Baker doesn’t want to grow up to be Crestview

Baker is a wonderful rural town, and we hope to keep that character.  But something has happened over the last year, and I’m not sure why.  Several new developments which will add hundreds, yes hundreds, of new homes have been approved, and there are more to come.  All of this is without infrastructure improvements to the existing roadways or intersections.

And, of course, these new developments are on previous farmland and Agriculturally- zoned areas. This is changing the character of Baker without a doubt. Traffic is getting crazy. Come to Baker on Friday-Sunday during tourist season and you will see mile-long streams of cars passing through on their way to the beaches and back home. Pulling out at certain intersections can take 10 minutes, and you have to take your life in your own hands to do it. Hundreds of additional new homes to our tiny community will exacerbate these issues.

Quoted in the news recently, Baker farmer and businessman Shannon Nixon said, “My concern is this: Okaloosa County is being transformed right before our eyes, and I don’t really think a lot of people understand what’s going on.”

The new North Okaloosa Planning Study commissioned by the county recommends we slow down on development on the north end. The study says the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code need to be changed or things will get worse. Okaloosa County Director of Growth Management, Elliot Kampert, said last week, “The unincorporated area of Okaloosa County north of the Eglin Reservation is subject to intense growth pressure which, in addition to straining existing infrastructure and public services, is accelerating the evolution of the area’s character from predominantly rural to a more suburban and even urban environment.”

Our county leaders have a tough job, but we look forward to them making the right decisions over the next few months.

Don Grundel

Baker