(See plans at bottom of post)
The above project goes in front of the Technical Review Committee (TRC) meeting tomorrow 830a the Freeport Ballroom.
However, TRC meetings are strictly technical and not open to discussion of anything that is not technical. Opportunities for citizen input is limited.
Upcoming meetings of the Design Review Board (DRB), Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners provide more opportunities to make your voice heard. These will not be scheduled until the plan is approved by the TRC.
Also, HIBNA was told by the Planning Department this afternoon that the project will not likely get passed through to the Design Review Board (DRB) at tomorrow’s meeting as there are still some outstanding Scenic Corridor comments that have not been resolved by the business’ engineer yet. These must be resolved before the plan can move on to the DRB.
Some details currently missing from the plan:
· the screen between the HVAC and road
· lighting details: brightness and Kelvins (warmth); height (must be < 14’)
· landscaping: spacing of trees and shrubs
· signage (currently no info)
· architectural plans must be signed & sealed
These will likely be resolved soon. At that point, the plan goes to the Design Review Board, likely at their Sept meeting. That will be a better opportunity to attend and voice any concerns.
The original plan for that lot was for a 4840 sq ft free-standing restaurant. The current plan calls for a 9824 sq ft (2-story) surf shop.
The plan must fully comply to the codes of Walton County, the Scenic Hwy 98 Corridor and the Historical Inlet Beach Neighborhood Plan.
The plan, including the size and parking, are in compliance.
Because of its location on the Scenic Hwy 98 Corridor, the exterior colors are required to be muted. Any future changes to the exterior colors would require County approval and must abide by the Scenic Hwy 98 code.
Some areas of concern include:
· Traffic: the additional traffic burden, the difficult egress, ingress.
· Scale out of proportion for the area
Those concerns can be shared with the Design Review Board, your County Commissioners and the Dept of Transportation (for traffic issues) via email or at those upcoming meetings.
Due to the Planning Department’s new portal, citizens are no longer able to view plans in the portal until after they are already approved. This is now true of every proposed development in Walton County. The Planning Department is available to discuss projects and can also share information via email but the online portal no longer gives citizens access to proposed development plans.
HIBNA reached out to the Planning Department Director regarding this significant issue but has not received any response.
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