Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The Jefferson County Planning Commission is scheduled on Tuesday, Dec. 9, to consider a request for a large-scale comprehensive plan amendment in the Lloyd area. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the Courthouse Annex, located at 435 W. Walnut St.
The application from Eshden Partners, LLC, whose president and CEO is Arun Kundra and which will be the developer, seeks to change the land-use categories of four parcels from mostly mixed-use suburban residential (MUSR) to interchange business (IB).
All told, the development, as described by the engineering firm of Consolidated Design Professionals (CDP), of Tallahassee, involves a 159-acre property in the southwestern quadrant of the intersection of I-10 and State Road 59, or Gamble Road, to be called The Hammock Park. According to the planning official’s summary of the application, however, the acreage to be changed on the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) from MUSR to IB is about 120-plus acres. The property is roughly bounded by I-10 on the north, State Road 59 or Gamble Road on the east, and Old Lloyd Road on the south and is adjacent to commercial, residential or undeveloped land on its various sides.
Presently, according to CDP, the northeast portion of the property consists of high-volume commercial uses, including a hotel, concrete plant, semi repair shop and a gas station. The remaining portion of the property, however, is undeveloped. CDP further notes that there is an active approved sewer treatment facility that will serve the entire property.
“At this time, it is anticipated that multiple commercial and high-tech businesses will utilize this development,” states the project summary. “There will be an area located in the southeast corner of the property that will be utilized for community and a potential active adult living center and community.”
Per the engineering firm’s conceptual plan, the project aims to be a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), which it describes as a cornerstone of anti-sprawl strategies by the concentration of higher-density and mixed-use development around public transport nodes.
“Located at the intersection of I-10 and Highway 59, this development will help to contain urban sprawl,” the proposal states, noting that the property’s unique location will encourage carpooling and reduce overall car dependence and traffic, a theoretical underpinning of a TOD.
“This will enhance accessibility to jobs and services,” states the project summary. “While we do not have access to ‘public’ traffic, the close proximity to I-10 and Highway 59 will provide quick access to major transportation pathways, allowing the community great access and cutting down on taxing the local roads and infrastructure.”
CDP further notes that with the proper planning and businesses designed to provide services for the area, the development will promote a more central business area and allow the local residents to travel less distances for their services.
Hammock Boulevard, the primary roadway system within the proposed development, is intended to be a principal arterial roadway that will extend across the property and connect to Old Lloyd Road and east to SR-59.
“The width of the right-of-way for Hammock Boulevard shall be 100 feet, unless the developer agrees to increase the width,” the project summary states.
Additionally, environmental impacts will be minimized by utilizing split profile sections and variable width medians to respond to topography and preserve vegetation, according to CDP. Primary access to the project, the proposal states, will include the extension of Hammock Boulevard into the development from SR-59 and through it to Old Lloyd Road.
“The developers may elect at their discretion to install roundabouts within the Hammock Park Project as an alternative to traffic signals,” CDP states. “No residential driveways will connect to Hammock Boulevard within the project. A system of collector and local streets will connect with Hammock Boulevard, constituting the primary transportation system within the project.”
The summary further proposes implementing transportation demand management (TDM) strategies, as appropriate, to reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips. It cites as examples of such strategies alternative work schedules, transportation allowances (carpool and van pool programs), guaranteed ride home programs, telecommuting, transit supportive facilities, and additional bicycle and pedestrian facilities and equipment.
As part of the development, according to the conceptual plan, the developer desires to create a technology, small business park with limited high-intensity commercial uses concentrated along SR-59 frontage and small neighborhoods of single-family homes along the property’s southern boundary to buffer the existing residential properties.
States the project summary: “The roadway network will: 1) promote and enhance a livable community pattern, including a mixed use and pedestrian environment; 2) protect the adjacent Hammock Park roads by relieving traffic pressure; 3) enhance the scale and pedestrian accessibility and provide adequate roadways to serve the development.”
Per the plan, potable water is available and will be provided by Jefferson Communities Water System and a private onsite sanitary sewer system will serve for the development. Electrical service will presumably be provided by Tri-County Electrical Cooperative. Per the plan, the stormwater treatment will comply with the applicable standards and the system will be dedicated to the county upon completion.
“There will be two regional stormwater management systems for this development,” the plan states. “It will be utilized for the storage of treated project stormwater and has been planned to provide improved flood protection for downstream, off-site property owners.”
The plan also calls for a portion of the property to remain undeveloped and in its natural state to provide recreational opportunities.
“The primary open space system will serve as a mitigation bank for significant and severe slope areas and developed areas,” the plan states. “The primary open space system will be maintained in accordance with a management plan that will protect the values for which it was designated, and appropriate conservation easements will be established to protect noted conservation and preservation features. The primary open space system will be subject to a management plan.”
The plan also includes a system of recreational and alternative multi-use paths, sidewalks and on-street bicycle lanes to allow bicycle and pedestrian access to the primary open space system and to the Hammock Park Boulevard and Historic Lloyd Downtown.
“As we stated earlier,” the summary concludes, “it is anticipated that multiple commercial and high-tech businesses will utilize this development. There will also be an area located in the southeast corner of the property that will be utilized for community and potential Active Adult Living Center and community.’
A Love’s Travel Stop may also be part of the mix, if the emails to Planning Official David Wheeler included in the application package are any indication. This latter project, however, appears to be in its very early stages.