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The adoption hearing for the land use change for the proposed St. Joe/Arvida SummerCamp development will be held at the Franklin County courthouse annex on next Tuesday, January 21st, at 10:30 a.m. This is a public hearing and will be followed by vote by the Franklin County Board of County Commissioners on whether to approve the requested land use change.

I am attaching for your information a summary of the concessions made by St Joe/Arvida on this project as the result of state, county, and local community/environmental group activities. The attachment was prepared by Paul Johnson of APECO and fairly represents the most important changes/concessions to the originally submitted land use change request.

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Since July of last year, APECO has worked with other environmental and citizen groups, state agencies, FSU, and Franklin County to amend St. Joe's development plans for SummerCamp- a major mixed-use development at Turkey Point on the shores of Alligator Harbor. Our main goal has been to ensure protection of this area's significant environmental and human resources as well as establish a defined path and plan to guide all future development for the larger area of St. James Island and all of Franklin County.

Through numerous meetings and negotiations we have convinced the St. Joe Company to the following for SummerCamp:

Establish a buoying system to mark seagrass and other shallow and sensitive nearshore habitats to avoid boater impacts.

Provide a Natural Study Zone Buffer for the FSU Marine Lab and a conservation easement and access for marine science teaching and research.

Provide studies and data analysis that demonstrate no adverse impact will occur to water quality or shellfish harvesting areas in the Alligator Harbor Aquatic Preserve.

Limit maximum residential dwelling units to 499, non-residential land uses to 35,000 square feet of commercial and active recreation and a 60-room lodge.

Cluster development in upland areas to preserve over 67% of the project site as conservation and open space to include all wetlands and a 50-ft naturally vegetated landward buffer adjacent to all wetlands and water bodies.

Commit to a visioning process and specific area plan for all of St. James Island, to include wildlife corridors, greenways and recreational areas and other environmental protection and community amenities.

Require St. Joe to prepare a specific area plan and map overlay to guide future development on St. James Island; and

Require any future large-scale development plans in Franklin County - such as SummerCamp - to conduct an area wide assessment and analysis of long-term environmental and human impacts and prepare a specific area plan and map overlay.

These specific conditions for SummerCamp and commitments by St. Joe and Franklin County for visioning, comprehensive plan updating and specific area planning will be memorialized in the comprehensive plan amendment for SummerCamp on January 21st.

Franklin County Commission has agreed to contract with the FSU Department of Urban and Regional Planning and the Conflict Resolution Consortium to aid in the community planning (visioning) and comprehensive plan update for Franklin County.

APECO has worked hard over the last six months to refine and improve the plans for development of SummerCamp to protect the environment and people of Franklin County. More importantly, we have set the stage and been a key player in getting the County and its citizens to better plan and prepare for future growth and resource protection.

A lot more work is yet to be done, and St. Joe and the County have committed to work with APECO and others in this process. APECO is committed to be there every step of the way as more detailed plans for this development are submitted and reviewed, but we feel much progress has been made so far.

We encourage you to attend this important public meeting on January 21 and speak out in support of the provisions we have successfully achieved to date. We also request your continued interest and support of APECO as we continue to seek a balance between responsible growth and protection of our unique and fragile environment and way of life here in Panhandle Florida.



	Wed, 15 Jan 2003 14:56:08 The adoption hearing for the land use change for the proposed St. Joe/Arvida SummerCamp development will be held at the Franklin County courthouse annex on next Tuesday, January 21st, at 10:30 a.m. This is a public hearing and will be followed by vote by the Franklin County Board of County Commissioners on whether to approve the requested land use change. I am attaching for your information a summary of the concessions made by St Joe/Arvida on this project as the result of state, county, and local community/environmental group activities. The attachment was prepared by Paul Johnson of APECO and fairly represents the most important changes/concessions to the originally submitted land use change request. Linc Barnett (Attachment) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- APECO SummerCamp Comprehensive Plan Amendment Public Hearing Tuesday; January 21, 2003; 10:30 AM Franklin County Courthouse Annex Since July of last year, APECO has worked with other environmental and citizen groups, state agencies, FSU, and Franklin County to amend St. Joe's development plans for SummerCamp- a major mixed-use development at Turkey Point on the shores of Alligator Harbor. Our main goal has been to ensure protection of this area's significant environmental and human resources as well as establish a defined path and plan to guide all future development for the larger area of St. James Island and all of Franklin County. Through numerous meetings and negotiations we have convinced the St. Joe Company to the following for SummerCamp: Eliminate the commercial marina and boat ramp. Limit the number of docks to one community dock. Establish a buoying system to mark seagrass and other shallow and sensitive nearshore habitats to avoid boater impacts. Provide a Natural Study Zone Buffer for the FSU Marine Lab and a conservation easement and access for marine science teaching and research. Prohibit septic tanks and provide an offsite Advanced Waste Treatment system. Provide a central potable water facility off-site on other St. Joe owned land. Prohibit lawns and the use of herbicides and pesticides. Contain all storm water onsite and treat to Outstanding Florida Water standards. Limit development seaward of the Category One Hurricane Surge line. Implement hurricane preparedness and evacuation plan for all SummerCamp residents. Provide studies and data analysis that demonstrate no adverse impact will occur to water quality or shellfish harvesting areas in the Alligator Harbor Aquatic Preserve. Withdrew proposal to relocate US Highway 98. Limit maximum residential dwelling units to 499, non-residential land uses to 35,000 square feet of commercial and active recreation and a 60-room lodge. Cluster development in upland areas to preserve over 67% of the project site as conservation and open space to include all wetlands and a 50-ft naturally vegetated landward buffer adjacent to all wetlands and water bodies. Commit to a visioning process and specific area plan for all of St. James Island, to include wildlife corridors, greenways and recreational areas and other environmental protection and community amenities. In addition, Franklin County, through this land-use amendment for SummerCamp, has agreed to: Update its comprehensive plan (to include a visioning process involving local citizens); Require St. Joe to prepare a specific area plan and map overlay to guide future development on St. James Island; and Require any future large-scale development plans in Franklin County - such as SummerCamp - to conduct an area wide assessment and analysis of long-term environmental and human impacts and prepare a specific area plan and map overlay. These specific conditions for SummerCamp and commitments by St. Joe and Franklin County for visioning, comprehensive plan updating and specific area planning will be memorialized in the comprehensive plan amendment for SummerCamp on January 21st. Franklin County Commission has agreed to contract with the FSU Department of Urban and Regional Planning and the Conflict Resolution Consortium to aid in the community planning (visioning) and comprehensive plan update for Franklin County. APECO has worked hard over the last six months to refine and improve the plans for development of SummerCamp to protect the environment and people of Franklin County. More importantly, we have set the stage and been a key player in getting the County and its citizens to better plan and prepare for future growth and resource protection. A lot more work is yet to be done, and St. Joe and the County have committed to work with APECO and others in this process. APECO is committed to be there every step of the way as more detailed plans for this development are submitted and reviewed, but we feel much progress has been made so far. We encourage you to attend this important public meeting on January 21 and speak out in support of the provisions we have successfully achieved to date. We also request your continued interest and support of APECO as we continue to seek a balance between responsible growth and protection of our unique and fragile environment and way of life here in Panhandle Florida. For more information please contact us at: (850) 349-9747 or www.apeco.org