- February 12, 2025
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Sometimes a person gets caught between a rock and a hard place. From the discussion at a recent Planning Board meeting, it seems some residents are caught between Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach and Volusia County.
Several residents of Aberdeen, an adult living community off Clyde Morris Boulevard, appeared at the meeting to express their fears of new planned subdivisions on the busy highway, adding traffic and making it even more difficult to get out of their neighborhood.
There is no traffic light at Clyde Morris Boulevard where it intersects with their street, Allwood Green Boulevard.
“We need a traffic light. We need one now without this (new subdivision),” said Roy Rearden, representing the Aberdeen Home Owners Association.
He believes it’s only a matter of time before an Aberdeen resident is killed.
Another resident said that Aberdeen has people 70-years-old and older.
“They’re scared to pull out into traffic,” she said. “They sit. You’re going to have some bad trouble.”
But Aberdeen resident Marge Gaither added that they drive safely.
“We are senior citizens,” she said, “but we go to traffic schools and obey all the rules.”
The residents were speaking at a Planning Board meeting where a rezoning was considered to allow a Planned Residential Development of a 48-lot, 28.6-acre subdivision at 355 Clyde Morris Blvd. called Cypress Trails.
The property is zoned low density, which means that the development must be approved as a PRD if the planned lots are less than two acres each or one acre if connected to water and sewer.
Cypress Trails would be north of the Aberdeen access to Clyde Morris Boulevard, but another subdivision, called Birchwood, is planned directly across from Aberdeen. It’s by the same developer, Grande Champion Partners LLC and Indigo Development LLC, but it will be in Daytona Beach and not under the control of Ormond Beach.
The Aberdeen residents in the audience want a traffic light at their street installed before the subdivisions bring more traffic.
Bringing Volusia County into the picture is that Clyde Morris is under county jurisdiction for traffic signals or any other kind of traffic control.
Board Member Howard Briley told the audience that the county was supposed to consider a traffic light at the Aberdeen entrance when Clyde Morris Boulevard was widened to four-lanes. He encouraged the residents to follow-up with the county and find out the status of that study.
Board chairman Doug Thomas asked City Attorney Randy Hayes if the board could put in a caveat about a traffic light with their rezoning approval, and Hayes responded that they could add an annotation that the county should do what is required for traffic, but it would not be binding.
The board members agreed the traffic light problem was not their purview, but decided to add wording to the motion approving the PRD.
“It’s a precarious position to have three entities,” said Board Member Lori Tolland. “I agree we should put our concerns to the county. We need to be proactive.”
The board members also agreed with the audience that a traffic light will be needed in the future if children from the new subdivisions walk across the road to get to David C. Hinson Sr. Middle School.
“These are large houses and would have children,” said Board Member Rita Press. “They would cross the street which would be impossible.”
The board approved the rezoning, with a note to let the minutes show their concern about traffic and a traffic light.
The next step for the rezoning approval will be City Commission approval, tentatively set for Sept. 20 and Oct. 4, first and second readings.
QUOTE
“They’re scared to pull out into traffic.”
Aberdeen resident, on the need for a traffic light
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Next step
The next step for the rezoning approval will be City Commission approval, tentatively set for Sept. 20, first reading, and Oct. 4, second reading.
