at the Eglin height cap in a nice even line.

There was talk with the proposed Turnberry development of something like a 36 story luxury tower near Destin Commons mall. But Legendary ended up pulling the project after Eglin complained it would interfere with radar testing. Legendary's a local comapny, and you just don't try to go against the DoD in a county where 60% of the local economy ties back into the bases, especially when there's a BRAC round on the horizon. Without Eglin's R&D programs and the white collar jobs they bring to the area, Ft. Walton Beach would be as much of a dump as Panama City.

It's funny to watch these days how the environmentalists and slow growth proponents have learned not only how to partner with the bases on conservation efforts, but to play the base encroachment card against the developers in some cases.

It won't happen. The County Commissioners aren't idiots. 30-A will always be protected because our beauty comes from the fact that we don't have high rises.

If the commissioners were just representing 30-A, I'd agree, but there is a lot of land and population in North Walton whose interests may not align with those along 30-A.

Didn't there used to be two commissioners that lived on 30-A, and now there's only one commisioner from 30-A after the latest election? So it would seem more of the decisions would be driven by northern interests.

It also would seem you've also got a situation where a large revenue stream generated by South Walton is being allocated by interests from North Walton. Sounds like taxation without representation -- which we all know led to the Boston Tea Party. So maybe y'all ought to have your own Chochtawhatchee Bay Tea Party.

Relations between south and north Walton are actually better than they used to be a couple years back when DeFuniak seemed bound and determined to use South Walton as a property tax cash cow. It got to the point where there was a movement to split the county into two with South Walton County being anything south of Choctaw Bay/Freeport and Walton County being everything north of that to the Bama line.

IIRC, there was enough talk to move part of the discussion to Tallahassee, but nothing was ever introduced in the legislature, and commission boundaries were redrawn to reflect that more people living south of I-10, which seemed to quiet down the grumbling.

That's interesting. I hadn't heard that bit of political history. During the last election there was an article in the Walton Sun about the source of money behind different Commissioners, and it seemed significant development money was behind ousting the two of the then 30-A reps and replacing them with others. I see on the "county commissioner site" as it's now named that four out of five commissioners live north of the bay.