- May 11, 2024
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The next phase of the Radiance community, formerly called Eagle Lakes, has won the Flagler County planning board's support.
"Spread over 611 acres, it's less units per acre than most of the other developments, if not all of them, in the region."
— MICHAEL CHIUMENTO, attorney
The Radiance/Eagle Lakes community spans the gap between Interstate 95 and Old Kings Road in southern Flagler County.
The board voted in favor of amending the Future Land Use Map designation for 202 acres expected to become part of the Radiance development from Agriculture and Timberlands to Residential: Low Density/Single Family while also limiting development to the number of units expected to generate a maximum of 7,500 annual average daily vehicle trips.
The changes would cap the community at about 1,200 homes, rather than the approximately 1,800 that developer Kolter Land Partners would otherwise be able to build under the new Future Land Use Map designation.
Density would be about 1.94 units per acre.
"I understand that 1,200 units is a lot, and it feels like a lot," attorney Michael Chiumento said, representing the developer at the meeting. "But when it's spread over 611 acres, it's less units per acre than most of the other developments, if not all of them, in the region."
"Don't misunderstand us: We are not opposed to development. We are opposed to 1,200 units on this land."
— SALLEE ARNOFF, resident, Sugar Mill Plantation
The Planning Board had, in March, voted against a rezoning required for the development after Kolter and the county had disagreed about how many homes could be built on the southern parcel: The developer believed its entitlement under a 2005 Future Land Use Map amendment allowed for 760 new homes in addition to the 111 existing homes already there, while county's staff interpreted the 2005 amendment as allowing only 634 new homes in addition to the existing 111.
Flagler County staff's opinion had also differed with Volusia County staff's regarding how much traffic that development would generate, and planning board members had expressed concern about the proposed development's density.
That led the county's planning department to try a new approach.
"The approach setting the cap at trips versus dwelling units is because of the substantial public comment received as part of the (planned unit development) review related to increased vehicle trips on Old Kings Road," a county staff document states. "Placing a limit on trips — whether annual average daily trips or p.m. peak hour ... is measurable, and can mitigate the 'what-if' argument when an age restriction is removed from a development."
At the June 14 meeting, community members opposed the changes, saying that the new community would bring too much traffic or that the development would be too dense for the area.
"Don't misunderstand us: We are not opposed to development," said Sallee Arnoff, a resident of Sugar Mill Plantation. "We are opposed to 1,200 units on this land."
The Flagler County Planning and Development Board voted 5-1, with board member Michael Boyd dissenting, to approve the Future Land Use Map amendment, which will make the 202-acre parcel's FLUM designation consistent with the existing Eagle Lakes land to its south.
The County Commission is expected to vote on the Radiance development on July 11.
