The Crestview City Council on Aug. 25 approved three linked ordinances to annex a 0.17-acre parcel on Brock Avenue, change its future land use designation and rezone it to the city's R3 single- and multi-family district, actions the council adopted on second reading by 5-0 votes.

The measures, Ordinance 2,003 (annexation), Ordinance 2,004 (comprehensive plan/future land use amendment) and Ordinance 2,005 (rezoning), were introduced together by staff and described to the council as a single application that previously cleared the Planning and Development Board. City staff and the city clerk read each ordinance into the record before council votes.

The property, described in the staff report as about 0.17 acres (roughly a 50-by-150-foot platted lot) in Section 21, Township 3 North, Range 23 West, is currently inside unincorporated Okaloosa County with a county low-density/residential-1 designation. Under the proposed city R3 designation (8 units per acre), the parcel's size would allow one residential unit by right; city staff told the council they have not received a formal development application for the lot.

Local residents spoke at the public hearing. "Our house was built in the 1950s, and our fear is if we put another building next to us . . . building something there is definitely gonna affect the quality of our home," said Kirsten, a resident of 703 Brock, who described limited parking and recurring drainage issues behind her small home. Chad Crandall asked whether changing the comprehensive plan designation would require council approval of any future construction; the council's legal adviser replied that assigning a future land-use category and annexing the property is not the same as approving a specific development and that engineering and site studies would occur at the development-permit stage.

Council members stressed that, because the rezoning hearing was quasi-judicial, the decision must be based on competent, substantial evidence presented in the proceeding itself. The city attorney advised that rezoning is a separate, evidence-based process; public testimony that directly relates to the property was permitted after swearing witnesses.

Council action: Ordinance 2,003 (annexation) was adopted on second reading (motion by Mayor Pro Tem Capps; second by Councilman Hayes; vote 5-0). Ordinance 2,004 (comprehensive plan/future land use map amendment) was adopted on second reading (motion by Councilman Hayes; second by Councilwoman Allison; vote 5-0). Ordinance 2,005 (rezoning to R3) was adopted on second reading (motion by Councilman Frost; second by Councilman Hayes; vote 5-0).

What happens next: Staff told the council that, if a development application is filed, the city's usual development-review processes will require additional submittals and studies addressing runoff, parking, site design and other technical matters before building permits would be granted. Neighbors at the hearing said those technical reviews are central to their concerns about drainage, light and the proximity of construction to an older house.

By unanimous votes, the council completed the annexation, land-use assignment and rezoning; no final site plan or building permit was approved at the meeting.