This evening’s State of the City Address by Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin highlights the challenges the city experienced in 2022, such as the hurricanes, celebrates various accomplishments and looks to 2023 with eyes on a westward expansion. as provided by the city. Here’s the full prepared text.
Development
Palm Coast development, construction, sprawl and other real estate-related issues.
Palm Coast Council Surrenders Key Demands in 3-2 Approval of Controversial Harborside Development
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.
Jersey Mike’s Opens at Palm Coast’s Island Walk, Near Brass Tap, on Wednesday
Jersey Mike’s Subs will open its first location in Palm Coast or Flagler County on Wednesday at Island Walk, where it’ll be sandwiched between Brass Tap and Tropical Cafe on one side and Metro Diner on the other.
Wawa Will Rise in Place of Paul Katz Building on Palm Coast Parkway and Florida Park Drive
A second Wawa is coming to Palm Coast. It’ll be built in place of the Paul Katz Professional Building at 1 Florida Park Drive South, on Palm Coast Parkway, next year. The three-level, 35,000-square-foot Katz office building, one of the oldest and more architecturally eye-catching structures in the city will be demolished.
Palm Coast Sees Potential Sports Complex in Undeveloped Land West of U.S. 1 as Catalyst to Development
Palm Coast government will spend $113,000 to study the market potential for a sports and recreation complex, possibly in the undeveloped portion of Palm Coast, north and west of U.S. 1. It would be more than just another Indian Trails Sports Complex, adding to the mix of local opportunities and regional or state tournament bookings.
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.
Building Plans for BJ’s Wholesale Club, Gas Station and Several Stores on SR100 Clear County Board
It’s almost all over but the permitting before Palm Coast’s BJ’s Wholesale Club, a big gas station and a half dozen satellite stores begin going up on a 31.5-acre site of State Road 100, just west of Seminole Woods Boulevard.
Goodwill Opens Larger Palm Coast Store, Expecting $35,000 in Business Per Week
Goodwill’s 16,000 square foot store on Palm Coast Parkway is about 5,000 square feet larger than the previous location. It employs 28 people, is expected to cater to 280 to 300 customers a day and generate $35,000 in sales per week.
Stark Numbers on Palm Coast’s Unaffordable Housing Crisis Emerge Behind a Routine Presentation
A housing report Palm Coast government is required to submit to federal authorities every five years, presented to the City Council today, opens an alarming window into the city’s most dire housing needs and stresses for middle and lower-income residents.
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.
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.”
95-Home Subdivision in R-Section Draws Concerns Over Smaller Lot Sizes, But Council Approves
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday voted 4-0 to approve a gated subdivision of 95 homes, most on 6,000-square foot lots, on Ryan Drive in Palm Coast’s R-Section, against objections by residents that the development is built of smaller lots, would generate more traffic and could impact children’s safety at a bus stop.
Palm Coast’s Belle Terre Park and Frieda Zamba Pool Need ‘Total Rebuild,’ But Council Is Wary of Another Expansion
Palm Coast with Belle Terre Park and its Frieda Zamba Pool is in the same boat as the school district with its nearby Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club: both facilities are on their last legs and need millions in repairs or construction, but the two agencies have yet to discuss cooperation. On Tuesday, Palm Coast council members were taken aback by the extent of the needs at Belle Terre Park.
Senior Planner Bill Hoover Retires After Seven and a Half Years in Palm Coast Government
Bill Hoover has been a planner in the State of Florida for over 33 years. He worked for Hillsborough and Collier Counties and for Butler Engineering, Inc. in Ft. Meyers prior to opening his own business in Naples, FL. He and his wife, Charlene, discovered Palm Coast in 2014.
Confirmed: BJ’s Wholesale Club Is Lined Up for Palm Coast on SR 100 Near County Airport
In a deal close to completion, BJ’s Wholesale Club will build a 103,000 square foot store on SR100, with two restaurants, a gas station, a tire store and a few other businesses. Jay Gardner, the Flagler County property appraiser, who owns the land, confirmed the development on Friday, as did regulatory documents before the county planning division.
