More new homes OK'd in East Milton as commissioners reject Zoning Board recommendation

The Santa Rosa County Commission voted to go against a recommendation from the county's Zoning Board on Thursday night in a move that will now allow 16 single-family lots to be built in the East Milton area off of State Road 87.

The area was previously zoned for agriculture usage. The homes will sit on roughly six and a half acres and will use septic tanks for wastewater treatment.

County residents mainly spoke in opposition to the rezoning effort made by homebuilder Flynn Building Specialists, citing concerns ranging from the lack of available stormwater infrastructure to the fact that, in May, Commission Chairman Bob Cole granted the land to Flynn.

"You've got existing flooding problems there. You're not going to make it better with more impervious stuff being built there," said county resident Jerry Couey. "All the optics are horrible."

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Concerned citizens even went as far as to write in to the county about the rezoning effort.

"There is so much residential overdevelopment in Santa Rosa County already, and we do not wish to see any more such developments, especially not on a major road and in proximity to areas we own," wrote Pensacola State College Professor Brian Rucker. "We need to save rural residential agriculture, not see it developed. I hope quality of life still counts for something in Santa Rosa County."

During the vote, Cole abstained while Commissioner Dave Piech provided the lone no vote.

Earlier this month, the Zoning Board recommended the rezoning request be denied, something county resident Angie Carter found pertinent to tell the commission.

"…Our Land Development Code already offers alternative subdivisions and minor subdivisions. Now they're wanting to add even more density to this property," Carter said.

The sewer problem in Santa Rosa: Milton's wastewater plant is at capacity. That's a big problem for commercial developers.

However, some in the area recognized that the push for this residential effort is a sign that people are finding the area attractive.

"The change from rural residential agriculture to single-family residential is a result from people wanting to move to the community that we have built," wrote nearby landowner Steven Russell to the county. "…It disturbs me that people forget that they also made an impact on Santa Rosa by moving to this area."

Multiple commissioners said the use of septic tanks concerned them, but they ultimately greenlit the project.

"I think it's hard to say anyone that's going to build a home in East Milton automatically has to go on sewer if it's not available," said Commissioner Colten Wright.

The area has become a hotbed for development in Santa Rosa County.

Another developer is also planning to build a strip mall and grocery store on about 23 acres just on the other side of State Road 87 in East Milton.

The conceptual site plan for the project shows a central building with a 43,000-square-foot grocery store and an adjacent 4,875-square foot retail building. The plan shows two strip-mall style retail buildings, estimated at 16,250 square feet and 16,900 square feet respectively, on either side of the grocery store.

Another project on 87 features a plan to turn roughly 6 acres into a strip mall at the corner of 87 and U.S. 90, across the street from Piggly Wiggly.

And the newest of the county's industrial parks, the Milton Interchange Park, is designated for transportation and distribution, taking up about 190 acres at the intersection of State Road 87 and Interstate 10.

"I would like to say that this project in particular, I think, is a reasonable request. And about sewer hookups and septic tanks, there are a lot of places where you can't hook up sewer, so your only option is septic," said Commissioner James Calkins. "And the improvements that they've made on septic systems are massive compared to 10 years ago. We need homes. We need commercial (in East Milton)."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: East Milton home proposal on Highway 87 passes Santa Rosa Commissioner