- April 18, 2024
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CANDO 2's moratorium request is no longer in effect, as the political action committee's leaders believe that if their endorsed candidates are elected, then the city's development rules will be addressed.
Julie Sipes, one of the PAC's founders said in an email to the Ormond Beach Observer that the request for the six-month moratorium on commercial development, which was submitted to the city in April, was directed at the sitting commission. Because CANDO 2 did not receive a response by June 5, the request to pause development so that "higher development standards could be restored" is no longer currently applicable.
"As far as the CANDO 2-endorsed candidates are concerned, it's not really up to CANDO 2, but rather each individual candidate whether or not they will consider or install a moratorium," Sipes said.
Ormond Beach City Commission Zone 2 candidate Joe Dugan was the only one to advocate for a moratorium on development at the candidates forum hosted by Citizens for Ormond Beach on Wednesday, Oct. 10. Dugan, who was endorsed by CANDO 2, declined to comment.
Gib Dannehower owns 43 acres of commercial property in the southwest corner of Granada Boulevard and I-95. He said regardless of a time limit, enacting a moratorium sends the "wrong signal" to anyone considering investing in the community. It will communicate that the city is not "pro-business," he said, and prompt them to look at neighboring cities.
As someone with commercial property for sale, that would be of concern to him.
“Businesses that are contemplating coming to Ormond Beach — or any area — if they think they’ve got a fight and struggle with the planning [board] or the city commission, then they look at other alternatives," Dannehower said.
He also said a moratorium in a city where all roads and utilities meet concurrency could be illegal and could involve the city in a lawsuit similar to what happened in Ponce Inlet in 2008.
Granada Pointe developer Paul Holub said most moratoriums are illegal on the surface and hard to enact. He said moratoriums affect not only commercial developments but everybody. He said moratoriums can have "everlasting negative effects" on a community, including tax raises for legal fees and residents having trouble selling homes, which he stated happened in Ponce Inlet.
With only five open parcels on Granada, an average of one new retail development for the last 15 years and with the city having enough water, sewer and transportation capacity, there is no need for a moratorium according to Holub.
“That’s not how you do it in a democracy," Holub said. "You have to have a legal nexus to implement a moratorium.”
City Commission Zone 3 candidate Sandy Kauffman said she has never called for a moratorium on development. What she says she is promoting is "smart responsible growth" by incorporating low impact development ideas into new plans.
“I don’t want to put a stop to everything that’s in motion right now," Kauffman said.
She said the viewpoint that all CANDO 2-endorsed candidates are against development is incorrect, adding that before negative ads in the newspapers are placed (reffering to the Ormond Proud ads in the Observer), people should get to know the candidates. Kauffman said she dislikes the division that has been formed between CANDO 2 and Ormond Proud.
“Just because I’m endorsed by one group, one organization, does not define who Sandy Kauffman is," she said.
City Commission Zone 4 candidate Barry du Moulin was originally advocating for a moratorium on development, however, he has since changed his mind and updated his platform on his website to eliminate any mention of a moratorium. Du Moulin said he has learned that you can't stop business or commerce without inflicting negative effects on the city.
“I wasn’t backtracking," du Moulin said. "I was just redeveloping my thoughts on it after becoming educated.”
He said he had advocated for a moratorium because initially that's what CANDO 2 "thrust" upon him, citing Granada Pointe as a reason it was warranted. Now, after attending OB Life meetings and doing his own research, he said he has changed his course of thinking, focusing his platform instead on helping first responders and improving infrastructure in the city.
“CANDO endorsed me very early on," du Moulin said. "As I became educated, I believe in their mission to a certain extent, but I’m not 100% on board with everything they do.”
Incumbent Zone 2 City Commissioner Troy Kent, who is seeking re-election, said a moratorium is something he would never consider. When talking about a moratorium, he said you're talking about putting people out of work — painters, roofers, plumbers, electricians, etc.
Since the city has had an average of 1% growth per year, a moratorium is neither warranted nor appropriate, he believes. Granada Boulevard is a commercially-zoned district, and it will have commercial property on it. Because the city has the capacity for new commercial growth, it could have opened the city up for litigation had the commission responded to CANDO 2's request for a moratorium.
“This type of thinking is dangerous," Kent said. "It is not well thought out. It is something that I think was a knee-jerk reaction by this group.”
