CRESTVIEW — Currently, if a house is damaged or destroyed in several developments off P.J. Adams Parkway, a zoning conflict means it can’t be rebuilt.

City GIS mapping analyst and planning technician Teresa Gaillard is identifying wrongly zoned areas to bring these 1990s an early 2000s neighborhoods into compliance. In addition, she's assisting City Clerk Betsy Roy in preparing ordinances to correct the zoning.

The Crestview City Council on Monday passed seven ordinances to rezone a section of affected neighborhoods in Countryview Estates, Eagles Landing Townhomes and Southway Estates.

Seven more ordinances received their first public reading, were accepted and moved to a second reading at the July 14 council meeting. They will correct zoning in Walsh Glen Estates, Northview Estates, and, off John King Road, Shoal Terrace Estates and Beaver Creek at Stonebridge.

Several properties off Live Oak Church Road were also covered by the newly introduced ordinances.

More to come

Together, they and the approved ordinances represent the first and second of an anticipated six cycles of rezoning ordinances, city attorney Jerry Miller said.

In briefs for each ordinance, Roy, who oversees the Administrative Services Department, explained the land was originally zoned for commercial future land use, which allowed for higher-density residential development than residential zoning. Some developments were in an industrial zoned area.

When the neighborhoods were built, developers followed regulations for single- and multi-family dwelling zoning, but the zoning didn’t change. The new ordinances rezone the neighborhoods under the zoning criteria that the homes were constructed under.

“If there were a unit lost to fire or storm, that property could not be constructed presently due to the inconsistency between the zoning and the comprehensive plan,” Miller said.

“So if a house was lost to fire, does that mean that family would be left homeless?” Councilman Tom Gordon asked.

“Yes, it would,” Miller said.

Wild Horse Drive resident Terry Hindall expressed concern that the rezoning might adversely affect his property's value.  

"I don't understand why we need to change the zoning,” Hindall said. “Why rezone it now? Why change it now? Why are we standing here wasting our time when it is just fine yesterday and it was just fine today?”

WANT TO GO?

Ordinances rezoning residential areas to conform with the Crestview comprehensive plan will be read and adopted at the next several Crestview City Council meetings. The next meeting is 6 p.m. July 14.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Erroneously zoned residential areas being brought into compliance

Okaloosa County Commissioner Dave Parisot has withdrawn from the District 2 commission race, citing his wife’s failing health.

“… Many of you are aware that my wife of 32 years was hit by a drunk driver in October 2009,” he said in a written statement. “As a result, she has had two brain surgeries and other health and quality of life concerns that have deteriorated recently and will require more of my attention.”

Parisot will still serve as a commissioner until his term expires in November. He has plans to refund all campaign contributions to his donors.

Parisot’s withdrawal leaves a single candidate, Republican Carolyn Ketchel, in the race. Thomas Knowles of Fort Walton Beach pre-filed earlier this year but has since withdrawn his candidacy. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Parisot withdraws from commission race

CRESTVIEW — The Community Redevelopment Agency unanimously approved an $11,000 allocation for a Fourth of July fireworks display over the city.

No bids were received after the Public Works department advertised for vendors, city clerk Betsy Roy said.

"We advertised but nobody responded so we had to go out and seek bids," assistant Public Works director Carlos Jones said.

The department contacted neighboring municipalities for recommendations, Jones and Roy said.

The city then received bids from Tallahassee-based Ashley Pyrotechnics, which had produced last year's Crestview display, and Pyro Shows, a LaFollette, Tenn., company.

Ashley also offered a 28-30-minute show for $16,000, but with $11,000 budgeted for the performance, board members were not interested in spending more.

"A 15- to 20-minute show — that's enough show," board member Joe Blocker said. "I recommend we stick with the $11,000."

Roy reminded the council that Ashley "was very easy to work with" in the past, when the city's fireworks show had to be postponed due to inclement weather.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Fireworks bid approved for Crestview display

CRESTVIEW — No strip clubs will be allowed on Main Street, city officials said. 

That's clear following discussion that preceded the City Council's unanimous vote to send a downtown rezoning proposal to the state Land Planning Agency for approval. 

Click here for a map of proposed downtown rezoning>>

Consultant Jack Dorman has advised city officials in creating a “downtown mixed-use” zoning category, replacing current commercial zoning. The new zone would permit both residential and commercial activities downtown.

Before Monday's vote, Dorman requested formally including a description of activities to be encouraged downtown, including retail, office, restaurants, governmental and entertainment.

City Council members raised concerns that what was meant to encourage family-friendly entertainment “could be sidelined into something else."

“What are implications of adding ‘entertainment’”? Councilwoman Robyn Helt asked. “Could it be a strip club?”

Though Dorman said the word could be interpreted that way, Theresa Gaylord of the Local Planning Agency said city regulations already define what types of entertainment are allowable downtown.

DOWNTOWN NIGHTLIFE

Allowing residential units will encourage a vibrant downtown after the current 5 p.m. daily “shutdown,” Dorman said.

“Once residential development occurs in this area, the new residents are expected to create demand for more services and businesses and thereby allow for the profitable expansion of business hours downtown,” Dorman’s report states.

A major source of downtown residents will be the Florida A&M University pharmacy school. Its students and staff have difficulty finding safe accommodations close to the school’s Alatex Building home, city officials have said.

An April workshop on the proposed rezoning drew more than 40 downtown business and property owners and their “unanimous endorsement of the effort we are trying to accomplish,” Dorman said. “Not one single objection was raised.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Downtown Crestview rezoning proposal goes to state; no strip clubs, city leaders say

CRESTVIEW — With a 3-2 vote, the City Council approved funding expenses for any interested council member to attend the Florida League of Cities conference in Hollywood.

Council members Robyn Helt and Thomas Gordon opposed the measure, with Helt protesting “the approval of non-budgeted expenditures.”

City Clerk Betsy Roy estimated the cost to attend the Aug. 14-16 event, including staying at the Westin Diplomat conference hotel and $620 mileage reimbursement, would be $1,700 per person.

Councilman Joe Blocker, however, felt Roy’s estimate was low and actual costs to city taxpayers would be closer to $2,000 per attendee.

Helt criticized council members who favored the proposal, saying, “Every council member sitting on the dais today had the opportunity to request a budget” item for conference travel.

“To bring forward (an) item that could potentially cost $2,000 per council member is not in the best interests of the citizens,” Helt said. “If I elect to go, I would not feel comfortable asking the citizens to pay for it.”

Valuable information

Council President Shannon Hayes and Blocker, who attended last year’s League of Cities conference, said the information and networking opportunities gleaned at the event are invaluable.

“There can't be a price put on knowledge,” Hayes said, adding residents he has spoken to favor city representation at the conference.

Helt disputed the assertion, noting social media backlash when the council approved buying an unbudgeted ad in the conference program, with Helt and Gordon again dissenting.

“If we got in touch with those citizens, we would see they are not so happy-go-lucky when it comes to expending money on non-budgeted items,” she said.

Helt also asked if any of the councilmen who favored attending the conference had considered applying for Florida League of Cities scholarships that could defray the cost to taxpayers. None had.

“I would hope that before asking the citizens for money for something that was not budgeted, they would research this,” Helt said.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Council OKs unbudgeted conference travel; Helt and Gordon vote nay