Before you remark about too much development in Palm Coast and Flagler County, consider this: According to the Flagler County Association of Realtors, there was just a month’s supply of housing inventory in December, compared to over 13 months at the end of 2010, when the county was suffering the consequences of the housing crash, and four to five months for most of the past decade of recovery. Starting with the end of 2019, supply dropped sharply even as construction boomed.
Listings for single-family homes have also dropped from well over 1,000 a month in 2019 to fewer than 400 in December. In 2021, the median time between the moment a home went up for sale and contract was signed was two weeks, down from over two months in 2017. The median sale price of a single-family home reached a record–and an astounding–$350,000 in November. Buyers are still buying, when they can find a house to buy.
In the last 13 months the city issued 2,648 single family and duplex permits, an average of 203 per month, and has issued on average 125 certificates of occupancy every month. Certificates lag, since they are issued at the end of construction and when all inspections have been met satisfactorily. “The number of homes being completed each month is consistently around 125,” Jason DeLorenzo, the city’s development director, said today. “I discussed this with leadership at the HBA and we generally agree this is due to longer build times related to the continued material shortage.” The HBA is the Flagler Home Builders Association.
That’s the environment drawing more builders and investors to Palm Coast and Flagler. Among them: Whiteview Village and the Trails, two gated subdivisions in the W and B Sections–one of single family homes, the other of town homes–whose final plats (the laying out of lots and streets) the Palm Coast City Council approved Tuesday evening.
Drivers along Belle Terre Parkway just north of Belle Terre Elementary school will have noticed by now the leveling of the woods and emerging infrastructure on the west side of the parkway, between Burroughs Drive to the south and Bud Hollow Drive to the north, directly across from Fire Station 23. That’s the nearly 200-acre expanse of The Trails development whose master plan the planning board approved in August 2020, when it was holding zoom meetings and people’s attention was on more viral anxieties. (When the developer hosted a neighborhood meeting about the development on Aug. 6, 2020, it was done by zoom, and no one joined in.)
The preliminary plat was approved last May, when construction started. A subsidiary of Douglas Properties and Development, whose titles shadow innumerable properties in the city, sold the land to Anand Jobalia of Daytona Beach-based Jobalia Development Group in December 2020 for $2.3 million.
The 188 acres include a significant amount of wetlands on the western portion of the property, concentrating building development on the eastern side, closer to Belle Terre Parkway, with a total of 274 town house lots. The two-story town homes themselves will be built in blocks of four, six and eight units, for a total of 42 blocks of buildings. Each lot will be a minimum of 2,000 square feet. The living space itself will be smaller. The three-bedroom model, according to builder D.R. Horton’s renderings, will be 1,722 square feet. The two-bedroom homes will be 1,442 square feet.
“This site will develop south of a large apartment complex that stretches from the northern boundary of this project to Matanzas Woods Parkway where 23,000 sq. ft. of retail uses are also proposed just east of the apartments,” a city staff analysis found last year. “This 274-unit townhome project will allow a transition down from those apartments and retail area to a planned church directly to the south; and single-family, a future City park, fire station, and church on the east side of Belle Terre Parkway.”
Only one resident, Greg Blosé, addressed the council, commending the development. “So often, you know, we have people show up and say, Hey, we really oppose this. But I’ll tell you, I’m really excited about this project,” he said. (Blosé heads a new chamber locally and is generally among the cheerleaders of development.) “The number of units, I do understand, but for me, when you look at it in terms of a community, it’s on a major thoroughfare close to interchange connectivity, schools right next door. So if we’re going to build multifamily units like this, this is pretty much the place where it should be located and across the street from the fire station.”
The council approved the final plat on a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Eddie Branquinho opposed. Branquinho has been the council’s least enthusiastic supporter of new development. It’s because it’s multi-family. Town houses are multi-family, and as you know I think we’re going crazy with multi-family here,” he said today. He said he might soon ask for a moratorium regarding multi-family homes. “We are not building enough on the other side of U.S. 1. We have to start paying attention to those things or one of these days Palm Coast will no longer be Palm Coast as we know it.”
Whiteview Village is a 97-acre KB Homes development at the southwest corner of Pine Lakes Parkway and White Mill Drive, not far from Palm Coast Bible Church. The southern boundary of the development extends to Whiteview Parkway. It was one of the last relatively vast, wooded tracts left in the W Section. KB Homes bought it a year ago from the Miral Corporation for $2.85 million. Infrastructure construction started last year. That’s about 80 percent complete. The first phase will include 121 single-family homes. Phase 2 will have 81, for a total of 202. The lots will be 45 and 50 feet wide, and it will be a gated community.
