Commercial Natureview Development: 793 Homes on 3280 in Freeport

[Amp22]

The Walton Planning Commission has approved a 285-acre residential project by developer Jay Odom (Hammock Bay, Grayton Grand, convicted felon) just north of the bay on County Road 3280, east of Hwy 331.

The project consists of 793 residential single family homes, clubhouse, pool, pickleball & basketball courts, walking trails, 11 miles of sidewalks, and a Sheriff's substation.

Odom Indicted

Grand jury convenes in Tallahassee | state, jury, hearing - News - Northwest Florida Daily News It appears the Republican franchise is, hmmm, a bit tainted. A Leon County grand jury added an additional count of perjury Wednesday to the official misconduct charge state Rep. Ray Sansom already...

sowal.com

Developer Jay Odom sentenced to 6 months in federal prison for illegal campaign contributions

From our friends at the Associated Press. Complete story here.

www.tampabay.com

Florida Man Nets Federal Prison for Felony Election Offense

Jay Odom, 56, of Destin, Fla., was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Lacey A. Collier to six months in federal prison for his conviction on one count of causing a presidential campaign committee to make a false statement to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

www.justice.gov

Jay Odom booked and released from jail | Naked Politics

Developer and major GOP donor Jay Odom was booked into Leon County Jail today and released on his on recognizance following the Wednesday grand jury indictment. Odom, 53, faces a felony charge of official misconduct for his alleged role in...

miamiherald.typepad.com

 

[Matt J]

785 units and one community pool that will hold twenty people at a time. These will sell quickly, flip and then become long-term rental investments.

 

[leeboy]

Reminded me of this attempt on 3280 ...not sure whatever happened with it.

Longleaf Preserve Debuts as Walton County’s First Organic Community​

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 17:30 CET

Sheltered by a nature preserve and centered around an organic farm, Longleaf Preserve offers residents a unique, healthy lifestyle conveniently located nearby the attractions of Northwest Florida


Walton County’s first organic community is sprouting up along the shores of Black Creek in Freeport, Fla. on County Road 3280. Initially conceptualized by a group of dedicated preservationists, agriculture and urban planning experts, the 2,443-acre master-planned organic community of Longleaf Preserve is based on the principles of preservation, active lifestyles and “farm to table” dining. Modeled as a traditional conservation community, Longleaf Preserve will feature private residences and a town center clustered into urban villages, the area’s first Farmer D Signature Organic Farm and acres of preservation land.


“Longleaf Preserve is inspired by the natural beauty that surrounds it,” said Lloyd Blue, principal developer for Longleaf Preserve. “Walton County offers a wealth of natural resources including the Gulf of Mexico, the Choctawhatchee Bay, natural springs, rare coastal dune lakes and an immense area of both public and private forest preservation. We wanted to create a “whole living” community that allows residents to experience and enjoy all of these resources while also giving something back to the area through the foundation of the farm and community garden and promotion of a greener and more sustainable way of life.”


Longleaf Preserve is surrounded and protected by the Nokuse Plantation, a 48,000-acre conservation initiative founded by MC Davis and Sam Shine and home to the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center, a world-class environmental education and awareness facility. Containing over three miles of frontage along the pristine Black Creek and more than 1,700 acres of preservation land within the development, Longleaf Preserve offers residents the rare opportunity to live amongst nature and to return to a simpler lifestyle where family afternoons are spent meandering through community nature trails or fishing along the river bank.


Plans for Longleaf Preserve include all of the modern resort amenities expected from a first class development and more, yet not at the expense of the surrounding environment. Homesites and amenities will be spaced in “pedestrian proximity” to encourage travel by foot, bicycle or golf cart. The town center will feature a charming main street with a general store, bakery, coffee shop, restaurant and more. Additional features will include a community recreation center, clubhouse and swimming pool, fish camp, spa, lodge and miles of hiking and nature trails.


At the heart of Longleaf Preserve is the area’s first Farmer D Signature Organic Farm (www.FarmerD.com), based on the principles of biodynamic agriculture—a method of farming that treats the whole farm as one living organism where all of the elements aid in the growth of one another creating the healthiest, most balanced food possible. Residents will have the opportunity to participate in the growth and harvesting of their food through a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and farmers market. Atlanta, GA-based Farmer D (Daron Joffe) was selected to establish the farm at Longleaf Preserve due to his reputation as an expert and advocate of the socially responsible, biodynamic farming movement.


