- November 27, 2024
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Two years after developers held their first neighborhood meeting, their proposal for a 272-home subdivision at the former Tomoka Oaks golf course will be reviewed by the Ormond Beach City Commission.
Anticipating a crowd far larger than the seating capacity available at the commission chambers at City Hall, the commission will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, at Calvary Christian Center, located at 1687 W. Granada Blvd.
The development — known as Tomoka Reserve — is arriving to the commission with a unanimous recommendation of denial by the Ormond Beach Planning Board, which held three separate hearings before reaching a decision regarding the 147.94-acre property on Sept. 26.
The advisory board’s concerns included incompatible lot widths with the existing Tomoka Oaks community; that the planting plan for the 50-foot buffer was insufficient; that the proposed density was too high; and that the traffic that the new development will generate will negatively impact residents’ quality of life.
In turn, the developers — Carl Velie, Ray Barshay, Sheldon Rubin and Emily Rubin — previously stated that they had reached an agreement with city planning staff, which also recommended denial of the development, on all but two issues: the lot sizes (the city is also suggesting 100-foot-wide lots to be compatible with Tomoka Oaks) and the planting and irrigation plan for the buffer. The developers have proposed two types of lots: 60-foot by 120-foot lots in the interior of the subdivision, and 80-foot by 125-foot lots along the perimeter of the property.
The developers also argue that the city’s requirement of a “type six” buffer — the kind typically put in for industrial and commercial developments, was inappropriate.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood has officially voiced his opposition to the proposed fuel farm project by Belvedere Terminals at 874 Hull Road.
The sheriff sent a letter to the Ormond Beach City Commission on Monday, Oct. 30, supporting the city’s opposition to the project, which is being proposed in unincorporated Volusia County near Ormond Beach’s city limits.
“Volusia County has a robust public safety system serving its citizens every day, with trained professionals in law enforcement, fire, EMS, emergency management and many other disciplines working together to deal with the challenges posed by rapid growth,” Chitwood wrote. “However, the large ‘fuel farm’ project Belvedere Terminals is proposing in our community has created a new threat to the sense of safety of all who live, work, and do business in Ormond Beach and surrounding areas.”
Chitwood called on Belvedere Terminals to work with Volusia leaders to identify a “more suitable scale and location” for its fuel terminal facility.
In a statement Tuesday, the city of Ormond Beach said city and Volusia County staff members had met to discuss “cooperative solutions” for the property at 874 Hull Road.
“Jointly, staffs are reviewing all legal options to permanently acquire the property, which could include eminent domain," the city stated.
The Ormond Beach Planning Board will meet on Thursday, Nov. 9, to discuss the deletion of the city’s I-2 “Heavy Industrial” zoning district.
The zoning district was created in August to be able to match Halifax Paving’s heavy industrial county zoning, but due to concerns about the proposed fuel farm at 874 Hull Road, the commissioners agreed to delete the new zoning district at their Oct. 4 meeting.
The land development code amendment to do so must be heard first by the Planning Board before going to the City Commission for final approval.
The Planning Board meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and be held at the City Commission Chambers at City Hall.
Volusia County Schools will begin holding community rezoning meetings for students at Holly Hill School, Ormond Beach Middle School, Silver Sands Middle School and Creekside Elementary on Wednesday, Nov. 8.
The meeting will be held at Holly Hill School’s media center and will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Additional rezoning meetings for these schools will be held at:
This story was updated at 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 3, to correct the time for Tuesday's City Commission meeting. A previous version of this story reported the meeting began at 7 p.m. That was incorrect; the meeting will begin at 6 p.m.
