Ending a six-month wrangle over the proposed Harborside redevelopment around the Palm Coast marina, the City Council Tuesday in a 3-2 vote surrendered on key demands, overriding some staff recommendations, and approved the addition of 300 apartments and town houses, a project that will remake the character of one of Palm Coast’s original neighborhoods.
Real Estate & Development
Future BJ’s Wholesale Club Raises Traffic Concerns as Palm Coast Mulls Annexation
As it considers annexing the land where a BJ’s Wholesale Club will rise on State Road 100, the Palm Coast City Council is concerned about the amount of additional cars thronging an already busy road, and may condition annexation on the a analysis.
Palm Coast Council Very Conditionally Approves Controversial Harborside Development
The Palm Coast City Council is looking for a compromise on the controversial 17-acre Harborside proposal that would total 432 apartments and housing units, mostly in a massive, U-shaped tower by the Palm Coast Marina. The number includes 72 units in an existing tower.
2022 Ends Home Sales Down Across The Daytona Beach Area
In another year of economic uncertainty marred by an ongoing pandemic, inflation, and 2 major hurricanes, prices continued to climb as home sales fell across the Daytona Beach area in 2022.
New Smyrna Beach Weighs Development Moratorium in Wake of Storms. Shouldn’t All Coastal Florida?
Moratorium: Using this word in Florida is like that scene in “A Christmas Story” where Ralphie says a word that he shouldn’t and gets his mouth washed out with a bar of Lifebuoy soap. But the sense that sprawl is out of control is springing up all over, not just Deltona and New Smyrna Beach.
18 Years in the Works, Commerce Parkway Connection from SR100 to US1 Is Finally a Go
The $15 million two-lane road (utilities included) will connect State Road 100 to U.S. 1 around Bunnell’s east side, with construction expected to start next summer. The County Commission cleared the project on Monday.
Harborside Tower Proposal Postponed as Developer Hints at More Compromise
The Palm Coast City Council this morning agreed to postpone consideration of a controversial rezoning application that would result in the addition of 483 apartments and housing units near Palm Coast Resort’s 72-unit apartment tower.
Devastation on Flagler’s Coastline: Houses and Roadbeds Hanging on Sand Cliffs, Vanished Dunes, Yards Turned Beach
Flagler County generally survived Tropical Storm Nicole well. The coastline did not. Out of sight, it has been devastated even more than by Hurricane Ian, with houses left teetering on cliffs of sand, A1A’s roadbed left defenseless for most of its length, a dune system now entirely vanished the length of the county, and coastal residents left wondering why officials are not reacting. A documentation of the damage in photographs and video.
Developer Planning 750-Home Subdivision, One of Palm Coast’s Largest, at SR100 and Old Kings Road
In what would be one of the largest developments in Palm Coast, a company is applying to build up to 750 upscale single-family homes in a Grand Haven-like gated community over 500 acres stretching from State Road 100 north, parallel to Old Kings Road.
Housing Market in Flagler and Palm Coast Beginning to Feel Sharp Pain of Rising Interest Rates
House prices are falling. So are the number of sales. Houses for sale are staying on the market longer. The supply of houses is rising. If the downward trend continues, the implications will have a pronounced ripple effect on a local economy still substantially dependent on construction and real estate, on demographic projections, and on the timing of school construction planned for later this decade.
Unchambered, Palm Coast Council Appoints 4 to Its Planning Board and Celebrates Planners
Ending an oddly lengthy and competitive process, the Palm Coast City Council today appointed new members and two alternates to its seven-seat Planning and Land Development Regulation Board, the powerful volunteer, advisory panel that oversees land use and often is the final stop for development applications.
Flagler Commission Approves 56-Home Subdivision on Barrier Island Despite Deep Drainage Concerns
The Flagler County Commission late Monday evening approved Scenic Cove, a 56-home subdivision on the barrier island, some 1,000 feet south of Marineland’s town limits. There was sharp opposition to Scenic Cove’s drainage and environmental plan, but after a 70-minute hearing, the commission approved the project, with pointed conditions, 5-0.
Development on Florida’s Barrier Islands Made Ian Evacuation Virtually Impossible
Builders trying to exploit a hot housing market for big profits ran roughshod over common-sense regulations intended to protect the public. Meanwhile, our elected officials went along with whatever the developers wanted. Hurricane Ian did the rest.
