Flagler County Will Buy 5.2-Acre Parcel on Intracoastal North of Hammock Dune Bridge for Preservation as Parkland

The Flagler County Commission this morning approved the purchase for up to $1.9 million of 5.2 acres of scrub land fronting the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway in Palm Coast, immediately north of the Hammock Dunes bridge, for perpetual preservation and possible transformation into a park. 

The two appraisals the county ordered had a vast disparity: CRM Appraisal valued the at $2.6 million, while Red Oak Appraisal valued it at $960,000. The seller’s appraisal came in at $3 million when the highest use of the land is factored in ($2.55 million when appraised just for the land). County officials say paying the price is worth the future preservation of a prime piece of land in an area prone to high-density development. The parcel is not isolated, but would become part of Palm Coast’s network of connected trails and parks. (An earlier version of this article incorrectly misstated the values of the two county appraisals.)

The county used money from its Environmentally Sensitive Land fund, itself generated by a small property surtax voters have approved with large margins since 1988. 

The two appraisals the county was required to secure resulted in a vast disparity. One appraisal placed the price of the property at $820,000, another placed it at $1,780,000. The county would normally split the difference. The owners’ appraisal, conducted by Cooksey and Associates,  came in at $2.8 million. 

The land, registered to TCC Real Estate, is owned by Carolyn and Christopher Marlow, owners of the Golden Lion Restaurant and Next Door Beach Bistro in Flagler Beach. 

“We started with our negotiations at that midpoint,” Adam Mengel, the county’s growth management director, said. The owners counteroffered. “We considered that, and I think what we’ve come back with is something that takes their considerations, their commentary, of providing the reasons why they felt it was a higher value.” 

Environmentally Sensitive Land acquisitions are recommended, after extensive analysis, by the county’s Land Acquisition Committee. Dennis Bayer, the Flagler Beach attorney, had been the committee’s first chair in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He happens to represent the Marlows on this purchase. He said the Marlows had spent time getting the property entitled for use as a restaurant. 

“That’s where the difference in the negotiated prices came, as what could the property be used for if it wasn’t sold for the county?” Bayer said. “I actually got involved after the negotiations, kind of little bit of a stumbling block. Met with county staff. We went back and forth with the family a number of times. This was clearly a well negotiated purchase agreement.” He said “years and years from now, residents of the county and the city of Palm Coast will appreciate the effort of preserving this and not just having more waterfront development in our community.”

Commissioner Leann Pennington said the corridor was prone to intense development. “While I don’t want to be in the habit of overspending,” Pennington said, “I see this as a win for that area to because I could see that property becoming more developed and really crowding in that clubhouse drive corridor, particularly with that.  I know there’s some development going in over here on the other corner as well, with town homes and stuff.” She called it a win for Palm Coast to reduce density in the area. 

The county will turn the land over to Palm Coast, whose popular Linear Park connects to it along a trail that continues down to Waterfront Park, also on the Intracoastal. “A lot of interconnectivity that could happen here,” Mengel said. “We’ve had a prolonged negotiation, but I think it’s a great resolution for all of us.” He cannot predict what the city will do with the property, but the intent is for the land to connect to other parkland. 

Commissioner Kim Carney was curious as to why it should be turned over to the city. The county doesn’t have to turn it over. “But we had discussed that with them, because it would tie in very well with their existing facilities,” Mengel said.

Andy Dance, who chairs the commission, said the land will be part of what he described as an “award-winning park system” and part of a highly used corridor, with nearby parking. 

Richard Hamilton, a former member of the ESL committee, said the parcel is a ”very suitable acquisition,” and he was supportive of the Marlow family. But he was conflicted. The price made him pause. So does the condition of the land, which he said will require a lot of money to repair trails. And so do the restrictions on the land: half the acreage is part of the Intracoastal Waterway’s right-of-way, Hamilton said. (Mengel said the county and the owners are working on lifting restrictions.) 

Another issue: the trail to the north is blocked because of the Palm Coast Resort development. The trail to the south has several easements. Hamilton wants the county to ensure that the easements are permanent to preserve public use in the future. 

“I can state it for the record that I’m confident that those easements are perpetual,” Mengel said. “They are to the benefit of the city now, because we have relinquished our rights to those easements,” which run down to Grand Haven. 

The vote was a unanimous 5-0.