Lee County neighbors push back against Corkscrew Road development

Lee County leaders and neighbors are weighing the age-old conflict between development and conservation as the county moves forward with a project at the east end of Corkscrew Road.

The plan is to use 6,000 acres of property along Corkscrew to build new homes. That land is currently being used for agriculture, but 10,000 housing units could be moving in, and the area is already seeing lots of development. The move was approved back in June after previous plans for a limestone rock mine were denied.

After the denial, the property owner, Corkscrew Grove Limited Partnership, filed multiple lawsuits against Lee County. County officials say this is all related to the Bert Harris Act, which lets private landowners look for relief when government laws or regulations affect their property. Neighbors are now fighting back, filing a motion that says they’re concerned about their safety and the danger of their rural community being overdeveloped.

Patti Duncan is one of the people unhappy about this project.

“When you add 20,000 automobiles down there, you’re talking real issues, and that Corkscrew corridor is already… it’s built out so much,” Duncan said. “And the county is now having to build streets, add red lights, add turn lanes.”

Besides traffic concerns, some of the objections from people living along Corkscrew Road stem from the effects the development may have on the area’s natural resources.

“Once you plop a city down in our water, future water… our water is not getting any better, and, with developments like this, it’s going to only get worse,” Duncan said. “I want to protect these water resources for our future generations.”

Lee County officials say they believe the new homes will actually help prevent flooding in the area. They held a public hearing on Wednesday, but nothing was decided.