Walton County, Florida to use new land for proposed lake, amphitheater
DeFUNIAK SPRINGS — Walton County commissioners on Tuesday approved an $8.9 million invest in of 220 acres amongst Chat Holly Highway and U.S. Highway 98.
Particularly, the commission vote gave Chairman Trey Nick the authority to indication a resolution to bring forward the funding essential for the invest in.
The unanimously authorized obtain will be funded with $2 million in county reserve resources devoted to land preservation and $6.9 million in Walton County Tourist Enhancement Council (TDC) reserve funds.
The TDC funds arrive from a 5% bed tax on accommodations across the county, which raises thousands and thousands of pounds per year. The TDC voted to propose the expenditure of its pounds for the land purchase at its Tuesday meeting, just several hours ahead of the Tuesday afternoon fee conference.
The owners of the assets reportedly had been in conversations with a residential developer at the similar time the county was on the lookout at the acreage. The county staff has been functioning on the challenge for months, Commissioner Danny Glidewell mentioned at Tuesday’s conference.
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At minimum portion of the home is proposed as the opportunity website for an amphitheater, a go intended to diversify the offerings for vacationers browsing the wildly common seashores of South Walton County, according to Glidewell, a passionate proponent of the obtain.
On top of that, there are proposals to build a lake on the property and enhance its wetlands as a suggests to help improve drinking water high-quality in close by Choctawhatchee Bay, Glidewell observed Tuesday.
Glidewell added that construction of a street by way of the tract could tackle some of the county’s transportation concerns.
He also explained that employing the tract for public reasons will curb household and commercial development now relocating at a breakneck speed in the south end of the county.
David Demarest, the TDC’s director of advertising and marketing and communications, reported the quite preliminary setting up for the amphitheater envisions a facility with a seating capability of as several as 10,000 folks, with parking on encompassing grass or pervious surfaces that will not likely inhibit movement of h2o inside of the tract.
But Demarest added that the eventual size of the amphitheater will rely on an ongoing county review of where it should be positioned on the acreage to accommodate stormwater manage and other contemplated works by using. Funding for the proposed amphitheater has not been recognized, but building likely will be funded via a bond difficulty, Demarest said.
In the deal with of some general public issue about the buy, Glidewell referenced The Wharf, an entertainment district together with an amphitheater in Orange Seashore, Alabama, yet another vacationer-oriented Gulf Coastline town.
“I’ve witnessed what it does in Orange Seaside,” Glidewell stated.
Between the musical functions appearing in latest months or established to surface in the coming months are state songs stars Luke Bryan, Brantley Gilbert and Brooks & Dunn, and rock bands Def Leppard and ZZ Top.
“We require anything to diversify our vacationer knowledge,” Glidewell claimed of the amphitheater. “It will be employed, and it will be utilised to intensify our vacationer working experience.”
Glidewell additional that the 20 acres of parking at the moment proposed for the amphitheater could serve as a staging place for planning and recovery operations in the event of a hurricane.
The proposed environmentally related takes advantage of of the tract also are essential, and align with community worries, Glidewell stated Tuesday.
“The one thing I have listened to continuously is that the county needs to do a little something about stormwater,” said Glidewell, who added that placing a lake on the tract and improving its wetlands could give the county “the possibility to make some wonderful strides” toward cleansing up Choctawhatchee Bay.
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Amid the people expressing concern about the property purchase was neighborhood genuine estate agent and former TDC Govt Director Jim Bagby, who said the county’s designs for the tract represented a modify in use that precluded any opportunity for related personal improvement of the acreage.
Bagby also alleged that commissioners “kind of retain us in the dark” in connection with some concerns like the land purchase.
He also questioned from where by the money for building the acreage would come. When commissioners couldn’t instantly response, Bagby mentioned, “so you are likely to hit the TDC for a lot more funds for an outside facility that possibly won’t be built.”
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Also speaking out was Barbara Morano, a South Walton resident who commonly features opinions at county conferences. Morano argued that visitors occur to Walton County for its beaches and explained the obtain “is not definitely a good get.”
Morano went on to contend that the county permitted funding the land acquire less than force from the house owners in connection with a likely sale to a private developer.
Commissioner William McCormick acknowledged Tuesday that ideas for the tract are not yet crystal clear.
“But the other side of the coin is who do you imagine would be the improved steward, the developer or the county?” McCormick said. “God knows how numerous (household) units would be thrown up there. I just consider the county would be a superior steward in undertaking the advancement.”