The development’s two phases are split over nine tracts, with the initial phase building homes in the center of the 97-acre property, so only a handful of homes will be fronting on Pine Lakes Parkway, with entrances and exits on White Mill and on Pine Lakes. Existing homes rim the development on Woodbury Drive and Woodborn Lane, but should be buffered from the sounds and sights of construction by the property’s woods, at least in Phase 1. Phase 2 will bring developments closer to existing homes. The new development will have new streets such as Waverly Lane, Windsor Terrace, Wisteria Hill Drive and Willow Street.
The proposal drew no public comments. The council and the Palm Coast Planning Board had already reviewed the project in previous regulatory steps. It approved the development unanimously, and without comments of its own.
David Schaefer says
A bunch of B.S. The city wants all the money from impact fees as they can. Yet our roads continue to be in bad shape , crime is up and they have no plan to control all the traffic……
Gin says
Yet because of what’s going on in other states we continue to get transplants from all over the country??? At this point our police department is on top of the crime far better than cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, etc. Floridians have always said, “we don’t mind you moving here from the north, just leave your politics and attitude where you moved from…I 95 runs both ways.” If you’re that unhappy you can always move back where you came from. We must have growth to keep the city alive. There are always growing pains with everything…
Mary Fusco says
Transplants? You are aware that 75% of those living in PC are transplants from NY, NJ, etc. I am from NY and remember back in the early 70’s PC was being hawked on radio and TV. I believe it had one traffic light and one way in and out. It did not even exist. Despite what politicians are trying to sell, this is a bedroom community and that is all it will ever be. Businesses do not relocate to a place like PC to pay larger salaries. They are interested in paying lower wages. There are really very few genuine “Floridians” in PC. I’ve been here 22 years. I have no problem with growth but I do have a problem with someone telling me to “get out” if I don’t like it.
Deborah Coffey says
Well, here’s a public comment. Republicans plow ahead adding huge housing growth to Palm Coast without any consideration for expanding infrastructure. The traffic has become horrid, the lack of stores and restaurants is shocking, and the limited job market that would allow a family to afford all these new houses are significant problems that are not being addressed. Only the Sheriff’s Department seems to be keeping up.
Jimmy says
You’re just wrong. There’s a long term transportation plan for this community. The Florida Legislature has funded infrastructure improvements at historic levels for at least the past 8 or 9 years and will likely do so again this year. Traffic analysts and studies are consistently done in this community. Just because you don’t care to spend time looking at these things doesn’t mean they aren’t happening. It’s fun to watch you and others freak out on here, though. I paused Disney+ for this, so there’s some worth to your comment, I guess!
Ld says
Looks like flimsy construction
Robert says
Time to move out of here! this place is ridiculous! There is no natural land left here just blacktop houses strip malls gas stations. Looks like typical Orlando neighborhoods.
Dennis C Rathsam says
Who cares what the so called experts say…They dont try to drive in the clusterfuck traffic in Palm Coast. Our streets can not handle, & were not desighed for all these people. FYI I tryed to get an MRI this week at Towne Center Imagine….2 week wait, the woman told me they cant handle all the new people…..But she was sorry! Why isnt the city doing something? Why… because thier too busy trying to over populate our city. When these 1/2 ass polititions retire… We,re the ones left with their mess! The city slogan a few years back sang FIND YOUR FLORIDA…I did and U yall F—– IT UP!
M. Stevens says
If the truth was known, it’s probably people like you (moved here) that can’t talk without using fowl language, and changing everything to how it is done like where they’re from, that is “destroying” Fl..
Felicia Noey says
Welcome to my misery. I was here before Palm Coast existed. I’m saddened to see what has become of it.
Jimbo99 says
It’s not so much roofs over people’s heads, it’s the traffic it creates. Do the math, traffic is getting out of hand, so is the crime. Add that many more vehicles at peak traffic & the gridlock is going to be a miserable existence. And with gasoline spiking up, unaffordable EV’s are not the solution either. The costs of an EV, consumers would be paying for it whether it’s the Tesla $ 60-100+K or the gasoline costs at $ 3.50+/gallon of gasoline. And then there’s the East-West & North-South that the sun is in anyone’s eyes and the gridlock is just slow, slow, slow to get anywhere. Limited number of those roads and all Flagler county becomes is a community of trapped animals. I’ve stopped counting the cars I’ve seen doing 3 point turns on Royal Palms Parkway because people are giving up and trying to keep moving somehow in that mess. Patience is a virtue for sure, it’s beyond patience as virtue with the peak traffic gridlock. This area is turning into St Augustine South. just as Jacksonville, FL grew to St Augustine, St Augustine & Daytona Beach are growing to Palm Coast & not in a good way.
