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Additional Development Proposed In Devine Farm Area Would Bring ‘Wildwood Estates’ To 1,067 Lots
January 29, 2024
Additional phases with 215 news lots would bring a development in the area of Devine Road and South Country Road 97 to a total of 1,067 lots, on 777 acres, according to county applications.
The first three phases with 451 lots — Bookhaven 1 and 2, and Iron Rock 1 — are completed. The next three phases, Bookhaven 3 and 4, and Iron Rock 2 are under construction with 401 additional lots.
The remaining phases of Wildwood Estates are currently undeveloped, according to filings with the Escambia County Development Review Committee. Phase 7 will include 13 lots. There are 43 lots proposed for Phase 8 and 159 for Phase 9 in the plans filed by Devine Farms, LLC/Rodney Sutton.
An amended development between Escambia County and Devine Farms, Inc allows up to 1,200 lots.
The plans are in the staff internal review process with no public meeting yet scheduled before the Escambia County Development Review Committee.
Comments
16 Responses to “Additional Development Proposed In Devine Farm Area Would Bring ‘Wildwood Estates’ To 1,067 Lots”
I don’t understand these negative comments, this is exactly what you voted for in ‘16, ‘20 and you will again in ‘24.
PREACH ON, Mr Ward and Landhoarder..it’s about time our community wakes up and sees what’s is really going on!!
Vote! District 5 time for a new commissioners
I have several acres of land. If I wanted to build a home for each of my children and put them on that property so that my family could be neighbors, work the land together, take care of each other, I wouldn’t be allowed to do so…..it would be small, incremental growth.
IF I were a landowner AND a politician or developer, I would be allowed to put 3700 houses on that few acres and they would be inches apart….neighbors not really knowing one another, fussing about what someone parks in their yard or who isn’t cutting their grass….all in the name of making money….it would be a fast and huge burden on the infrastructure. Schools, roads, even the grocery stores…they just gotta keep up, right?
Just like the border. I’m absolutely ok with people immigrating legally; taking the proper roads, completing the right steps, etc. But to bombard a system that isn’t ready for hundreds of thousands at a time, that isn’t ok.
As a lifelong resident of this county I have seen what happens when local government officials are left to do as they please. The state has made it almost impossible for government by the people. There are to many requirements to qualify. What it amounts to today is money gets you elected. Money gets your back scratched while in office as long as you quietly help those who fund your campaign. Then they appoint those who will approve what the donors want. Term limits for county commissioners will be discussed 2024 & we need them. We need to take back the power & control local elected officials have gained over the populous. Commissioners are still “public servants” & they need to remember that fact. Many of these decisions are being made by the nonelected, the appointed, who have no business telling residents what is best. These people need to be held accountable for their decisions or they need to be removed when they show no concern for what the residents want. I said what residents want, not what developers want. The north end is the largest & least represented district or at least it seems that way.
I see what you did there, Bill.
At least I hope it was facetious.
We do not have the infrastructure to support this development. Expand our roads,schools , and first responders. District five development is not at par with what we have. Our leadership needs to act, or be replaced. Election year so vote , and may be change will come.
I’ve already built my house. I don’t see any honest reason why we’re allowing anyone else to build a house. Just crooked politician allowing people to continue to move here
STOP Building. I’ve already got mine.
In 2013 your county commissioners removed ROAD CONCURRENCY and SCHOOL CONCURRENCY ordinances from the Land Development Codes [ these regulations said a developer/ builder COULD NOT BUILD until there were facilities there to handle the new growth]. Tate High has a student population of 2100+ students; Kingsfield Elementary [4 years old] is 40+ over capacity…the newest school ot open last year cost taxpayers $140 million…WHO IS GOING TO PAY FOR THESE NEW SCHOOLS THAT WILL BE NEEDED? IT WON’T BE THE DEVELOPERS/ BUILDERS!
The expansive growth is too much. Including the need of sewer, water, road widening etc. How about the increased school enrollments? To build a school takes at least three years after property has been purchased. I suspect that politicians are being paid off by developers to build all of this….and we all know it’s under the table….
REGARDING:
“Stop the building. We don’t want it!”
If nobody actually buys them, you were right.
I suspect people actually DO want them, though.
Soon they might contemplating whether or not they want us.
Devine Farms road and the small bridge on it is already in bad shape, not wide enough, and cannot handle the current traffic. So, let’s go ahead and expand the subdivision without another entrance/exit. Good idea…
Keep on building and crowding everything out, without the infrastructure to handle it and see what happens. Is this like, “Less pass this bill, so we can see what’s in it?” Things are becoming more and more idiotic.
This is sickening! Escambia County has been sold out. Cutting down our lush green forest to build cheaply made houses and worse, apartments that will become tomorrow’s slums!
Stop the building. We don’t want it!
OUR ROADS CAN’T TAKE ANY MORE TRAFFIC IN THIS AREA. THE INFERSTRUCTURE WASN’T DESIGNED FOR THE TRAFFIC WE HAVE TODAY. AND THE WAY THEY WORK ON ROADS IN ESCAMBIA COUNTY, IT WOULD TAKE 3+ YEARS TO CORRECT THE CURRENT TRAFFIC ISSUE. ALSO, THERE IS NO PROPERTY AVAILABLE TO WIDEN THE ROADS WITHOUT TAKING AWAY CURRENT RESIDENT’S PROPERTY. Traffic already backs up on Hwy. 297A to Pine Cone Drive in the afternoon with vehicles trying to turn onto South Hwy.97 . It is almost impossible any time of day to make a left-hand turn onto Hwy. 297A from South Hwy.97. Even trying to get out of a driveway is extremely dangerous at certain times of the day already. This is asinine; it only makes sense if you are one of the people profiting from this.
I understand that progress & development will come to traditionally rural areas. We have been lucky in Escambia Cty to retain a lot of undeveloped areas. For the most part many of us like it that way. I also know that developers look at this area & see the potential to make a lot of money, then move on leaving the residents stuck with the cluster they left behind. What people don’t recognize is that these undeveloped areas are supported by roads that haven’t changed in a century & won’t change because of the costs to upgrade. Having a handful of people in control of what’s approved & what’s not approved needs to change. It’s appearrent the county commissioners & the planning board can’t see past the end of their nose either. It’s is becoming more evident they need to be replaced as well. They don’t see themselves as public servants whose check is signed by the tax payers.