Keep the beach: Local woman doesn't want to see new condo at Navarre Beach Marine Park

Article Courtesy of The North West Florida Daily News
By Jennie McKeon

Published June 13, 2016

 

NAVARRE — One local woman is hoping to put the kibosh on proposed housing development on Navarre Beach before the first shovel hits the ground.

Local developers Ron Ward and Vic Deal are planning to build a 134-unit housing complex on a nearly 6-acre privately owned parcel of the county-owned Navarre Beach Marine Park. The land is zoned for commercial, so developers are seeking a lease amendment to begin construction.
   

But Nancy Forester — and more than 600 signers of her petition — said she wants the park to remain a place for recreation.

“It’s pristine,” she said. “It’s the very essence of what the park is supposed to be.”

Forester lives on the sound, but as a Navarre resident she feels a sense of ownership over the public park. She said she would rather see “parties and picnics” on the beach instead of residential buildings. She’s also concerned for the wildlife that reside there.

“That’s state habitat for black skimmers and least terns,” she said.
    

An aerial view of Navarre Beach shows where the proposed condominium will be located.


The decision to amend the lease agreement lies with the Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners. Forester has sent letters out to commissioners, including Chairman of the Board Lane Lynchard, who wrote back to her that he did not support any changes that would promote development on the eastern end of Navarre Beach. He also said he has pushed for preserving the “passive/recreational nature” of the area there and would continue to do so.

The lease amendment has yet to come before the board, Lynchard told the Daily News.

In a letter sent May 17 to Navarre Beach Leaseholders Association, Deal said the project is based “on a lifetime of going to Navarre Beach and enjoying its beauty.”

The condominium will not be a high rise, but will consist of four low-rise buildings (four to six floors) and two mid-rise buildings (six to eight floors) and will be built to withstand hurricane-force winds. Environmental consultants have confirmed with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that there are no endangered species of any type on the property, according to his letter.

Deal also said it will be on par or will surpass the quality of Portofino Island Resort on Pensacola Beach. In a report, the developers project that condo would add $1,097,478 in taxes, but Forester said tax dollars are not worth “destroying the park.”

Navarre Beach Leaseholders & Residents Association President Gary Buroker said the organization has sent information about the condominium out to leaseholders and will discuss it at their June 19 meeting.

In the meantime, Forester is working to rally community support and get more signatures to her Change.org petition.

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