CITY WATCH: City Council approves zoning changes for a future assisted living

Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin urged the city and applicant to ensure proper stormwater mitigation after flooding from Hurricane Ian.

By Sierra Williams
| 1:40 p.m. October 18, 2022

The development will be located west of the Woodlands area, at Old Kings Road and Oak Trails Boulevard. Image from Palm Coast City Council meeting documents

Palm Coast Observer
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The Palm Coast City Council has approved a zoning change for a future assisted living facility on Old Kings Road and Oak Trails Boulevard, near Blare Drive.

Palm Coast City Council fills planning and zoning seats

The Palm Coast City Council has appointed Hung Hilton and Suzann Nichols to the Planning and Zoning Regulation Board’s open seats.

Hilton and Nichols will replace Sybil Dodson-Lucas and Jake Scully for the board’s regular seats.

Hilton and Nichols are currently serving as alternates to the board, and have been for two and three years, respectively.

Because the two will now fill the regular board seats, the City Council had to also fill the opening alternate seats. In a vote, the council chose Larry Gross and Dodson-Lucas to fill those seats.

Dodson-Gross required a 4/5 vote to fill any open position since she has already completed two consecutive terms on the board.

Christopher Gabriel, who is currently on the board and whose term is expiring, was re-selected at the Sept. 20 meeting since he was the only applicant for his district and seat.

The council voted 4-0 in favor of the change during an Oct. 18 meeting, with Councilman Nick Klufas absent. The planned unit development, or PUD, for the assisted living facility had been approved at the city’s Sept. 20 planning board meeting, and the City Council had a first reading of the agenda item at an Oct. 4 business meeting.

On Tuesday’s second reading, Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin asked city staff and the applicant to ensure proper stormwater mitigation is in place at the site.

“That area is sensitive to stormwater,” Alfin said.

The Oak Trails development is west of the Woodlands residential area, which was evacuated during Hurricane Ian due to flooding concerns. The area saw heavy stormwater runoff flooding for days after the storm passed.

"Since I was up to my ankles and my good shoes in water during Ian, I would urge you and the applicant, the developer, to — if it's possible — look for ways to further mitigate."

— Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin, addressing stormwater management

Ray Tyner, the city’s deputy chief development officer, told Alfin that stormwater management designs will come at the next step in the PUD — a PUD site plan — and must to go through city staff and St. John’s River Water Management District for approval. The site plan will pass through the city’s Planning and Development Regulation Board before returning to the council.

“So it’s just not the city of Palm Coast, it’s another agency to make sure that that the stormwater complies,” Tyner said. “And in addition, there is already an existing stormwater pond for the road on the side, as well.”

Boat launch construction on Waterfront Park approved, to start in mid-November

The Palm Coast City Council voted 4-0 on Oct. 18 to approve a work order and construction contract for a new boat launch at Waterfront Park.

Funding for Phase I of the work, including a 50% cost-match FIND grant, was outlined at an Oct. 18 City Council meeting. The boat launch will include a dock and a double launch site for kayaks and canoes.

The total cost is estimated at $1.1 million for Phase I. The city will request $533,000 in grants from FIND — the Florida Inland Navigation District — and will fund the remainder, according to City Council meeting documents.

Lauren Johnston, the assistant city manager, and Eric Gebo, city architect, said in a presentation that the city must commit “to not pursuing future speed reduction in conjunction with this project,” which concerned residents.

“The city of Palm Coast has no standing with regard to the right of ways or the rules on the Intracoastal waterway,” Mayor David Alfin said. The rules are based on Fish and Wildlife regulations, Johnston said.

The property encompasses just under 10 acres of land. The applicant, Kings Business Center, LLC, had requested that the city rezone the land from Suburban Estate to Public/Semipublic. The Public/Semipublic designation does not allow for traditional residential builds, but does allow for assisted living facilities.

“Since I was up to my ankles and my good shoes in water during Ian,” Alfin said, referring the area the PUD will be in, “I would urge you and the applicant, the developer, to — if it’s possible — look for ways to further mitigate.”

The land is currently a vacant lot. With the change, the applicant must build within certain requirements, according to documents from the Palm Coast City Council meeting.

The requirements include a maximum building height of 100 feet and a minimum setback of 25 feet from Old Kings Road and 20 feet from Oak Trails Boulevard.

While details on the assisted living facility won’t be available until the next step in the process, the areas surrounding the lot have single-family residential land use to the south and east, mixed use multifamily residential to the west and mixed use light industrial to the north.

Thomas Norton of Seaway Design, representing property owner Kings Business Center, said at the Oct. 4 City Council workshop that Palm Coast will benefit from the assisted living facility as the city’s aging demographic has changed over the last 10 years: The number of individuals aged 55-75 has gone up more than 40%, and those aged 75 and older is up more than 60%, according to Norton.

Kings Business Center owns and operates assisted living facilities all over the country and provides amenities like courtyards, game rooms, salons and movie theaters, Norton said at the Sept. 20 planning board meeting.

The land is currently a vacant lot. With the change, the applicant must build within certain requirements, according to documents from the Palm Coast City Council meeting.

Some of these requirements include a maximum building height of 100 feet and a minimum setback of 25 feet from Old Kings Road and 20 feet from Oak Trails Boulevard.

While details on the assisted living won't be available until the next step in the process, the areas surrounding the lot have single-family residential land-use to the south and east, mixed use multifamily residential to the west and mixed use light industrial to the north.

Thomas Norton of Seaway Design, representing the property owner Kings Business Center, LLC, said in the Oct. 4 city council workshop meeting that Palm Coast will benefit from the assisted living as their aging demographic has changed over the last ten years: the number of individuals aged 55-75 has gone up more than 40%, and those aged 75 and older is up more than 60%, according to Norton.

Kings Business Center, LLC owns and operates assisted livings all over the country, Norton said in the Sept. 20 planning and development board meeting. They said provide amenities like courtyards, game rooms, salons and movie theaters to residents.