- April 26, 2024
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Public comments on development and tree preservation were again brought before the City Commission at its meeting on Tuesday, April 17, only this time there was an equal number of people speaking on each side of the ongoing discussion that has been present since the clearing of trees for the upcoming Granada Pointe development.
Six people, not including the project's developer, Paul Holub, spoke in favor of development. Six people, including members of CANDO 2, spoke for tree preservation and "thoughtful" development of Granada Boulevard.
Ormond Beach resident Patti Surguine said her grandmother's family was part of the original Tomoka settlement, and that her roots in the city ran deep. She spoke of the clearing of trees for Granada Pointe, saying it was "especially painful" for her, since that area used to be part of her grandparent's farm. She also spoke in favor of the project, and it's upcoming Wawa, earning groans from people seated in the back rows of the chambers.
"Change is tough for all of us," Surguine said.
Surguine continued by talking about her grandmother, whom she described as a hardworking and practical woman who worked as a welder for the Navy while her son served in the military.
"I know one thing," Surguine said. "She would wholeheartedly approve of transforming her farm into both a beautiful and useful space that would benefit everyone in the community she loved her whole life."
Jeff Boyle, spokesperson for CANDO 2, said the public mandate has been environment and history, leading to the construction of the Environmental Discovery Center. Against the public mandate, Boyle said the last nine years have seen a City Commission agenda of weakened wetland and development rules, abolished advisory boards, questionable rezoning and planned business mega-development and waived traffic concurrency.
"To answer your question," Boyle said, referring to Mayor Bill Partington's comments at the City Commission meeting on April 3, asking what is the CANDO 2 agenda. "What is the Cando 2 agenda? It is wetlands and trees and reinstating rules to preserve both."
At the end of the meeting, City Commissioner Dwight Selby said one of the biggest challenges is figuring out how everybody in Ormond Beach feels about something. He said everyone generally approaches things from their own point of view, but as a City Commission, they are called to represent all of the citizens.
"It sounds corny but God gave us two ears and one mouth," Selby said. "To listen twice as much as we talk. But I don't see how we're going to move forward together if we don't listen more — If we don't try to understand where the other person is coming from and then try to work together to forge the future that we all want."
