Heritage Isle / Grand Isle - Pros and Cons (fit in, HOA fees)

[silkfl]

Just an update on the rezoning issue here in Heritage Isle. We had a P&Z hearing today where residents spoke about their opposition to the rezoning in front of the developer, builder and their attorneys. The Board unanimously decided to deny the proposal to rezone part of Heritage Isle to family housing. The final hearing will be in April, when the Commissioner will give a final decision based on this hearing. The people have spoken, and I am so proud to live in a community where neighbors stick together to fight for a common cause.

[jdoty]

Originally Posted by silkfl

Just an update on the rezoning issue here in Heritage Isle. We had a P&Z hearing today where residents spoke about their opposition to the rezoning in front of the developer, builder and their attorneys. The Board unanimously decided to deny the proposal to rezone part of Heritage Isle to family housing. The final hearing will be in April, when the Commissioner will give a final decision based on this hearing. The people have spoken, and I am so proud to live in a community where neighbors stick together to fight for a common cause.

Would you mind sharing what your main concerns were with the rezoning issue? The FT article wasn't particularly clear. Wasn't it going to be completely separated from your neighborhood with a separate entrance and everything so you wouldn't have kids, school buses, etc. driving through your 55+ community? Was the big concern spill-over noise coming from the family neighborhood into your community?

I'm not trying to be confrontational or put you on the spot or anything. FT didn't articulate your point-of-view very well and I'm just curious.

[mommster]

According to the article, they were even going to build a giant wall to separate themselves from children!

[silkfl]

Our main concerns were that this community was sold and marketed to us as a 55 and over adult community. There are many family neighborhoods being built in this area and a lot of new construction. This is the only over 55 community in this area, so it's not as if we were taking the only land left in Viera. The parcel in question is actually within the gate and the proposal was to move our gate back and put the entrance to the new development into the street where our residents enter/exit. It would create a traffic bottleneck and the P&Z Boardmembers noted that fact at the hearing. The builder was going to put up an iron rail fence, NOT a wall, as that was cost prohibitive, however this fence would still be within the community. The most annoying thing about this whole issue, was that the builder/developer never let us know that they were planning to do this, and when the residents found out, they had meetings where we were separated into groups. Then they tried to convince us that this was a good idea, but never explained why they would not continue to build the homes they promised us. In fact, they changed their proposal less than 24 hours before the hearing, and the P&Z board did not have the information and wasn't too pleased. Another neighborhood outside our back gate was also not informed of the plan until the last minute. They are not an age restricted community but they support us and also oppose the rezoning. So this also impacts other communities in our area, not just Heritage Isle. The first newpaper article sensationalized the headline and did not portray the residents concerns correctly.

[lwhalenky]

Can anyone tell me how far of a drive approx. miles and time it takes to get to Cocoa Beach or Sattelite beach? How are the beaches in this area? Thanks.

[jdoty]

Originally Posted by silkfl

Our main concerns were that this community was sold and marketed to us as a 55 and over adult community. There are many family neighborhoods being built in this area and a lot of new construction. This is the only over 55 community in this area, so it's not as if we were taking the only land left in Viera. The parcel in question is actually within the gate and the proposal was to move our gate back and put the entrance to the new development into the street where our residents enter/exit. It would create a traffic bottleneck and the P&Z Boardmembers noted that fact at the hearing. The builder was going to put up an iron rail fence, NOT a wall, as that was cost prohibitive, however this fence would still be within the community. The most annoying thing about this whole issue, was that the builder/developer never let us know that they were planning to do this, and when the residents found out, they had meetings where we were separated into groups. Then they tried to convince us that this was a good idea, but never explained why they would not continue to build the homes they promised us. In fact, they changed their proposal less than 24 hours before the hearing, and the P&Z board did not have the information and wasn't too pleased. Another neighborhood outside our back gate was also not informed of the plan until the last minute. They are not an age restricted community but they support us and also oppose the rezoning. So this also impacts other communities in our area, not just Heritage Isle. The first newpaper article sensationalized the headline and did not portray the residents concerns correctly.

Thanks! That makes more sense. Florida Today definitely didn't explain your position well.

[Sun4Us]

Hello and we're back from our whrilwind trip of viewing 27 homes in the Viera area. Here's my take of Heritage Isle and I'll keep it brief:
Very nice clubhouse and pool area. Didn't seem like the tennis and other the courts were utlized all that much - but it could have been the time of day/week. Homes are kept up very nicely but I didn't care for the zero lot lines. I also don't understand why there are "Villas" - which are multi-family homes - built along side of single family homes. I realize this is not the case in the entire development but was where we were shown. They built the condos in one area, why not do the same with the Villas? We did see the area that is causing all this concern - phase 8 - and the question I have is; it seems that the residents are concerned about "traffic bottleneck" by the back gate. My question is if that area were to be developed the way it was originally planned, 500 homes were to be built, but if it was re-zoned (I know non-55) only 200 homes are planned - why would the decrease in the number of homes cause this traffic bottleneck? Personally HI is too big for us. Having the builder running the HOA at the present time is a concern and also I understand that the clubhouse/pool etc is owed by another corporation. What happens if/when this corporation decides that they want out? They sell it to the residends which could be a pricey situation. All-in-all a very nice area but not what we are looking for. Best of luck with your phase 8 fight. Oh, also we visited Grand Isle - the homes there are nice as well, but they seem to be a little more expensive - not sure why. It is smaller than HI and had a smaller feel (a positive for us). But the average home there also had zero lot lines as well. Looks like if you want a larger lot you have to buy a larger 4/3/2 house - too big for the two of us. We'll keep looking - we still have another year to go before we retire - no rush.

[silkfl]

Hi! Thank you for your impressions of Heritage Isle. We don't know why they built the villas among single family homes either. More units equal more money for the builder, but it would have been nice to keep different home styles together, like the condos. In phase 8, the amount of homes to be built could be up to 500 inc. multifamily (and that number was used as a threat to scare us into rezoning) but was adjusted to 200. If this area is rezoned to family homes, the bottleneck in traffic would happen during commuting times in the morning and evening. Also the school buses and parents wating to drop off/pick up children combined with HI residents entering/exiting the gate could pose a danger since all this would occur in the small area outside the rear gate. We will find out next week what the commissioners decide on the issue. Also, it's difficult to find large lots in communities like this unless you buy a big house. One of the smaller communities we came across was Victoria Gardens in Deland, very nice but the lots weren't that large and it's close to the interstate so you can hear the traffic. If you find a nice place let me know...good luck in your search!

[silkfl]

Update on the rezoning issue: The developer has decided to withdraw the rezoning application the day before the meeting with the Commissioners. Now we have to wait and see what happens next.

[silkfl]

Final update on rezoning issue: The developer sent our community an email telling us that they got the resident's message "loud and clear". They have withdrawn the rezoning application and will build phase 8 as it was originally intended, as 55 and over housing. So we are glad that this issue has been resolved.