Escambia to address Lakewood Cottage construction issues
Lakewood Cottage residents are up in arms about a developer's plans to build differently designed homes in their neighborhood, and now Escambia County is working with the developer to address homeowners' concerns.
County commissioners also want to draft a new ordinance that would take away the Community Redevelopment Agency division manager's power to waive the building requirements for Lakewood Cottages and other properties within the Barrancas Overlay District. The new ordinance would put that power in the county commissioners' hands. CRA Division Manager Clara Long waived the building requirements for Lakewood Cottages in October 2014.
The Lakewood Cottages controversy heated up last week when residents implored the Escambia County Board of Commissioners to help them during the governing body's public forum. County officials and the builder, DR Horton, met last Friday to discuss the future of the more than 70 remaining lots, which are being developed by Lakewood Investment Partners.
The new home designs means some of the one-story residences already in the neighborhood will be surrounded by two-story homes, which some homeowners say they aren't happy about.
DR Horton officials could not be reached for comment and county officials who attended the meeting were unavailable Monday for comment.
The existing Lakewood Cottages homes are one-story residences with front porches. Only five of the 15 homes have garages, and DR Horton plans to build five different model of homes, each with two-car garages that face the street. None of the models shown on DR Horton's website have front porches. The website is located at: http://bit.ly/15Mv8un.
"It is unfortunate that we allowed ourselves to get into this situation. Somehow we created a process that allowed this to happen," District 2 County Commissioner Doug Underhill said. Underhill represents Lakewood Cottage residents.
"I'm hoping we can come up with some way to move forward on developing out the neighborhood that takes into consideration the promises made to the residents. Let's see what we can get done by trying to work together (with the developer and builder)," Underhill said.
The county is reviewing its legal options, but it will take at least a few months to draft and approve a new ordinance, County Attorney Alison Rogers said. A new ordinance wouldn't apply to Lakewood Cottages.
Lakewood Cottages residents were alerted to this issue when they received a letter in November 2014.
A few of the existing homes have been put on the market since that letter was issued, and one potential homeowner in the area, Ron Tuttle, said his plans to build are now on hold because of the changes. Tuttle, who owns Bennat Homes, built seven of the houses and wanted to build a similar house for himself.
"I am in a holding pattern to see where this goes," Tuttle told the News Journal. "We don't know what we are going to do because we are very concerned about what is going to be."
Lakewood Cottages residents are all for DR Horton developing the area with the caveat that similar homes are built, Tuttle added. The developer's plans would not only transform the look of the neighborhood, but it would also lower the property values, he said.
Lakewood Cottages resident Amanda Macon, 29, said leaving the area isn't an option for her and her husband, Christian Macon, because they are both teachers and can't afford to buy elsewhere. She teaches kindergarten at A.K. Suter Elementary School and Chris Macon, 29, teaches world geography and American history at Catholic High School.
"We are optimistic that with our push and with the help of the county the previous restrictions could be put back on the undeveloped lots," Amanda Macon said.