Nocatee's Town Center Revealed

[samiam]

Is Oakleaf considered a failure. I saw an article a while back that the development was not doing very well. but if you wanted a cookie cutter house on the cheap it was a good place to buy. I see Nocatee going the same way.

[samiam]

I use to live off HW 210 and saw first hand the clear cutting for Nocatee. I drove from 95 to PV and had to watch out for deer and wild pig in the morning as to not hit them. Well that habitat is long gone now.   

[buckethead]

The habitat is smaller, but far from gone. Had the Sierra club not delayed the start of the project with litigation, thousands more houses would likely have been built. More subdivisions would have been cut from the forests. It is still to come. The original plan was to includ 11,000 residences, IIRC.

[copperfiend]

Is Oakleaf considered a failure. I saw an article a while back that the development was not doing very well. but if you wanted a cookie cutter house on the cheap it was a good place to buy. I see Nocatee going the same way.

The first phases of Oakleaf seem to be doing reasonably well. But the newer developments on the other side of Branan Field Road looks half built. Seems to be an issue all over this area. There are alot of half built neighborhoods everywhere.

[samiam]

People just don't understand the negative environment impact this kind of development causes. It seems they are being told it a green walkable community for the sake of the developers but it far from the truth. I have seen the damage done first hand.
The greenest house is a house already built

[floridaforester]

People just don't understand the negative environment impact this kind of development causes. It seems they are being told it a green walkable community for the sake of the developers but it far from the truth. I have seen the damage done first hand.
The greenest house is a house already built

Couldn't agree with you more.  Not only did this entire development violate what the State of Florida's comprehensive plan is supposed to accomplish, but it set a terrible precedent by changing land use of active, productive agricultural lands to a "new town" designation.  Sure it was sold as "green" to the consumers that would like to claim to be "environmentally aware" but really wouldn't ever take the time or energy to understand  sustainability or environmental impact.  Look at how the developers of Oakleaf took The Nature Conservancy's logo (which has been in place for over 50 years) and turned it approx. 20 degrees and called it their own.  Not enough for TNC to claim dilution of brand, but subliminally effective to appeal to some consumers.

[samiam]

It seem that the reality of what is truly good for the environment is being ignored in exchange for money in the pockets of the developers. People want that warm and fuzzy feeling about helping the environment. but they don't do the research. They are told they are buying into a "green community" and they get there warm an fuzzy feeling with out checking out what the true cost to the environment was.

[north miami]

People just don't understand the negative environment impact this kind of development causes. It seems they are being told it a green walkable community for the sake of the developers but it far from the truth. I have seen the damage done first hand.
The greenest house is a house already built

Couldn't agree with you more.  Not only did this entire development violate what the State of Florida's comprehensive plan is supposed to accomplish, but it set a terrible precedent by changing land use of active, productive agricultural lands to a "new town" designation.  Sure it was sold as "green" to the consumers that would like to claim to be "environmentally aware" but really wouldn't ever take the time or energy to understand  sustainability or environmental impact.  Look at how the developers of Oakleaf took The Nature Conservancy's logo (which has been in place for over 50 years) and turned it approx. 20 degrees and called it their own.  Not enough for TNC to claim dilution of brand, but subliminally effective to appeal to some consumers.

Speaking of Oakleaf..........Oakleaf sits in part on former Trust For Public Lands option parcel- the defunct Gulfstream Land Development lands.So the Trust had a hand on the wheel for a time-the Trust was considered an entity to deal with regarding Brannon/Chaffee.The 1900 acre parcel seemed destined for the Game & Fish Commission Regional Mitigation Park-but the Park stalled at about 600 acres....and influential local persons were able to wrestle the TPL lands away.The stae was assured the property was a "hunt club' (the "Farm").Game & Fish local officer Skip Truby (now deceased) played a critical role in garnering support for what would become the Jennings Stae Forest- the GFC Mitigation Park blunder burned his ass. But even the TPL aspect is hardly the most provocative episode.
The largely untold story of how the fairly remote regional water recharge area to the west of Orange Park,amidst broad wetland belts became "Oakleaf" is a telling testimony.

[north miami]

The sellers of the lands that would become Oakleaf then bought a parcel in St.Johns county.....same anticipated fate.

[samiam]

So a developer buys land that is set aside for nature preserves and rapes them for profit

[north miami]

So a developer buys land that is set aside for nature preserves and rapes them for profit

No the land was not set aside as preserve.It could have been,but was not.

[north miami]

Couldn't agree with you more.  Not only did this entire development violate what the State of Florida's comprehensive plan is supposed to accomplish, but it set a terrible precedent by changing land use of active, productive agricultural lands to a "new town" designation. 


Here is an interesting aspect worthy of research and profile:

The legal challenge by Sierra and Florida Wildlife Federation....was the citizen's County Future Land Use Map (FLUM) an element?? Yes-or no-or maybe??
And the involvement and stamp of approval by Thousand Friends of Florida.
How was Thousand Friends joined at the hip with FWF and otherwise in charge?

[samiam]

where both of these development built on former Trust For Public Lands option parcels

[jandar]

People just don't understand the negative environment impact this kind of development causes. It seems they are being told it a green walkable community for the sake of the developers but it far from the truth. I have seen the damage done first hand.
The greenest house is a house already built

Couldn't agree with you more.  Not only did this entire development violate what the State of Florida's comprehensive plan is supposed to accomplish, but it set a terrible precedent by changing land use of active, productive agricultural lands to a "new town" designation.  Sure it was sold as "green" to the consumers that would like to claim to be "environmentally aware" but really wouldn't ever take the time or energy to understand  sustainability or environmental impact.  Look at how the developers of Oakleaf took The Nature Conservancy's logo (which has been in place for over 50 years) and turned it approx. 20 degrees and called it their own.  Not enough for TNC to claim dilution of brand, but subliminally effective to appeal to some consumers.

Oakleaf was built on a tree farm and former bombing range for Cecil Field. Not much was natural about that area in the past 80 years anyway.

[Dog Walker]

During our last real estate bubble collapse, in the early '70's, there was a huge development underway in Cape Coral.  All of the roads and canals were in for miles, but there was little or no building there for years.  Driving through Knockatree reminds me of that.

The abandoned road in the development began to be used as landing strips by light planes flying in loads of cocaine and marijuana from Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Listen for engine noises out there!