Plan for a Massive Apartment Tower at Harborside Draws Opposition, Accusations and Delay
In a meeting that featured a developer’s representatives lashing into the city administration’s planning staff, the Palm Coast planning board late Tuesday night tabled to next month a controversial plan to rezone 18 acres at the Harborside marina. The proposal would make room for a massive 80-foot, U-shaped apartment tower, town houses, and maybe a hotel, that would add 432 apartments and housing units next to Palm Coast Resort’s existing, 72-apartment tower.
416-Unit Apartment Complex on SR100 Near Colbert Ln. Adds to Growth Cluster Totaling 1,320 Units
The Ocean Village development is part of a new cluster of residential developments in the region, when paired with projects on nearby Roberts Road and John Anderson Highway that total 656 apartment units and 664 single family homes.
Head of Local Chamber of Commerce Among 7 Applicants for Palm Coast Planning Board
The Palm Coast City Councill will make three appointments to its seven-member planning board–the city’s most powerful, non-elected advisory board. Seven candidates have applied, including two incumbents, two existing alternate members of the board, and a member of the county planning board, along with the head of the local chamber of commerce.
A Non-Existent Eagle’s Nest in Palm Coast Plantation Leads County to Improvise Risky Rule-Making
A couple wants to build a home in Palm Coast Plantation that would partly violate an existing eagle-protection zone. The Flagler County Planning Board on Tuesday gave it the go-ahead, reasoning that the eagles haven’t been seen in the area for years, and that the protection zone should be scrapped anyway. But that’s not the planning board’s call.
Westward Ho, Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Tells Realtors, with View to Double City’s Footprint
Palm Coast Mayor offered a bullish vision of Palm Coast’s westward expansion past U.S. 1 while speaking to fellow-Realtors at the annual Meet the Mayors event Wednesday, along side County Commissioner Greg Hansen, Bunnell mayor Catherine Robinson, Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston and Beverly beach Mayor Steve Emmett.
The Tragedy of Turning Florida’s Rural Lands Into Urban Sprawl
Lately, it seems Florida’s big-money developers, aided by politicians from the governor on down, have put a target on every rural spot that’s left on the map of Florida. From the Panhandle to the Keys, they want to change everything that’s now slow-paced and softly green to match the cookie-cutter concrete sprawl found everywhere else.
Swords Sheathed, County, Cities and District Resolve Clash Over Developers’ Dues for School Construction
This morning’s meeting of the so-called ILA (or inter-local agreement) Oversight Committee, gathering elected officials from the school district and other local governments, was distinctly more relaxed as a year-long clash over what some developers must pay, and when, to ensure school capacity for new students, was over.
Developments Would Halt in Flagler, Devastating Economy, If County Voids School-Planning Accord
If the Flagler County Commission makes good on bailing from a crucial joint agreement with cities and the school board on school construction on Sept. 1, without a new agreement in place, it would be potentially devastating to the local economy: many local developments would stop. People would be out of work. The local economy would be needlessly jolted. The commission will decide later this month whether to agree to a later deadline enabling a new agreement to be in place by then.
School Board’s Colleen Conklin Rips Into ‘Inappropriate’ Developers’ Involvement in Policy Negotiations
The long-simmering tension between the school district and home builders surfaced today as Conklin addressed it directly, challenging the way developers have sought to influence public policy in the county and on the school board.
Solution in Sight in Months-Long Conflict Over School Construction as Halt to Big Developments Looms
A compromise proposal suggested by School Board member Trevor Tucker may resolve a conflict that has divided Flagler County government and the School Board, along with some of the county’s cities, over how builders and developers are billed for school construction. Absent a resolution, more than a dozen large developments could be brought to a halt.
Matanzas High School Addition Leads $165 Million in Planned School Construction Over Next 5 Years
The Flagler County school district is tentatively projecting to spend $18 million for an expansion of Matanzas High School, $70 million for a new middle school and $77 million for a new high school over the next five years, not including additional millions for ongoing maintenance.
We Need More Homes and Apartments in Palm Coast. A Lot More.
With the median price of a home at $400,000 and fewer than six weeks’ inventory, Palm Coast is in an affordable housing crisis. Existing residents are exacerbating the crisis by opposing developments, opposing smaller-lot homes and opposing apartment complexes. It’s hypocritical and untenable.
Time to Debunk Stereotypes About Mobile Homes, Affordable Housing’s New Face
Over 20 million Americans live in manufactured housing – more than in public housing and federally subsidized rental housing combined. Yet many people, including urban planners and affordable housing researchers, see manufactured housing parks as problems, when they may be part of the solution to housing crises.
