- April 26, 2024
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Dear Editor:
Mayor Bill Partington’s letter in the Observer regarding ideas to address traffic concerns states, “I am acutely aware of the importance of community engagement and collaboration.”
I know that many residents have been engaged and collaborating in opposition to a proposed development of 300 homes on the golf course in the middle of Tomoka Oaks development.
There is a very short road leading out of the Tomoka Oaks development called Tomoka Oaks Boulevard. If homes are built in the middle of the Tomoka Oaks development, traffic will increase and affect the surrounding four developments (The Trails, Talaquah, Escondido Condos and Tomoka Oaks North Condos).
When Tomoka Oaks was built 60 years ago, the quiet roads were not built for 300 more homes, but we are to believe that this short road measuring 450 feet leading out of Tomoka Oaks will handle approximately 600 more cars.
Escondido Condos’ residents also exit onto this short road to travel the short distance to get to Nova Road. They will be hard-pressed to work their way onto the road if residential development is allowed in the middle of Tomoka Oaks.
Residents in Tomoka Oaks North Condos and Talaquah will find it more difficult to directly pull out onto Nova.
The Trails will have many more cars coming through their development that do not want to wait in line on a 450-foot road to get onto Nova. The Trails has peaceful winding roads that were not meant for additional traffic.
The mayor speaks of finding “ways to implement innovative traffic management technologies.”
Who needs experts? Anyone living in one of the five developments that will be affected by 2,774 additional daily car trips can tell you. The quality of life, depreciation of properties, threat to the species of animals living on the land, challenge for emergency vehicles to enter and exit Tomoka Oaks and Escondido Condos, burden on hospitals and impact on the Tomoka River — which is currently on the impaired water list — are only a handful of reasons why this proposed residential development in the middle of a development is a preposterous and unviable idea.
Darla Widnall
Ormond Beach
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