“The principals behind Longleaf Preserve wanted the community’s vision to be rooted in agriculture and the project became an opportunity to demonstrate on a massive scale conservation, sustainability, agriculture, preservation of the land and wildlife, and ultimately of a way of life,” explains Joffe. “Longleaf Preserve has been one of the most unique and powerful coming together of people whose passions, skills and visions all aligned to create something that is really special.”


Enhancing the appeal of Longleaf Preserve is that while the community offers a natural oasis from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, it is also centrally located to Northwest Florida’s well-known attractions. The South Walton Beaches, the Northwest Florida International Airport and population centers with shopping and entertainment are all within a 20-minute drive.


For additional information regarding Longleaf Preserve, please visit www.longleafpreserve.com or call 866.356.1415.

 

[Jim Tucker]

Applicant:
Go 3280, LLC
Jay Odom, Manager
PO Box 1735
4652 Gulfstarr Drive
Destin, FL 32540

NATUREVIEW PUD Development Phases
Phase 1 219 Residential Lots 2 Years
Phase 2 212 Residential Lots 1 Year
Phase 3 196 Residential Lots 1 Year
Phase 4 166 Residential Lots 1 Year
*Proposed development plan and timeframe subject to be adjusted based on market
conditions and demand

NatureView Planned Unit Development Application – MAJ21-000027
2
II. Project Description
The NATUREVIEW Planned Unit Development (“PUD”) site consists of four (4) parcels of
land located on both the north and south sides of County Highway 3280 (“CO HWY 3280”).
The four parcels are located approximately 0.7 miles east of the CO HWY 3280 / Magnolia
Lodge Road intersection within the unincorporated limits of Walton County, Florida. The site
is in Sections 3, 4 and 10, Township 2 South, and Range 18 West, and consists of Walton
County Property Appraiser Parcel Identification Nos. 04-2S-18-15000-001-0010, 03-2S-18-
15000-001-0030, 03-2S-18-15000-001-0000, 10-2S-18-15000-001-0000. The location of
the property is generally depicted on the Location Map which is contained in Appendix A of
this Application.

The Applicant is requesting approval of a Conceptual Planned Unit Development (PUD)
Masterplan which will consist of 793 single-family residential lots along with associated
infrastructure, civic and recreational uses. The NATUREVIEW PUD will be classified as a
Conceptual PUD as outlined by the criteria defined in Section 2.06.02(A) of the Walton
County Land Development Code (“County’s LDC”).

The NATUREVIEW PUD incorporates a total of 275.92 +/-acres. The entirety of the property
has a Future Land Use designation of Residential and a Zoning designation of Urban
Residential and was once part of the Black Creek Special Planning Area (BCSPA).

The subject property initially had a Future Land Use Designation of Black Creek Rural Town
Center, Black Creek Mixed Use Residential and Black Creek Low Density, see Appendix G
of this PUD document for historical Future Land Use information. The allowable density
associated with these Future Land Use designations would have been up to 1,503 units and
allowable commercial intensity would have allowed up to 2,175,822 square feet of
commercial space. During Walton County’s updates to the Comprehensive Plan and Land
Development Code in 2020 the Future Land Use designation were removed from the
property in error and subsequently these Future Land Use designations were deleted from
the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code essentially leaving the subject parcel
with no Future Land Use or Zoning designation.

Once this issue was discovered Walton County was obligated to apply new Future Land
Use and Zoning designations to the parcel that were comparable to the previous
designations. Walton County Planning proposed Mixed Use (MU) as a comparable Future
Land Use designation and Village Mixed Use (VMU) as an appropriate zoning designation
on 121.3 acres of the property and Urban Residential (UR) on 154.62 acres.

This change would have allowed a maximum density of 8 units per acre for residential uses within the
VMU district and 4 units per acre within the UR district, totaling 1,588 allowable units. The
VMU district would allow a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 2.0 for commercial uses within the
VMU district, totaling an allowable commercial intensity of 10,567,656 square feet.
The property owner supported the proposed amendments but requested that all four of their
parcels be designated as Urban Residential in lieu of the proposed Village Mixed Use and
Urban Residential designations. The requested change to Urban Residential on the four
parcels reduced the overall allowed residential density by 485 units and eliminated
commercial intensity which could have been up to 10,567,656 square feet. These voluntary
reductions in dwelling units and commercial development decreased potential impacts on
traffic, potable water and sanitary sewer services, garbage collection and demand for all
County services.

