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| 9 Mile road will be 4-laned in late 2019, and will have walkable, bikable sidewalks from the interstate to Beulah Road. There are already more than 2,000 new residential units under construction or planned within walking distance of NFCU's campus...why do we need more? |
It confounds me, the idea some are putting forth about building MORE housing in the I-10/9-Mile Road area of Beulah, the current epicenter of growth in Escambia County.
More than just wanting more housing where we don't need it, these same folks want it to be high-impact, high-density housing (Condos, Townhomes, and Apartments). Yes-- these same folks want to fill the OLF 8 field we are soon to be acquiring--with more housing!?!
This is a terrible idea for many reasons, not the least of which is we don't need and cannot take any more high-impact, high-density residential out here in Beulah! And if we fill the OLF 8 we are soon to acquire with a Fancy Mall encircled by condos, townhomes, and apartments--we can kiss our $30 Million Dollar Triumph grant to create jobs good bye. This would be disastrous.
Folks, I live out here in Beulah and I have owned a home across from the NFCU campus for nearly 15 years.
There has been growth, tremendous growth. I have lived it.
But the infrastructure of our area simply HAS NOT kept pace with the growth.
It is for this and many other good reasons that I have voted against the last several big residential projects in the Beulah area. It's because we can't take any more growth in residential until our infrastructure catches up.
We are working the infrastructure projects as quickly as we can, but we are way behind the curve, way behind.
So looking forward to completing a master plan for our soon-to-be-acquired OLF 8 property, (regardless of who pays for it, the county or NFCU) we need to ensure that if I get out-voted and we
leave open the possibility of building more housing on OLF 8--that the planner look at how much is already constructed, under construction, or in the planning pipeline to be constructed already within walking distance to NFCU's campus. This must be considered. The planner should also consider the fact that most residents out here in Beulah DO NOT WANT a town of Beulah to be built out here! They want some amenities, some restaurants, some shops--but the folks that elected me have told me point-blank that they want to retain the rural charm of this area--they don't want it to become a city!
So we come to a big decision point on Monday of next week. Do we destroy the remaining rural, charming characteristics of Beulah by building towering high-density residential on the OLF 8 field?...or...do we listen to the people of this area that have lived here for decades and DO NOT WANT that?
I believe we can achieve a compromise that limits new housing in this already over-crowded space, makes smart decisions about the development of the OLF 8 (Including adding a minimum of 1000 good jobs on the site to keep us in the running for a $30 Million Dollar Triumph Grant) while
simultaneously working together with residents and NFCU to enhance our community intelligently and in an aesthetically pleasing way that adds a park, some restaurants and retail to the south side of the field.
I hope we are smart on Monday. I won't support something that isn't smart and doesn't align with what long-term Beulah residents have told me they want.
Although citizen involvement is great but if someone seems anal on planning and megalomaniac on Facebook or pushes out of order claiming illness in a meeting that doesn't take speakers, perhaps it is time for you as chairman to make them sit down. It was embarrassing to watch especially in front of a group of newer citizens wanting to learn about the process. It was shamless. It is really making them look ridiculous. D2 commissioner seems to have finally stopped cruising that Facebook site and giving opposition the back of his hand, although he seems to send in another that needs to stop calling people names and posing as the commissioner himself on facebook. Happy to see that facsimile of power has been exposed.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous--I agree with your assessment, and that speaker was allowed to speak because she has been involved with this process and is very active. I agree it was in poor form the way that person pushed to the podium--but the other board members would have simply overruled me if I would have tried to shut that person down. So I attempted to be magnanimous and we allowed that person the opportunity to speak. But I also say this--that person's dream vision of a giant mega-plex mall type development, that would be (in her words) an "attraction" for the region, complete with high-density, traffic-exacerbating residential construction, that vision does not square with what the majority of my constituents in Beulah want to see. A lot of people in Beulah are fed up with the residential development and feel, like I do, that we have too much already and they DO NOT want to see more built on the helicopter field..As I have said for some time now, sure, let's work with the neighbors and NFCU to bring in some limited retail out there, perhaps some restaurants and a postal annex and maybe a medical clinic, and a park and walking/jogging trail. But no more residential. NO MORE. We have too much already, and our infrastructure cannot keep up.
ReplyDeleteWhy not let the experts tell you what should go there. You are twisting words to meet you narrative. They simply want to keep every option open and let the EXPERTS tell us what is feasible and what is practical.
ReplyDeleteYou nitpicking one option over and over and putting down others' point of views simply because they are open to all options, and not complacent or closed minded like yourself is ridiculous.
