🚫 Denied: Walton County’s special magistrate ruled against the proposed Sunliner Diner on 30A in Blue Mountain Beach.
🚗 Community Concerns: Locals and the Blue Water Landing HOA cited traffic, safety, and neighborhood impact as key reasons for opposition.
⚖️ Next Steps: The Board of County Commissioners will review the ruling, while the diner’s legal team explores appeal options.
You heard it first on Mid Bay News: the Sunliner Diner proposed for 30A won’t move forward into development after a special magistrate’s hearing.
The owner of the Sunliner Diner—a 50s eatery (located in Pigeon Forge, TN, and Gulf Shores, AL) — has had his sights set on expanding the ‘chain’s’ presence to the west end of 30A in Blue Mountain Beach. Over the last six months, the applicant’s legal team (including planning consultants and architects) appeared before the Walton County Planning Department and the Technical Reviews Committee (TRC), and then before the Quasi-Judicial Magistrate in Freeport in September. It has been a very bumpy ride for the developer from the start.
RELATED: Commission Votes No On Sunliner Diner – But the Project Ain’t Dead Yet
Judge Suzanne Van Dyk, Special Magistrate contracted by Walton County, presided over the hearing, indicating that the ruling on the Sunliner Diner, which was to be located on 30A at Jetty Rd, would be denied. A new subdivision, Blue Water Landing, that would be directly impacted by the Sunliner Diner and would share the restaurant’s entrance, sought its own legal counsel for the magistrate hearing. The Blue Water Landing Home Owners Association (HOA) was literally “up in arms” about the impact the proposed 10,086-square-foot establishment would have on them, especially on their ‘small community,’ and expressed safety concerns for bicycle and e-bike riders and pedestrians. On several occasions, the public shared concerns regarding how impossible it would be to make safe turns onto 30A (left or right from Jetty Road) due to limited sight distance in either direction. These concerns were repeatedly shared with the County Planning Department and, finally, with the special magistrate.
Among other concerns for the HOA and residents from surrounding neighborhoods was the impact on the “small neighborhood” (zoning)—especially given the anticipated impacts the restaurant would have, with standard hours of operation 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (7 days per week) and continuous outdoor music.
Furthermore, there were complaints about the design, single-use (one very large business), heavy traffic, and inadequate ingress and egress at Jetty Road, which would serve as the only entrance/exit for a restaurant designed to serve 200 customers at a time, three times per day. Parking was also discussed, and the applicant’s architectural rendering showed only 71 total parking spaces for the restaurant. Concerns were expressed about the 30A overflow parking.
Mid Bay News spoke with Stephen Tatum, attorney for the applicant (Sunliner Diner), and he stated that Judge Van Dyk had indeed issued a ruling on the proposed diner. Tatum said, “The judge ruled ‘not in favor’ [of the Sunliner Diner] and made an order to recommend denial.”
When asked about next steps, Tatum indicated that the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) will be given the judge’s ruling and discuss it among themselves. He added that the order from the special magistrate will be placed on the “consent agenda” and will not be part of the regular agenda unless the BCC votes to move it to the regular meeting (a date yet to be determined).
When asked about the next steps for the proposed Sunliner Diner, Tatum said his team and the applicant are currently “looking at legal options” to overturn the latest decision.
The final step in the county process is for the BCC to give “consent” to the decision made by Judge Van Dyk.
At this point, it looks like the “50s Diner” will not be cruisin’ on 30A.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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