Is Now the Right Time to Discuss an Overpass Connecting Devine Farm Road with Frank Reeder Road?

With tremendous growth occurring along and all around both Frank Reeder Road and Devine Farm Road--and with two interchange projects being planned in the area--is now the right time to discuss an overpass between these two county roads to provide another east-west artery for NFCU, OLF 8, and this growing area of the county?

At last night's FDOT meeting regarding I-10 widening and interchange reconfigurations, an interesting side-bar conversation happened between several folks in attendance regarding Devine Farm Road and Frank Reeder Road.  Currently, as shown in the map above--both of these roads dead-end right into the Interstate just southeast of the I-10 Weigh Station complex. 

With explosive growth all around both of these roads, with a tremendous need for more east-west connectivity in this area of the county, with NFCU expanding, with OLF 8 set for development, and with two separate FDOT studies underway currently for three area interchanges--is now the right time to discuss an overpass connectiong Devine Farm Road in District 5 with Frank Reeder Road in District 1?

This is just a rhetorical question at the moment--and a lot of upgrades would have to be made to both roads before such an idea could be seriously considered.  Also, Commissioner Barry in D5 would certainly have a big say in this--as would I as the D1 commissioner.  Residents, I am sure, would also have a lot to say about this and I am certain there would be significant push back from some.

But I do think it is worth having a discussion--given all the growth that is not only out there now, but coming in the years ahead.  It's certainly something to consider if all concerns can be addressed and it could be done cost-effectively.

Big Night Last Night in Beulah for the NW District 1 Advisory Committee

The NW Section of District 1--indicated above-- is the fastest growing area of Escambia County

Last night a very significant meeting was held in Beulah related to the growth of the NW portion of District 1.

The NW District 1 Advisory Committee has been meeting since last September-- and last night this committee took the next steps toward formulating a plan to address the rapid growth out here.

The PNJ attended last night's meeting and did a good write-up that will probably appear in tomorrow's print edition.

With Navy Federal Credit Union experiencing rapid growth of employment--the surrounding area has also exploded with growth in residential housing development.

The committee developed a list of questions over the last several months in order to ask residents directly what they want to see out here with respect to a plan for managing growth intelligently.

The Board of County Commissioners approved a $4,700.00 expenditure from D1 discretionary funds this past Thursday to engage UWF's Haas Center to take the list of questions and disseminate these to the community over the next several months.  UWF will conduct the survey and evaluate the data, reporting back to the NW District 1 Advisory Committee in late September or early October.

Members of the NW District 1 Advisory Committee discuss growth in Beulah at an April, 2019 meeting.  (r to l, Dr. Laura Bryant,chair., Joey Poitevin, David Liechty, and Paul Flores)

On September 9th--the NW District 1 Advisory Committee will meet to begin the building of an RFP for the planning, and the committee will also vote in a new chairman and vice-chairman for the committee. (The committee will take the months of July and August off to allow UWF to conduct the survey).

This data from the UWF survey will inform the construction of an RFP which will be utilized to engage a professional firm to create a plan for this area of Escambia County--either a traditional master plan or an overlay district--whichever makes more sense according to the survey and as determined by the advisory committee in conjunction with county staff.

I will hold a town hall in Beulah, at Beulah Middle School, on Monday, July 15th to hear from the residents and to encourage their participation in this entire process.

How it Happened Part IV: The Way Forward out Here in the Northwest Section of District 1

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

Escambia County Wins DOAH Appeal!

This land use battle went back and forth like Forest Gump playing ping pong.....costing private citizens' time, legal fees, county staff time, and all kinds of time at BCC meetings.......

County attorney Alison Rogers and her staff are to be commended. 

They achieved a very nice win  yesterday that ends---unequivocally, unambiguously, once and for all-and rather unceremoniously- a long running and expanding land use argument that essentially began with a disagreement between the county, one citizen, and one property owner that has bounced back and forth at meetings and online like Forest Gump's ping pong balls. (was that a run-on sentence?)

But now all of that is over.   finally. finito!

