(ESCAMBIA, COUNTY) --- The team behind the proposed Outlying Field 8 (OLF-8) redevelopment says the county’s current plan for the property is broken.
“The current plan doesn't work,” developer consultant Melissa Hadley told the Escambia County Planning Board Thursday.
The board met for a discussion item on the OLF-8 Design Code, but the presentation quickly turned into a pitch for an entirely new master plan.
(Hadley describes issues with original DPZ plan)
Hadley said the 2021 DPZ code is “overly complicated” and creates problems the county can’t enforce.
“We're simplifying our codes and our policies to make it easier for the county to follow and enforce,” Hadley said.
District 1 Planning Board member, Jonathan Owens asked how the item got on the agenda and whether discussing it now would create legal problems later.
“Are we potentially introducing evidence into what could be a potential future rezoning case and hearing evidence that may be presented to us before we should be getting that?” Owens asked.
County Attorney Christopher Shaffer said the master plan was “legislative.”
(John Moore questions who will represent Escambia County citizens)
District 2 Planning Board Member Will Van Horn questioned who would be reposnsible for which roads after the sale.
"What exactly is getting dedicated back to the county?” Van Horn asked. “What about the parks? What about the other infrastructure; who's maintaining all this after the fact?”
Van Horn said those answers should come before any sale.
Developer attorney Trupe Brewer called it “preliminary” but said it would likely be “roadways and drainage.” For parks, “I would presume it's the fee owner.”
Residents pushed back. John Moore told the board the current code only needs one fix.
“Thousands of hours of citizen participation and input over a million dollars built to OLF-8 design code and the only defect in that thing is a phasing; that's a simple fix,” Moore said.
Moore said the new proposal brings back uses the community already rejected.
“Warehouse distribution language has been inserted into the code. The community fought this to a draw and now it's back,” Moore said.
Moore also raised concerns about scale: “Six story warehouses double today's height limit with a 60% increase in floor area ratio across the entire field.”
Moore questioned who is representing the public.
“Who's going to represent me and the citizens? If not the BCC, the developer, and not the state, who?” Moore asked. “Pause this long enough for the citizens and their elected officials to actually discuss these changes.”
(Developer's slide explaining the reason for a new plan proposal)
Theresa Blackwell said the county couldn't explain what the topic for the meeting was and failed the requirement to provide any analysis of whether their design code is 'substantially consistent with the DPZ design code'.
Blackwell warned the rewrite could “sabotage the finer points that make New Urbanism New Urbanism like walkability and road widths for better safety.”
Residents said the meeting agenda didn’t match what was presented. The item was advertised as a discussion on the OLF-8 Design Code. Instead, the developer team presented their new master plan.
“With little notice, the OLF -8 Design Code rewrite for the developers was put on the agenda for discussion,” Jacqueline Rogers said. “The public had to read through and digest 200+ pages to determine what was different because the Development Services staff prepared no comparison or analysis.”
Rogers said the approved DPZ code wasn’t even linked in the packet. Then the topic switched.
“Lo and behold, the developer's lawyer and planner show up with a totally different presentation on their rewrite of the DPZ Master Plan, which was never announced,” Rogers said.
Planning Board member Jonathan Owens raised the same issue at the start.
“How'd this item get on the agenda?” Owens asked. Staff answered: “County administration.”
No vote was taken. Staff said the master plan will return for a public hearing in October 4.
Read More in Print:
For the full story on board confusion, who pays for OLF-8, and all public comment from Tuesday’s meeting, see the first edition of Gulf Coast Weekly on September 9th.
To share any tips or corrections, email me at pepper.w@lead4earth.org
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