The Land Use Amendments to Village Mixed Use (VMU) and Urban Residential (UR) were
approved by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on May 11, 2021, restoring land
uses and zoning to the NATUREVIEW project site for an allowable residential gross density
of 4 units per acre which, based on the acreage of 275.92 +/- acres, would allow a maximum
lot count of 1,103 units.

The NATUREVIEW PUD Masterplan will consist of 793 single-family residential lots along
with a club facility, swimming pool, pickleball courts, basketball court, playground, pocket
parks and public nature trails. These uses will be functionally integrated into a cohesive
development and connected by a multimodal transportation system comprised of streets,
sidewalks, and nature trails.
• Maximum Allowed Density = 4 units per acre (1,103 lots)
• Proposed Density = 2.87 units per acre (793 lots)

 

[Jimmy T]

They're really going to need to build up commercial along 331 with all these new developments.

 

[bob bob]

They're really going to need to build up commercial along 331 with all these new developments.

Haha. I assume you're joking because it's happening pretty fast already.

 

[Jim Tucker]

I was curious, since Jay Odom is involved, if the development would expand as Hammock Bay has, another Odom development. I see from parcel maps that the devloper LLC, Sterling Diversified, holds another 110 acres just to the north and west, bordering 3280, in addition to the 85 acres of the Natureview plan. So I'd expect another 800 homes or so but nothing like Hammock Bay which incorporates a much larger area in west Freeport.

Much of the property south of Natureview is Choctawhatchee River floodplain controlled by NW Florida water managament district.

Thousand of acres just across 3280 from Natureview is in conservation areas controlled by Stella and M.C Davis entites - Nokuse Plantation and Stella Davis Plantation. I have no idea whether a deal could be made to develop the property. If so it stretches north all the way to Hwy 20 and north of Hwy 20 - the area circled in red. All of the parcels outlined in blue on the graphic are the "Nokuse" conservation parcels.






Stella is the co-founder of Nokuse Plantation and E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center. She was born in Okaloosa County, FL and raised in Santa Rosa County. Stella has been the driving force and at times working alongside her husband, M.C. Davis, in his endeavors in education, business and both their quest for conservation. Stella works full time as a volunteer at the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center where she handles scheduling.

M.C. Davis is founder of Nokuse Plantation and E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center. M.C. was raised in Santa Rosa County, Florida and currently resides in Okaloosa County, Florida. He has been an entrepreneur for 48 years and a senior leader in a sundry of businesses. For the past 19 years Davis has been CEO of Fountain Investments, Inc., of Miramar Beach, FL, a land and timber trading company. Has been an avid conservationist for the past nineteen years and involved with a number of conservation projects all over the south.

Nokuse Plantation is a nature preserve in northwest Florida's Walton County. It consists of approximately 54,000 acres (220 km2) and is the largest privately owned nature preserve in the Southeastern United States.

Founded in 2000, it is funded by timber and oil commodities trader Marion Clifton Davis and his wife, Stella Davis, who both became deeply interested in ecology. Its name, Nokuse, is the Native American word for black bear in the Muscogee language, an umbrella species on the preserve. Its purpose is to "restore and preserve viable ecosystems" and "support native plants and animals, from common species to rare, endemic species" while partnering with businesses in the private sector, as well as government and the scientific community. For example, the reserve serves as a haven for the locally threatened gopher tortoise, an inhabitant of longleaf pine forests. Tortoises recovered from local urbanised areas have been released into the reserve.

Davis focused on buying land for Nokuse in the "Northwest Florida Greenway area" because of the availability of large tracts of land and because the Florida Panhandle was one of six designated biological, hyperdiverse, "hotspots" in the United States. Davis spent an estimated $90 million purchasing land for Nokuse. The majority of property was purchased from timber companies and is being restored to "Piney woods" with eight million seedlings planted as of 2015. Longleaf pine forests once covered about 40 million acres (160,000 km2) across the American South but almost all of those original trees had been cut down by the 1930s. A wildlife underpass connects Nokuse with Eglin Air Force Base, on which there is remnant longleaf pine forest, with some 500-year-old trees.

Nokuse includes a 28,000-square-foot (2,600 m2), $12 million nature discovery center named for the evolutionary biologist, E.O. Wilson, The E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center on Hwy 20, East of Freeport. Davis has pledged a large share of his fortune to this environmental education center and to the conservation trust.

The plantation and M.C. Davis were featured in Wildlands Philanthropy: The Great American Tradition. The book covers various historical and modern philanthropists, who dedicated their wealth to conservation.