Almost since it opened several years ago, Bronx House Pizza in the Hammock has been the victim of its success: its popularity has grown in proportion to neighborhood parking headaches as rights-of-way became de-facto parking zones.
On Tuesday, Bronx House Pizza goes before Flagler County’s Planning Board, seeking approval of an overflow parking lot it would build south of the restaurant, but not contiguous to it, on four lots totaling 20,000 square feet south of 17th Road.
The proposal is drawing sharp opposition from the Scenic A1A Committee, which is among the principal stakeholders in regulatory discussions about developments in the Hammock. The restaurant is in the Scenic Overlay zone that triggers regulatory restrictions to preserve the Hammock’s unique character and what’s left of its canopy.
The restaurant’s owner bought the four lots at the end of May from a West Virginia car wash company in May, for $430,000. The owner is Michael Goodman, co-owner of Captain’s BBQ at Bings Landing, not far from Bronx House. Goodman happens to be a member of the Planning Board. He will, of course, recuse himself from voting, though maybe not from crowing that he is sparing the Hammock the suds and foams of a car wash.
That’s not what A1A and Hammock advocates are focused on.
The planning board approved a special exception for the restaurant in 2016. Among other elements, the approval ratified maximum capacity for 160 people, with a quarter of that capacity as outdoor seating as long as it was not visible from the road. No commercial access was allowed off 17th Road to the north. The parking area could be leavened with crushed stone, gravel or shell.
The additional parking lot would be for valet parking only, not for in-and-out access to restaurant patrons. “With the exception of valet attendants moving to and from the restaurant and parking area there will be no pedestrian activity generated from the proposed use,” Bronx House told county regulators. The restaurant is represented by Jay Livingston, the land-use attorney. “Vehicles will enter the restaurant parking lot before being moved to the valet parking area by a valet attendant. Valet attendants will be equipped with safety vests or other reflective clothing to ensure their safety when moving back and forth from the restaurant and the valet parking lot.”
Livingston underscores that the new parking area is not designed to expand the restaurant’s seating capacity, nor will it sprout signs, as “we do not want to attract the general public and patrons of the restaurant to park in the lot.” The area will not be lit. It will be buffered from A1A and nearby Sanchez Avenue.
But Livingston, citing discussions with Adam Mengel, the county’s planning director, said he was not required to provide parking space numbers or dimensions to the county, at least not for that overflow-valet area. And since no one but valet attendants may access the area, “a depiction of internal vehicular circulation is unnecessary,” he wrote the county. The valet area would operate between 5 and 9 p.m.
The Scenic A1A Pride Committee is not as glib about it. “We realize that a solution is needed, but the root cause is that the seating was doubled at Bronx House without a commensurate increase in parking,” Committee Chair Dennis Clark wrote in a summary of the committee’s analysis to the county. According to the restaurant’s original application, the planning board approved it for 750 square feet of seating area and up to 54 seats. The larger seating area was to be subject to adequate off-street parking. “If the seating is reduced to the approved 750 square feet until the sewer is available, the problem can be solved by adding parking spaces to the area where the septic field is vacated.”
To the Scenic committee, the valet area will create safety hazards, with traffic in and out of already-speedy A1A (it’s a 50 mph zone where traffic generally flies at higher speeds), it will “set a bad precedent for the Scenic Corridor Overlay,” and not least, a stand-alone parking lot is not a permitted use in the overlay: a parking zone must be contiguous to the business using it. The proposed lots are not.
Takeout customers, who account for more than 50 back-and-forth trips a day in 25 vehicles on weekends, according to a Scenic committee estimate, will not want valet parking, and a driveway into the valet zone, approved by the Florida Department of Transportation, will be required.
The proposal goes before the Flagler County Planning Board as part of an agenda heavy with other, unrelated items, starting at 6 p.m. at the Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Bunnell.
Vince says
I live off A1A in the hammock and that restaurant is a mess. It is to busy and that’s the big issue. Good for the owners but not anyone else. For me just to go to Publix from my house I have to watch out for people driving across the road (A1A) or people running across the road or people backing up on A1A. It’s an absolute mess and there’s accents because of it.
Nicholas Klufas says
The current County Commission and newly elected officials should disclose campaign contributions from Michael Goodman. My opponent took 3K in contributions. Leann Pennington also received contributions in the prior election. Michael Goodman uses a few shell companies, such as “Monkey Man LLC”. Surely those won’t play a role in this :.
