- December 27, 2024
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A lack of lighting at a roundabout on Airport Road and Hunter’s Ridge Boulevard caused some debate about whether adding lit signage to the dark area would be safe.
At its June 3 meeting, the Flagler County Commission approved two separate applications relating to the Hunter's Ridge development known as Ormond Station in south Flagler County. One of the applications was approval for a lit sign at a roundabout leading into the Ormond Station developments.
"It's a very dark, very winding road out there," Commissioner Leann Pennington said. "...It's really really bad."
The request is for two lit signs reading "Ormond Station" at the roundabout, one facing east on Airport Road and one facing west. The roundabout has a circular wall in the center which surrounds a small pond.
Commission Chair Andy Dance said the roundabout was not the appropriate location for signage and said he felt it could cause a distraction for drivers. Pennington presented images of a recent crash at the roundabout that allegedly happened recently where a driver crashed into the roundabout's walls. The Observer was not able to find details about the crash in time for this publication.
“I would urge that we get some proper lighting out there, not just the sign,” Dance said.
DR Horton Forward Planner Sydney Kendrick said that while the lighting on the signs is not meant as a sole solution to the lack of lighting in the area, their team does believe the lighting will help prevent accidents in the future.
Commissioner Greg Hansen agreed, pointing out the signage lighting would be placed where roads are meeting the roundabout.
"So they're going to see the wall. They're not going to be able to miss that,” he said.
The commission approved the signage 3-2, with Dance and Pennington dissenting. The commission also unanimously approved the final plat application for the second phase of Ormond Station's Gardenside.
Gardenside is located on Airport Road, west of the Hunter’s Ridge Boulevard roundabout and extension. Phase 1 of the development, which is underway, will have 76 single-family homes on 29 acres. Phase 2 of Gardenside, if approved by the commission, will add an additional 89 homes on 39 acres on the north side of Phase 1.
The plat for the 89 homes outlines a mixture of different sized lots, ranging from .21 acres and .10 acres.
Jake Beren, owner of US Capital Alliance, said the different sized lots allows for multiple home design models for each lot size. The home builder, DR Horton, Beren said, wanted to have a "more inclusive community" instead of a development that repeated the same designs over and over again.
"It looks more like a fully functional, real community," Beren said. "I think that they [DR Horton] are looking to make this a really nice community."