We get it you live across the street.....your ROI must be insane for the investment you put on your house. Congratulations. But your narrow vision for what olf8 should be, does not agree with the masses.
Let the people who get payed for a living to plan these kinds of things make recommendations...guess what they may not, and probably will not align with your narrow minded vision....and just like you disagreeing with others opinions...that is ok.
Jeff
ReplyDeleteJust speaking to one of the comments here it was magnanimous for you to allow that speaker-- it seemed a bit of a dirty trick seeing how she kept running to the PNJ to oppose you on this commerce park that will be built for Escambia. We didn't spend the millions county wide, all the districts wide to have a "farm" with creative stuff around it" for the NIMBY s in D1.
Although the LeaP were in observation, I hope it was explained to them that that was out of the norm for Robert's Rule of Order.
As you hand chairmanship off to Luman May, let him know some of us don't plan to holler out "I have hypothyroidism" or "I have Diabetes" rush the podium and expect to heard in a Committee of the Whole.
They are coming unglued on JUECW. They even are publicly complaining about public forum being used for that which it is --public forum. and citing Roberts Rule of Order. Listen to yourselves. Look in the mirror
Even though UnderMorgan was voted back in-- it was time for the pendulum to shift.
I hope Barry runs again, rumor is Nellie will. Not good. The JU alliance would be crippling to Escambia.
We observed the past four years of their operation. Deception and Censorship to say the least.
Research some of the people against the Triumph ask and original plan. Groundbreaking Homes, Hemmer Clear Water LLC.. This is for special interest to get homes and paychecks for developers..Commerce Park build it. Follow the money. This will be public land for JOBs not $$ in the pockets of Underhill GOBs JOBs not GOBS.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 2:13 "JOBS not GOBS" I love it, the play on Trump's "JOBS not MOBS" very clever, I like it. Yes, you are right. Follow the money and it leads to some good ole boy developers that want the last of the prime real estate in Beulah for their own purposes-- more high-density residential that they can build quick and make a lot of money with. they could care less about jobs, they "got theirs." And they don't give a damn about the $30 Million at stake for the county taxpayers via our Triumph Gulf Coast application that is still relevant if we can simply create a minimum of just 700 more jobs with the remaining 400 acres of this land. Then there are liberal Democrats that move here to Beulah (arguably one of the most conservative areas of town, the darkest shade of RED) from big cities like Tampa and they want to make Beulah like a giant TOWN --like the area from which they fled! I can't make this stuff up. Anonymous 6:58--you nailed it. We all have issues we are dealing with. I thought it was weird when someone pushed to the front and yelled out "Cancer!" Now she is running me down for something she blurted out in a public meeting?!? I told her straight up on my facebook page she was out of line. My mom died of cancer just a few short years ago-- I told her "how dare you" say anything to me about not being sensitive to people with cancer. I AM. She made some BS posts on my facebook then split back to the hate club and proceeded to run me down there. She was wrong to throw that out there, wrong. I know all about Cancer and what that does to someone. I told this person I was praying for her. I just don't get why she had to use that to push her way up to the podium--I thought that was really weird to do. Weird. Anyway, I also agree about that facebook hate club echo chamber page. Deception, half-truths, favoritism, and outright lies--and personal ad hominem attacks on me every single day. Those folks, they are something special that's for sure. People see them for what they are, and they know it.
ReplyDeleteFrom your facebook page:
ReplyDelete"I knew that was the only way I would get to speak".....
"I will be there Monday for the discussion again"
At least we know you won't pull an Underhill and leave the dais nor stand up and leave the meeting unannounced and lose quorum nor schedule an interview with the TV station in the lobby during that time.
You make decisions for the PUBLIC not special interests at the behest of their continual smears against you. JOBS not GOBS.
You are correct "People see them for what they are and they know it"
https://www.myfloridalicense.com/LicenseDetail.asp?SID=&id=55EBBCD2C83068BEED5FB9B146ED030B
ReplyDeleteSo if it is pointed out the person leading the charge to not have a commerce park has a vested interest, being a residential contractor spouse and the person ceding minutes is also the campaign contributor mega developer to Underhill whose x business partner, now aide, also ceded minutes and also plans to run in D1. So secrets out. So the "voice" pointing that out is scummy malicious and a viper.. Check. Lol. So that Facebook page can pull out records, attempt to manage and censor the message.. and some see through them so they label them crazy. Check.,we see your game. Whose is the haughty one? Who cals the names? Who got triggered? Who blocks? Who censors? Who is awful to D1 commissioner? You don't see yourself?
ReplyDelete