A road is planned between Planet Fitness and BJ’s in Palm Coast, where a big box retailer could land.
After hearing assurances that a big box retailer — and not new housing — is the plan for the property, the Palm Coast City Council voted 3-1 on Tuesday, Feb. 18, to begin the annexation process of 38.8 acres on State Road 100.
But, those assurances aren’t guaranteed, which is why Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri voted no. “I’m nervous about this one,” she said. Mayor Mike Norris and City Councilmen Ty Miller and Charles Gambaro voted yes, while Ray Stevens was absent.
Flagler Pines Properties LLC owns the land, which is currently under Flagler County jurisdiction, and is entitled to develop a mix of commercial and 255 units of multifamily. According to representative Jay Livingston, the developer’s intention, should the land be annexed into the city, would be to change the land use from county designations to the city’s “mixed use” designation and rezone it to fully commercial. He said the developer won't build any residential units.
Instead of multifamily, behind a row of retail along 100, there would be an undisclosed big box retailer between Planet Fitness and BJ’s Wholesale Club.
Because the property is within the Palm Coast Service Area for water and sewer, the property must into annex into the city to receive services.
TRAFFIC
The annexation creates an opportunity for a frontage road parallel to State Road 100, just south of any future retail shops.
That could make traffic flow more efficiently between that stretch of commercial development: A car could travel from Planet Fitness to BJ’s without driving on State Road 100. For a comparison, Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston pointed to the frontage road the connects Joe’s New York Pizza to Chick-fil-A, north of Palm Coast Parkway.
Livingston suggested that a deal could be struck between landowners to connect the road all the way to Seminole Woods Boulevard, and attempt to relieve congestion around the Race Trac gas station.
According to the city’s staff report, State Road 100 still meets the city’s level of service standards, except for the stretch from Seminole Woods Boulevard to Interstate 95.
However, new development is required to pay its share of the increased traffic, should 100 need to be widened to six lanes.
ASSURANCES
Several steps are required after annexation before development can occur. Not until the rezoning stage would residential development legally be eliminated from possibility.
“There’s nothing forcing the applicant, once they come in, to convert to commercial,” Pontieri said. “It’s their choice. … I would really have preferred them to convert to zoning with the county prior to applying to annex in.”
Livingston countered that, if the land is annexed into Palm Coast first, the City Council will have control of every step of the process for the rezoning, rather than letting the County Commission make the decisions.
Considering that the annexation would not be finalized until a second vote, Gambaro argued that the city should approve the annexation on first read.
At the suggestion of Ray Tyner, deputy director of Community Development for the city, the council ultimately agreed to approve the annexation on first reading, with the understanding that the developer bring both the land use and the zoning application to the second reading. That way, the City Council could be assured that there will be no residential development on the property.
