PETITION IN OPPOSITION TO REZONING of 1800 Turtle Mound Rd

To:
Brevard County Planning & Zoning Board
Brevard County Board of County Commissioners

Re: 1800 Turtle Mound Road, Melbourne, Florida
Proposed Rezoning: RR-1 to RU-1-11

PETITION STATEMENT

We, the undersigned, hereby oppose any rezoning of the parcel located at 1800 Turtle Mound Road, Brevard County, Florida (the "Parcel"), from its current RR-1 (Rural Residential, one dwelling unit per acre) classification to any residential zoning classification permitting greater density than one (1) dwelling unit per acre.

This opposition applies to the pending application currently designated Case No. 26Z00034, any predecessor or successor application, any amended or substituted application (including any classification substituted at hearing without proper notice), and any future re-filed application by Defender Homes or any successor-in-interest, regardless of case number, that seeks to increase residential density on the Parcel above the current RR-1 baseline of one (1) dwelling unit per acre.

Our grounds for opposition include, without limitation: incompatibility with the established rural-residential character of the surrounding neighborhood; increased traffic burden on Turtle Mound Road and surrounding roadways; adverse impacts to drainage and stormwater capacity; and inconsistency with the density and use patterns established by adjoining RR-1 properties.

We believe the proposed rezoning from Rural Residential (RR-1) to RU-1-11 (Single Family home on 7,500 square foot lots) is inconsistent with the existing character of the Lake Washington area and raises significant concerns regarding:

1. Neighborhood Compatibility

• The majority of adjacent homes on Carolwood Drive are two to five-acre single-family homes.
• The adjacent Carolwood Estates community is zoned RR-1 and consists of single-family detached homes on 1+ acre sites.
• The adjacent single-family homes on White Road are zoned RR-1.
• The adjacent single-family homes on Tranquility Drive are zoned RR-1.
• Most single-family homes in the Lake Washington community are zoned RR-1 if not AU.
• The adjacent Fox Bay community is zoned EU-2 and consists of single-family detached homes.
• On a 14.38-acre tract (about 626,393 square feet), the theoretical maximum number of lots based purely on lot area would be: 626,393 sq ft ÷ 7,500 sq ft/lot ≈ 83 lots.
• A typical RU-1-11 plan might include 55-70 homes which is still far out of character with the nature of a majority of the community.

2. Lack of Binding Development Commitments

The applicant has stated an intent to build single-family attached or detached residences; however, those representations are not legally binding.

3. Traffic and Infrastructure Concerns

• No comprehensive traffic impact study has been presented to demonstrate that Turtle Mound Road and surrounding intersections can safely accommodate the proposed density.
• Turtle Mound Rd is a two-lane road (one single lane in each direction) and many of the roads shoulders suffer erosion into the canal system due to increased passenger and truck traffic and vehicle weight.
• City of Melbourne Police Department and Brevard County Fire Rescue data shows growing numbers of vehicle accidents and incidents (some fatal) at the Aurora/Turtle Mound and Lake Washington/Turtle Mound intersections.
• Utility capacity for water and sewer service has not been verified by the City of Melbourne for this zoning.

The City of Melbourne opposed the prior rezoning application 26Z00008 for RU-2-6 zoning citing lack of infrastructure and insufficient capacity to handle any higher density than RR-1.

4. Environmental and Floodplain Concerns

County staff have identified significant wetland and floodplain constraints affecting the property.
The majority of the site lies within a FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area.
Questions remain regarding stormwater management, compensatory storage requirements, and potential impacts on neighboring properties.

5. Premature Approval

Important studies and analyses have not yet been completed, including:
Wetland delineation, Floodplain impact analysis, Surface water flow analysis, Utility capacity verification, Traffic impact study and Environmental Resource Permit feasibility review.

PETITION REQUEST

Therefore, we respectfully request that Brevard County:
☐ DENY from its current RR-1 (Rural Residential, one dwelling unit per acre) classification to any residential zoning classification permitting greater density than one (1) dwelling unit per acre.
☐ Uphold the RR-1 residential character of the Lake Washington area.

By signing below, I oppose any rezoning of this Parcel to a classification exceeding one (1) dwelling unit per acre, under this case number or any future case number.