Okaloosa County tables Milwood Ranch 104‑lot master plan to July 14 amid road, septic and utility concerns

The board on May 5 voted to table the Milwood Ranch conceptual master plan, a proposed 104‑lot subdivision on 39 acres served by Milligan water and individual septic systems, until the July 14 meeting so staff and the applicant can provide additional details on utilities, access and stormwater.

Michelle, the staff presenter, said the property has been zoned residential for decades and that the project relies on Milligan water and septic. A resident from Baker noted the access roads are narrow, questioned alignment to Highway 90 and Highway 4 intersections, and expressed safety concerns for additional traffic. Commissioner Cox said she would not move the item forward without more information and asked staff about Garrett Mill easement widths and whether the county’s prior dirt‑to‑pave overlay work brought the road to current standards.

Commissioner Cox moved to table the item to the July 14 meeting (8:30 a.m., Crestview), a motion the board seconded and approved unanimously. Commissioners said they wanted time to review package‑plant feasibility, road cross‑sections, stormwater engineering, and Milligan Water’s ability to serve the development before granting any further approvals.

Staff advised that because the project relies on septic rather than sewer, questions about long‑term wastewater management and state incentives to move septic to sewer would affect decision‑making. Commissioners emphasized the need to reconcile the property’s entitled residential status with practical constraints posed by narrow rural roads and the absence of nearby sewer service.

The item will return on July 14 with staff analyses and input from the applicant; until then no development orders for this project will be considered by the board.