The county was right and the pro se petitioner in this case was wrong, it's really pretty basic and that's the way this ends..

From the order:

"Contrary to the Petitioner's contention, the MU-S FLU category's primary focus is on a mix of uses in a suburban area. See Findings of Fact Nos. 6-8, above.      Indeed, the FLU element of the Comp Plan expresses a purpose and intent to encourage mixed- use development..Also, the Petitioner's focus on the differences between the MU-S and Mixed-Use Urban (MU-U) FLU categories in the Comp Plan was misplaced. The premise that the HC/LI zoning district implements the MU-U FLU category better than it implements the MU-S FLU category was not the issue to be determined in this proceeding.   Rather, it was whether the Ordinance, as amended by the Remedial Ordinance, amending the HC/LI zoning district in the LDC is consistent with the Comp Plan..All other contentions not specifically discussed have been considered and rejected...Based on the foregoing Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, it is

ORDERED that the Ordinance, as amended by the Remedial Ordinance, amending the HC/LI zoning district in the County LDC, is consistent with the 2030 County Comp Plan."

Read the ORDER HERE

Doing the Master Planning the Right Way....

I'm looking forward to having our first meeting of the Northwest District 1 Advisory Committee on Monday, September 10^th.

  

After the organizational meeting and a brief tutorial on the Sunshine Law—I look forward to having this group work together with the community to assist with organizing a Master Plan for the Northwest Portion of District 1 (Precincts 43, 5, and 68 as indicated above).

This area of District 1 is the fastest growing—and with this growth has come pain. 

Our infrastructure is catching up, but currently it is inadequate and this is problematic. 

But the 9-Mile road 4-Lane project will be completed next year, safety enhancements are being made at the intersection of Mobile Highway at Beulah Road, and we are working toward the interchange with I-10 at Beulah road to alleviate traffic congestion for Beulah. 

Other projects at Wilde Lake, Klondike, and 8-Mile Creek are being planned.

A library is coming and the Beulah fire station will be renovated, modernized, and appropriately equipped.  It all takes time, it takes patience, it takes persistence, and it takes money.

Meanwhile, a group of citizens has already begun the Master Planning information gathering for a big portion of this study area.  I’ll encourage the newly formed Northwest D1 advisory committee to take this previously-compiled information into account as they move forward.  We welcome this input!

We will plan this area the right way, with citizen input, and with a professional firm, and taking all information into account before the final plan is voted upon by the full BCC.

A large part of this is that we’ll be sure to identify and account for areas of county-owned land that already have planned uses—we can’t NOT do this.  And for areas where such county-driven development will occur—we will ensure that the Master Plan meshes with whatever the various final disposition (s) of such planned land uses will be. 

Specifically—this Master Plan – as we begin it at the 50,000-foot level-- will have multiple variations that will mesh with whatever is eventually planned and constructed at OLF 8—because ultimately the BCC and nobody else will vote on the future use of this county-owned property.  And this property, OLF 8, will have an independent master plan conducted on its footprint apart from the master plan that will be developed for the entire NW District 1 area. 

  

So initially, the area-wide master plan will account for any one of the following as it pertains to the eventual development of OLF-8:  A commerce park, a mixed use residential/commercial development, residential and park, or open field.  It will be planned so as to mesh with any one of the above final uses for OLF 8. 

This is doing this plan the right way…no “planning” our way out of the ability to use a piece of property acquired by the county for a use intended by the county.  Sounds crazy—but this just happened in District 2 when leadership there lacked discipline to fully flesh this out and lost focus badly..... 

Exhibit "A"-- the current fiasco with Perdido Key:  a parcel of land was acquired for habitat conservation and public beach access, but a subsequently approved “master plan” did not take this property into account and subsequently under the “master plan” that was approved--- this public beach access at this location is now being deemed as “not optimal.”  And that taxpayer-purchased property just sits there unused by the taxpayers that bought it.  What a monumental failure of leadership that was.

Or imagine this one:  What if Escambia citizens near where the county landfill is located got together