The Palm Coast City Council in rapid-fire succession Tuesday approved the final step clearing the way for four developments totaling 533 single-family homes, the final-plat approval that essentially means lots will be sold and homes built on infrastructure and according to plans that won regulatory approval several years ago. Some of the developments were more dormant than others.
All together, they would accommodate between 1,200 and 1,500 new residents–less than a third of the total net new residents who have been swelling the county’s population every year for the last three years.
Council members sought to underscore that the four approvals on Tuesday were not “new” developments per se, but merely the latest, and last, step in the developments’ regulatory journey, although this was the first time the council itself was stepping in. Previous steps were at the planning board level. Ray Tyner, the city’s planning director, called it final platting “technical exercise” that ensures the lot widths fit the zoning code, that easements are in place, and so on.
“These have been approved for quite some time, that density has been approved,” Council member Theresa Pontieri said. “It’s just infrastructures in the ground and now in order to sell the actual lots, they need this kind of final approval.”
Nevertheless, as far as the public is concerned, and next to land-clearing, this final step leads to the most visible evidence of a subdivision taking shape: homes getting built, people moving in, additional traffic driving by.
With that in mind, and as she has previously, Pontieri asked for a report from the city administration “a report of what development is coming before us in conjunction with road improvements so that we can make sure we’re facilitating traffic properly and trying to make the development and the street improvements kind of coincide as best as possible for the public.”
After listening to a planner outline the first project’s details, the council subsequently dispensed with the presentations and approved them one after the other in unanimous 4-0 votes (Council member Nick Klufas was absent due to his father’s death over the weekend.)
Only one resident addressed the council–to ensure that no clearing for future development would include burning the trees and brush cut down. In these four cases, the land is well past that stage, having been cleared for infrastructure previously. “Parcel burning,” as the resident, Celia Pugliese, called it, has been an issue on some developments.
Here are the four developments’ details, with greater detail in the document at the foot of the article:
Somerset Phase 1: 125 single-family homes on a 48-acre site on the west side of U.S. 1, about 2 miles north of Palm Coast Parkway. Somerset is part of the Palm Coast Park Master Planned Development. The city’s planning board approved the master plan for all phases in March 2022. At full build-out, Somerset will consist of 418 single-family homes.
The Planning Board was not too thrilled with the plan two years ago. Some board embers considered the project too densely packed with lots as small as 4,000 square feet and widths of 40 and 50 feet. But that’s been the trend of new single-family home developments, with homeowners looking for smaller lots to manager and more modest mortgages to pay.
“Our hands are tied on this one because it does fall within the guidelines and we can’t vote with our heart,” Planning Board member James Albano said at the time. “But at some point, we’ve got to start looking at some better products.” Another planning board member was disappointed by the skimpiness of the developer’s presentation, an considered the information too lacking. But she also acknowledged that the approval could not be held up.
The developer was the Matthews Design Group. The planning board’s comments may have had an effect: the smallest lot in Phase 1 is 4,800 square feet, with most lots falling between that number and about 6,500 square feet, and a few lots going into the 7,000 and 8,000 square feet. That segment of the development will consist of essentially four rows of homes parallel or curvingly parallel to U.SD. 1 along streets to be Called Camellia Street and Tea Olive Drive, connecting to Somerset Avenue, which itself is to connect to U.S. 1.
Matanzas Cove: 50 single-family homes on 17.5 acres on the west side of Londonderry Drive, just north of Matanzas Woods Parkway. While this is not a new project–the preliminary plat was approved in 2019 and its development permit was issued in August 2021–its emergence from long dormancy has mirrors the effect of a new development, though infrastructure construction started almost three years ago. The development is the work of Matanzas Cove LLC, a subsidiary of Coastal Atlantic Holdings, itself a subsidiary of Seagate Management.
The majority of the lots are 6,000 square feet, with a few ranging up to 10,000 around the development’s cul de sac. The street names will be Matanzas Cove Drive and Lakeland Way, with portions of the subdivision abutting the properties along Londonderry. The subdivision includes conservation wetlands that, once included in the total acreage, lower the density, though the lots themselves remain in close succession.
