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Resident warns of safety risk at Eagles Ridge development, urges second entrance
Summary
A Milton resident told the commission that a new subdivision approved with a single entrance could create a dangerous choke point for traffic and emergency access and asked the county to require the developer to provide a second entrance.
A Milton resident urged the Santa Rosa County Commission on Thursday to halt construction at the Lennar Eagles Ridge subdivision and require a second entrance and exit, saying the developer's plat approval ignored an adjacent existing neighborhood and that emergency access could be impaired.
"The single entrance/exit serving Spencer Ridge West and Eagles Ridge development totaling 209 homes ... is creating a dangerous choke point for traffic, emergency services, and evacuations," resident Matt Rasmussen said. He said county engineering had approved the Eagles Ridge plat based on a 145-home calculation and did not account for the 64 homes in the adjacent Spencer Ridge neighborhood.
Rasmussen cited the International Transportation Engineers (ITE) trip-generation guidance and NFPA safety language to argue that the authority having jurisdiction can require additional access when congestion would impair access. "I urge the board to halt the Eagles Ridge construction and conduct a review to assess adding a second entrance/exit using all of the applicable laws," he said, further asking that the developer bear infrastructure costs rather than homeowners.
County staff response and next steps County staff acknowledged the public comment and said they would review the engineering and approval records. The board did not take an immediate vote during the meeting to halt construction; rather, commissioners said they would route the concern through the administrative process and, if warranted, seek corrective action under the county's land-development and permitting rules.
Ending Resident speakers asked the board to act quickly to avoid an emergency situation; commissioners directed staff to look into the plat approval details and to report back.
