Hampton Inn Seagrove Beach on Chateau Hotel Property

Here's an old thread with 3 proposals for a connector, a Seagrove bypass, and a Middle Beach Road.
http://sowal.com/bb/showthread.php/63264-Vote-for-Middle-Beach-Road-Seagrove-Bypass-New-Connector

1. I'm all for property rights but building something that lowers the surrounding property values contradicts that theory.

2. The hip hop guy just showed their racism. No black white conflict here. I listen to the music as well as all other types and hope people of every color and creed come visit.

3. This is a slippery slope. Letting a guy come in and put a black eye on 30A just because he is well connected is a big mistake. What is next? Can this guy open up a shooting range, pawn shops, tattoo parlors and strip clubs too as long as he can hire a lawyer that can argue his case.

4. To all these pro hotel development/property rights trolls on here, I would love to know where your primary residence is. Would you be in favor of pro property rights if I bought the property next door, set up a donkey, and started drilling for oil? How about if I started framing and your water caught on fire or your family got sick as a result? Something tells me the answer is no.

5. The Tom Thumb is a giant eye sore and a huge mistake. It's a cluster F×××. I drive by almost every day and it is way over congested, even in the off season. Just because one mistake was made doesn't mean we should make another.

The writing is on the wall. 30A is going to. Be way over congested by the time everything is built out but we should still strive to protect the integrity and the character of this very unique community

1. I'm all for property rights but building something that lowers the surrounding property values contradicts that theory.

2. The hip hop guy just showed their racism. No black white conflict here. I listen to the music as well as all other types and hope people of every color and creed come visit.


3. This is a slippery slope. Letting a guy come in and put a black eye on 30A just because he is well connected is a big mistake. What is next? Can this guy open up a shooting range, pawn shops, tattoo parlors and strip clubs too as long as he can hire a lawyer that can argue his case.

4. To all these pro hotel development/property rights trolls on here, I would love to know where your primary residence is. Would you be in favor of pro property rights if I bought the property next door, set up a donkey, and started drilling for oil? How about if I started framing and your water caught on fire or your family got sick as a result? Something tells me the answer is no.

5. The Tom Thumb is a giant eye sore and a huge mistake. It's a cluster F×××. I drive by almost every day and it is way over congested, even in the off season. Just because one mistake was made doesn't mean we should make another.

The writing is on the wall. 30A is going to. Be way over congested by the time everything is built out but we should still strive to protect the integrity and the character of this very unique community

1.Not a troll because I use my name on here.
2.Taxpayer and someone who is going to be part of a large group who will foot the bill defending a decision whether it be right or wrong.
3. Own property North of 98 in Sowal and live in Freeport.
4. Not sure what color of someones skin has to do with anything, you all know its about the size of the wallet. because it is expensive to live and stay on 30A.
5. There are some and have been some small Mom and Pop type establishments located on 30A that are not guady. If you bought a donkey wouldn't have an issue would prefer goats and would pay a little to get you to cut my yard and fertilize it. Drilling for oil is apples and oranges, COME ON MAN/ WOMAN. I would certainly be concerned if you started FRAMING/ FRACKING.
6. Tom Thumb is a moot issue it is already there.
7. Finally, it is my sincere opinion that if you live on 30A and have lived less than 40 years you are part of the problem. I was delivering lumber in 1983 out of Fort Walton Beach. I remember when 98 was 2 lanes and 30A was just a road by the beach. 40 years is just an arbitrary number because I could have said if you and your family have not lived, owned etc etc then you are part of the problem.

I believe in property rights, I also believe controlled growth, development that fits the area but really the problem is that rather than be proactive we tend to be reactive when it comes to the NIMBY in us. I think stormwater runoff is going to be a killer, I think traffic is going to increase, I think beach access is going to suffer. Unless we change the rules, to limit these kind of issues, and make compatibility part of the discussion, we will always be behind the 8 ball, so to speak. Just my 30 cent worth.

Bob, I agree with most of what you say, particularly the last paragraph. May I remind everyone there is a public workshop scheduled this afternoon at 2:00 P.M. at the South Walton Court Annex on the ordinance "Village Mixed Use". It is probably the most onerous land use code we have. It will be interesting to see how the Planning Department defends it. I would urge you to attend this workshop if you possibly can.

Donkey was referring to a pumpjack commonly used to pump oil. They may be different but they both would negatively affect the area. I feel that overall property values trump one persons property rights. Which is why I made the oil/fracking comparison. 30A has done extremely well because of the new urbanism developments and the ordinances that have for a most part kept out all the crap that you see in PCB and Destin/Ft Walton. 50 ft height limit on building, establiments closing at 2am vs 4 am, bike rentals vs scooter rentals, cracking down on underage drinking, family friendly establishments vs night clubs, pawn shops, tattoo/piercing, ect, low rise condos and single family communities vs chain hotel/motels, and apartment complex, the list goes on and on. My point is allowing a Hampton Inn to come in is going against everything that made 30A flourish into what it is now.

It seems that everyone who doesn't agree with the mainstream users of this forum is a troll.

It seems that everyone who doesn't agree with the mainstream users of this forum is a troll.

Not so. While some do troll, others are seen as merely misinformed.

And your point is?

We don't care for smug, little people who think their opinion is superior to any one else's.

That is how you come across to me. Just my opinion. Get use to it.

My rant was directed to Luca. Just to be clear.

And your point is?

We don't care for smug, little people who think their opinion is superior to any one else's.

That is how you come across to me. Just my opinion. Get use to it.

"Smug, little people"? Does that translate to inferior?

