The Truth About Willow Creek

By Linda McKinney

If you listen to all of the negatives you hear about the Willow Creek subdivision and the commercial development going on in front of it, you will believe that their goal is to eat us alive. According to the PSJHOA, the development on Grissom Parkway will not only cost us a bundle (not Titusville, not the developer), but it will slow us down with twenty-six (26) new traffic signals! The development will bring hoards of children to our schools to overrun them and take control. The development will block traffic and make our lives totally miserable! Run for the hills, it’s coming!

 The truth, however, tells us a different story.

The Willow Creek development on Grissom has a binding site development plan that is set at 1,277 lots. That’s binding, folks, as in no matter what other changes happen, the highest number of lots that can go in there is 1,277. Nothing more. As the plan is currently set, there are 1,221 lots, but this may change to fewer lots (or more) depending on the permitting process and what the thirteen (13) agencies involved say about the plans. This number may change and other things may change. It all depends on the agencies and what they say about the plans.

The development will be very nice. Lots range in size from 50 feet wide to 100 feet wide; townhouses and average houses to “estate” houses; some of which will have children living there, some will not. There will be underground utilities inside the housing area, but not in the commercial area. There are 308 acres being preserved as is (47% of the land) and there will be parks throughout the development, with recreation areas for swimming, tennis and other activities. There will be sidewalks that meander through the development and allow the residents to get to the commercial area without going out onto Grissom.

The commercial area has a total of eighteen (18) driveways coming onto Grissom in 7,000 linear feet (in PSJ, we have 150 driveways for the same linear feet). There will be one (1) new traffic signal on Grissom for this development and that is being funded by the developer, as are all Grissom improvements for the project. But there will not be four lanes on Grissom in that area until a traffic impact study by the State says that it must be done.

Sweet water (water that is drinkable) was found on the east side of the land, a surprise to the developers. That water has been tested and it is potable, so the developer is in talks with the City of Titusville for that water to be used by Titusville residents.

There will be a north connection from the residential development onto Shepherd so that will cut down on traffic on Grissom, and there will be access for the residents to be able to get to the west side shops from the back. This allows them to go to the shops without going onto Grissom, cutting back even more on traffic. So Grissom won’t be as badly impacted as the PSJHOA may have you believing.

The truth is that this development is being done with consideration for their neighbors to the south in mind, as well as the environment and aesthetics. And families as well as retirees or executives without children will live there. This will be a nice community with a potential to bring in people for you to make new friends with, join your church, play in the Little League with your kids and have new friends for your kids. The higher end houses may mean that the residents of that area own their own businesses and can bring more employment to the area (as will the commercial area). You or your teenage child could have a boss move in there. The potential for good far outweighs the potential for bad in this development.

Don’t be afraid of this development. Don’t let the local doomsayers make you hate what you don’t know. Ask questions of other sources; look at the plans that are on file with the City of Titusville. Check out the whole thing; it’s all public record. Do some research for yourself and find out that there is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, you may get a future wonderful daughter-in-law out of the deal, or a future friend for life. Why be afraid when you could have real joy from what the development could bring you?