Dozens oppose large DR Horton subdivision near a Coast high school. Here’s why.
Dozens of area residents showed up to a Harrison County Zoning Commission meeting last week to oppose an 870-lot subdivision planned on 332 acres.
After hearing arguments for and against the proposal, Harrison County Zoning Administration approved the developer’s application for a new conditional use permit for the DR Horton subdivision, which will be known as Patriot Ridge.
Steve Simpson, a Gulfport attorney representing more than 30 residents opposed to the development, said his clients planned to appeal the approval decision to the county Board of Supervisors, which will then be required to hold a hearing on the issue.
In total, about 50 people showed up to oppose the new subdivision project, located at Three Rivers Road and Mississippi 67 near St. Patrick Catholic High School and right off the highway.
Residents’ objections were primarily based on the density of the proposed subdivision. Some worry their property values will be diminished by proximity to such a large development in what they call a rural area.
A previous plan for the subdivision was approved by the zoning administration in August, but that proposal involved a smaller number of lots with ha minimum width of 80 feet, Simpson told the Sun Herald.
In the plan’s current iteration, Simpson said, 338 of the single-family-zoned lots have 60-foot fronts, raising neighbors’ concerns about the density of the development, which Simpson estimated would bring around 3,500 new residents to the area.
Earlier in the same meeting, Simpson said, the commission had considered but not yet voted on a proposal to amend the zoning code to disallow 60-foot lots.
Bobby Heinrich, who designed both proposals, said he was presenting the new plan for approval after the developers had found a new home builder, Texas-based DR Horton, and subsequently changed their plans for the development. The modifications to the plan required the developers to apply for a new conditional use permit, which was the purpose of last week’s hearing.
Heinrich said the subdivision is planned to include commercial development and amenities for residents including splash pads, nature trails, and a small man-made lake with piers to be built on the property.
Residents worry the subdivision would increase the traffic burden in the area, nothing that there are already frequent accidents in front of St. Patrick.
DR Horton, which builds subdivisions across the Mississippi Coast, is embroiled in a Louisiana lawsuit that claims newly-built homes are suffering damage because they aren’t constructed to withstand southern humidity.
This story was originally published June 23, 2022 at 11:54 AM.