Two condominium towers of 64 condos each will rise at Hammock Dunes, to be called the Ritz-Carlton residences, the belated culmination of a project initially approved by the Flagler County Commission in 2006 and still awaiting its final plat. The development will add to half a dozen existing and similar condominium towers at Hammock Dunes.
Though its post office address is Palm Coast, the project is not in the city but in the Hammock, an unincorporated part of Flagler County, nor is it under Palm Coast’s land regulations, or the purview of the Palm Coast City Council. A brief article in the News-Journal on Tuesday inaccurately reported that it was–and that the council would have to approve it–and referred to the project as bringing “elite luxury to Palm Coast oceanfront.” Palm Coast does not have oceanfront property.
The article caused some consternation for a council under fire for residential development policies, though this particular development was entitled two decades ago to little or non-existent opposition. Palm Coast two decades ago attempted to annex the Hammock, and with it the lucrative tax base of the Hammock Dunes development, but the attempt failed, resulting in the settlement of what was then called the “water wars” (the city claimed it had the right to annex the Hammock since it provided it water and sewer services. It still does.)
The four parcels on 6.75 acres were originally platted as Tuscany at Hammock Dunes and replatted in 2006 as South Towers at Hammock Dunes. South Towers included two proposed buildings, Arezzo Condominiums and Murano Condominiums, as they do now, but under different names and with variations to original designs.
Construction cannot start before the final replatting. “They had some adjustments that were being made, they were very minor, but it would require a replat,” Adam Mengel, Flagler County’s growth management director, said today. “We haven’t received anything with any final plat submittal from them. The next step for them is to come in with that.” Mike Chiumento, the land-development attorney representing the project designers, last communicated with the county in mid-February.
The County Commission approved the towers–which were part of the original Hammock Dunes Development of Regional Impact–when they were proposed by the developer at the time, WCI Communities, who had also proposed three 7-story buildings and 151 housing units. The project was subsequently reduced to two buildings.
At the time, Bob Cuff was the attorney representing the developer. Cuff would go on to be elected to the Palm Coast City Council in 2016. There was little public opposition to the application then, and the board recommended approval unanimously, but also reduced the units in one of the buildings to 59. Forty days later the item drew no public opposition at the County Commission, which restored the 64 units and approved the application on a 4-1 vote, with George Hanns dissenting.
“This project is the last phase of Hammock Dunes’ development,” Aventura-based BH Group’s website states of the new towers.
dnhammock says
Thank you for correcting the poorly researched and reported article in the News Journal.
That paper just can’t seem to grasp that Palm Coast has no governmental authority for any property East of the intracoastal waterway.
Laurel says
Do you know why there was little, or no, opposition in 2006? Hardly anyone lived here!
The massive, live oaks have been plowed down already, as money hates maritime hammocks, or anything to do with nature. As it is now, the traffic, which was once minimal, is now ridiculous. When a car stops on A1A to make a left turn, the vast majority of the caravan behind it drives up and over the grass swales to go around it. People don’t want to wait. They also use the Publix turn lane to go around cars trying to turn. This beautiful maritime hammock is turning into a clusterf**k of money to the greedy. It’s never, never enough, right?
More units for vacation rentals. DOGE supporter, AirBnb’s founder, Joe Gebbia, will be thrilled. More units, more strangers, more traffic, more expensive living for the locals. Less quality of life. The Dunes bridge has become a nightmare, taking up to 20 minutes to cross it.
Maybe us local residents can buy the Ritz a beach….year after year.
lifesabeach says
There has been ONE condo in the entire history of Hammock Dunes that has sold for $3 million… and all of a sudden there are going to be 128 that sell for $3 million to $10 million because they slap a Ritz-Carlton logo on the side? It’s hard to imagine there are that many people with so much money and so little brains, but I guess anything is possible nowadays! And Trump’s tariffs just raised the construction costs by 25%- good luck to the developer from Miami, but this sounds like a pipe dream.
Larry says
City of Palm Coast does NOT provide water and sewer service to residences in The Hammock. Hammock Dunes CDD Utility Division provides water and sewer service to The Hammock and it’s not associated with City of Palm Coast water/sewer.
There are no oak trees on the lot that will be used for the condo’s. It was cleared long ago and is mostly grass with some dunes in the far rear closest to the ocean, including active Gopher Tortoise burrows in the rear, at the edge of the dunes on the ocean side. Hoping the Gopher Tortoises will either be relocated or possibly not disturbed because they are located far in the back near the edge of the dune. Although, IMO the entire project has a good chance to fail and never get off the ground due to economic conditions.
Laurel says
Larry: Clearly you do not live in the Hammock. The Dunes does not own the whole area here in the Hammock. The City of Palm Coast DOES provide water to Hammock residents, and our monthly bill payment goes directly to the City of Palm Coast Utility Department, where they charge us 25% more than Palm Coast properties. A force main is already in place by the east side of the bridge, the A1A right of way already marked, and sewer pipes unloaded.
As you go over the bridge, east, directly on the other side, if you look to the right, you will see where the land has been cleared of oaks. I saw them all on their sides. That may be for the condos, or the new homes, but it is definitely not for the gopher tortoises. Relocating gopher tortoises is a joke here in Florida. As if all the developers in Florida send them to one gopher tortoise retirement center.