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Applicant asks to table contested Hickory Shores rezoning; board agrees to hear it Sept. 10
Summary
After weeks of neighborhood messages, the applicant for a Hickory Shores Boulevard rezoning requested more time to meet neighbors and consider conditions; the zoning board voted to table the item to Sept. 10 at 5 p.m. so the applicant can do outreach and refine the proposal.
The Santa Rosa County Zoning Board agreed to table a contested rezoning request for property on Hickory Shores Boulevard after the applicant asked for time to meet with neighbors and respond to a large volume of emailed opposition.
Planning staff told the board that the matter (Item 7, 72026-24 RSS) had generated a high number of comments in the days before the meeting. Meredith Bush, the applicant’s attorney, said the project’s proposed maximum density had prompted “overwhelming concern” in recent emails and asked the board to let the applicant pause the proceeding and “talk to the neighborhood.” Bush said the applicant would consider conditions or a modified proposal and asked for roughly two months to prepare. “We just want to do some community outreach before… because the concerns are very well outlined,” Bush said.
Board members debated whether to hear the case or give the applicant time to meet neighbors. Several members said they prefer applicants to attempt outreach before the board acts. District 5 member Frankie Gibbs moved to table the item to the Sept. 10 zoning board meeting at 5 p.m.; staff confirmed the board agreed to that date. Planning staff also reminded residents that rezonings are advisory at this stage and will proceed to the Board of County Commissioners for final action. The applicant’s request was recorded as tabled to the Sept. 10 meeting so more neighborhood engagement can occur before the board issues a recommendation.
