Commission approves AG‑2 to AG‑1 rezoning with engineered grading condition after runoff concerns

The Santa Rosa County commission approved a rezoning request on May 22 to change several parcels from Agricultural‑2 (AG‑2) to Agricultural‑1 (AG‑1), a move the applicant said would enable smaller (approximately 5‑acre) lots and greater affordability for local buyers. The board added a condition, agreed to by the applicant, requiring engineered lot‑grading plans for the two lots that front Dunsford Road to address neighbor concerns about stormwater and erosion.

Carla Hinote, representing Woodland Homes LLC, told the board the request was intended to create multiple 5‑acre parcels from an existing larger tract to improve local affordability; she said water, power and county‑maintained paved roads are available to each proposed lot. Multiple neighbors testified in opposition, most prominently Ryan Ross and Heather Ross, who live adjacent to the site and cited prior denials of similar rezoning requests, narrow roads, recurrent flooding, exposed culverts and the lack of nearby fire hydrants.

Ross and other neighbors argued that the property’s drainage pattern and a nearby gully concentrate stormwater flows toward existing homes, and asked the board to deny the request or require mitigation. Applicant’s representative and supporters, including adjacent landowner Michael Vandenberg and property owner Heath Sheehan, said 5‑acre parcels are consistent with nearby lot sizes, noted support from several local farmers and argued the request was consistent with the county’s rural protection objectives and the zoning board’s prior recommendation.

Commission staff advised that, while agricultural zoning is generally permissive on stormwater, the applicant volunteered to provide engineered lot‑grading plans for the two northwestern lots that abut Dunsford Road. Commissioners accepted that mitigation as a condition; the board approved the rezoning and directed staff to ensure the lot‑grading plans and any required mitigation measures are reviewed during permitting.

The action preserves the county’s AG future land use while allowing smaller parcelization under AG‑1; the engineered grading plans are intended to minimize off‑site runoff impacts identified by neighbors and to document how future lots will manage on‑site stormwater.