Regatta Bay condo proposal irks residents

DESTIN — A proposed change to the master plan for Regatta Bay has many residents there upset that new condominiums could be built.

Legendary Inc., the developer of Regatta Bay, has submitted the proposal to Okaloosa County officials.

The wooded area on the south side of Sailmaker Lane is now zoned for 64 single-family homes. If the planned unit development is amended, Legendary has preliminary plans for 12 buildings ranging from two stories to eight stories tall that would house a total of 458 condos.

“When we bought our lot here, we were told that land would stay single-family residential,” said Yogi D’Orazio, who has lived on Sailmaker Lane since 2004. “If we ever decide to sell, nobody is going to want to buy a house with condos next to it.”

Two public hearings have been scheduled to discuss the change. The county’s Planning Commission is scheduled to address it at 5 p.m. May 8 at Niceville City Hall. A second public hearing before the County Commission is scheduled for 9 a.m. May 20 at the Water and Sewer Administration building on Lewis Turner Boulevard.

D’Orazio and his neighbors have spoken to many residents in Regatta Bay and plan to start a petition to take to next week’s Planning Commission meeting.

Tom Patton, development manager at Legendary, said the company was aware of residents’ concerns. He plans to ask county officials for a continuance to give his company more time to work with homeowners at Regatta Bay and County Commissioner James Campbell.

“We definitely need to see what we can do to bring everyone together,” Patton said.

In addition to possibly lowering property values, Roger Wallis is concerned about increased traffic from the condos and possible flooding in his neighborhood if Legendary removes two retention ponds as illustrated in plans.

“We’re basically paving over paradise and putting in as much density as (Legendary Chairman Peter Bos) can get away with without putting in a skyscraper, which he knows he can’t get approved,” Wallis said.