- May 2, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
The Ormond Beach City Commission denied a land use amendment for a 2.81-acre property near the Trails South Forty subdivision in a 3-2 vote on Tuesday, March 16.
The amendment asked for designation change from “Open Space/Conservation” to “Medium Density Residential,” sought by the property owner, Engineer Realty LLC, to build up to 18 townhome units on the land.
The land, located at 1190 W. Granada Blvd., was previously owned by the Florida Department of Transportation and was meant to be used as a borrow pit, but that never happened.
Before FDOT bought it in 1993, the land use was designated for “Office/Professional.”
Mayor Bill Partington, along with City Commissioners Troy Kent and Susan Persis, voted against the land use change.
Kent said this project would make an impact on the nearby neighbors, who will have to live with however many units the property owner would build, a figure that was unknown, but would likely be less than 18 units.
“If I was in your shoes, and you were in mine, I would sure hope you had someone like me thinking the same way and saying, ‘Absolutely not tonight,’” Kent said.
“I don’t see anything wrong with leaving something ‘Open Space/Conservation.’ We don’t have a whole lot of greenspace left in that area, and it’s just concerning to me why we would need to build something right there.”
Susan Persis, Ormond Beach City Commissioner
City Commissioners Dwight Selby and Rob Littleton were the only ones to vote yes. Littleton said it was a “tough” decision, as the property was located in his zone. He said he supported the land use change, but would have been very strict once the development order came before the commission at a later date.
“I think the development of that property, done the right way, can be a gem in Ormond Beach and still keep the adjacent property owners happy,” Littleton said.
Persis disagreed. She said she didn’t feel it was the best place for more development.
“I think it looks beautiful the way it is,” she said. “...I don’t know why people feel we have to build on every leftover greenspace that we have in Ormond Beach.”
The City Commission unanimously decided at its meeting on Tuesday, March 16, against operating the Riverbend Golf Course as a municipal course.
A review of New Smyrna Beach and Port Orange’s golf courses found that the cities operated their facilities in 2019 at a loss of $163,000 and $304,000, respectively.
The commission directed staff to determine potential future uses, and to limit ground maintenance to the main building and entrance areas, at a tune of $777 a month.
The city of Ormond Beach is conducting a survey asking residents about their use of Cassen Park, and ways it can be improved, according to a Facebook post.
The feedback will be used to shape the redesign plans of the park. Want to take it? Visit http://ow.ly/S10050DZ5uY
Ormond Beach resident Periat Florentin, 42, was killed in a motorcycle crash on Monday, March 15, in the 300 block of Airport Road.
Three days earlier, 21-year-old Paige Donedgan, of New Jersey, died in a crash involving two motorcycles in the southbound lanes of North Yonge Street and Hernandez Avenue after she was ejected from one of the motorcycles.