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.
Residents of Hidden Lakes and Toscana Appeal Palm Coast Approvals of 2 Self-Storage Lots on Old Kings
A group of Palm Coast residents in the Toscana and Hidden Lakes subdivisions off Old Kings Road have filed an appeal of a decision by the Palm Coast Planning Board clearing the way for a self-storage facility on Old Kings Road. The same group is preparing to file a civil suit in circuit court seeking to quash decisions by the planning board and the Palm Coast City Council clearing the way for both that facility and another like it nearby.
Sewer Pipe Is Damaged in Palm Coast’s L-Section, Causing Spill
A sewer line failure on Laramie Drive east of Lake Success Drive caused a wastewater spill on Tuesday, resulting from damage to a pipe possibly due to construction in the area. The spill is contained. The damage is expected to be repaired by the end of the day Wednesday.
Flagler Health+ Completes 70-Acre Buy at Palm Coast Parkway for Eventual Hospital, Challenging AdventHealth
The purchase was not unexpected. It has had the acreage under contract since August. The purchase is part of its ongoing efforts to challenge AdventHealth’s supremacy in Flagler, a supremacy AdventHealth is defending just as aggressively: the hospital system is building its second hospital in Palm Coast, a 100-bed facility, almost within sight of the Flagler Health + acreage.
Palm Coast’s R-Section Getting 1st Large-Scale Apartment Complex, a 216-Unit Plan Near Rymfire Elementary
The Palm Coast Planning Board recommended approval of a development plan for a 216-unit apartment complex at the southwest end of the R Section. It is to be called Red Mill Pointe, and would become the first large-scale apartment complex of the R-Section. The second tract zoned for it, in the central-west portion of the R Section, is yet undeveloped.
1st Single-Family Home Subdivision in Town Center Will Bring 208 Homes Near Imagine School, Along Royal Palms
The city council cleared The Gables at Town Center, a 208-home subdivision on 125 acres that stretch from Imagine School at Town center west and north, along Royal Palmas Parkway. Construction has begun. It will eventually look like any typical subdivision in the city.
Expect Delays and Detours Over Next 10 Nights as Paving Coats Widened Old Kings Road at Palm Coast Parkway
Traffic frustrations around the construction zone at Old Kings Road and Palm Coast Parkway are about to ramp up for a few nights before they get better as the widening project, already weeks past its completion date, enters its final, paving phase. The $6.5 million project was due to be substantially completed by Sept. 22. The completion date is now Oct. 22.
In Swap Deal With Developer of 450 Homes, Citation Boulevard Will Extend to Seminole Woods, Saving Cost of New Firehouse
Plans are being laid out to stretch Citation Boulevard from Belle Terre Boulevard all the way to Seminole Woods Boulevard, creating one of those rare east-west thru-ways in Palm Coast, and possibly saving the city the need to build a firehouse, at least in the longer run.
Royal Palms Parkway Reopens as Palm Coast City Crew Labors 12 Hours a Day to Complete Storm Pipe Repairs
Royal Palms Parkway, one of Palm Coast’s few east-west thruways, is again open to traffic after a two-week closure from Belle Terre Parkway to Rickebracker Drive when a storm pipe collapse that made the road unsafe to drive. The road reopened well ahead of expectations: A crew leader had projected a reopening by the end of next week. But the in-house city crew got the work done in less than five days, for about $56,000.
The Story Behind the Pipe Failure on Royal Palms Pkwy: What Went Wrong, How It’ll be Fixed, What to Expect
The pipe failure beneath Royal Palms Parkway that closed the busy east-west road on Sept. 16 and will keep it closed until near mid-October is an example of Palm Coast’s aging infrastructure, which sometimes outruns the city’s ongoing $75 million plan to reinforce, repair or replace it.
Just Call Him David: Palm Coast Mayor Alfin Settles In With Exuberant Focus on Growth, Town Center and the Next Manager
In a wide-ranging interview in his new office at City Hall, Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin talked about getting a budget done, getting a permanent city manager hired, and fostering the reemergence of Town Center as an economic, educational, cultural and health care hub.
