- October 9, 2024
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In a rare win for public opinion, the Cascades development on Seminole Woods Boulevard will be limited to its original planned 416 homes and single-family residences.
At the Nov. 7 City Council meeting, the council voted 3-1 — with Vice Mayor Ed Danko dissenting — to cap the number of residential units at 416 and 4-0 to change the zoning request to only single-family and preservation, removing the possibility of apartments on the property. Council member Nick Klufas was absent from the meeting.
It ultimately took three votes. Initially, council member Theresa Carli Pontieri motioned to deny the application — which died with a tied 2-2 vote, with Pontieri and council member Cathy Heighter voting for denial. Danko motioned to continue the issue to a future meeting, and his motion did not receive a second. Finally, Pontieri moved to approve the application, but with the cap of 416 units instead of 850.
The 375-acre Cascades development — located on the west side of Seminole Woods, across from a neighborhood of single-family homes — was annexed into Palm Coast from Flagler County on Aug. 15. Because the land came from the county, the developer was required to change the land use designations and zoning from their county government designations and zoning to city of Palm Coast designations and zoning.
Before the land was annexed, in 2005, the county approved a development agreement that would allow 416 units spread over 696 acres. More than 350 acres in the development are environmentally sensitive land and were transferred to the county as part of the agreement.
Now, annexed to Palm Coast, the land includes an additional parcel, for a total of 375 acres, and the applicant wanted the city to allow a maximum of 850 units. The City Council voted on Sept. 19 to approve the requests in two 4-1 votes, with Pontieri dissenting.
Pontieri said that the city's infrastructure could not afford for the council to keep approving development requests like the Cascades development.
“We're already doing something that we didn't anticipate by annexing that property,” she said. “And now we want to double it.”
Mayor David Alfin suggested the agenda item on Cascades be continued to a future meeting to give the developer more time to speak with residents about potential concessions.
We're already doing something that we didn't anticipate by annexing that property. And now we want to double it.”
— Theresa Carli Pontieri, Palm Coast City Council member
Pontieri pulled no punches, candidly saying that Alfin's suggestion seemed like an attempt to delay the vote until Klufas — who, she said, was likely to vote to approve the request — was in attendance.
The vote to keep the allotted land use to the 416 residences originally approved by the county carried over to the vote on the 375 acres’ zoning.
The developer had originally planned for apartment buildings along the Seminole Woods side of the property. Because of the limitations now placed on the property, attorney Michael Chiumento, representing the applicant, asked the council to alter the zoning request to remove the multifamily sections and make the entire property preservation land and single-family homes only.
“So the entire project would be [single-family homes] and preservation,” Chiumento said.
The limited number of residential units and limiting the type of residences to single-family homes — entirely removing the proposed apartments that many residents were concerned about — was what the crowd of residents in attendance had requested from the start.
The request was met with positive comments from the public and expressions of gratitude to the council and the developer.
“Thank you. You restored my faith in our city government,” resident Renee Newton said. “Thank you from the bottom my heart.”
