Limestone Mining Operation Moves Forward

NEWBERRY ‒ On Oct. 3, Limestone Products once again received the go ahead from the Newberry Planning and Zoning Board to allow mining activities on a property annexed into the City in June. A Special Use Permit application was presented by eda consultants, inc., agent for owners Cates & Broome, LLC and Cates and Broome Partnership, on the 124-acre retired mining property. The site is located on the east side of Northwest County Road 235, between Northwest 22^nd Avenue and Northwest 46^th Avenue.

Limestone Products is actively mining a portion of the site and properties south of this property under a pre-existing Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) permit. The mining operation will transition to this property once all resources have been exhausted. Over the years, residents have complained about noise from the current site. Clay Sweger, Director of Planning for eda said the work on this property would be moving northward away from residential property owners and toward agricultural property.

Mining is a permitted use within the Agricultural (A) zoning district, provided the future land use of Mining has been established and a special use permit has been approved by the City Commission. A companion to this item is the request to amend the future land use map from County Rural/Agriculture to City Mining.

Approval of the Special Use Permit was unanimous, conditioned upon the owner immediately reporting any complaints or irregularities to the City. The Board’s approval is a recommendation to the Board of Adjustment and City Commission, which will hear these items again during their Oct. 24 meeting.

850-Unit Development Draws Complaints

In other action, Newberry residents came out to the Planning and Zoning Board meeting to express their concerns about a proposed development under consideration by the Board.

In a 3-1 decision, the Board approved changing the land use and zoning on 258.3+/- acres from Agriculture and Low Density Residential to Planned Residential Development (PRD) on the proposed development, Westone. The development straddles Southwest 15^th Avenue and Southwest 266^th Street/County Road 337.

Concerns expressed by citizens included increased traffic, school concurrency, need for sidewalks, curbs and gutters, increased drugs and crime as the city expands, vegetative buffering requirements, possible impacts to property values and impacts to wildlife.

Representing property owners Jason, Mary, James, Connie, Paul, Tammy and Lewis Coleman and Austin, Emma and David Mattox, was JBPro’s Director of Civil Engineering Chris Potts.

Potts said development of the property consists of 850 units, which would include 260 townhouses and single-family dwellings plus open space consisting of outdoor recreation and stormwater management facilities.

Potts and City of Newberry Planner Jean-Paul Perez said a traffic study and a wildlife study would both be done. Potts added that a 10-foot vegetative buffer surrounding the property would be installed as well as a crosswalk, sidewalks and other improvements.

In response to concerns that residents in the surrounding area would be required to hook up to water and sewer once the development went in, these residents were assured that would not be the case.

Potts said the property would likely take 15 – 20 years to completely build out so there would not be a sudden influx of people immediately.

Board members voted 3-1 to recommend approval for the land use change and the rezoning to the City Commission with Board member Jessica Baker casting the dissenting vote for both items.

The Board’s approval is a recommendation to the Board of Adjustment and the City Commission, which will consider these items during the Oct. 24 City Commission meeting.

Lakota

In other action, the Board unanimously approved a special exception and a Major Subdivision Preliminary Plat for property in the Agricultural (A) zoning district for a Small-Scale Rural Subdivision known as Lakota. The development is anticipated to contain 15 lots with a density of one dwelling unit per three acres. The minimum lot size is two acres with an average lot size of 2.85 acres.

The 45.53-acre site is located at 17512 S.W. 15^th Avenue, northwest of the intersection of Southwest 15^th Avenue and Southwest 170^th Street.

Concern about emergency vehicle access and turnaround was expressed, but the Board was assured that would be addressed as part of the Construction Plan Review.

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