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NAVARRE PRESS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017
Water board under Sunshine Law scrutiny By Rob Johnson rob@navarrepress.com Allegations that three of Fairpoint Regional Utility’s seven board members violated Florida’s Sunshine Law by meeting in private last month are under review by the State Attorney’s Office in Pensacola. “The only thing I can say at this time is I can confirm that we have received a copy of the complaint regarding the Sunshine matter…and we are in the process of reviewing it at this time,”Chief Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille said Friday in response to a Navarre Press query.
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See SUNSHINE LAW 8A
Cole named County Commission chairman
Strong Towns Strength Test
By Jamie Gentry jamie@navarrepress.com With a shake of the hand, Board of County Commissioners Chairman Rob Williamson of Navarre passed the gavel Nov. 9 to incoming chairman County Commissioner Bob Cole during the board’s annual reorganization meeting. Cole is the representative for District 2 which includes the Milton and East Milton area. He will lead the board for fiscal year 2017-2018. Cole thanked his fellow board members and the voters for their support, and he gave a Cole list of items he hopes to tackle in the coming year. Among these goals were infrastructure improvements that are “long overdue,” lessened traffic congestion, new recreational facilities, continued protection of military assets, drainage improvements throughout the county, growing the economy and expanding tourism attractions. See COLE 7A
Submitted rendering A well-planned community must have several things: shopping, vibrancy, activity, walkability and entertainment. Creating those things is a process and must be part of a larger plan that begins with “Main Street.”
Recipe for a well-planned community By Jamie Gentry jamie@navarrepress.com In September, the Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners approved paying $80,000-$150,000 to consulting firm Matrix Design Group to create a District 4 Master Plan for the Navarre, Holley and Navarre Beach area. As development of that plan gets underway, the Navarre Press is taking a look at planning the future of Navarre. As the old adage goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is especially true of community growth, and Navarre is no exception. For decades the area has expand-
ed without firm direction, and the results of that lack of foresight have begun to show. Unmaintained drainage infrastructure, utility needs that have outpaced companies, Studer schools filled to near maximum and roads that are over their capacity by several thousand cars a day are just a few indicators of a growing dilemma. Longtime community growth director and investor Quint Studer said See COMMUNITY 8A
Each “yes” answer equals one point. Created by the nonprofit Strong Towns, these questions are designed to explore the resilience and quality of place for a town, city or community. Each person answering the test may come up with a different score, but in general there will be a consistent trend. 1. Take a photo of your main street at midday. Does the picture show more people than cars? 2. If there were a revolution in your town, would people instinctively know where to gather to participate? 3. Imagine that your favorite street in town didn’t exist. Could it be built today if the construction had to follow your local rules? 4. Is an owner of a single-family home able to get permission to add a small rental unit onto their property without any real hassle? 5. If your largest employer left town, are you confident the city would survive? 6. Is it safe for children to walk or bike to school and to many of their other activities without adult supervision? 7. Are there neighborhoods where three generations of a family could reasonably find a place to live, all within walking distance of each other? 8. If you wanted to eat only locally produced food for a month, could you? 9. Before building or accepting new infrastructure, does the local government clearly identify how future generations will afford to maintain it? 10. Does the city government spend no more than 10 percent of its locally generated revenue on debt service?
Whispering Pines development: apartments no, subdivision yes Locally Owned & Operated
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By Jamie Gentry jamie@navarrepress.com It was standing room only Nov. 9 at the Tiger Point Community Center as roughly 100 people showed up to speak out against two developments along Whispering Pines Boulevard being considered by the county Zoning Board. The crowd succeeded in securing unanimous rejection of one of the developments, Sanctuary Apartments. But that denial is not final. The Board of County Commissioners will make the ultimate decision. The Sanctuary Apartments would be a 164-unit, seven building complex located at the northern end of Whispering Pines Boulevard just south of Pouder Lane. The development would sit on roughly 53.9 acres of land, nearly half of which would remain undeveloped. Based on plans submitted to the county Planning
Photos by Jamie Gentry Zoning Board members vote unanimously by show of hands to deny development of an apartment complex in Navarre.
“This is a situation where we have infrastructure and road system that are five to seven years behind demand, and now we are getting ready to increase the demand on them… It feels like we are on a race on a merry-go-round. We can’t get ahead of the problem.” –Zoning Board member Bill Seelman and Zoning Department, the complex would include several stormwater retention ponds, a nature walk and a clubhouse with a pool.
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Both projects have been put forward by Bobby Killingsworth in partnership with James A. Parker. Both men own portions of the
potential development. Both properties sit on land zoned for Planned Unit Development. This means the properties have been set aside for master-planned communities. They could have a mix of residential and commercial uses, but the master plan must be approved by the county through the rezoning process. If approved, the developer is bound to follow the submitted plan to the letter. See APARTMENTS 7A
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