Home-Buying Is Beginning to Stall: Blame Fed’s Inflation Fight
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage hit 5.81% in June, the highest level since 2008 and up from less than 3% throughout most of 2021. The rate currently stands at 5.54%. On a $200,000 mortgage, a 5.54% rate translates into over $400 in extra interest costs every month compared with 3%.
Palm Coast Pitches Breakthrough That Could End County Clash with District Over School Construction
The working group of local government staffers struggling to craft a formula requiring developers and builders to pay their fair share had a breakthrough at its last meeting, devising a new formula that could resolve a conflict and prevent the county from reaching the point where a lot of further development could be stopped, because of the absence of a formal agreement.
‘I Don’t Belong Here,’ Eddie Branquinho Says, Storming Out of Council Meeting After Not Getting His Way
Palm Coast City Council member Eddie Branquinho walked out of a workshop meeting this morning and is considering not completing the four months left in his term after fellow-council members refused to go along with his demand that they issue a tendentious two-question survey on apartment and single-family home construction in the city. Branquinho, a staunch opponent of apartment construction, likened current trends to turning Palm Coast into Newark–coded language about race and crime.
1,200-Home Eagle Lakes/Radiance Development Clears County Commission Against Opposition, 3-1
In a victory as major for the developer of future phases of Eagle Lakes as it is a blow to existing residents of Eagle Lakes, the Flagler County Commission this evening cleared the way for a 1,200-home development on 612 acres at the south end of Old Kings Road, a development one commissioner likened to Palm Coast’s Grand Haven, at least by size.
On Palm Drive Near the Future Gardens Development, Flagler Beach Awakens to Stormwater Responsibility
Residents along Palm Drive in Flagler Beach have worried about flooding from the very large future development of The Gardens, now Veranda Bay, nearby, but a city commissioner found that the city has neglected to maintain the stormwater system, which itself would go a long way to mitigating waterflow issues in the future.
Anti-Alabama Slurs Aside, Palm Coast Council Clears 251-Apartment Complex in Town Center
The Palm Coast City Council on a 4-1 vote approved the 251-unit Wilton apartment complex off Brookhaven Drive, but not before Council member Eddie Branquinho repeatedly took on the project’s Alabama-based investors, asking openly whether the council was “on the side of Alabama” or on that of Palm Coast residents.
Rezoning Would Clear the Way for 243 Apartments on Old Kings Road, Against Public Opposition
The Palm Coast Planning Board recommended approval to rezone acreage off Old Kings Road north of Town Center Boulevard for a 243-unit apartment complex. The proposal drew mis-statements by opponents of the project. A cover letter with a 100-name petition opposing falsely claims apartment dwellers do not “contribute anything to a community.”
Tourism Bureau Would Have Paid No More than $727,500 for Visitor Center Land on A1A, But Loses Out
Flagler County’s tourism bureau would have paid the appraised price of $727,500 for a choice parcel at the corner of State Road A1A and South 9th Street in Flagler Beach, listed at $1.5 million, but the parcel is now going to a buyer offering much more, returning the tourism bureau to its hunt for land for a future visitor center.
With Median Rent Now at $1,760 a Month, Tenants Across Florida Are Struggling to Afford Housing Costs
Florida’s rental market has become problematic for many families and workers battling to afford surging rent prices over the past two years, with median rent prices jumping from $1,340 in February 2020 (right before the pandemic) to just over $1,760 in February 2022, a 31.4 percent increase over two years, according to a new report by Florida TaxWatch.
Flagler County Talks Up Affordable Housing Even as Lawmakers Yet Again Raid Dedicated Fund of $100 Million
The Flagler County Commission this morning approved a proclamation and heard a presentation on the county’s affordable housing efforts, coinciding with revelations last week that the Legislature again broke a promise not to raid the state’s 30-year-old affordable housing trust fund and use its money for other purposes, short-changing needs across the state.
In Blow to School District, County Would Allow Unlimited Development Whether Or Not There Are Enough Schools
The Flagler County Commission is considering ending a long-standing smart-growth rule: There would no longer have to be sufficient school capacity for new development to go forward. The plan was unveiled only today, drawing sharp criticism from School Board member Colleen Conklin.
