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| Everyone that lives in our area is invited to participate in the charettes and the meetings that will determine how our area gets built-out and developed going forward--so we need you, the public, to show up at meetings to have your voice(s) heard! |
Fifty-one years ago, in 1968 the year I was born, there were roughly 200 Million People in America and just under 200,000 people in Escambia County.
Fast-forward 51 years and the country approaches 330 Million in population, and Escambia County approaches 330,000 persons living here.
Our country has grown, and our area has grown as well. And when areas grow rapidly, there are growing pains.
One of the issues I have seen firsthand since moving out to Beulah 15 years ago is that a large part of the county's growth has been out here in District one, specifically in the Northwest portion of District 1--which includes Beulah.
And the reasons for the growth of this area are varied--however some that rise to the surface include the quality of life, accessibility to the freeway, proximity to town/shopping, and affordability of the property.
The growth of Navy Federal Credit Union has also pushed the growth out here. And I continue to believe this growth of NFCU is a great thing for our region and our community! (full disclosure-I have been a member of NFCU since 1981--I STRONGLY support NFCU and think their move to Pensacola has been a grand-slam home run!)
But some folks are very upset about the growth and wish it had not occurred at all. I understand this sentiment--because growth causes inconvenience. But folks want to be able to live where the quality of life is good, and the quality of life out here is good. The quality of life in Pensacola, Escambia County, and out in Beulah is good. So this area has grown.
And we have challenges too, as we manage the growth. Traffic and storm water infrastructure are two of the biggest.
Yes, there were zoning issues that occurred in 2012, 2013, and 2015 at the state and local level that exacerbated these growth issues--we talked about this in previous entries to this blog here, here and here.
None of us can go back in time and undue decisions that were made before us, though.
The time for the blame-game is over because it is counterproductive and does not lead to positive solutions.
All we can do is make good decisions going forward, to try to correct some previous issues and head-off new problems as best we can in the future.
To that end, I have created a 9-member NW District 1 advisory committee that meets the first
Monday of every month. We've been meeting for six months now. We are discussing the issues out here, and together with the community this committee and I (and all of you) will work together to collaboratively come up with planning solutions to address the issues. I encourage everyone that can to come to these monthly meetings (6:00 on the first Monday of each month at Beulah Middle School)--to show up and have your voice heard!
Our goal is to come up with the best way forward to help this community manage this growth intelligently (perhaps with a master-plan or even an overlay district that forces developers to adhere to stricter standards)
We will wrap this committee up in the next 12-18 months, and I will bring the committee's recommendations to the full BCC for implementation.
Meanwhile----the largest undeveloped parcel of land in this area (OLF 8) will soon go through the master-planning process. The community, NFCU, the county, nearby residents, and I all worked together to craft the guidance document that will lead the master planning process going forward for this property. This compromise document dictates that all stakeholders get something out of this OLF 8 property---jobs for the region, quality of life enhancements for nearby residents, and shops and businesses for the entire area. Whatever this final master plan looks like--our NW District 1 advisory committee will insure it meshes with their plan and that both plans work together seamlessly.
Whatever the final outcome of both processes ends up being---- a large part of what will dictate the outcome is dependent upon the residents and the stakeholders' inputs.
So I URGE all residents of this area of the county to engage, get involved, attend meetings, and let your voice be heard so that going forward everyone's input will help guide the future plans for this area.
I am inviting EVERYONE to attend ALL meetings going forward, because even though we cannot undo what has already happened, we can have a say in what happens next.
I hope I see all of you at the upcoming meetings in our community!
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