Nicholas Klufas says
Don’t take my word for it, here are the other shell companies all registered back to Goodman.
https://shorturl.at/F1sXG
Honkey-Tonk Woman LLC
13 Capri Ct
Palm Coast, FL 32137
$1,000.00
Gimme Shelter LLC
13 Capri Ct
Palm Coast, FL 32137
$1,000.00
Chris Herrera
12 Armand Beach Dr
Palm Coast, Fl 32137
$1,000.00
Laurel says
Ah, deja vu! The Captain strikes again in the Hammock! Bronx Pizza is a chain, a very un-old Florida, maritime hammock style chain, which the Hammock was trying to avoid, but alas here it is. The chain does not have the party like atmosphere, being used here, as the Bronx Pizza restaurant on Highway 100 shows us, but this particular restaurant is diverging with outside bands and lighting in a residential area, which was not the original plan, and not common for the Bronx Pizza chain.
However, the issue here is parking, and this proposed plan has many flaws.
Recent history showed both Bronx Pizza and Bartlett’s, across from each other, on the corner of 17th Road and A1A, were allowing cars to park illegally, perpendicular in the FDOT right of way. One of the issues with that was, the cars were blocking the vision of drivers trying to enter A1A. Signs were put in place, which were mysteriously removed, and then replaced again. Cars started parking, legally, parallel to A1A, which is fine except they parked all the way to the 17th Road stop sign, again blocking the view of people trying to enter A1A.
On 17th Road, a county road, as it is now, cars are parking illegally, perpendicularly in the right of way. The 17th Road right of way is 50′ wide. The average, legal parking space length is 18′, and the average width of a rural, two way road is 20′ to 22′, depending on the speed limit, which leaves the two lane portion of the road down to an illegal 14′ wide when these cars park across from each other, which they do daily. Bronx Pizza’s delivery car parks at an angle in the road, coming and going. Some cars stick out into 17th Road further than the aforementioned 18′. Waste Pro sanitation trucks must service Bronx Pizza on 17th Road. Semi tractor trailer delivery trucks now pull in the FDOT right of way in front of both Bartlett’s and Bronx Pizza. Sanchez, the next road west, cannot handle any of this.
Now, Bronx Pizza wants to use the A1A right of way to pick up and drop off patrons. Bronx Pizza wants to use the FDOT right of way swale for private use, and private gain. This area is where the the swale is supposed to be, in front of both Bronx Pizza and Bartlett’s, preventing storm runoff from A1A to private properties to the west, which is a responsibility of FDOT, and both restaurants. This proposed congestion also opens up the liability, not only to Bronx Pizza, Bartlett’s, but to Flagler County, should they approve this, and to FDOT as well.
The valet cars will be pulling out, by the 17th Road stop sign, not being able to pick the normal speed on A1A, between the Bronx Pizza properties on both sides of 17th. This will impede the vision of drivers, and adding confusion to the drivers, on both roads, with the valet drivers driving back and forth on A1A, and valet runners running back and forth over 17th Road. In order to pull off A1A onto 17th Road, you must do it rather quickly, and with runners, and additional traffic in the way, it will be a major safety hazard.
As it is now, it has become very dangerous trying to make the left turn, off A1A onto 17th Road, as cars behind the turner drive around the turning car via the Publix right turn lane. Hopefully, the drivers behind the driver going around the turning car, will see the turner in time to stop. All this is in the same, exact area discussed, adding to the confusion and safety to all involved.
This whole situation is becoming a cluster problem, and will become worse with the valet. The question is, will the Captain’s BBQ owner, who is on the Planning Board, the Board which knows better, get his way again? Will Bronx Pizza get the parking lot, get the valet, and over time, change things? Remove a tree here; add pavement there? Another takeover in the Hammock at the residents’ expense? More time in court?
The Hammock Scenic A1A Pride group has a very good resolution about waiting for the sewer, which will be brought right to Bronx Pizza, ala county residents, and allow the restaurant to build a bigger parking lot right on site, no valet required This is an excellent solution. The Planning Board should understand this, and do right by the residents, and keep our streets safe.
Doug says
Not only do customers pay more for a pizza at the Hammock Bronx Pizza compared to the Bronx store on SR100 ($2 more), now they want customers to have their cars valet parked? Are they going to charge for this service or expect tips to whatever company they hire? More money, more money, more money. When does it end?
Oh Please says
And you went and asked him for money. Even took him for a ride in your Tesla. He didn’t give you any. Wonder why? For years you took money from developed rubber stamped everything you could in Palm Coast. People know that Nick. That’s why you didn’t get elected again. Stop the sour grapes.
Nicholas Klufas says
Too afraid to use your real name? Very telling..
For the record, I never asked ANY of the owners of Bings / Bronx Pizza / County Private Partners for campaign contributions.
What I gather from your comment is that you’re okay with Commissioners taking money from the County’s private/public lease holders, literally right in front of your eyes.