The foolishness in Tallahassee over slashing property taxes and the financial realities of suburban sprawl combined to result in a 5-0 defeat of the proposed Emile Springs development along the Peace Creek’s floodplain east of Bartow Monday night.
The proposal involved a plan to build 2,245 homes on farmland about five miles east of downtown Bartow along the floodplain of Peace Creek.
Representatives of the landowner talked about property tax revenue, nature trails, towering buffers to block the view of the densely-packed homes on land outside the floodplain from adjacent rural homesteads and tentative pledges that utilities and school capacity were adequate.
A roomful of residents disagreed, arguing the leapfrog city-sized development was at odds with the city’s small town atmosphere.
In rebuttal, Lakeland developer George Lindsey argued that if the development complies with the city’s growth plan, commissioners have no choice but to approve it.
Commissioners quickly disposed of that argument by refusing to annex the eastern portion of the property, making any consideration of its land use and zoning moot.
Commissioner Trish Pfeiffer said growth must match the fiscal reality and trying to cram the equivalent of Fort Meade into an enclave at the edge of town was a poor match.
She cited moves in Tallahassee to slash local property taxes and impose other financial restraints on local government and the well-known fact that residential development doesn’t generate enough tax revenue to cover the cost of providing services as reason enough for her opposition.
Other commissioners agreed, adding they were uncomfortable approving a residential development that close to Bartow Municipal Airport.
Commissioners also denied the request to rezone the property that was already in the city from industrial to residential, derailing plans for the rest of the development.