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Resident warns of ‘no-walkability’ design at Hammock Ridge; council discusses traffic studies and developer obligations
Summary
A resident urged the council to consider traffic concurrency fees and stronger pedestrian infrastructure after describing a new development on Hammock Ridge Road as inaccessible by foot; council members and staff said developers are already required to provide traffic studies and, in some cases, sidewalks and related improvements.
A resident raised concerns about pedestrian access, traffic and developer accountability at a new Hammock Ridge Road development and suggested the council consider adopting traffic-concurrency or mobility-fee policies used by other Florida jurisdictions.
John Sedona, a resident, told the council that cities and counties across Florida have used traffic concurrency and mobility-fee programs since about 2013 to require developers to fund third-party traffic surveys, infrastructure upgrades and a one-time fee held for future repairs. He said an active project on Hammock Ridge Road lacks sidewalks and safe pedestrian crossings and that the area will primarily be drivable rather than walkable. Sedona said cities such as Oviedo and Highlands County had useful templates and volunteered to share packets of documentation.
Council members and staff responded that developers are typically required to submit traffic studies and that the city has previously required sidewalk and other right-of-way improvements as part of project approvals (the council cited prior insistence on sidewalks for a lumberyard project). One council member said the city can and has asked developers to provide sidewalks, trees and other community benefits as conditions of development approvals.
The council did not adopt a new concurrency fee or mobility-fee ordinance during the meeting; council members encouraged staff to review Sedona’s materials and said they would continue to require appropriate pedestrian and roadway improvements during project review.
