EGLIN BRAC SHOWS OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

PANHANDLE GROWTH, What are we to do?



BRAC study shows opportunities and challenges for the Emerald Coast (DOCUMENT)
Kari C. Barlow
2010-02-07 12:35:06
The areas most suitable for development from the influx of Base Realignment and Closure Commission changes are Fort Walton Beach, Valparaiso/Niceville, Crestview, Navarre and Mossy Head, according to a plan released last week.
The Tri-County Growth Management Plan outlines the impact of the growth anticipated from the relocation of the Army 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from Fort Bragg, N.C., to the Crestview area and the development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Integrated Training Center at Eglin Air Force Base.
A 39-page executive summary of the plan, which focuses on Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties, is available at local libraries and online at www.tri-countybrac.com.
“It’s a good tool,” said Okaloosa County Administrator Jim Curry. “It’s a road map for our strengths and weaknesses. It’s been really good having all three counties and our municipal partners … and everyone at the table on this.”
The six areas identified as most suitable for growth have the most potential to support new development, said Jeff Fanto, Okaloosa County’s growth project coordinator.
“But that doesn’t mean these troops won’t be looking to live in Destin or Mary Esther,” he said.
The report looks at which areas can best accommodate development, types of land use, public safety and jobs.
One challenge takes priority in Okaloosa.
“It’s transportation, transportation, transportation,” Curry said. “Where we’re really challenged is getting the infrastructure that we need into place.”
The military relocations are expected to bring an additional 4,184 households to Okaloosa by 2015. Most of those people — an estimated 2,941 — are expected to live in Crestview and the area north of Eglin Air Force Base, according to the plan.
“The (State Road) 85 corridor is a major concern, and it needs to have some major attention paid to it,” Fanto said. “It’s already a heavily traveled road.”
U.S. Highway 98 near Hurlburt Field, State Road 189 and State Road 123 also are concerns.
Santa Rosa County is expected to see an additional 141 households because of the BRAC changes. Most of the newcomers are expected to live in Navarre and Milton
Their vehicle trips will be felt largely on U.S. 98 in Navarre and on U.S. Highway 90, which runs through Pace and Milton.
Okaloosa County Commission Chairman Wayne Harris said the growth detailed in the tri-county plan is something of a mixed bag.
“The positive is we’re going to get a lot more folks in here … and that’s going to drive the economy significantly with houses and jobs,” he said. “The downside is they’re going to impact our infrastructure — our schools, our hospitals.”
The other area where each county could see major changes is in jobs, Fanto said.
“The Army Special Forces, they are a unique group,” he said. “What you get with that are families who come with those military members who bring unique skills. That’s a multiplier many people don’t think about.”
The Joint Strike Fighter program also likely will increase the number of defense contractors in the area, bringing “highwage jobs with job security and benefits,” Fanto added.
According to the growth plan, realignment activities are expected to create a little more than 10,000 jobs in the region by 2015. Roughly 1,155 of those jobs will be in the professional and technical services sector (the largest impact), with another 883 in construction and 587 in healthcare and social assistance.
The BRAC changes should energize the local housing market, which has been sluggish.
“This could help spur home construction,” Fanto said. “It could be one of the factors that pulls us out of where we are right now and starts us on the path to real economic growth.”