Battle lines in unusual places

This is sure to get me in trouble, but what the heck.

Forever and ever, there’s been a yinyang about zoning battles. The lines are easily drawn. Developers and business interests on one side. Residents and homeowner groups on the other.

That’s the way it’s always been. It’s oh so rare to see the community itself divide, with one side of the street pro-developer and the other side anti-developer.

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That, apparently, is what is taking place in Pine Ridge with James Dicks and DIX Development’s plans for the former Pine Ridge Golf Course.

Some say Dicks is dividing the community. Don’t know about that, but the community is divided. Whether it’s 50-50 or 90-10, I don’t know. Something is off kilter.

I’m going to stay out of the weeds on this as much as possible. I don’t live in Pine Ridge and this isn’t my battle. I’ve heard from numerous Pine Ridgers on both sides of the debate and I understand their positions.

This started off simple and predictable. Dicks bought the closed golf course and wanted to turn it into a gated 85-home community. The County Commission unanimously turned it down in January 2024; Dicks is now back with a modified plan: Pine Ridge Reserve, 80 houses, not gated.

All those yard signs — “Save Pine Ridge” — are in answer to Dicks’ plan. He’s not looking for a zoning change for homesites, he needs the county to change the Pine Ridge master plan, which is like zoning but much more personal. People buy homes based on a development’s master plan because it’s considered solid.

(Mike note: As a reader pointed out, the above is not entirely accurate. Along with a master plan change, Dicks also seeks a change in the land atlas map from golf course to homes.)

The Save Pine Ridge crowd, mainly through the Pine Ridge POA, sees fundamental danger in any change in the master plan to allow more homes. I can certainly understand that. A developer gets his little toe in the door and it’s goodnight Irene.

It looked like round two of the same thing. Dicks wanted homes on the golf course; the community doesn’t. End of story.

Except. Dicks has other interests in Pine Ridge. He’d like to get the community’s support to increase the density from one-acre lots in these other areas.

Dicks is a practical fellow. Sit and talk to the guy and it’s a fascinating tutorial on how he expects to have opposition to his developments, and he plans for it financially.

From what I gathered, Dicks reached out to the Pine Ridge POA with an offer: $1 million for its support of the Pine Ridge projects. He also offered to sell the golf course to the POA for $1.8 million. (Mike note: Dicks paid $850,000 for the property, not $1.8 million as I initially wrote.)

Let me stop right there. It is unprecedented for a developer to offer a community money to stay on the sidelines. That’s essentially what happened here. I had never heard of such a thing. Buying support?

The POA countered with a joint venture whereby the Pine Ridge Property Owners Association would be business partners with Dicks and enjoy some of the profits in Pine Ridge. Dicks has indicated no interest in a business arrangement with the Pine Ridge POA.

Meanwhile, ANOTHER group of folks who aren’t happy with the POA’s direction has begun a group called Pine Ridge United, and they’re in conflict with Save Pine Ridge. These folks say the POA is out of control, and they see no problem with taking a defunct golf course and putting a quality development there instead.

Dicks will have a town hall meeting from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 16 at the Pine Ridge Community Center to explain his projects. Pine Ridge Reserve goes to the County Commission on Aug. 26.

Frankly, all this makes my head spin. I don’t know how commissioners are supposed to sort through it.

A lot of stuff is coming Pine Ridge’s way these days. It's spilling into the political arena as well. Pine Ridge carries a formidable community voice, one that commissioners looking for a successful political future can't ignore.

I’m watching all this with fascination. How will it play out?

That’s our Monday. Enjoy it, friends.

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