“There’s quite a lot of conservation,” Pontieri said. “I knew that’s been a concern for a lot of our residents. And this is one of those projects where we’ve really been mindful of that. So I’m excited to see this type of development.”
Colbert Landings Phase 1: Colbert landings is among the larger developments approved in recent years, with nearly 500 single-family homes at full build-out. The subdivision is the work of builder Taylor Morrison. Phase 1’s final plat consists of half that–248 homes. The subdivision is to sprawl on the west side of Colbert Lane a short distance north of State Road 100, reaching well into the scrubland between Colbert and Old Kings Road–land that has all but been spoken for with future developments. Further west, and east of Old Kings, is the future 750-home Coquina Shores subdivision.
The city’s planning board approved Colbert Landing’s overall master plan in 2021. Construction on infrastructure began in December 2022. The houses in Phase one will be tightly clustered in the south-central portion of the subdivision, with future homes planned for the northern portion. Lot widths are in the 50 to 60 feet range with some a bit larger. A year ago the City Council approved Colbert Landings as a Community Development District, what will be its own sub-government, limiting the city’s responsibilities–roads included.
The developer’s “Coming Soon” page projects one-story homes of three to four bedrooms, ranging from 1,764 to 2,300 square feet, with tennis courts, a park, a playground, trails and a clubhouse.
Flagler Village Phase 1: A planned subdivision of 110 single-family homes on 110 acres for Phase 1 (227 homes at build-out), at the northeast corner of Belle Terre Boulevard and Citation Boulevard. The planning board approved that master plan in December 2021, with infrastructure construction starting last May. Flagler Village’s lots will also be 50 to 60 feet wide, and mostly in the 6,000 square foot range, with 9 acres of conservation in the subdivision’s boundaries. The subdivision streets will be called Sandy Lane, Derbyshire Drive and Wandering Creek Way, the latter connecting to Citation Boulevard.
Billy says
This town and council is disgusting with all the development and destruction of natural areas. Why would we want to look like Orlando and Jacksonville Daytona.
PHIL F says
Start building roads and making them wider.
TR says
Just great 533 more homes. With the possibility of 80% having 2 people per home and 2 cars as well. When the hell is the city council going to start to realize they need to do something with the infrastructure? Roads, water drainage, traffic signal timing, etc. They should have been doing this all along but all they seem to care about is approving the building of the new homes and the hell with the infrastructure. I can not wait until Nov and vote these idiots out. I hope that anyone on the council, in any city department that has invested in these developments, loose their butts when the bottom falls out. Hopefully if all the reports that I have heard say it will start to decline later this year.
James Cleaves says
Time to clean house Vote EVERYONE out. How many have asked about your thoughts. I can say none have asked of my thoughts. Stop ruining this city. If I wanted all this traffic I’d live in the western part of the state.
The Sour Kraut says
Where is the electricity and water coming from for all these new homes? Where are all the new roads to handle the additional traffic? Where are the additional cell towers to take up the additional load on cell services? Well???
jim lang says
Great point 👍
Edith Campins says
“. they paved paradise and put up a parking to…” You think traffic is bad now. Thanks Alfin.
Jack says
Stop making developers rich and destroying the City of PC in the meantime. There are not enough roads to handle all this traffic but Alfin doesn’t care that he is destroying our town. If he thinks he is going to get reelected he is dreaming, enough is enough. They no longer paint lines in the roads, the traffic is out of control and the lights aren’t synchronized. Mayor Netts must be turning over in his grave seeing Palm Coast being destroyed.
jim lang says
Our town is already destroyed.
Doug C. says
The city council is full of spineless yes men. You get what you vote for. Starting to regret moving here last year. If I knew the old clowns that lived here elected a real estate guy as the mayor I would have never bought. My fault for not researching. Lesson learned. Guess I just need to get used to city living.
