Hampton Inn Meeting TODAY 4 pm at Emerald Coast Middle School!
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[/FONT]Hope to see everyone today! If you are not a member of the South Walton Community Council, you might not have seen this excellent letter from President Kelley Mossburg, so I wanted to share.
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A Letter From The President[/FONT]
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Please Attend the Hampton Inn Meeting on April 20
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[TD] To the Citizens of South Walton County,
Next Monday afternoon, April 20th a critical decision will be made by our County Commissioners concerning our communit[FONT="]y[/FONT]’[FONT="]s[/FONT] future. That decision will be whether or not to allow the construction of a 50,000 sq. foot Hampton Inn hotel on Scenic Highway 30A in Seagrove Beach. The construction of a Hampton Inn on a site that was originally intended for mixed use development now is before our Commissioners and it is anticipated that a final vote will be taken at the April 20[SUP]th[/SUP] meeting.
Some say that this is just the price of growth for our community. Others say it should be the right of the property owners to be able to build anything they want as long as it complies with the Walton County Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code and other restrictions. Many other concerned citizens here in South Walton feel as passionately as we do that this is not in the best interests of our community, and does not meet the requirements of the Walton County Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code. In fact, over 9500 people signed an online petition voicing that concern in January and February of this year. Hundreds of people have written letters, called our Commissioners, and shown up at County meetings to oppose this development. Why? We would infer from this outpouring of opposition that they would agree with us that this decision represents a tipping point for our community. If this project is allowed to go forward, it will set the standard for others like it to follow in its path, forever changing the character and uniqueness that is South Walton, and 30A in particular.
With the meeting less than a week away, we thought it might be helpful to revisit the main arguments against building this 90 room hotel in our community.
It does not meet the purpose or intent of a VMU Center. Simply stated, this project does not meet the definition of a mixed use development. In fact, the developer has admitted that this project will be serving just one use, that of a hotel. The intent of the VMU classification is to provide for multiple uses that create a sense of place and identity (think Seaside, Gulf Place, and Watercolor).
It does not meet the requirements for commercial use within a VMU. The plans submitted by the developer show a very small commercial space within the pool area for “commercial use” i.e. retail. The code states that the commercial use within a VMU is to be available for use by residents of the community. Does anyone believe that a 340 sq. ft. room within a restricted pool enclosure is intended for retail use by the local community?
It is not compatible with the surrounding neighborhoods. The LDC states that a VMU center must encourage and promote transitioning development from lower density to higher density to ensure compatibility with the surrounding neighborhoods. This project does not meet this definition and in fact does not fit in with the mostly residential neighborhoods around this proposed site.
Parking will be an issue. While the proposed plan does technically meet the County’s requirement for parking, 1.1 spaces per room does not adequately meet the real need for parking for a 90 room hotel, especially since many of the rooms will sleep six people. If there are 2 cars per room or more (which is very realistic) where are the additional cars going to park? Our friends at the Baptist Church next door, as well as adjacent businesses and property owners along 30A are very concerned with this overflow problem.
Preservation. Finally, historically Walton County has required this parcel of land to protect the endangered plant life on the property, meaning that a substantial portion of this parcel must be reserved for preservation. The County has provided us with documentation where prior developers were repeatedly told that a substantial amount of this property was reserved for preservation. None of those requirements have changed, and no one from the County has explained the change in policy. In addition, there is a stipulation in the code that,
if approved by the County the developer may “buy out” half of the required preservation. This is not an entitlement. It is not automatic. The County Commissioners have the legal right to deny a buy out if they so choose.
We have not even addressed the impact this hotel will have on traffic on 30A. If anyone was driving (or trying to) over the past several weeks during Spring Break we don’t believe anyone with a straight face would say adding another 50 cars to the peak hour traffic on this overused stretch of road is a good idea.
We have tried to make these points during the previous County meetings on this issue. With the generous support of our community, we raised over $30,000 to pay for legal services to help fight this fight. It will all come down to a vote on Monday night with our County Commissioners.
We strongly encourage any and all who feel South Walton is a special place and want to keep it that way to attend this very important meeting. It starts at 4:00 p.m. at the Emerald Coast Middle School. Please come and show your opposition and in doing so protect our community.
Our future depends on it.
See you there.
Kelley Mossburg
President, South Walton Community Council
For more information, contact SWCC at
southwaltoncc@gmail.com
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