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Mayor Norris calls fuel storage a statewide ‘strategic asset’; Vice Mayor Pontieri wants a location farther from homes
Should the City of Palm Coast welcome Belvedere Terminals’ proposed 300,000-barrel fuel terminal to the city? Maybe, but the location needs to be right, Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri said on April 1. Mayor Mike Norris, who has advocated for the facility behind the scenes, pointed to a map to dispel rumors of the location and to show why he believes it will work.
Just as importantly, the facility has strategic value not just to the city but to the state.
“All our fuel comes in by ocean,” Norris said. “So if we don’t have that fuel capacity, if we have a major hurricane … we are setting waiting for fuel. We are talking about a strategic asset for the state.”
That’s why the Florida Department of Commerce is offering a $10 million grant to Flagler County to facilitate the project, Norris said.
In addition, Belvedere Terminals would provide about $800,000 in tax revenue annually to the community, as well as creating 30-40 high-wage jobs. It’s a rare opportunity to add economic development in Palm Coast, he argued.
“I would prefer the space industry, but we have to do what we can,” he said.
Unless we take advantage of projects like this, he said, “your taxes keep going up. I just want our city to know what’s going on here.”
WHERE IS THE SITE?
According to Norris and Palm Coast Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo, the fuel terminal would be located on a parcel owned by LCD of Flagler Inc., near the end of Somerset Avenue. That’s about 3,600 feet (.7 miles) south of a water treatment facility on Peavy Grade — farther away than some have supposed on social media, Norris said.
“There’s misinformation out there,” he said. “People think we’re putting an industrial site on top of Matanzas Woods, and if people are putting false information out there, you need to call them out.”
The parcel is about 1.7 miles south of Sawmill Branch, the development whose entrance is at the near the Mobil gas station on the west side of the U.S. 1/Matanzas Woods roundabout. So, Sawmill residents shouldn’t be too concerned, Norris indicated.
The proposed Belvedere parcel is, however, adjacent to a KB Home development called Somerset, on U.S. 1.
Still, “those developers knew full well that was an industrial site,” Norris said. In fact, the developers requested a zoning modification in 2020, enabling homes to be built closer to the industrial land.
Norris feels convinced that the fuel terminal will be safe.
“The technology and all the regulatory agencies that go into approving these sites are still in place,” he said, noting that, in Jacksonville, KB Home is also building homes next to a fuel storage site.
The good outweighs the bad, in Norris’ mind. “We have to diversify our tax base.”
A BETTER LOCATION?
Norris’ comments came at the end of the meeting. Earlier, Pontieri said she agreed with many residents’ safety concerns regarding the fuel terminal.
Rather than accept the proposed site, Pontieri said the city should conduct a site selection survey — hopefully to be paid for by Belvedere.
City Councilmen Ty Miller and Charles Gambaro acknowledged the need for economic development, but they supported Pontieri’s proposal.
Norris pushed back initially. A site selection survey to be conducted — “by whom?” he asked.
Pontieri noted that Norris has been “working hard” to bring Belvedere to Palm Coast, but she wasn’t convinced it was the right location.
Considering the state’s $10 million grant has a deadline, Norris said he was concerned about losing the fuel terminal with a delay for a site survey.
“Well, mayor,” Pontieri retorted, “the fuel depot might not be happening here if we don’t figure something out.”
The audience applauded Pontieri for challenging Belvedere and Norris.
Norris noted again that he was concerned about chasing away Belvedere — and the associated economic development benefits — by suggesting the company reconsider its site.
“I will give you consensus to go and have them look,” Norris warned, “but we’re going to lose it.”
LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE
Miller suggested that in the future, developers be required to disclose to builders and homeowners that their residential land is adjacent to an industrial zone.
Pontieri said this situation should be a cautionary tale as the city has more decisions like this as it expands to the west. City Council members who scrutinize developments should reject accusations of being anti-development, she said.
“We’re not anti-development, we’re pro-resident,” she said. Speaking of the developers and council members of the past who approved the rezoning, she said: “These are things we need to be mindful of. Five years ago, they had no idea that Belvedere may be considering this project, and before they made this change, it was more appropriate. … This is the forward thinking we need to have.”
RESIDENT OPPOSITION
Several residents spoke out, at the April 1 Palm Coast City Council meeting, against Belvedere Terminals’ plan. Sawmill Branch and Sawmill Creek are west of U.S. 1, north of the proposed site.
One resident, Wayne Bruce, said he formerly lived in Ormond Beach, when Belvedere had proposed the fuel terminal there. Bruce then moved to Palm Coast, only to find that the fuel terminal’s possible location had also moved — near his new house.
“I’m very concerned about what’s going to happen to our beautiful city,” Bruce said.
A resident of Sawmill said: “You couldn’t ask for a worse project for the city with the possible exception of a nuclear waste site.” The projected tax revenue isn’t worth the risk of an accident, she said.
Yet another resident of Sawmill said: “We’re not saying, ‘Don’t put anything there,’ we’re saying, ’Don’t put anything there that’s toxic.’”
NEXT STEP?
The Flagler County Board of County Commissioners will review the $10 million loan at the April 7 meeting.
At the conclusion of the city's April 1 meeting, City Councilman Charles Gambaro and Pontieri appeared to be influenced by Norris’ advocacy for the site.
“If this is the spot, this is the spot,” Pontieri said, “but I don’t think we need to sell ourselves short.” She again advocated for a site survey, but added: “We need to diversify our tax base.”
Gambaro was persuaded by the point that Belvedere project could make the fuel supply more secure in the state.
“What you’re pointing out is the benefits of having this capacity here,” he told Norris in the meeting. He made a comparison that both would appreciate, given their military backgrounds: “The Army moves a lot of commodities over rail for a reason.” He called the safety of rail transport “a big selling point” for the terminal.
And yet, Gambaro concluded: “Belvedere needs to answer the concerns of our citizens. So we’ll continue to weigh the pros and cons. … How do we make this a win-win?”
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