- October 9, 2024
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The developers of the former Tomoka Oaks golf course are returning to the Ormond Beach Planning Board. But this time around, they’re seeking a rezoning, not a development order.
The developers — Carl Velie, Ray Barshay, Sheldon Rubin and Emily Rubin — are pursuing zoning map amendment from Planned Residential Development to R-2 “Single-family low density” for the 147.94-acre parcel within the Tomoka Oaks neighborhood. A public hearing for the proposed zoning change will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, at Tomoka Christian Church, located at 1450 Hand Ave. in Ormond Beach.
The decision to pursue a rezoning comes after the City Commission directed the developers on Nov. 7 to go back to the Planning Board with a revised plan for their development. The commissioners, like the Planning Board members at previous public hearings, felt the developers’ 272-home proposal for Tomoka Reserve was too dense, would generate too much traffic and was incompatible with the existing Tomoka Oaks neighborhood.
On Nov. 21, the developers’ attorney notified the city that they were withdrawing their 272-home development order application, and would instead pursue a rezoning that could allow for over 300 homes.
The developers then issued a statement on their website that said they “have concluded that the commission’s decision to remand their application back to the Planning Board — despite their stated objections — for the purpose of negotiating a ‘significant reduction’ in the number of residential lots would be an exercise in futility.”
The Tomoka Oaks golf course property, located at 20 Tomoka Oaks Blvd., was previously zoned R-2. The property was rezoned to a PRD in 2006 when a developer sought to construct 35 townhomes and six condo buildings on about 30 acres of the golf course. This never came to fruition due to the 2008 recession.
Per the city’s land development code, residential developments constructed under an R-2 zoning must have a minimum lot width of 100 feet. Tomoka Oaks residents have been asking the developers for 100-foot-wide lots since the start of negotiations. The now-abandoned 272-home proposal was made up of 60-foot by 120-foot lots and 80-foot by 125-foot lots.
A Maryland-based developer has bought the nearly 3,000 acres that make up Ormond Crossings for $62 million.
Bradford Kline and Associates purchased the property from the Ford family, of DeLand on Dec. 5.
The sale took place two months after representatives from Meritage Homes met with the Ormond Beach Site Plan Review Committee to discuss the construction of 2,500 single-family homes in Ormond Crossings, a planned community along the east and west sides of I-95 and south of U.S. 1 that has been in the works since 2004.
Ormond Crossings is projected to span “5 million square feet in industrial and commercial office space, create approximately 11,000 jobs, increase the local annual property revenues by $42 million and stimulate construction spending by $575 million over a 20-year period,” the development’s website states.
The Ford family acquired the property in 2016. In 2019, Security First Insurance opened its new headquarters on the property, becoming Ormond Crossings’s first development.
Tomoka State Park was ranked as the fourth-best place to take a nature walk on New Year’s Day across the United States, according to a survey by Sustainable Jungle.
The company commissioned a survey asking 3,000 families which nature walks they would most like to experience at the start of 2024 in the U.S., according to a news release.
“[Tomoka State Park] offers scenic trails where families can enjoy a leisurely walk amidst natural beauty,” the news release states. “The Tomoka Trail is a half-mile trail that takes you along the Tomoka Point peninsula, and it’s known for its beautiful shady maritime oak trees.”
Lanikai Pillbox Hike in Oahu, Hawaii was ranked first, followed by Lookout Mountain Trails in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Waimea Valley Botanical Gardens Trail in Oahu, Hawaii.
The next ReGrow the Loop workshop, featuring Kalan Taylor, director of University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension Volusia County, will be held from 9:30-10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13, at the Ormond Beach Regional Library, at 30 S. Beach St.
Taylor will share tips to help homeowners learn how to garden understory plants in this free presentation.
This event is sponsored by Volusia County’s ReGrow the Loop initiative.
