The owners of Five Star Pizza in Palm Coast, Ormond Beach and Deltona are preparing to build a $2 million indoor playground and pizza restaurant in Bunnell, making it the first of its kind in Flagler County.
The playground will be called Party and Play and will be part of a 10,000-square-foot building that will be built on Steel Rail Drive in Bunnell, with projected construction starting in January or shortly thereafter. The project is going through its regulatory steps with the city. The business is expected to employ nine to 10 people and generate an annual payroll of $280,000, according to figures the owners submitted to the city.
“It will be what I call an event center, it’ll be a destination point,” says Bunnell City Manager Alvin Jackson.
On Monday, the Bunnell City Commission unanimously approved a $56,400 tax incentive package under its Business Incentive Grant for New Business program. The money will be repaid to the business in annual $8,000 installments over seven years, as long as the business meets its jobs and wage projections. The rebates would be considerably more than the tax revenue the property is currently generating, especially to Bunnell.
The owners, Denis Gotlib of Deltona and Jeffrey Kriesen of Palm Coast, operate a variety of corporations, among them Pizza Escape, Pizza Ninjas and 3245 Holdings LLC. In January 2022, Pizza Ninjas bought the 2.4-acre Bunnell property for $289,000. This year’s property tax bill totals $5,400, with just under $2,000 of that going to Bunnell. The value of the property is expected to increase, as will tax revenue, once the building is in place.
“Our county doesn’t have anything like that,” says Ella Gotlib, who manages the finances and other aspects of the family’s various businesses. Families now “have to drive to other counties, other cities” to have access to indoor playgrounds. Party and Play will have a 6,000-square-foot playground and two party rooms, among other amenities. It will “a huge structure,” Gotlib said, the steel building rising four stories high and offering “wonderful activities for kids of all ages, including a toddler area with a sensory wall and its own playground.
Five Star Pizza, of course, will be offering its own incentives to encourage people to visit the playground, though the owners note in their application for the incentives that the restaurant at the playground will be “limited.”
“It’s about delivering happiness and a little but of relief for parents,” Gotlib said.
The location only appears at first glance to be out of the way. In fact, it is parallel to U.S. 1 and Palm Coast’s R Section, a short distance off of Otis Hunter Road. Located in denser areas or in proximity of residential neighborhoods, such playgrounds are more likely to draw complaints because of the music and noise associated with them. That won’t be an issue on Steel Rail Drive, which has more of an industrial feel.
The owners in their application are projecting that only 25 percent of their services will be delivered to customers outside of Bunnell. For the business’ sake, the figure is likely a tactical under-estimate to win the incentive package: like Flagler Beach, whose businesses depend in large part on Palm Coast’s customer base for viability, the business is not likely to thrive without drawing the bulk of its customers from Palm Coast.
Jackson presented the incentive proposal to the city commission in a brief presentation lasting all of 90 seconds. City commissioners had no questions. The item drew no public discussion. Just a unanimous vote.
Tuesday afternoon, shortly after this article initially published, the city issued Pizza Ninja’s site plan approval application at a coming meeting of the city’s planning board. That plan conflicted somewhat with some of the details presented to the commission on Monday: the square footage in the site plan is divided between the playground on one side of the building and a martial arts studio on the other.
HayRide says
And is by far the worst pizza out there
JimboXYZ says
Summary: Bunnell gets a Chuck-E-Cheese.
James says
Perhaps it’s just me, but is it prudent for these folks to spend two million on a pizza party playground in the middle of nowhere?
When Wawa has a pretty nice large pie for $11 and change.
Just eat’n… I mean say’n (at least before the Trump tariffs kick in).
Nikki says
I can’t wait to have a safe clean cool place to hold parties or just have a fun family day! I can’t stand the heat and this allows me to enjoy and play with the kids instead of sitting in the shade.
For those talking about more construction and the effects on the environment, I can say I know this property and it’s dry and bear. No animals will be harmed during this process.
