Commissioners push back on Arrowood 300‑acre subdivision plan over many driveway/access points

At a contentious public hearing, the board reviewed an application from Arrowood Florida LLC to record platted lots across a roughly 300‑acre tract north of I‑10. The plan initially included multiple individual access points to County Road 229; staff and the applicant reduced the driveway count during revisions but commissioners remained concerned about the number and pattern of access points and the depth‑to‑width ratios of proposed lots.

Planning staff noted the parcel contains large wetland areas (~48%), which constrained internal road design. LPA found the proposal met the technical lot‑width and land use requirements and recommended approval based on statutory rules. Several commissioners, however, argued the design takes advantage of minimum standards to place many lots directly on public roads rather than creating an internal road network and sharing access — a strategy they said shifts long‑term maintenance and safety burdens to the public.

Commissioner comments focused on public‑road impacts, the burden of maintaining numerous culverts and driveways, and a call for shared driveways or an internal road system to limit access points. The applicant’s representative, Pete Scurveau, said the team had performed wetland delineations and attempted to lay out the lots to avoid environmental constraints and maintain buildable sites; he agreed to revisit shared driveway options and to work with staff on modifications before the second hearing.

The board directed staff to explore stricter shared‑access/connection standards and signaled skepticism about approving the current layout without clearer shared‑driveway commitments. No final vote was taken at the first hearing; the item will return with potential conditions or revisions.