BY TRACY LEE TATE
Times Staff Writer
LAKE BUTLER — A number of Lake Butler residents are deeply concerned about the future plans the city may have for the larger part of the land making up the current wastewater spray field. Social media has allowed some to turn the matter into tempest in a teapot, with misunderstanding and lack of information being the main cause.
According to City Manager Dale Walker, the new waste water treatment plant will require the use of only a fraction of the large property, the exact acreage needed yet to be determined as the design phase of the project progresses. It may be as much as five years before the field will no longer be needed by the current wastewater treatment system. At this point the city commission is simply exploring possible uses the land might be good for, so it hired a consultant to look at the land and tell them the options on possible use. Because the large tract of land presents few possibilities for use by the city and the maintenance of the land would be cost prohibitive, the city is planning on selling the land and wants to know how to market the land and what changes will need to be made in the land development regulations (LDRs) and zoning to control what it can be used for.
The city paid CHW to look at the land and give their opinion on what uses the land was suitable for. Gerry Dedenbach attended the Oct. 18, 2022 meeting of the Lake Butler City Commission with his report on possible uses the land might be used for by a buyer. He presented three possible options, all of which would require a second entrance to the property to allow adequate access for fire, rescue, law enforcement and other services.
The first concept presented was for a buyer to create a residential area. He outlined a four-phase plan that could create a development of up to 500 units of residential housing, including a common recreation area. The second concept presented would be for a clean industrial area, with such businesses as tile and flooring or woodworking. The third concept is a hybrid of the two, with some residential area and some clean industrial.
The commission paid $3,000 for the study and felt that they were meeting their requirement for due diligence by doing so.
“The commissioners wanted to know the best possible uses for which the land could be marketed,” Walker said. “The city is not a developer and therefore cannot implement any of these uses itself but can still control the development through regulations. Anyone buying the land would be aware of what they could and could not do with it, including things like residential density allowable and what type of industry would be appropriate. The city now knows what possibilities it is willing to allow and what changes will be necessary in the LDRs and zoning regulations to make sure that the land cannot be used in any other way. The use to which the land is to be put can be included as part of any sales agreement. We just wanted to use the services of a specialist in land use to make sure we had all the information we need to proceed.”
Walker was emphatic that the housing density suggested by the study would not be allowed in the city. There will not be 500 houses built on the property, with the density being controlled by law. When the city is ready to put the land on the market, with any restrictions and new regulations in place, it will have a much better idea of how and where to list the land for sale. The sale will place funds in the city coffers, increase city ad valorem tax revenue and, if a buyer should choose to create an industrial area, create jobs for local workers and stimulate the economy.
“As always, the city commission is looking forward in time to see what will be best for the city in the future,” Walker said. “To plan for the future they must have the information at hand to make the best possible decisions and that is what has been done with this study. The board can now make informed decisions about the property and they know what changes will need to be made in the LDRs and zoning to see that the land use falls into line with the character of the city.”
