Two years ago, when the 4-acre commercial parcel across from Bulldog Drive was still all woods and hopes, accusations were flying between Palm Coast and the county. The city was threatening to sue. The county commission took a vote that amounted to a “sue-us” dare.
The developer, who was hoping to turn the property into a shopping mall called Airport Commons, was getting fed up and thinking of dropping the whole project, according to the property owner–who at the time happened to be Jay Gardner, the county property appraiser and constitutional officer.
The acreage sits on county land, an appendage to the county airport that’s long been a county enclave in Palm Coast. But to be functional the shopping center needed utility services–water and sewer from Palm Coast. Palm Coast wasn’t keen on extending services without annexing the property, and at the time, annexation was off the table. The city also had issues about what the shopping center was going to look like and whether it would fit, architecturally, with municipal standards.
The rift turned into another King Kong v. Godzilla battle between then-City Manager Jim Landon and then County Administrator Craig Coffey.
Just months later, Landon had been fired, and his interim replacement, Beau Falgout, was already smoothing things over with the county as the two sides worked out an agreement that eliminated obstacles and cleared the way for construction of the 26,000-square-foot strip, which faces the new Wawa on the other side of State Road 100.
In May 2019, Airport Commons bought the property from Flagler Pines Properties (Gardner’s land-holding company), for $800,000. Ten months later, Gardner sold another 15 acres just south of Airport Commons to the county for just $250,000. Gardner still owns 39 acres east of Airport Commons, and another 30 acres east of that.
Airport Commons is owned by Martin Heise of Boca Raton, according to the state Department of Corporations. After taking ownership of the land, he moved for a voluntary annexation into Palm Coast.
“When we were coordinating the pre-annexation agreement with this specific owner,” said Jose Papa, a senior planner in Palm Coast’s community development department, “he’s very compliant on trying to comply with as many of our land development code regulations as possible. As a matter of fact, they went to the county to get a variance so they could comply with our standards.”
Last Tuesday, the Palm Coast City Council signed off on annexation with a unanimous vote.
“This is one example of us working thru complicated issues with our utility water service area,” Mayor Milissa Holland said, “because it wasn’t easy in the beginning.”
“It wasn’t, but at the end there was a lot of cooperation,” City Attorney Bill Reischmann said, “not just from the county but also from the project developer as well. So I think a lot of the issues were accomplished.”
Under state law, a property that depends on a municipality’s water and sewer service may be annexed into that municipality, even without its consent. In this case, the county originally argued that a water-service agreement in place supplanted the city’s annexation authority, and the agreement worked out initially would have provided for just such an arrangement. The annexation makes all that moot–and adds to Palm Coast’s property tax base.
Airport Commons remains under construction, though it’s close to being done. The parcel’s 2019 taxable value was $43,000. Its 2020 taxable value is $644,000, yielding close to $10,000 in total property tax revenue, half of it to the county. That’s before annexation. With annexation, Airport Commons will see an additional line item in its tax bill for Palm Coast, which next year will amount to just over $3,000.
“The annexation cannot come into effect until after they’ve received a certificate of occupancy for the building,” Papa said. “At this point their agents feel they’ll receive a CO at the end of this month, September.” So far, the only known, likely business to take up shop in the center is a Planet Fitness franchise.
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Stretchem says
Planet Fitness, Firehouse Subs, Tropical Smoothie, Nail Salon so far.
C'mon man says
i think its a smoothie king and not a tropical smoothi.
Carssie says
Why couldn’t it have been a planet don’t we already have a smoothie place just five min up the road I would like to see something’s for the children ! This is all crazy that we going to have empty buildings all over
Jimbo99 says
Really not that complicated. County land wanting Palm Coast water/utilities, that’s part of the building/development. So they either pay that in full or finance it. Even annexed & there still is going to be an assessment. There’s an airport that has water & sewage running to it. Restaurant there as well, how tough would it be for lines to run to the shopping development ? This is a money matter, revenue from taxation. City of Palm Coast isn’t providing for something that wasn’t budgeted for. So guess what, county wants city amenities, they pay for them, just like the rest of the City residents within city limits.
“This is one example of us working thru complicated issues with our utility water service area,” Mayor Milissa Holland said, “because it wasn’t easy in the beginning.”
palmcoaster says
Finally who is providing water and sewer county or city? Because county does not have the proper infrastructure to do so. Over half of the Commons tax revenue to the county for what..? Maybe to continue frivolous purchases of useless real estate other than paying the sheriff the services that we should receive for the taxes we pay to the county? We city residents continue paying to this county over double the taxes we pay our city that gives us 70 % or more of our services. Maybe we should annex not only the Airport Commons but the whole county, starting with that airport and their nuisance pilot schools creating danger and pollution over our residential areas other than practicing west of Rte 1 over the unincorporated lands. We do not have an Executive airport we have a nuisance airport.
Steve Vanne says
So u have only one renter so far to take up shop there. I guess if u build it they will come. Maybe…
Nan says
Never needed this plaza, just a waste! Soon all the land will be developed here. What a mess that will bring!! This used to be such a great nice area, but not any more.
Wardo says
My wife and I drove less than 2 miles east of Rt.1 15 years ago and knew that fast we had to be here. Compared to Baltimore suburbs this was paradise. I am starting to think with the way buildings are stacked on top of each other while useless empty space outside of this still very amazing town sits unused it won’t be many years before we look for our new paradise. We just do not need buildings 6 feet apart from one end of Palm Cost Pkwy to the other. Sad is the single word that comes to mind. Sorry to be long winded but my love for this town when I arrived was hard to put into words. Now that same thing can be said for my frustration.
C'mon man says
Just the beginning. eventually almost all the land will be developed on.
Gary R says
I concur with Nan. Area is too crowed as it is.
Sue D says
I agree!! This town is getting so built up it’s incredible and horrible!! We don’t need all this congestion and with the high school drivers around there- bound to be an accident. We already have tropical smoothie…they should have youth groups or a library or something!! But not that!! Geez!! Stop building!!!