Dennis says
Greed for money fuels the city. Roads are crap, but they keep building. When does the city think it’s got enough? Traffic sucks, and light timing is worse. Crime is getting worse. It’s about time for counsel members who vote NO on new zoning laws. Slowly destroying our city. Moving out to someplace slower soon. I never wanted to live in Orlando or the likes of it
tulip says
The county commissioners like all the new homes being built because the state decides their salaries, and the larger the population, the larger their salaries. They are getting around $60,000 a year, from what I understand, and they don’t even “work” 40 hours a week.
C.J. says
This is the basic flaw that feeds growth in Palm Coast…and feeds corruption along with it. Infrastructure and green scape are not on their agenda, nor is how to fulfill the public services that will instantly be needed and do not exist. The strain that be put upon all public services in Palm Coast and Flagler County will not be addressed until it is too late, and these “public servants” currently making these deals and decisions will be long gone, along with the proceeds of their deal makings. Voters need to wake up and put qualified citizens into office, citizens who will make decisions based on your quality of life, not based on their personal enrichment.
Jimmy says
How high do you want our taxes to be to pay for all this “green space” you think we don’t have enough of? Again, no facts, just hype from the crazies.
Flagler has just about 51 acres of green space per 1000 residents. That’s nearly double the Level of Service called for in our future plans. More than St Johns, even. So, yeah, we need to add more space as development comes on line, and we do. But your idea that green space is dwindling or sorely needed only your opinion, and an uninformed one, at that.
As a general rule, when the “corruption” claim is made, it’s usually by somebody that really doesn’t know what they are talking about.
palmcoaster says
What about some moratorium in construction until our decaying and lacking infrastracture catches up, Mayor Alfin and Council?
Dick S. says
If it wasn’t for the Democrat states crime & taxes, we wouldn’t have all these people fleeing to the free state of Florida!!!!!!!
Manuela Rodriguez says
Hi, iam living in Palm Coast,since last September, 2021,and I beginning to think,and seeing that Palm Coast lacks many things that is needed, by example, there’s not to many stores,( furniture) (clothing)gas stations, not even a Mall,entertainment ect,we need to go to St Agustine, or Jacksonville, parks? No enough, if we want to see a movie, only the library, mostly for the seniors,not shows a Daytona beach,,my home is SECCION L,& what we have? Not even a sidewalk, where we can ride a bicycle, at night time not enough outside light ,but we have THE DOLLAR GENERAL STORE,please,if this town is growing so much,,we need to pay more attention to the people’s needs!
tulip says
We do have a move theater in town center, so you don’t have to rely on whatever the library offers. You’re right, shopping here is very limited and so are decent restaurants. We seems to get s lot of strip malls with the usual nail salons and the like, and lots of pizza places. However, with more and more people shopping online, a lot of brick and mortar stores can’t survive because there are not enough customers coming in to support them because a lot of purchases go to benefit Amazon. Palm Coast is overcrowded but there are far far worse places than Palm Coast, so I wouldn’t be to hasty to move out because everywhere you go there is a huge amount of homes being built to accommodate an ever increasing population and most of them are so expensive it leaves out a lot of the general population that can purchase or rent these places. But that’s another story for another day.
Suzanne Fields says
Any new home builders looking for post construction cleanup!
Looking to start my own business doing Post cleanup.
Email me!
Patricia Swenson says
The City Councilman stated if we build much more we will lose PC as we know it, we should concentrate on the other side of US1. My W sec home backs yo US1. When l bought it 4 years ago there was some traffic noise but, over the 4 years lve been here the noise due to increased traffic has caused the loss of my back yard use. I cannot sit back there unless l want to have a yelling conversation with friends. My property is devalued due to this noise. Lets not concentrate on building the other side of US1. Lets concentrate on putting a moritorium on building new subdivisions in PC. IMHO, PC should be building a noise barrier for all the homes backing to US1, repaving US1 and lowering the speed limit. Yes, l was aware of the noise from US1 when l moved into my home. No, l was not aware of how much traffic would increase due to building. I did my due diligence but nothing l saw would foretell this disaster. I would love to move but with the increase in prices, l would have to downsize for the same price as l would get for my home.
Peter a Cerreta says
What about water supply, electricity. Does the hierarchy in pc really believe crime won’t increase with more people. Increasing the number of people will impact the current population in areas ofeducation, daily service needs. Hopefully, attention will be given to the seniors and their limited income. Traffic is terrible now what will it be like when an additional 1000 or so vehicles are added. Are thoughts being given to the senior citizens ability to withstand the higher taxes that will be needed for additional personnel.1
How does pc intend on address these problems?