Palm Coast Council Clears Way for a 240-Apartment Complex Just North of RaceTrac on Old Kings Road
The developer of Tuscan Reserve apartments in Palm Coast is proposing to develop a 240-unit apartment complex on Old Kings Road, just north of State Road 100, called the Tribute. The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday approved the rezoning that clears the way for the development.
Ahead of Its Planned Hospital on U.S. 1, Flagler Health+ Joins Palm Coast United Methodist in Health Village and Church Campus
Flagler Health+ and Palm Coast United Methodist Church celebrated the groundbreaking expansion of each institution on July 27 in North Palm Coast as Flagler Health+ openly competes with AdventHealth and the church will build a “North Campus” to reach more youth.
Chillin’ Out: Palm Coast Residents Love Their Quality of Life and Safety, But Have Issues With Their City, Too
The 3,000 Palm Coast residents who responded to the city’s survey about living here were overwhelmingly 55 and over, appeared to have been little affected by the pandemic and declared themselves happy with the quality of life and safety of the city, but less so with economic, cultural and shopping opportunities.
Latest Reinvention of Palm Coast Tennis Center Sees $5.7 Million Expansion and More Ahead, But Speculation Abounds
Palm Coast government is proposing an ambitious, multimillion transformation of the city’s tennis center off Belle Terre Parkway into a “Regional Racquet Center” featuring 42 tennis and pickleball courts, a clubhouse, space for events and other amenities. But the plan is based on largely speculative assertions of need even as tennis declines as a sport and the school board is rethinking its own racquet club’s future.
Sea Ray Plant Will Reopen as Boston Whaler, Bringing Back 300 to 400 Jobs and Annexing Into Palm Coast
Capping a whirling six months of major economic-development victories for Palm Coast, and two and a half years after the Sea Ray plant shut down off Colbert Lane, eliminating some 440 high-paying jobs, the plant will reopen very soon under the banner of Boston Whaler, a boat builder owned by Sea Ray’s parent, Brunswick Corp.
AdventHealth Palm Coast Will Build a $100 Million, 100-Bed Hospital on Palm Coast Parkway
In a surprise, AdventHealth officials today announced the system will build a $100 million, 100-bed hospital on the south side of Palm Coast Parkway, adjacent to Market Street, the assisted living facility, with construction starting in September.
Under Threat of Lawsuit and Sharp Public Opposition, Palm Coast Council Rejects Palm Harbor Cell Tower
Ending one of the most furious backlashes against a city initiative in recent years, the Palm Coast City Council voted 5-0 to deny the city’s own contractor a proposed lease to build a 150-foot cell tower in the heart of the city-owned Palm Harbor golf course.
Jacksonville University Plans Major Campus Expansion in Palm Coast in City’s 2nd Higher-Ed Partnership
Jacksonville University and Palm Coast announced a joint partnership that will open a JU campus in town–the university’s first-ever expansion beyond Jacksonville in its 86-year history–and enroll 150 to 200 full-time students within 24 months. The focus will be health-care education, and more specifically, nursing.
Fifth New Cell Tower in 2 Years, at Palm Harbor Golf Club, Draws Less Than Beaming Reception
A new, 150-foot monopole off of 20 Palm Harbor Drive, on the grounds of the city’s golf club, drew a little bit of resistance from a council member and a few residents, though the Palm Coast City Council appears ready to approve construction later this month.
Palm Coast Faces a Town Center Reckoning: Too Many Apartments, No Commercial Development, and Looming Cash Crunch
The Palm Coast City Council is awakening to several converging realities about Town Center, the once and future promise of the city’s vitality: incentives for apartment construction have worked, incentives for commercial development have not–not yet–and turnover on the council and the administration means few recall the purpose of Town Center to start with. The mayor is looking for a reset.
