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Application Pending For Borrow Pit On Highway 95A In Molino
August 15, 2024
A conditional use change application is pending before the Escambia County Board of Adjustment for a borrow pit in Molino.
According to Escambia County, a borrow pit is where material like gravel, soil, clay or sand is excavated for use at another location. Borrow pits can be enclosed or open, and both types require a permit in Escambia County.
The applicant, Justin Patterson, Ironhorse Cattle, Co., is proposing the 44-acre borrow pit on 52.88 acres zoned AG (agriculture use) at 5595 Highway 95A, west of Highway 95A and just south of Cedartown Road. Escambia County Land Development Code (LDC) requires conditional approval use approval for any borrow pit or reclamation activity with 1,000 feet from any residential use or zoning.
“The proposed use can be conducted and operated in a manner that is compatible with adjacent and surrounding properties. The subject property is largely surrounded by undeveloped property,” the application states, noting that there is one residential structure to the south of the proposed pit site, which will become a lake overlooked by a single-family residence when after excavation is complete. Operation is planned for 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday, as allowed by the LDC. A 25-foot landscape buffer is proposed around the fenced-in pit.
Single access to the pit property is proposed for a driveway off Highway 95A across from Josh Lane.
The developer’s application says noise will be limited to the daylight hours and with pit’s sidewalls acting as a sound barrier, and a dust suppression system will be used to prevent airborne materials.
“The use will not generate unreasonable noise, glare, dust, smoke, odor, vibration or other nuisances or hazards,” the application states. “The excavation activity is temporary.”
According to the Northwest Florida Water Management District, there are no permitted potable water wells with 500 feet of the property; however, the permitting program did not exist until the late 1970s, and records are incomplete before the late 1980s.
A neighbor previously objected to the proposed use based on a private irrigation well in the vicinity of the project. An attorney for the applicant asserted that protections do not exist around any private or non-potable (drinking) water well.
Escambia County Development Review staff have recommended approval of the conditional use of the property.
“Staff recommends approval of the Conditional Use as submitted with the enhanced buffering as detailed on the submitted site plan. DRC site plan approval and BCC approval of the reclamation plan are required,” was the staff findings as submitted.
The Escambia County Board of Adjustment will consider the application at meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 21 at the Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place.
A similar conditional use change request for the property was denied by the Board of Adjustment in April 2022.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, NorthEscambia.com graphics, click to enlarge.
Comments
27 Responses to “Application Pending For Borrow Pit On Highway 95A In Molino”
The Definition of Insanity
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over Again, and expecting different results”
Albert Einstein
Unfortunately, what we say here doesn’t really matter. The County Staff is Backing the Applicant Against Our Wishes. The Only Way this Pit can be stopped is if enough of us show up to counteract the County Staff and let the BOA know that we do not want this Eyesore in the middle of our Community. It was stopped Twice Before and can be Stopped Again if enough of us show up to let the BOA know how the Community at large feels. Please do Whatever you need to do to show up to the Hearing this Wednesday on 8/21/24 at 8:30 am to Voice Your Opposition. If we fail to do that, we Fail Ourselves.
My husband went down10′ for a pond.it fills up 5′ with a 2″ rain and completely dry after 3 days. Guessing he goes down 50′, he will be draining any water levels to his pond to be!!!!!
Margielu is Correct-This is the same property with the hog pen controversy. The Applicant has applied for a Conditional Use Permit twice. The adjoining landowner to the South hired an Engineer and a lawyer Twice to oppose the Pit. The BOA unanimously rejected the application both times. After the second rejection by the BOA, the Applicant placed hogs next to the adjoining landowners house in an attempt to Stink Out the Opposition. The hogs remain there to this day. This does not appear to be a Very Neighborly Act !!!!
By The Way-In reference to the beautiful house and lake plans, one tiny fact has been Intentionally Omitted – This will only happen After the Pit has been dug out after 10-15-20 YEARS ? of Noise-Dust-Dump Trump Traffic and Neighborhood Disruption !!!
Community Member is 100% right! If I were this guy, I would sell this property to a developer and take my money somewhere else. Molino could then cry about another subdivision and roads and schools being over crowded in the northend. Im sure the homeowners in this new subdivision would enjoy being stalked over the fence every day too! This guy pays taxes and is trying to make a living for his family and is enduring pure heck for it. I hope he wins his battle and is able to enjoy his life in Molino. A community member for Justin Patterson!
How did you neighbors get the dirt for your house foundation, or the materials for your driveway, or the road in front of your house, or fill dirt for your yard erosion, or your furnishings inside your home, or the material to build your home? Almost everything you see on your property, except for what my God put there, was delivered by a big truck……get a life and quit whing ok!!!!!
Why would any person think of creating a borrow pit when surrounded by neighbors homes????? He was already denied once…so what has changed???
And, is this not the same property where a hog pen was purposely built by this landowner directly attached to his neighbor’s property line?
Nothing good can come from a borrow pit allowed to operate in the middle of a community PERIOD! Look at what happened to the Wedgewood Community, that residential area is still, to this day, suffering from health issues and nuisances. The man proposing the pit in the Molino community recently purchased the Shortleaf Borrow Pit for mineral extraction within the Wedgewood Community (I would assume thats the “distance” factor in the above comment from “Community Member “). He is the same man who operated the massive borrow pit off of Devine Farms Rd. His record shows he is in this for the business and is not concerned about the impact a borrow pit would have on the surrounding residents and environment.
