The Walton County Planning Commission on Aug. 7 recommended approval of a rezoning application to convert 84.16 acres to R‑1 OSC for a single‑family residential subdivision proposed by Reliant Homes (MFT Land Investment and related parcels). The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Walton County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 2.

Ned Butler, representing Reliant Homes, said the plan calls for approximately 70 lots developed under the R‑1 OSC standards with homes in the 2,000 to 2,900 square‑foot range and underground utilities. Butler said the design preserves a required 100‑foot nonbuildable buffer along New Jersey Road and a 50‑foot transitional buffer where the site adjoins A‑1 parcels; the plan also reserves about 23 acres of open space, including a detention pond placed to avoid the transition buffer.

The nut graf: Neighbors raised concerns about lot sizes, traffic, posting and buffer lines; the developer revised the submittal during the meeting to add the 50‑foot transitional buffer along the rear where neighbors adjoin and agreed to keep the Roe Road/New Jersey Road frontage timber intact except where necessary for the entrance. The commission approved the rezoning as submitted.

Opponents at the hearing, including Judy Solomon, Shannon Bailey and other adjacent residents, said the proposed lots were smaller than typical lots in that part of Walton County, expressed fears about increased traffic on New Jersey Road and Mohon Road and sought assurance that required buffers, setbacks and floodplain protections would be observed. Butler said the site had been studied (Level‑3 soils testing was completed) and the layout balanced county code requirements, septic lot sizing and environmental constraints. Butler confirmed the developer would supply an updated plat showing the 50‑foot transition buffer along the rear and provide the revised plan to affected neighbors.

The commission voted to recommend the rezoning as submitted; staff noted a mandatory homeowners association would be required and that utility and septic design must comply with county code during permitting.