Palm Coast Planning Board Unhappily Approves 418-Home Subdivision on U.S. 1 Despite Quality Concerns
Palm Coast Planning Board members were disappointed with both the presentation of the project and its proposed 40- and 50-foot lots, raising questions of quality. “At some point we’ve got to start looking at some better products,” a board member said. The board approved the subdivision in a 5-1 vote.
No Moratorium Here: Palm Coast Approves Another Dollar General, This One on US1 Near White View
The Palm Coast Planning Board approved the addition of a Dollar General–the seventh such discount box store in Palm Coast–on U.S. 1 just north of White View Parkway, currently considered a food desert. Discount stores have faced criticism for exploiting just such food deserts, but the developer pledges to have fresh produce on sale.
We Bought a Home in the Hammock. Vacation Rentals Are Turning Our Street Into a Commercial Strip.
Angela and David Bailus bought what they thought was their dream home on Hernandez Avenue in the Hammock. Now their short street is a cluster of vacation rentals that has changed the complexion of their residential serenity into a commercial zone.
Flagler Planning Board Rejects 1,200-Home Eagle Lakes Development Over Unresolved Differences
The county and the developer have a 126-home difference on how many homes may be built, traffic questions affecting Old Kings Road remain, and several planning board members felt the Eagle Lakes application was not ready. But the matter now goes before the County Commission, which may vote on the development on April 4.
A 246-Unit Apartment Complex Will Rise on Old Kings Road, With an Eye on the Site’s Historic Value
The historical nature of the old and no longer readily visible Old Kings Road was a matter of discussion Tuesday evening at the Palm Coast City Council as developers presented their plans for a seven-building, 246-unit apartment complex off the new Old Kings Road, just north of State Road 100, paralleling the historic roadbed.
County’s Approval of Flagler Schools’ Impact Fee Increase Again Delayed, and Patience Wears Thin
The Flagler County School District and the county administration share the same building, and the same floor, but interpret construction’s impact on school enrollment very differently, thus causing one further delay that means the district will not see increased revenue from its development impact fees until a year later than it hoped.
Development Opponents Win Minor Procedural Step in Court Fight Over The Gardens
Preserve Flagler Beach and Bulow Creek, the citizens’ group opposing in the main the development of The Gardens, on Friday won a small procedural step in a court appeal that, so far, has been a losing battle against the proposed development of 335 homes along John Anderson Highway south of State Road 100.
Another Self -Storage Facility for Old Kings Road, a Car Wash Near Starbucks and Taco Bell on SR100
The Palm Coast Planning Board cleared the way for the third self-storage facility approved for Old Kings Road in the past four weeks, and a car wash near Aldi and Taco Bell on State Road 100. The self-storage facility was not permitted to have boats and RVs.
In Sharp Retreat from County’s and Builders’ Barrage, School Board Adopts Much Smaller Impact Fee Increase
In inflation-adjusted dollars, the impact fee rate for single family homes the Flagler school board approved Wednesday–$5,450–is not an increase, but merely an adjustment in keeping with inflation. In constant dollars it is the same rate set in 2004. It was a major concession to home builders and the county commission.
Now Called ‘Radiant,’ 1,200-Home Ex-Eagle Lakes Development Fails to Clear Planning Board Just Yet
The development’s name has been changed to Radiance rather than Eagle Lakes, but local residents’ objections to the proposed development’s smaller lots, its density, its variance with the ampler homes and lots proposed for the area a decade and a half ago remain the same, and caused the Flagler County Planning Board to table the proposal for a month.
It’s Raining Rooftops: Palm Coast Council Approves 400 Units in 2 Gated Subdivisions in W and B Sections
The Palm Coast City Council approved 278 attached town homes just north of Belle Terre Elementary and 121 single-family homes in the W Section, both in what will be gated communities, as development in the city continues its torrid pace and the median single family home price reaches $350,000 with still-low supplies of homes for sale.
A City Seeks to Purchase Motels as Affordable Housing Instead of Letting Developers Demolish Them
The mayor of Reno is proposing to buy and rehabilitate motels through the Reno Housing Authority to accommodate low-income residents, moving quietly to buy two shuttered buildings, including one with a history of code violations that is now part of an estate sale.
Why We Are Appealing Flagler Court’s Decision Clearing the Way for Development of The Gardens on John Anderson
John Tanner, the lawyer representing Preserve Flagler Beach and Bulow Creek, the organization opposing the 335-home Gardens development on John Anderson Highway, explains why the organization appealed a circuit judge’s decision clearing the way for the development. The appeal is pending at the Fifth District Court of Appeal.