The Leon County Commission is changing its plan for extending Dempsey Mayo Road across Miccosukee Road into the Welaunee development. The move comes amid concerns from residents about the impact of construction.
About 50 people came to the county commission meeting Tuesday, looking to protect the Miccosukee Greenway from surrounding development. Four easements are under discussion – places where the public has a right to cross land owned by someone else. They stand to alter the landscape of the 6.6-mile linear park at Dempsey Mayo Road, Edenfield Road, Arundell Way, and the Shamrock South extension. The four easements are recorded in the property deed and reserve the right of way to serve future development that has been planned for decades.
Artie White, the director of Planning, Land Management, and Community Enhancement at the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency, presented the staff report to commissioners.
“A couple of things that are NOT required -- or not feasible: preventing the roadway crossings," White said. "If there’s a way to say, ‘Let’s not build a road at all…’ But those existing access easements provide legal entitlements for those roadway crossings. And again, those predated the creation of the greenway.”
Rob Lombardo, one of the leaders of the Friends of the Miccosukee Greenway, had hoped commissioners would appoint a work group before pushing Dempsey Mayo through to Welaunee. He pointed to the growth of standing water on the greenway near the Welaunee development.
“They have completely ignored the fact that there is massive development about to happen in the next ten years," said Lombardo. "And the development has already started. You have seen the flooding. This was all planned by the same people that just gave you that presentation. We have hydrology problems that have never been fixed, and this is what we’re talking about. The citizens keep complaining, we keep being told that it’s being taken care of, and it’s not.”
Commissioner Brian Welch agreed that the easements have been in place since before the greenway existed -- meaning that development couldn’t be halted. And he offered a compromise, including the following in instructions to White and the planning staff:
“…that we minimize the lane widths to 10 feet, which has been requested…that we lower the speed limit to 25 miles an hour…that we allow for an equestrian push-button signal at whatever intersections that we designate for crossing, that’s elevated so if you’re on a horse, you can hit the button…”
The final item in Welch’s proposal was that instead of a flashing beacon, there would be a button that people can press to stop traffic and cross the road. His overall proposal was seconded by David O’Keefe.
Commissioners voted 6-1 in favor, with Commissioner Bill Proctor the only dissenting vote.
