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Commission denies variance for borrow pit access on Daybreak Lane after residents cite safety and drainage concerns
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Summary
After lengthy public comment highlighting narrow roads, school bus access, drainage and long‑term land‑use concerns, the Santa Rosa County Commission moved to deny a variance request that would have allowed truck access to a borrow pit via Daybreak Lane; the motion passed following extensive testimony.
The Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners voted to deny a variance request from property owner Martin Griswold that would have reduced required ingress/egress standards to permit heavy‑haul access to a proposed borrow pit via Daybreak Lane. The board heard extensive public comment detailing safety, drainage and quality‑of‑life concerns before the motion to deny was made and approved.
Meredith Bush, an attorney representing property owner Martin Griswold, asked the board to adopt staff findings supporting the variance while excluding one staff finding that concerned traffic and access. Bush cited a traffic impact report estimating roughly 22 additional daily trips on a roadway that she said already carries more than 700 trips per day and argued that residents’ observations of occasional vehicles do not constitute competent, substantial evidence under the code.
Dozens of residents and property owners testified in opposition. Speakers described Daybreak Lane as an 18‑foot‑wide residential road with no shoulders, a four‑foot drop‑off ditch, school bus routes and limited sight lines at the Chemukla Highway intersection. Opponents said recurring dump‑truck traffic would create public‑safety hazards, increase wear on infrastructure, send red clay into neighbor yards during rain events and reduce residents’ quality of life. Several speakers said the property owner had other acreage and could locate borrow operations away from residential roads.
Commissioners questioned the traffic analysis and the extent of the applicant’s matching evidence. Commissioner Ralph (speaker 12) said the requested reduction—several hundred feet—was a large variance and that he was not comfortable granting it. After discussion, Commissioner Ralph moved to deny the variance; the chair stated there was no objection, and the motion was recorded as denied per the board’s action in the meeting.
The applicant replied that permitting for the pit itself and subsequent development review remain separate processes and that many details (reclamation uses, type of soils) were not before the board in the variance decision. The applicant offered to record a new easement or amend existing easement language to clarify permitted vehicle access if the board imposed conditions; residents said they wanted the board to reject the access change entirely.
Outcome and next steps: The board declined to grant the variance for Daybreak Lane access. The denial prevents the applicant from using the requested ingress, effectively requiring the owner to pursue other lawful access arrangements before a development order could proceed.
