Okaoosa County approves land, road and housing additions for planned subdivision – The Northwest Florida Daily News

Tony Judnich|Northwest Florida Daily News

CRESTVIEW The massive Patriot Ridge subdivision slated to stand next to the southeast part of Crestview over the next five years will have an alternate access road, as well as many more single-family homes than initially planned.

The additional houses will mean even more traffic on area roads, an impact the subdivision developer and local officials are working to address.

An amended development agreement that includes the alternate access road and 106 additional houses for Patriot Ridge received the Okaloosa County Commissions unanimous approval Tuesday.

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The original county-approved agreement from last fall allowed Patriot Ridge LLC, led by developer Greg Matovina of Jacksonville, to develop up to 570 single-family homes on almost 417 acres.

The project site is east of State Road 85 and between Shoal River Drive and Airmans Memorial Road, on property that once contained the Adara Golf Course.

The initial agreement showed the main access to the future subdivision would be via Shoal River Drive east of Live Oak Church Road. Based on a request from commissioners, as well as residents who live adjacent to the future subdivision, the developer more recently was able to acquire about 60 acres directly east of the Patriot Ridge boundary for a secondary access.

The additional access road will connect to Airmans Memorial Road just east of Chanan Drive. Another approved update to the agreement limits access to Skyline Circle through the first phase of the development for emergency vehicles only.

The overall amended agreement now allowsfor construction of a total of 676 houses, which will be built in 16 phases over five years. The price range of the subdivisions interior-lot homes reportedly could be about $200,000 to $400,000.

The project changes received the county Planning Commissions unanimous support in August. Before that meeting, the county provided residents who live around the project site notice of the proposed agreement amendment.

The two members of the public who commented on the then-proposed updated project at the planning boards meeting both spoke in favor of it, county Growth Management Director Elliot Kampert told the County Commission Tuesday.

District 1 County Commissioner Graham Fountain, whose district includes the Patriot Ridge development area and a part of Crestview, and District 3 County Commissioner Nathan Boyles, whose district also includes a part of Crestview, both praised the developer on Tuesday for being able to add the additional access road.

In response to questions from the Daily News, Boyles on Thursday said Patriot Ridge would help provide housing for the military-associated workforce and other people.

Do we have some traffic challenges there (along S.R. 85 by the south part of Crestview)? Yes, Boyles said. But will this project help fill some niches in our housing market? I think so.

More: DOT unveils possible SR 85 upgrades in Crestview

Boyles chairs the Okaloosa-Walton Transportation Planning Organization, which is helping to plan the eventual widening of a 12-mile-long stretch of S.R. 85.

According to TPO documents, the four-lane S.R. 85 between its connection with State Road 123 north of the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport and its segment just north of Interstate 10 in Crestview could be widened to six lanes sometime between 2031 and 2040.

The Florida Department of Transportation is the lead agency on the planned, state-funded widening project, construction of which might cost about $50 million.

For fiscal year 2022, the agency has $1.65 million funded for the projects initial planning and engineering tasks.

That is what will kick that process off, said Boyles, who added that the TPO is trying to get the widening work timeframe accelerated.

For its part, Patriot Ridge LLC will widen Live Oak Church Road to four lanes from S.R. 85 to Shoal River Drive, help the county upgrade John King Road, and make other road improvements to help offset traffic impacts stemming from its future subdivision.

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Okaoosa County approves land, road and housing additions for planned subdivision - The Northwest Florida Daily News