Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin today hinted that he may not be supportive of going back to the rolled back property tax rate this year as he was last year. He said there may be also be new, alternative revenue sources that don’t rely on the property tax. But he did not say what those would be except in the most cryptic terms: “Eco Dev.,” he wrote in a text, abbreviating the words for “economic development.” “I will share as soon as I can,” he added.
Palm Coast City Council
Palm Coast Planning for YMCA on Central Avenue in Town Center, Raising Questions About Arts’ Place
Palm Coast government is getting ready to build a 30,000 square foot YMCA on a 12-acre city-owned parcel on Central Avenue in Town Center, next to what used to be the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s stage and a 5-acre parcel that had been dedicated to arts and culture. Plans at the moment do not include a pool. A director of United We Art, the organization overseeing arts development in Town center, fears picking that location for the Y may crowd out the city’s pledge for an arts center there.
264 Apartments Approved Across Imagine at Town Center, Near 300-Unit Complex, Raising Traffic Concerns
The Palm Coast City Council this morning approved plans for a 264-unit apartment complex on Town Center Boulevard, across from Imagine School at Town Center, and from a 300-unit high-end apartment complex the Planning Board greenlighted last August called The Legacy. The new units are expected to help reduce the shortage of apartments and possibly slow the rise in rental costs, which have been hurting working families and retirees who choose to move away from the burdens of home ownership.
Affordable Housing in Palm Coast-Flagler: Plenty of Ideas, Not Enough Political Follow-Through
The Palm Coast Community Center was not the place to be this afternoon if you wanted to hear cheery answers and simple solutions to increasing the dismal stock of affordable housing in the city and the county. But it was the only place and one of the rare times in recent years where local governments–the county and Palm Coast–devoted a serious forum to explore difficult questions and realistic possibilities to bring more affordable housing to the region.
In a Shift, Palm Coast Council Agrees to Leave City Manager Hire to Next Council, But Will Pick Search Firm
The Palm Coast City Council today in an effortless shift from its previous intention to hire new city manager before the election agreed to let the new council make that decision. But it also agreed to help the process along by putting a search firm in place by late summer to get started on the work. The search firm they agreed to hire is Keller, Texas-based Strategic Government Resources, commonly known as SGR, the company that led Palm Coast’s city manager search in 2018.
Data Company Wants to Use Veterans Park to Land Undersea Cables; Flagler Beach Wants Appropriate Payment
DC Blox, a data company planning a data center in palm Coast–its Florida subsidiary is called DC Orchid–is now proposing to run its undersea internet cable landing site through the north side of Veterans Park in the heart of Flagler Beach, after a proposal to do so at a South 6th Street location displeased city commissioners. The company is also willing to pay more than the one-time, $100,000 fee it had offered, per cable–a sum city commissioners found paltry.
That Color in Your Water Is Due to Low Rainfall and Palm Coast’s Use of Certain Wells
The City of Palm Coast is actively responding to the challenges posed by the current dry conditions, which have led to significantly increased water usage and heightened demands on our water supply. As a result, residents may notice a change in the color of their water, particularly throughout the summer months.
Congestion-Prone Stretch from Royal Palms Parkway to Town Center and Old Kings Road Will be Four-Laned
The Palm Coast City Council approved the first leg of a $4 million plan to redesign and widen the congestion-prone intersection of Royal Palms Parkway and Town Center Boulevard, the intersection of Town center Boulevard and Old Kings Road, and Old Kings Road from there to just south of Palm Coast Parkway. But it will be more than a year before anyone sees construction.
As Splash Pad Reconstruction Continues, Holland Park Playground and and Part of Parking Close a Few Days
The playground area and portions of the parking lot at Holland Park will close the first half of next week, from May 6 to May 8, to accommodate the continuing $3 million reconstruction of the splash pad at the park. Meanwhile, the city’s lawsuit against a slew of contractors is heading for a trial in late summer.
‘I Love You Mayor’: Palm Coast’s David Alfin Gets a Warmer Reception at Coffee Talk Than at Council
Based on the pillorying he regularly gets from the floor at Palm Coast City Council meetings, David Alfin can look like a mayor more embattled than front-running barely three months from an August primary. Judging from this morning’s town hall-style “Coffee Chat” with Alfin at Panera Bread, where he was warmly received, reports of Alin’s demise may be premature. “I love you Mayor” isn’t something you hear at council meetings lately. It was heard this morning.