Palm Coast Council Approves ‘Luxury,’ Woods-Ringed 256-Apartment Complex on West Side of W-Section
The development of 12 three-story buildings on 92 acres of woodlands and lakes near U.S. 1 in Palm Coast has drawn little attention and none of the opposition that traditionally barnacles to large apartment complex proposals in the city.
Palm Coast Now Conducting Indoor Building Inspections Virtually
Palm Coast building inspections are rendered on cell phones using Google Duo or FaceTime. Installation projects may include new windows, doors, water heaters, minor electrical work or air conditioning.
In Major Coup for Palm Coast, UNF in Town Center Is a Go as MedNex Initiative Survives Veto
The University of North Florida’s plan to build a satellite presence in Palm Coast’s Town Center as a feeder of health care practitioners to regional hospitals and clinics is a go as the $24 million dollar MedNex initiative survived Gov. Ron DeSantis’s veto pen today.
City Planners Urge Significantly Scaling Back 300-Home Matanzas Golf Course Development to Preserve Views
Palm Coast city planners’ response to a planned 300-home development along the disused Matanzas golf course cites rules that prevent building on fairways and blocking existing residents’ backyard views. That would eliminate swaths of planned homes within the 278-acre project.
Rezoning of Long-Gestating Mega Development on Old Kings Road Stirs Residents’ Anxieties Anew
The Bulow Creek development starting just south of State Road 100 on both sides of Old Kings Road would consist of 2,250 houses and apartment units and 1.7 million square feet of commercial and office space, built over four phases stretching over 20 years or more.
Single-Family Homes No Longer Sacred as States Turn to Zoning Laws to Lower Housing Costs
Twenty-eight states and Washington, D.C., last year passed a variety of legislation that addresses the housing affordability problem, from tax credits for developers to rental assistance and eviction protections for residents.
Palm Coast Unveils UNF’s Futuristic MedNex Foothold in Town Center as Officials Lobby Lawmakers
Renderings of UNF’s MedNex project in Palm Coast’s Town Center, along with a new infographic about the innovative plan, are part of a lobbying offensive planned for next week by Palm Coast officials to advocate for the initiative.
Palm Coast’s Inaugural Tech Beach Hackathon Glimmers With Stress-Tested Innovations
Palm Coast’s first “Tech Beach Hackathon” at City Hall was a weekend cramming session of tech developers connecting their just-designed apps to local healthcare problems looking for a solution.
Palm Coast’s War on Dollar Stores and Their Customers Contradicts City’s Inclusive Plan
The Palm Coast City Council imposed a 120-day moratorium on new dollar-type discount stores, citing vague fears of “long-term effects” on the community, a decision that runs counter to free-market ideals.
Palm Coast Prepares for $20 Million Sewer Plant Expansion in Anticipation of Growth
The Palm Coast City Council is supporting the city’s next-largest utility expansion–a $20 million project that will add 2 million gallons a day of capacity to its second sewer plant on U.S. 1. The expansion will be financed through a loan and is not expected to affect customers’ rates.
Proposed 300-Home Development in Place of Matanzas Golf Course Draws Public Doubt and Ire
A neighborhood meeting about the planned developer of some 300 homes along the disused Matanzas golf course drew considerable protests and doubt from some 200 people Thursday evening.
2 Big Developments Would Change Complexion of Palm Harbor Neighborhood; City Would Take Over Marina
Two proposed developments–along the Palm Harbor golf course and at the Palm Coast marina–would total 120 hotel rooms and 318 multi-family units–town houses and condos, as the city prefers to describe them.
Is the Whiteview Parkway Narrowing Project Going Forward? Depends on Whom You Ask.
The narrowing of Palm Coast’s Whiteview Parkway from four to two lanes has raised questions but the $4 million project is fully designed and now depends on state grants to move forward, which means it could wait many years. Still, the project has been cause for mixed messages and inaccuracies.
UNF’s Palm Coast Medical Hub Clears 1st Hurdle With Board of Governors Committee Approval
UNF’s Palm Coast medical hub was unanimously recommended to the full Board of Governors in a committee meeting Thursday morning, winning plaudits for UNF president David Szymanski overt enthusiasm.