Will G Douglas says
Not a first of it’s kind. Kidventure is in Bunnell and already offers party and play. Albeit, not $2MM worth.
Chris Conklin says
good for the owners investing in a business. for those that don’t like stay on your couch and bitch to yourself. They wouldn’t want you there. your the people who get coal in there stocking
Dennis C Rathsam says
How long before the gangs make it unsafe! Good Luck boys, at least your part of the solution!
Nephew Of Uncle Sam says
Good for Bunnell, Palm Coast gets Zero.
Protonbeam says
I have always said in palm coast you could literally hand out gold bricks- And all people would do is bitch that they’re too heavy –
Ed P says
Trumps tariff talk is a negotiating tool. The new Canadian administration will fall in line and close the northern border to stave off any tariffs. The new President of Mexico will saber rattle but also comply and control their southern border and stop cartels from moving caravans through their country.
The real problem will be China. They lie, cheat, steal technology and get away with it. We need to choke their economy with massive tariffs.
Reality is they need access to the United States because we are the worlds largest economy. They have never been honest/fair on trade issue and past administrations have tolerated. The time has come for a reconning. The reality is Chi will have to concede out of necessity.
If Covid did anything positive, it exposed the need for the United States need to uncouple our dependency on China.
If Trump can close the borders, reduce opioids/fentanyl scourge and then challenge China, who couldn’t think its a good strategic move?
Bartholomew says
Gangs? What gangs are in palm coast? and why? Aren’t we like one of the safest counties?
Bartholomew says
Not the worst. Not New York pizza.
Stop the hate says
FLAGLER LIVE
Can we stop promoting hate and end the daily cartoon?????
Pierre Tristam says
That’s rich. At least you have a sense of humor, cynical though it may be.
Pb says
Ed, well said!
Billy says
Who spends $2 million to make a couple bucks on Pizza and kids?
James says
You hope Trump’s tariff talk is a negotiation tool.
But perhaps it’s not what you or I think… or hope. But more importantly as to how the outside world reacts to his proposed style of “negotiation” if carried through.
It might indeed be quite different this time around.
Just an opinion.
Hmmm says
You’re right. Im scared to leave the house with all the gang wars in palm coast. Worst than LA in the 90s out here.
The dude says
That’s right.
Because trump plays eleventy level chess while everyone else is playing checkers.
Oh… the stupid… it burns…
Skibum says
Well, the space is for kids. I have a much more refined taste and like you, I know what pizza should be about. But kids, their taste for food is not yet refined and for whatever reason, kids love cheap, Yukky Cheese type of pizza just like they love Spaghetti-Os in lieu of REAL Italian Spaghetti, go figure. I bet they would love a play and eat space like this.
Kamamani says
Let’s Play was an indoor playground on Old Kings Road. They were open from 2007-2011.
Retired says
Funny at the bottom it says it drew no public comment….I live in Bunnell and never head anything about it until it passed. And also about the noise..not a problem because of where its located ..wonder how they are going to do that cause sound carries for miles
Pete says
I’m guessing they will be serving that nasty pizza
Jungle Jim says
Yeah, “Lets Play” opened right before the housing crash and if it wasn’t for the owner of the building reasonably working with them on paying their rent they would have sunk quicker. Nice concept, unfortunately those places become indoor petri-dishes, wreaking of urine and viruses.
Roots says
What gangs are you talking about??? I’m not a fan of over policing however, coming from NY to Flagler County 35 years ago. I can tell you out of all the Sheriffs we’ve had, Staley is not going to let gangs run or takeover the county.
Mel says
It’s a cheap, fun, AIR CONDITIONED place to take the kids during the hot summer months when the outdoor playgrounds are so hot that the slides and swings burn you. There’s nowhere else like it in the county. I, for one, think it’s a fantastic idea. My kids will probably be too old to enjoy it by the time it’s built, but I’m excited for the other families who get to enjoy it.
HsyRide says
Just like a dog park