- November 23, 2024
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Another golf course is lost in Ormond Beach as local developers closed on the Tomoka Oaks Golf Club property, which sold for $2.6 million.
The property was purchased by businessmen Carl Velie and Ray Barshay, and a third partner, who wish to construct single-family homes. The land is zoned for low density residential, and of the 551 lots in Tomoka Oaks, 178 of them border the golf course.
In an email, Velie said he was familiar with the property having played tennis at Tomoka Oaks and lived in Ormond for most of his life.
“Obviously, we want to build a project that will reflect positively on the neighborhood,” Velie said.”But at this time, we do not have any specific design criteria or have we determined the number of lots to be developed.”
Jim Rose, a resident of Tomoka Oaks and chairman of the homeowners association golf course committee, said that at this point, their focus is on mitigating the effects of new development in their neighborhood.
“Without knowing the developers’ plans, we don’t know exactly what we’re fighting, if anything,” Rose said.
Rose is one of the homeowners whose property borders the golf course, and has occupied his home for 31 years. Seeing the golf course go away is startling, he said. Many in the neighborhood are concerned and upset, and as a community, are hoping to preserve as much greenspace as possible.
The developers are hosting a meeting at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on May 20, at the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center.
As a golf course is not an economically viable use of the property, Velie hopes the meeting allows them to develop in a way that takes concerns into account.
“We believe it is important to hear the thoughts and concerns of our neighbors before we develop our site plan,” Velie said. “Though we have had a number of meetings with individual residents or small groups of residents, this meeting, before the engineers develop the plan is crucial so that the engineers can incorporate designs that will mitigate as many of the neighbors’ concerns and still produce a viable project.”
In honor of National Police Week, Volusia law enforcement agencies are participating in several memorial events, both local and regional.
On Wednesday, May 12, officers with the Ormond Beach Police Department — Police Chief Jesse Godfrey, and Sgt. Michelle Willis — participated in the Police Unity Tour, a bicycle ride that spanned from the Law Enforcement Memorial in Tallahassee to the American Police Hall of Fame and Museum in Titusville. Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood also took part.
In addition, at 8:30 a.m. Friday, May 14, the public is invited to the Volusia-Flagler Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony at Daytona Memorial Park, located at 1425 Bellevue Ave.
Volusia County is urging residents to prepare for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, which starts June 1.
“Being ready for any potential emergency situation is all about making advance preparations,” said Volusia County Public Protection Director Joe Pozzo in a press release. “The time to start planning is before the storm season gets here. The time to plan is now.”
Preparations include things like developing an evacuation plan, stocking a disaster supply kit and ensuring homes are storm ready.