- February 14, 2025
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Once the latest phase of Plantation Oaks's Fountain View subdivision is constructed, Pine Trail Elementary will be at an estimated 139% capacity level.
On Tuesday, Feb. 11, the Volusia County School Board approved a school capacity mitigation agreement with Plantation Oaks of Ormond Beach for Phase 1C of Fountain View, which will be composed of 141 single-family lots. Once all the phases of Fountain View are completed, the subdivision will add 447 homes to Ormond Beach.
In the agreement with the developer, the School Board acknowledged that overcrowding adversely impacts the educational services provided at schools, stating that it believed "that an increase in the number of non-age restricted residential dwelling units permitted for construction on the property may further exacerbate adverse conditions on public school facilities within Volusia County."
The developer has filed concurrency applications for Fountain View Phases 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and 1F. In light of the current overcapacity issues — the district reported a 101% capacity level for Pine Trail, as well as a 125% capacity level for nearby Pathways Elementary, for the 2023-2024 school year — the district disagreed with the developer's opinion that a conveyance of a 14-acre parcel next to Westside Elementary, a school over 10 miles away in Daytona Beach, satisfied the school impact mitigation needed for all Fountain View phases.
The compromise? The developer agreed to pay the school impact fees in advance for Phase 1C, to total about $987,000. The developer has also requested the School Board withhold its response on the concurrency applications for Phase 1D, 1E and 1F.
The item, which was included in the meeting's consent agenda, was pulled by School Board member Donna Brosemer who inquired about the timeline of construction for the subdivision and the capacity level at Pine Trail. She said the paragraph in the agreement regarding mitigation bothered her.
"It's like they're buying the school concurrency approval," Brosemer said. "I don't know if there's a better way to word that, but it just doesn't sound good to me, especially because it's so much money so far in advance."
Staff reported to the School Board said the district is in the process of constructing a new building to add on to Pathways, as well as increasing the size of the parent pickup loop. Then, the district will look at increasing the pickup loop at Pine Trail and consider a building addition. The impact fees would go toward those projects.
But in the face of design and architectural costs, the funds won't be enough for a single project.
"A wing is going to cost us several million dollars," School Board Jamie Haynes said.
Originally, Plantation Oaks was designed to be a 55-and-older age restricted community. The property was part of the National Gardens Development of Regional Impact, which required an over 21-acre school site be conveyed to the School Board.
In 2016, the School Board agreed to the 14-acre parcel next to Westside instead. In 2020, the developer sought a zoning amendment with the city of Ormond Beach to delete the age-restriction for the land that is now being developed as Fountain View.
