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Don’t OK PUDs until Team Franklin does its work

ByLetters to the Editor

County officials are not being transparent with us on PUDs (Planned Unit Development) and workforce housing issues.

For over a year, Franklin County residents have been told by county commissioners and the county attorney that we “need” PUDs in Franklin County. We have had P&Z meetings where the board has pushed back on that need until recently. when everyone suddenly changed their mind and voted unanimously on May 13 to recommend PUDs. 

I’ve been to most of the workshops and hearings over the last year-and-a-half about PUDs from the county commission, and public sentiment towards them remains the same; the majority of people in the county don’t want PUDs nor high-density development here.

We have been invited again to another public comment hearing relative to a PUD-enabling ordinance at the courthouse annex in Apalach on June 13. Are the commissioners going to listen to and abide by the will of the people? Could we finally get answers to the questions we’ve been asking since the beginning of this PUD discussion?

Why do we need PUDs in Franklin County when we already have a comprehensive plan, zoning, building ordinances and laws in place to regulate development? Who benefits from PUDs besides developers and how?

Why did P&Z after a year of opposing PUDs suddenly recommend them?

Why do the county commissioners, county attorney and now P&Z ignore the will of the people of Franklin County when it comes to increasing development and density in our county?

Why won’t the commissioners put the PUD issue to a vote by registered Franklin County voters?

Team Franklin is working on a program with the intention to provide workforce housing to essential workers such as teachers, nurses, police etc. Representatives from city and county government, the sheriff’s office, school board, and Eastpoint water and sewer board are members of the team.

My suggestion is for the county commission to wait and see what this group comes up with as an economic solution to the workforce housing issue. We should also advocate for an Independent Special District which would negate the need for PUDs and facilitate practical housing solutions without the baggage that comes along with PUDs. It would also operate independently from the county commission.

Please let us as a county put the brakes on this PUD decision, get the citizens’ questions answered about the impact of PUDs to our quality of life, and follow the work of Team Franklin closely.

Julie Boisseau

Carrabelle

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