Stop The Insanity says
The clueless people sitting on the city council and planning board have no regard for our quality of life, the environment, our limited resources; water, sewers, electricity, etc. Perhaps they haven’t noticed, but existing home sales have slowed down, prices are dropping. The Florida housing boom is going bust. Housing inventory is increasing and inflation is rising rapidly. Mortgage rates, taxes, and the cost of living are SKYROCKETING. Most importantly, where are the jobs? If you build it, they will come is no longer a reality.
Sick of it says
STOP BUILDING!
PLEASE GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Dennis C Rathsam says
STUPIT IS AS STUPIT DOES!!!!I believe P/C has cornered the market with morons! The more we fight for them to do the right thing…the more they screw us! I wasnt in a flood zone when I moved in, now I am! Alfin gotta go!!!! Whats the plan when the water runs out? What are they gonna do when P/C starts to flood? These village idiots need to be removed!!! With all this new revenew comming in our taxes better go DOWN!!!!!
Ric Flair says
I wonder if some palms are getting padded in approving all these homes and apartments. Maybe thats what the name Palm Coast was actually referring to. Here I always thought it was referring to the tree or possibly the guys with their hands out at all our major intersections.
Peaches McGee says
PC has always been planned this way. The housing bust of 2008 and the pandemic did not help matters.
It would be so nice if people actually researched the timeframes of these projects.
Dave says
The Destruction of Palm Coast from Within , should be the title of this column. No trees, more concrete, more money for the greedy city. Traffic its not their problem, most will be out of office when that occurs. All in the name of progress, that’s what they said in Orlando in 1970 . Build it and they will come and they did.
selling tickets to the circus says
Really! The roads can’t handle the traffic now AND on top of that, there isn’t enough lighting on the roads.
I just LOVE driving on all the washboard roads without painted & reflective lines …. It’s like driving with my eyes closed!
The cell service in the county SUCKS & you want to add more people to make it worse.
The SHIT SHOW has to STOP cause I’m running out of toilet paper as fast as the greenspace is being DESTROYED !! :-(
Fed Up says
Alfin and his cronies are definitely on the take for sure!
Endless Dark Money says
Dont mention climate change or the future it is banned now in Florida. Endless growth till the end! The line must go up. the nature preserve will make a good place for a subdivision, very profitable for builders there. who needs wildlife or nature when money is what matters.
SMH says
The new houses built in my neighborhood are sitting empty and unsold. Several neighbors have their houses for sale as well. It doesn’t seem like anyone is interested in buying so why keep building?
Alexia says
Clearly they don’t listen to what the people want. Green space – no more building. Yet they still send out surveys asking how we feel about these things. Why? You’re wasting time and money.
Watch out, the next thing you know they will be putting move in ready house boats on the canals!
Jane Kranz says
Come November – Remember to vote these people OUT!!!
Atwp says
Yeah Jane, we’ll remember come November.
Ed P says
If enough of these newly proposed homes and the existing home sales go unsold for extended periods, development will slow or will be suspended. Supply and demand. The real estate developers are leveraged with massive loans and will feel a slow down immediately.
A commercial real estate foreclosure problem is starting to emerge with March 2024 foreclosures up 117% from the same time last year. Remote employment and higher interest rates are two big problems.
The federal reserve may not be cutting interest rates until the 4th quarter of this year if at all, leaving residential mortgaging in the 7-8% range. Inflation is proving to be more stubborn than anticipated. Add in rising real estate taxes, home owner insurances as well as normal maintenance and upkeep and many people will sit tight waiting for prices and mortgage rates to drop. Anyone with a 3% mortgage doesn’t want to trade up to an 8%. We are at the tail end of the boomer era and cash buyers will start slowing.
The euphoric unbridled growth of Palm Coast might not continue at the accelerated pace witnessed in the last decade.
Hope is not a reliable strategy but just around the bend is a healthy dose of reality that may in fact reset the situation and provide the pause everyone is requesting.
ELLEN says
STOP THE F**KING BUILDING ALREADY
T says
They destroyed palm coast mayor and elected getting kick backs pos