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UpNorth

Beach Lover
Apr 18, 2024
88
65
North
Yea I’ve heard a lot of claims about this, not saying either is right or wrong, but my personal opinion at the moment based on just a gut feeling is that this is being used as a marketing pitch for both the people who want it and the people that don’t.

My opinion is that opening up some of that space greatly solves a lot of the issues; traffic, housing for people who want a more normal environment, and infrastructure. But nothing I’ve come across actually states when ground is breaking or how it’s being funded. The last real news I came across was over a year ago and that was about the DOT and St Joe splitting a $5m bill for bridge designs. Which at best still likely means 5+ years.
 

leeboy

Beach Lover
Aug 19, 2015
235
104
Yes it will take awhile. However 331 already exists and that corridor has started a breakneck pace of development. I'm not sure what you mean by solving issues of traffic, housing, infrastructure... Housing is too expensive, traffic will increase and the county can't keep up with infrastructure .... More development north and south of the bay will just make this area like the rest of Florida. Unliveable IMO.
 

UpNorth

Beach Lover
Apr 18, 2024
88
65
North
The “don’t build more housing because it’s unaffordable” argument doesn’t make sense to me. Building more always solves the supply/demand and affordability problem. The reason is simple, someone needs to buy it. It serves no one to have tons of vacant, brand new, completed homes just sitting at a price point where no one wants them. Watch what happens on that 331 corridor over the next 2-3 years.

North of 98 is mainly St Joe and that stuff would be short term rental restricted. It seems their playbook though it to be scarce with the residential development to keep prices high. If that land was taken via eminent domain and auctioned off to developers with the condition that it’s built up within 5-10 years your “housing problem” would go poof. It’s what’s ironic with all the “St Joe sucks they’re developing too much” rhetoric. The problem, just look at the land map, is actually the opposite.
 

Matt J

SWGB
May 9, 2007
24,892
9,663
I saw it on a DOT site - it's part of the area plan.

Got a link? I'm pretty familiar with the FDOT website, specifically here in District 3, and I can't find anything. In addition no entity has inquired or petitioned the division of forestry about it....
 

bob bob

Beach Fanatic
Mar 29, 2017
780
446
SRB
The “don’t build more housing because it’s unaffordable” argument doesn’t make sense to me. Building more always solves the supply/demand and affordability problem. The reason is simple, someone needs to buy it. It serves no one to have tons of vacant, brand new, completed homes just sitting at a price point where no one wants them. Watch what happens on that 331 corridor over the next 2-3 years.

North of 98 is mainly St Joe and that stuff would be short term rental restricted. It seems their playbook though it to be scarce with the residential development to keep prices high. If that land was taken via eminent domain and auctioned off to developers with the condition that it’s built up within 5-10 years your “housing problem” would go poof. It’s what’s ironic with all the “St Joe sucks they’re developing too much” rhetoric. The problem, just look at the land map, is actually the opposite.
So unlimited development results in lower housing costs?
 

UpNorth

Beach Lover
Apr 18, 2024
88
65
North
So unlimited development results in lower housing costs?
Absolutely. Especially in short term rental restricted areas, the only way you keep equilibrium is if building is matched with inflows/migration. If you build in excess of that something is forced to give unless like I said, you have a developer whom is perfectly happy owning tons of newly built, vacant homes and bleeding carry cost.

This is already happening in Freeport. It’s happening in Bay County. It’s even happening a bit in specific parts of South Walton. It’s in progress full swing with multi-family housing. Econ 101.
 

UpNorth

Beach Lover
Apr 18, 2024
88
65
North
Do you have any idea what builder margins look like post covid? Prices could drop 30% and they’d still be making lots of money.

Same thing that happened in the grocery store; smart business decisions translate to bad for everyday life situations for the common man. Artificially caressing supply is not a crime, but it makes things more expensive. Whether it’s the home, or stuff on the shelves at the grocery store.
 
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