@community member
Where is he going to get the water from for 44 acres.
What about the water wells and ponds within 1000′
I know of 5 wells just west of 95A. Will the existing ponds loose their water? County best turn this down..
Check out the 33,000 dump truck loads for just the lake at 12′ down. Believe at last meeting he wouldnt answer the full deppt of the pit. Likely 60-90′ .
There goes the privite water wells qualities. neighbor has a spring fed swimmimg hole.
Need a federal water report,not paid local report!
For those not living on the backup hwy 29 is that all the gravel, log and debris trucks use this route to skirt DOT and the back door route to quintette rd. Local politicians have a out of sight out of mind mentality when approving what can bring in a few more dollars to their war chest. They have no clue how bad and aggressively they exceed the 45mph posted non enforced speed limit. When was the last time you’ve seen anything pulled on 95a?
You people complain; but you do not vote?
I do suppose that it is a greater matter than simply voting, but also the choices that you make.
Do not keep repeating the same experiment, expecting/hoping for different/positive results.
This is the same owner/operator of the pit in Wedgewood. He used to also operate the pit on Devine Farms Rd.
I live on 95a just below Sean Road area and we DO NOT need any more borrow pits in this area on or off 95A.Jacqueline Freisinger, 5150 Hwy. 96A, Molino, FL.
Already dump trucks on this road every day going to the pit north of this location. No reason this should not pass!
This pit will be 10 acres larger than the Pentagon building of 34 acres(just the building)
Oh come on, there will be a LAKE after this is done.
Noisy loading and unloading and traffic issues need addressing PRIOR to any approval.
Also how much does the county get for every load in taxes?
Here are some facts to consider , applicant has done due diligence with wetlands study, necessary engineering, and has a Residential Preliminary site plan done showing ONE home and a beautiful lake after the Borrow Pit. There is already a great deal of truck traffic on Hwy 95 A (Hints the picture above in the back ground) with 2 major subdivisions coming within a mile radius of this site truck traffic isn’t going away. The trucks will be hauling to and from those neighborhood site with dirt either the short distance from this location or the longer distance from another either way they are going to travel as they already do daily. The county has strict rules of hours of operations etc. for these type pits and will shut them down if they do not strictly follow. As neighbors we should ask ourselves would we rather this that is strictly monitored and structured by Escambia County Rules and the end result be a beautiful home and lake on a 52 Acre parcel. OR the applicant put a major subdivision anywhere to 100 to 400 houses depending on what the County allows per acre which is changing as the CITY makes its way to Molino to disrupt our country way of life. In Six months from now when the houses start popping in there we will all sit back and think real hard. At the time the property is used as a farm and from what I have heard it will continue to be a farm and in the end a home and lake. My last thought to add to this from an old school soul is if applicant works hard, pays taxes, and trying to make a living for his family as well all are, has done all the necessary steps at this point required and his end result is what we all want ONE HOUSE NO SUBDIVISION on HIS LAND HE PAYS FOR maybe we should pick our battles wisely friends.
What’s going to happen to the environment in the area. The water table when he turns it into a lake or pond. The wells in the neighborhood will be affected. When they have to get well drilled deeper is he going to pay for it or the customer. What time of ground contamination will be created for the water as wells. Not to mention the extra traffic,and noise that this peaceful area has enjoyed.
As Wedgewood about how nice it was having a pit next door
God help us on 95A
An acre 208×208
42 acres just 12′ deep equals
33,000 plus dump truck loads if at 25 yards per truck
Most trucks are 16 and 20 yards.
Betting that developement board never came out and talked to any neighbors
They always make it sound better than it actually is. When you change the topography of the land, things happen. There’s a reason this didn’t pass before. Neighbors around the area and close by on 95A better speak up before you are experiencing the aftermath. @KK well said! Funny how they call it a “Borrow Pit”. What they remove from these pits is NEVER the equivalent of what they put in.
April, 2022 – DENIED! What part of that is in question? No one wants the dump truck traffic on 95A OR the newly repaved 196. We, as concerned neighbors have already shown up and have expressed our opinions. The county has DENIED the land use as a borrow pit. Sounds like a case where a spoiled child keeps screaming he wants something until his parents just give in, or stand their ground and don’t. Let’s DON’T, Escambia County. We’ve already argued this case. DENIED!
Elementary schools start as late as 7:50am, middle schools as late as 8:45am, and high schools at 8:30am. Opening a borrow pit prior to 9am and adding all those dump trucks to the road while children are being ferried to school is a recipe for disaster.
In additon, Jacks Branch Creek runs through down the west sids of this property and cuts across the south end of it. Is this going to affect it in some way?
The dump trucks will be running Hwy 95A all day every day because every load of dirt has a price tag on it. The road will deteriorate quickly crumbling and developing pot holes that the county will take it’s time to fill. The neighbors surrounding it will be awoken before daylight by the loud banging of the empty dump trucks as they enter the pit. I know this from experience. The best thing the surrounding property owners can do for their own peace is to show up to the meeting and try to fight it because once it has formal approval, that’s it. The county will ignore their concerns after that.
I noticed they didn’t say anything about the dump trucks added to 95A.
I’m having flashbacks of the borrow pit in the neighborhood of Surrey Dr of dumptrucks running up and down the road OUTSIDE of those hours and the county doing absolutely nothing when they knew the owner wasn’t following the rules and the homeowners complained.