“Losing wetland capacity, forested tree canopy, and pervious surfaces for water retention on nearly 48 acres will impact the entire area and the current rural residents who may need to evacuate during major storm events,” Rinaman argued in a letter to CouncilmanFerraro shares concerns about the project, telling zoning committee members the development is “not going to be helpful to the rest of the city” as Jacksonville keeps growing.
Harden has argued that concerns about flooding are overblown, saying drainage in Terrapin Creek will be engineered to contain stormwater in drainage ponds. Other homes in the area were built individually, without a master plan for controlling drainage. “If this [legislation] ends up going through, y’all have ruined the preserve,” she said before the zoning committee endorsed the project.
“Some trees that are 40 feet tall burned all the way up to the top” during fires set last summer, said Mark Middlebrook, executive director of theFoundation officials voiced concerns that the development’s plans may not leave enough open space for fire crews to operate between the new homes and burns thatMiddlebrook said his group isn’t formally opposing the development because too little is known to say for sure that there’s an excessive risk.