To clarify, Luca has been pretty condescending about the posters who are trying to defend their hometown against the onslaught of mindless development. He keeps trying to make it an issue about "snobs", and it's an issue about quality of life in my backyard.

I apologize for having an opinion.

It just makes me puke that many of the powers that be seem to be more interested in the interests of developers making money than the integrity and future of this unique area known as Scenic Highway 30A. I will be able to vote there soon.

Would someone be able to explain to me the difference in the land development code vs. the Walton County Comp plan and how the attorney for the developer was able to have the land development code changed so that the limited lodging maximum went from 75-125 rooms? I'm not well versed in planning and zoning and would like some clarification. It seems to me that the intent of the LDC was to keep 30a limited lodging to a max of 75 rooms, but that this was somehow trumped by the Comp plan. If this is the case, what use is the LDC and who's to say that anything in it will not be changed in the future by attorneys with clients who have a financial benefit? Thanks for any explanation.

Would someone be able to explain to me the difference in the land development code vs. the Walton County Comp plan and how the attorney for the developer was able to have the land development code changed so that the limited lodging maximum went from 75-125 rooms? I'm not well versed in planning and zoning and would like some clarification. It seems to me that the intent of the LDC was to keep 30a limited lodging to a max of 75 rooms, but that this was somehow trumped by the Comp plan. If this is the case, what use is the LDC and who's to say that anything in it will not be changed in the future by attorneys with clients who have a financial benefit? Thanks for any explanation.

The relationship between the Comp Plan and the LDC is governed by Florida Statute. It's pretty much all in here http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes...eYear=2012&Title=->2012->Chapter 163->Part II

Good luck deciphering all that. In general the Comp Plan is supposed to be the guiding document for growth management and has to contain various elements with goals and policies. The LDC is supposed to be the nuts and bolts of implementing the comp plan. If we had zoning in this county the LDC is where the details would be. The two documents are supposed to be consistent. Both are available on the county website and both have been changed from 75 to 125 units for limited lodging. I don't think enough attention has been paid to this change, how and when and why both were changed. I would like a lot more details and explanation from the county about that.
In general terms most of the changes I have seen over the years have favored "attorneys with clients who have a financial benefit." You pretty much nailed it. Change is a two edged sword - it could work for other community interests such as lower densities, preservation of certain community attributes, more appropriate stormwater management, etc. but it unusually doesn't.

A very good summation and explaination, NotDeadYet. Thank you. BTW, the meeting on VMU yesterday was very interesting to say the least.

A very good summation and explaination, NotDeadYet. Thank you. BTW, the meeting on VMU yesterday was very interesting to say the least.

Can you please expand on your comments?

It seems that everyone who doesn't agree with the mainstream users of this forum is a troll.

I don't necessarily agree with everyone on this board and I don't consider myself a troll. Although I do live under a bridge down by the water in a van.

Can you please expand on your comments?

It was a meeting to propose changes to the Village Mixed Use ordinance. A draft of the changes was handed out to those present. This was a preliminary meeting and we were told there would be more discussion to come. I suggest if you are interested, you contact the Planning Department to get a copy of the proposed ordinance. It is 7 pages in length. The comments by those attending the workshop were varied but all supported the premise that 30A is a unique area and should be treated as such. The planners saw a difference as well and divided those area affected by VMU into catagories, if I understood correctly, with each having somewhat different criteria for use of the ordinance. This is a general overview of what I observed and, as I do not take notes, very generalized.

It was a meeting to propose changes to the Village Mixed Use ordinance. A draft of the changes was handed out to those present. This was a preliminary meeting and we were told there would be more discussion to come. I suggest if you are interested, you contact the Planning Department to get a copy of the proposed ordinance. It is 7 pages in length. The comments by those attending the workshop were varied but all supported the premise that 30A is a unique area and should be treated as such. The planners saw a difference as well and divided those area affected by VMU into catagories, if I understood correctly, with each having somewhat different criteria for use of the ordinance. This is a general overview of what I observed and, as I do not take notes, very generalized.

Thank you. I will try to get a copy of the ordinance you referenced.

This came in an email to me from Cindy Meadows newsletter yesterday regarding the meeting about the
Hampton Inn -
The BCC will hold a quasi-judicial hearing on March 5 at 4:00pm at the Seascape Golf, Beach and Tennis Resort Conference Center at 556 Seascape Drive, Miramar Beach, Florida 32550.

I signed the petition because a friend asked me to. However, I'm not sure it was appropriate for me to do so since I no longer live in Seagrove Beach and I no longer own property along 30a. While I'm not personally in favor of a hotel being built, I also don't like any of the other developments being built either but one 90 room hotel isn't going to ruin my life. We enjoyed our place in Seagrove Beach for 20 years but it was time to move on.

There was a commissioners meeting in Defuniak on the 27th and they discussed the re design of Chateau 30A. People still refuse to call the Hampton a Hampton but we all know what it is. A video of that meeting should be available but as of yet I haven't found it. Anyone out there have any suggestions on where to look?

The discussion at the BCC meeting was to schedule the meeting to discuss the redesign of the project. Officially, the project was Chateau whatever something and changing it is a redesign of the original project, so that's what it is called. Scheduling the special meeting was the only thing discussed.

There was a commissioners meeting in Defuniak on the 27th and they discussed the re design of Chateau 30A. People still refuse to call the Hampton a Hampton but we all know what it is. A video of that meeting should be available but as of yet I haven't found it. Anyone out there have any suggestions on where to look?

What difference does it make what it's called? I believe it's already been established that you can't ban a business just because it's part of a chain. You folks need to be concentrating on issues that will hold water in the legal world. Actually, some of you on this forum should run for the county commission.