EDITORIAL: Rybolt Park development threatens Econ River

Mar 10, 2010 — The Orlando Sentinel

Mar. 10, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Consultants pushing the 5,000-home Rybolt Park development near the region's prized Econlockhatchee River say they expect a "favorable" decision on its future today from the Orange County Commission.

How can that be?

Four of the commission's seven members have come out against Rybolt Park, which, by the way, also would offer up more than 1 million square feet of commercial and retail space. They're not wavering, are they?

Rybolt could threaten the river, which the state and county have noted needs special protection because of its ecological significance and the stresses earlier development nearby have placed upon it.

Approving Rybolt also could hasten the steamrolling of what's left of east Orange's rural character. That's because the Rybolt property -- now ranchland east of the Econ, outside the county's urban boundary -- can't be developed as planned unless commissioners change Orange's long-range blueprint. If that happens, watch other developers get in line.

To his credit, Mayor Rich Crotty has signaled he wants to keep the commission from that temptation. Mr. Crotty said trying to develop east of the Econ "is not a good idea on my watch." And in January, he said it was time to take a breather from encouraging major new projects in east Orange.

No wonder. A January report in the Sentinel showed that elected officials already approved construction of nearly 100,000 new residential units that have yet to be built -- almost as many residences as the city of Orlando has today. Another 68 million feet of office and commercial space have been approved but not built.

Mr. Crotty rightly got the commission to abandon its earlier support for Innovation Way East, which would deposit 10,000 homes on 4,600 acres east of Orlando.

But consultants pushing Rybolt say UCF needs the homes their project would provide. Especially if the region doesn't want people working at UCF to have to long commutes.

And that's why they say a major bridge across the Econ that would get residents from Rybolt to UCF in five minutes is essential.

But Commissioner Bill Segal, a developer whose campaign for county mayor is getting tens of thousands of dollars from other developers, doesn't think Rybolt and its bridge are essential. He noted "there is no imminent demand" for the project.

Rybolt's consultants say Florida Audubon supports developing the property. That's true, to an extent. Audubon often works with developers who promise to preserve much of their land while developing the rest. And Rybolt is either conserving or leaving as open space about 65 percent of its 1,400 acres. But Audubon also worries about the bridge and wants traffic on it limited to shuttle buses, forcing cars to take a different route. That, it says, would limit sprawl.

Commissioner Linda Stewart, running for mayor, is closer to the mark when says the Rybolt development is in "the wrong place." Commissioner Mildred Fernandez, also running for mayor, has signaled her opposition. Monday evening, Ms. Fernandez announced she would vote against the project today. Good.

Not every commissioner is running for mayor. But they too, can determine whether Rybolt gets what it wants. Scott Boyd, the commission's newest member, said one of his priorities is stemming urban encroachment into some parts of the county that want to remain pastoral.

Here's a chance for Mr. Boyd and his colleagues to show where they really stand on growth.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0151-42741977