Tuesday February 6th, 2024 at 6pm, the City of Palm Coast held their monthly evening business meeting. During the meeting the council heard from the public on a myriad of issues including the traffic, city wide drainage issues, conflicts of interest, maintaining public trust and many other issues.
An ordinance was brought forth for the second read. The ordinance would allow for the expansion of the boundaries of the Landings Community Development District for a combined total of 560.86 acres. The petition for the expansion was heard during the December 5th meeting, and a correction was made and highlighted during the presentation to the council. Residents spoke up stating that they understand the CDD is responsible for it’s own infrastructure within the development, that doesn’t help pay for the maintenance of the rest of the city infrastructure, including the utilities like sewer and water.
City staff were directed to explain the CDD and the impact fees and how the infrastructure is handled. Staff explained that the CDD is required to fund the infrastructure of the roads, stormwater system, parks and the City will not be required to maintain those facets of the infrastructure in the future. The impact fees are done after the CDD is set up and site plans come in. That is also when the traffic analysis will be done, according to city staff. The impact fees include the fees for the schools, transportation, utility, fire, county public safety, etc. The council concluded their discussion and ultimately voted to approve the petition for expansion unanimously.
The council also heard the second read for an ordinance approving the amended development agreement for the Town Center of Palm Coast plan unit development PUD. This item was heard at the January 16th meeting. There was a change made to the ordinance as requested by council that clarified the conversion of non-residential to residential units could only be utilized in the urban core areas of Town Center. This project was originally approved in 2004. Residents of Palm Coast took the time to again stand up and voice concerns regarding the fast paced development of projects all over town. Some even mentioned possible conflicts of interest. Upon conclusion of the conversation on the dais, the council voted to approve the ordinance 5-0.
Also discussed during the meeting was an ordinance outlining the criteria regarding permanent docking structures on the canals in Palm Coast. The City owns the majority of the canals within the city. The ordinance covered regulations that the city would now be requiring for new floating and permanent structures, which the council passed unanimously.
