Healthy Gulf joins Save Our Soundside and Citizen Coalition in celebrating Santa Rosa Zoning Board decisions
At Thursday night’s special meeting the Santa Rosa County Zoning Board recommended two key changes be made to the County’s proposed new land development code (LDC). These changes are significant in that the recommendations represent a departure from elements of the code previously endorsed by the Board of County Commissioners. The proposed changes are:
1) A requirement to end clear-cutting as part of land development projects by requiring that 25% of new residential subdivisions be left intact in native forest; and
2) a provision requiring a 50′ natural vegetated buffer along wetlands and waterways.
“I’m humbled, hopeful and so very grateful to our citizen zoning board who heard and respected the voice of the people as we strive for reasonable development standards,” says Dara Hartigan, president of Save Our Soundside. “The people of Santa Rosa County overwhelmingly want to preserve the natural wonders and resources that make this county special.”
These recommendations come as Santa Rosa County citizens express increasing disgust with land development practices which cause traffic congestion, denude the natural landscape and cause damage to the County’s waterways. Vegetated buffers along wetlands and waterways are considered to be the single most effective measure for their protection, while a minimum amount of tree cover is needed to maintain natural beauty, provide shade, capture rainfall, provide wildlife habitat and more.
A range of other recommendations for better connectivity among neighborhoods, installation of sidewalks, improved erosion control measures, elimination of “fill and build,” the use of native plants and trees, and other measures to improve the environment and protect taxpayers from the costs to fix poorly planned development projects have not been adopted and continue to be advocated for by citizens.
“Unreasonable development standards are costing the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in drainage projects to rectify problems after these developments are built,” says Carmen Reynolds, of Whispering Pines Concerned Citizens, which has been experiencing flooding for years without relief. “Smarter development practices can deter this needless home and property destruction.”
The updated LDC will be further considered by the Board of County Commissioners at meetings on July 13 and July 29.
