Despite locals' complaints, City Council votes 4-1 to allow new self-storage facility

Palm Coast Observer
News

Residents who addressed the Palm Coast City Council at a Jan. 18 meeting did not want a proposed new self-storage facility near their homes in the Hidden Lakes community.

"We can not violate laws, and if we’re going to deny this, we’re going to have to justify why we denied it."

— EDDIE BRANQUINHO, city councilman

But they'll likely get one: A rezoning for the proposed 95,500-square-foot storage facility earned the council's approval in a 4-1 vote as council members said they had no legal basis to deny the developer's proposal. Councilman Victor Barbosa was the sole dissenting vote.

"Based on my votes in the past, I’m not loved by developers," City Councilman Eddie Branquinho said. But, he added, "We can not violate laws, and if we’re going to deny this, we’re going to have to justify why we denied it."

The storage facility will feature 287 covered spots for boats or recreational vehicles, plus buildings with a combined 95,500 feet of self-storage space, at 3830 Old Kings Road S., on the northwest corner of the intersection of Old Kings Road and Town Center Boulevard.

The 23-acre parcel of land is just south of the Gold Choice Assisted Living facility, with which it would share an entry road.

The owner had requested that the city rezone it from the city's general office zoning designation to the general commercial zoning designation.

Locals who opposed the change said they didn't want the traffic or noise they believed would come with the storage facility.

"We are very concerned about what's going on; we do not think you should change the zoning," said Hidden Lakes resident Mary Alice Brandt. "This does not belong where they are trying to put it, across the street from a beautiful development."

Palm Coast investigates saltwater canal dredging

Palm Coast city staff recently met with a consulting firm to look into having the city's saltwater canals dredged, interim City Manager Denise Bevan told the City Council at a Jan. 18 meeting.

City Councilman Ed Danko, who's pushed the city to look into a dredging program, raised the topic toward the end of the meeting.

"I hope we move forward and look at these consultant companies and find one that's reasonable, and get the facts so we don't have to sit here and wonder, 'Will it cost $50 million, or $25 (million),'" he said.

He added that he'd been out on the canals and noted spots where the water is only 3 or 4 feet deep, depending on tides.

Councilman Victor Barbosa said he believed the city needs a maintenance plan for the saltwater canals.

"I don't think dredging it just one time is going to do it," Barbosa said. "I think we're going to have to go out and buy one of these dredging machines and get a crew."

Danko noted that the city of Cape Coral has many more miles of saltwater canals than does Palm Coast — 400 miles' worth, according to Cape Coral's website — and has its own dredging program.

He suggested that Palm Coast staff speak to Cape Coral officials to see how that city manages its canal maintenance.

Arena Lake Drive resident Paul Weber said that if a storage facility is placed on the parcel, it should be scaled down and the boat and RV parking eliminated.

He said he had seen instances of storage facilities that blended with an upscale area, and hoped that the storage facility, if it's added, will be built to be attractive.

As the City Council prepared to discuss the rezoning, City Attorney Bill Reischmann cautioned the councilman.

"You are not here as elected officials on this case as much as you are as judges, and judges have to follow the law," Reischmann said.

In this case, he said, the law in question is the city's Land Development Code.

"If you are to deny the application today, you must state, on the record today, what grounds you find in the record that fail to comply with the law," he said.

City Councilman Ed Danko asked city staff what kinds of uses would be allowed under the existing general office zoning designation.

Deputy Chief Development Officer Ray Tyner listed some, including pharmacies, veterinarians' offices, hotels, art dealers, florists, specialty food stores, sporting goods stores, book and music stores, bail bond places, technical trade schools.

Branquinho suggested that the proposed storage facility would be less disruptive to the neighborhood than retail stores that could be built there under the existing zoning.

The 23 acres of land could easily hold 46 stores, he said, which would attract much more traffic than the storage facility.

Councilman Nick Klufas noted that the city's planning board had voted 6-0 in favor of the self-storage facility.

"We have to make a decision today based on our land use code," he said. "I haven’t heard anything today that goes against a single point of the land use code."