Santa Rosa Zoning Board nixes one woman's dream to build a sports complex in remote Allentown
Kevin Costner's "Field of Dreams" character never had to deal with a county zoning board.
Jana Williamson, an Allentown resident, saw her concept of 'If I build it the kids will come' shot down Thursday by Santa Rosa County's Zoning Board, whose members wanted more than the imprecise plans for a sports complex they were presented.
"I'm very concerned," Board Member Alan Isaacson said, "with a conceptual plan that was shown to us with just squiggly lines on a thing. I'm not saying she doesn't have a heart for this, I'm just saying I don't have a plan before me that's thought out."
Williamson, who professed to have been born and raised in the rural farming community of Allentown, came before the board looking for approval to use 24 acres of agricultural land off State Road 89 for a park.
Her touching tale of need included children having to use a cow field to practice sports and of a cheer squad training next to a pig pen. Restroom facilities, she told the board, consist of a porta potty, and parents use the lights of their cars to illuminate the playing areas when darkness falls.
"This community does not have a park. There is no park within a 10- to 15-mile radius our kids could go to to do recreational sports," she said. "I decided I would build a park."
Williamson spoke of the pride of place inherent in Allentown's youth ? "We're not Pace, we're not Jay, we're Allentown ? and said she and her husband were reaching into their own pocketbooks for seed money to create the park. They'd eventually turn to recreational fees, she said, to fund operations, add lighting and baseball and softball fields.
The sports complex drawn into the conceptual plan, she said, would eventually house a basketball court or courts. She said plans for the structure were added to her conceptual drawing so she wouldn't have to come back before the board when she was ready to build.
A handful of people attended the Zoning Board meeting to speak on Williamson's behalf, including 9-year-old Leah Sutton, who adorably rebuked county staff for stalling Williamson's plans.
"That field we practice on is a cow pasture. It has a lot of holes. When we go tumbling and practice our stunts, we can get hurt," she said. "It's dangerous on that field."
Several others were in attendance to express their objections to Williamson's proposal. Residents who would be living within earshot of the proposed park expressed worries about noise and lighting and how both could impact their laid back way of life.
"People move out to this area for the country life," said Rene Harrison, whose property is adjacent to the 24 acres Williamson is leasing. "We didn't buy our property thinking something like this would be allowed."
There were also concerns expressed about the traffic a sports facility would bring, worries raised about wayward softballs or baseballs damaging farming equipment, kids spooking livestock and security within the park. One person said a sporting injury could prove catastrophic in a location so remote.
Still more wanted to protest Williamson's business plan, or lack thereof.
Julie McGowan pointed out that the conceptual plan for the park is just two sentences long, calling for "a football" and ancillary uses. She said she believes the word "field" was purposely omitted from the plan document.
"Well, good news, we have a football on the property," McGowan told the board, her voice dripping sarcasm and emphasizing the word football. "It has been fully constructed, field goals, yard lines painted, the grass is there. These kids could play tomorrow on this field. She has not waited for design of this, or engineering, or anything. She has just plunked it down in the middle of this property."
McGowan also emphasized that the sign Williamson had posted in January advertising "Extreme Athletic Sports Complex" had been illegally erected and that Williamson had ignored code enforcement calls to remove it.
She stressed that Williamson had not provided descriptions of the size of the building she would put on the property or what "ancillary uses" might include.
"She had the opportunity to explain all of this to you guys," she told the board. "She wrote two sentences."
Another neighbor, Mike Ward, said if granted the conditional use zoning she was seeking, Williamson could legally open the property to things like a rifle range, archery field or recreational vehicle park.
Following the lengthy debate, board members agreed that the simple drawing Williamson had provided, and the cryptic description of her plan, did not pass muster.
They did, however, applaud the applicant's desire to do something to enhance her community and, in denying her request, encouraged her to spend the time and money necessary to put together a concise plan to present to them in the future.
"Right now this is just a concept, something of a dream. I feel like this is a really big project. I think it should be thought out a little bit more, something more than a plan drawn with a pen," said member Gage Holland. "I have some experience with sports complexes, those are extremely expensive. If that's something you're going to embark on, a business plan would be well worth it."
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Santa Rosa Zoning Board nixes bold sports complex plans for remote Allentown