Neighborhood seeks to avoid traffic problems

Ormond Beach Observer
News

The residents of Reflections Village are preparing for their future neighbors, a planned 8.72-acre development called Ormond Central at the southeast corner of South Old Kings Road and West Granada Boulevard.

The HOA of Reflections Village, located across South Old Kings Road from the development, is asking for the city to allow them to have control of when their gates are open and closed. Currently, a city regulation built into the approval of the subdivision in 1995 requires the gate to be open in daylight hours.

Joe Jaynes, HOA president, told the Planning Board on Sept. 12 that the HOA wants to avoid any traffic problems with vehicles leaving or entering Ormond Central. He said they already have people entering the subdivision thinking they can find an exit to Nova Road.

“The catalyst was Ormond Central development,” he said. “You can’t control development; you just try to be ready.”

Ormond Central will have four pad-ready sites, according to the Development Report in the Planning Department page in www.ormondbeach.org. A Planned Business Development was approved for the site by the City Commission in two readings on Nov. 21 and Dec. 5, 2017.

The owner is Ormond Central Investors LLC. A site plan has been approved, but a building permit has not been requested, according to the development report. No work on the site is planned at this time, according to a company spokesman. A longtime gym at the site was demolished and removed.

The area is a flood zone and will require clearing, filling and grading, according to statements by Rick Goss, former planning director, in the Nov. 21, 2017 City Commission meeting minutes.

Jaynes said he didn’t know why the neighborhood was required by the city in 1995 to keep gates open. Planning Board member G.G. Galloway said it was common at that time to leave gates open when there was no guard. The neighborhood maintains the roads.

Residents can enter the gate with a code, and delivery drivers, such as UPS and pizza restaurants, have their own code. For emergencies, the gates sense the sound of a siren and opens automatically. Also, when the power goes out in a storm, the gates will open.

Jaynes said he has worked with a principal of Ormond Central Investors, Paul Holub, who agreed to increase the height of the masonry wall that faces Old Kings Road from six to eight feet. Also, the developer agreed to increase the landscaping between the street and the wall, he said.

The Planning Board recommended approval of the HOA having control of the gates, and the City Commission will vote on Oct. 15.

Outdoor display approved

Ocean Club Sportswear, 712 S. Atlantic Ave. is hoping to join a long list of businesses that have received special exceptions from the city to display merchandise outside.

“Outdoor merchandising is considered an integral part of the success of our business,” owners Pinchas and Eva Mamane wrote in a letter to the city.

The Planning Board recommended approval of the special exception on Sept. 12 and the City Commission will review it on Oct. 15. The exception would allow two outdoor display areas with a total of 32 square feet.

The Mamanes also own the property where the former Julian’s Restaurant now stands. They plan to build an Ocean Club Sportswear and have received an exception for outdoor display at that location.

The Ocean Club at 712 S. Atlantic Ave. has been cited for code violations in the past for outdoor display of merchandise: Feb. 6, 2013, $100 fine; March 19, 2015, $200 fine; and July 5, 2019, $200 fine

Board member G.G. Galloway had to recuse himself from the vote because he represents the applicant in other matters, but he spoke in favor of the approval, noting that large companies like Lowes have been approved for outdoor displays.

“This is an example of a local business family that has excellent buildings on A1A,” he said. “Mainstreet USA is made up of small business.”

Board member Angeline Shull said she was glad the city has the ordinance to keep businesses from “throwing racks outside.”

The fee for applying for a special exception is $1,650 to cover advertising costs for the meeting.

Other businesses that have received approval for outdoor displays include Dairy Queen, Tropicasual, A1A Landscaping, Perrine’s, Ormond Outpost and Lucky’s Market.

The Planning Board background material for the meeting also mentioned one business that was denied an outdoor display, Woodstock South at 344 S. Yonge St. The Planning Board had recommended approval but it was denied by the City Commission in a three-to-two vote.

The owners at Woodstock had displayed merchandise around their monument sign and were cited for a code violation. The special exception would have allowed product display only under the front overhang of the building, but it was denied by the commission.

There were comments by a couple of the commissioners about the nature of the merchandise, which included unusual sculptures including a chicken several feet tall.

The business has since closed.

Wawa needs last minute approval

The Wawa at Granada Pointe, 600 W. Granada Blvd., is set to open in mid-October, but there remains one approval they need for signage. The company has requested to have an electronic sign for gasoline prices on a monument sign by the roadway. Wawas in other locations, such as Daytona Beach, have prices lit electronically.

“This is the way to go,” said Planning Board member Harold Briley. “It’s a cleaner look.”

On Aug. 8, the Planning Board recommended approval of a Land Development Code that would allow gas stations to request a special exception for electronic signs for gas prices. On Sept. 12, the Planning Board recommended approval of the special exception for the Wawa.

At the Sept. 12 Planning Board meeting, board member Mike Scudiero asked why the approval process is just now going through the board and City Commission.

“This should have been done six months ago,” he said.

Glenn Storch, local attorney representing Wawa, said that the company had believed that a state statute, 553.79 (20), enacted three years ago, allowed the usage. The ordinance states a city cannot impose a rule that prevents signage of gas prices from being clearly visible.

But Storch said the city wanted to create an ordinance that would prevent any problems with other businesses installing electronic signs.

City Attorney Randy Hayes told the board it took a while to write the ordinance.

“We didn’t want every gas station and mom and pop shop to set up electronic signs,” he said.

If the City Commission approves the new ordinance, gas stations will need to individually apply for a special exception to have prices lit electronically.

The question of electronic signs has arisen periodically and the city has sought to avoid signs with frequently changing messages. There are some in town, but they were grandfathered in and are considered nonconforming to code, meaning they could not be replaced if destroyed in a storm. The gas station signs in the new ruling would only change gas prices.

The City Commission will consider the LDC amendment on Sept. 18 and Oct. 1, and the special exception for the Wawa also on Oct. 1.