After extended discussion during their Feb. 13 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) approved a rezoning request to allow for a luxury travel resort with park model mobile homes for long-term residents and recreational vehicles (RVs) for time-limited short-term stays. The property is 114.6 acres, located south of Cortez Boulevard and 700 feet east of Griffin Road.
Park model homes are connected to utilities and are designed for long-term or permanent use, unlike an RV, which can be moved solely by the owner.
After a two-hour discussion, several modifications were made to the submitted application, restricting park models to the interior of the property and reducing density to 400 total lots from the requested 520. The petitioner’s original request sought 50 percent of the lots designated for park models. However, the BOCC approved 25 percent.
The site plan features recreational and storage areas, a clubhouse, and a commercial zone adjacent to Cortez Boulevard. There are two access points from Cortez, each connecting to a reverse frontage road on the north side of the property.
Because the vision for the property is an upscale, luxury travel destination, another concern is that the aesthetics of the property could degrade over time, becoming a permanent mobile home park in the future.
The rezoning was petitioned by Gary L. Blackwell as the Trustee of the Gary L. Blackwell Trust. The new zoning designation is PDP(GC) / Planned Development Project (General Commercial), PDP(REC) / Planned Development Project (Recreational) and PDP(SF) / Planned Development Project (Single Family) with a specific R-1-MH use in order to allow for park models. Its former designation was CPDP (Combined Planned Development Project).
