Walton County Commissioners to Consider County-Wide Height Limits, May 26 2009

[Matt J]

I know. You are from the government and here to help. I am so happy that people who do not own property that is conducive to higher heights can decide for those that do what is best for them.

I'm as much a part of the government as you are, being a US citizen. Exactly how many people north of the bay are screaming for high rises? What if I come up to Defuniak, buy a house on the lake, tear it down, and build one of those nice 150 foot buildings you like so much?

 

[Lynnie]

Scenic Corridor is four storeys or fifty feet right? We aren't changing that, are we?

 

[Everytime]

Scarcity does increase property value in dollars. But is it not the decision of the property owner rather or not they want a tall building?

I see what you are saying as to it being the decision of the propperty owner whether they want a tall building on their parcel. It seems that you do not think that neighboring parcel owners should have any say in the development or usage of property around them. Would you be open to someone buying residential property next door to your primary residence to house a small outdoor hog farm?

 

[Beach Runner]

Hubby and I have spent years fighting to keep our part of SoWal just as it was when we first visited about 10 years ago. We love the low-rise nature of most neighborhoods south of 30A, and we used the compatibilty requirement of the Land Development Code to successfully block a proposed high-density, 50' high (incompatible with the 37' height restriction in the surrounding area) development.

That is, relative to the surrounding neighborhood with strongest consideration given to those subdivisions that are adjacent to the parcel, a proposed development should:
1. Maintain a similar density.
2. Complement the general building type.
3. Complement the general building style.
4. Maintain and complement the fundamental development pattern considering lot dimension and spacing.
5. Maintain a similar scale and mass.
6. Be consistent with the extent of parking.
7. Be consistent with open space.

We are interested in continuing to do what we can to keep the 30A area from becoming another Destin. If you know of meetings that we can attend to achieve that goal, please PM me.

 

[wrobert]

I see what you are saying as to it being the decision of the propperty owner whether they want a tall building on their parcel. It seems that you do not think that neighboring parcel owners should have any say in the development or usage of property around them. Would you be open to someone buying residential property next door to your primary residence to house a small outdoor hog farm?

Good point. My land is agriculture and yes, I would be concerned if a hog farm or a chicken house were to be built next door. What would upset me most is having to find some other place to live, or the time it would take from my nights as I worked to eliminate the offending problem. I did purchase a large enough tract of land though that it may not be as much of an issue as I initially think.

But is this not the problem that you have purchasing land that is not restricted in some way? I remember going to meetings where people would by land in unrestricted subdivisions and then come and complain when businesses would be built next to them. And watched a lady break down and cry one night because they were going to build a motel on Hwy 98 in Miramar.

So how far does one go with those sort of things?

 

[wrobert]

I disagree with your thought that it will seize the value of property. Watering down the soup may make more available for the masses, but it will also cause the flavor intensity to decrease, thereby eventually decreasing the demand, and thus decreasing value.

Density isn't decreasing, so one's right to maximize density per Land-Use Code is not changed. If density was being decreased, then I think you might have a more valid point of property value being decreased.

True. So if density stays restrictive then why do we need a height limitation? Just another rule that we must comply with?

I argued this point at length with the person in Choctaw Beach. She has a small lot on the Bay and threatened to sue the county if they restrict height for devaluing her property. But the density is still really low in that area, so I do not see how she would ever even want to build something over 50'.

 

[wrobert]

You are seeing it all from a person on the ground's perspective. When you are on the fourth floor of a four story house, the shadow of a fifty foot building may hit differently on the surrounding homes, than would the shadow of a 150ft tall building.

So I can not build my building high because you might build your building high?

 

[wrobert]

I'm as much a part of the government as you are, being a US citizen. Exactly how many people north of the bay are screaming for high rises? What if I come up to Defuniak, buy a house on the lake, tear it down, and build one of those nice 150 foot buildings you like so much?

Would you hire me to do the network wiring or are you one of those wireless guys?

Either way, knock yourself out. If you think that is what you want to do, then go for it. But what if I wanted to build a 100' tall motel in Mossy Head? Is that such a bad thing out by the Interstate?

 

[wrobert]

Scenic Corridor is four storeys or fifty feet right? We aren't changing that, are we?

No. The scenic corridor does need to extend to Old 98 though. That place looks worse than Destin.

 

[NotDeadYet]

The height limitation south of the bay is separate from the Scenic Corridor stuff. The height limitation went into effect in 1993 in the land development code. The reason we still have high rises going up in Miramar is because of grandfathering. There are still a few with vested rights that have not been built yet. But you cannot buy a piece of property in Miramar today and put up a high rise unless it is a site with vested rights. Edgewater sued to stop the one that went up to the east of it - the lawsuit was in the courts for years and the vested rights were finally affirmed. I believe that was the last parcel not within a DRI. The rest of the grandfathered high rises are within DRI's like Sandestin.