How it Happened, Part I

Beulah has grown exponentially over the last 10 years.  "How has this happened?" is a question I am hearing a lot.. so we are looking at all the reasons and factors that have led to where we are today with the growth in Beulah...

I attended a community meeting on Saturday in Beulah.

The subject of the meeting was another subdivision being contemplated out in this fast growing community of Escambia County--and more importantly--what the impacts of this new subdivision would bring to the existing residents.

As the meeting began, the developers unrolled construction drawings illustrating the vision for the subdivision off of Hurst Hammock Road.  Several residents had questions about the impacts on drainage, the wetlands, and traffic.  Many wanted to know where the retention ponds for this development would be placed.

Several asked rhetorically--"When will enough be enough?"

"When will "they" say we don't want or need any more subdivisions out here?"

"And how did this area's growth get so out of control anyway?" was a recurring question we heard from the assembled group of about 15 nearby residents.

The answer to these questions requires that we look back in history and also that we look at some votes that have been made by the county over the last 10 years.

Everyone knows that growth is happening and that economic forces and the economy drive the market for housing--- which is the catalyst for growth and for impacts on the existing infrastructure of a community.

But growth is inevitable--here in Escambia County and in America as a whole.

We will get into some of the specifics of this in follow-on posts...