Franklin County Commissioners rejected a land swap with the city of Apalachicola on Tuesday after some city residents expressed concerns about the deal.
Franklin County had planned to swap a number of lots it owns in the city limits for a portion of Washington Square where Weems Memorial Hospital is located.
The deal would also have required that both the city and the county donate two usable lots each to the Franklin County land trust to use for affordable housing.
County Administrator Alan Pierce said the swap was needed if the county ever hopes to build a new hospital at Washington Square because the USDA won’t provide construction funds unless the county can prove it owns the whole lot.
There were two major concerns raised about the plan.
One resident expressed concerns about the types of homes that might be built on the donated lots which might not meet the requirements of Apalachicola’s historic district even though the county said it hasn’t even decided which lots it would donate yet.
The other concern was that if the swap went through that Washington Square would never revert back to the green space it was intended to be when the city was laid out in 1834 which would have a strong affect on the city’s historic standing.
County commissioners said the issues need to be worked through by the City of Apalachicola before the land swap can move forward and asked that the county attorney bring the concerns to Apalachicola’s City Commission before the issue is brought back to the county level.
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