The next steps toward acquiring and developing the 636 acres of land in Beulah known as OLF 8 will be happening over the next few months.
Beginning with the Committee of the Whole Meeting Thursday--the BCC as a body will begin discussing the way forward with OLF 8.
For my part, I haven't wavered; I want high-tech manufacturing and an upscale commerce park for this land. I want to use it to create jobs. I want good-paying, high-tech assembly and light manufacturing, combined with some amenities that will enhance the community like a walking track around the property, perhaps several retail establishments along 9-Mile road, and even a 10-15 acre site in the southeast corner of the property for the next elementary school that we need in Beulah.
If we are intelligent with the way we design and develop this property, we will recoup the taxpayers' investment in this deal, complete with hefty grants to finish the development of the property to include drainage and roads. Triumph and Restore funds will come to this property and help us financially if, again, we utilize this property for its highest and best use--to grow the tax base and create jobs--lots of jobs.
On the other hand---If we are not intelligent and we set aside large swaths of this property as a "buffer zone" and build a community recreation park and a "town center"--I think the grant money goes away. I do not want to build a new "city" in Beulah--no more than folks in Cantonment want to build a city there and no more than folks in Perdido want to build a city there. Newsflash--just because an area is growing doesn't mean that area MUST incorporate and become a CITY with more taxes and redundant layers of government. A suburb of a city can have amenities, and that is what I am aiming for. Amenities like a better fire station, a library, and a post office. How about more food options than the Tom Thumb and/or delivery pizza? Check, I want restaurants too--for our community. Not for a new "Town." Most residents I have spoken with do not want a new Town called Beulah--and neither do I.
We do, however, want good jobs, good infrastructure, and amenities.
And all three are coming.
Meanwhile, however, we must be smart and do the intelligent thing. We need to get a master plan done for OLF 8, figure out the highest and best uses, and plow forward.
And this will be a huge enhancement to the community, and it will look amazing, and it will spin off jobs that will benefit the entire county.
If we are smart about it.
I think it needs to become a combination of an office park (to match with what's already there at Navy Fed), retail, residential and parks & recreation. You can put manufacturing anywhere but we don't have a good corporate office park and that would be a good place for it that would match what's already there and look nice.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous--I think you will find that after the master plan is completed, what you envision will look a lot like what is built. I would say that manufacturing will be considered; not the manufacturing you might think of from the old days with ugly buildings, smoke stacks, loud, noisy machines and lots of chemicals and raw materials. Rather, I think the manufacturing that goes in to a park like OLF 8 would be hight-tech, assembly, even 3-D printed, manufactured products. I think surrounding the park there might be a walking/biking trail, and I do believe that along the southern portion there will be multiple retail parcels so that Beulah will at last have more dining options other than Tom Thumb, Pizza, or driving down Pine Forest Road to get to a McDonalds. We need better dining, better retail, another Elementary School, a park North of 9-Mile road, and yes, lots of space and room for a High-end, high-tech office park/commerc park that is designed to be attractive yet practical, an investment in the future of not only Beulah, but for the whole county, a place for good, high paying jobs to be created. With 636 acres, there is room for us to do a lot, and when this is completed, I do believe people will be pleased.
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