The Planning and Zoning Commission postponed a vote at the Sept. 9 meeting to seek additional public input for the rezoning of a 292.2-acre property spanning Lake Lindsey Road just east of Highway 41. The rezoning petition by Society Hill Capital Partner LLC will be heard on Nov. 4, but it will go to the Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 22 without P&Z recommendation.
The meeting was attended by numerous residents opposing the plan for the property.
The property is owned by attorney Joe Mason of Gold Dust Farms. The applicant, Society Hill Capital Partner LLC, is requesting the rezoning of the 3-parcel property, which is currently zoned Agricultural (AG) to Combined Planned Development Project (C/PDP), which includes Planned Development Project – Recreational (PDP-R) and PDP – resort residential.
The intent is to develop a private golf resort with resort-style lodging and supporting facilities. Cottages, condominiums, hotel-style, and bedroom units are being considered for 30 buildings to accommodate a maximum of 120 members and guests. The resort is not intended to be open to the general public.
The resort plans to feature two golf courses – an 18-hole course on the north side of Lake Lindsey Road and a 12-hole course on the south. The only access point will be from Lake Lindsey.
The Citizens’ Comments segment lasted roughly 1.5 hours, with all speakers strongly opposed to the project. Most are against the location of the proposed resort, which is adjacent to land owned by the Audubon Society and other conservation land. Many more concerns were voiced to bring attention to the disruption of groundwater as a result of the amount of water, insecticides and other chemicals used to maintain a golf course.
Cliff Manuel, President of Coastal Engineering, had additional information for commissioners following Citizens’ Comments, adding to the record the proposal of a 100-foot buffer along all property boundaries, revised from a 30-foot vegetative buffer between adjacent properties and a 25-foot landscape buffer.
Manuel reiterated that the “members and guests” only nature of the resort will not have a large impact on traffic along Lake Lindsey Road.
Manuel addressed the concerns about water quality and runoff by answering that golf courses are engineered to adhere to state water regulations and will maintain “100-year total onsite storage with no off-site discharge.”
The petitioner is also requesting two deviations – To be able to install a septic system rather than connect to central sewer due to the rural nature of the resort. Manuel reported the plan is to install 30 wells for the 30 buildings, with one central wastewater collection system.
Society Hill also requests an extension of the Master Plan from 2 years to 5 years, based on the need for a longer lead time for planning and assembling membership.
Manuel requested additional time to meet with the Florida Audubon Society and hold a public information workshop to consider the issues brought by residents at the meeting to incorporate and improve the existing plan.
This hearing of Planning and Zoning is postponed until Nov. 4, 2024, however the matter will come before the Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 22 without a recommendation from Planning and Zoning.
