- April 24, 2024
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Fifth time's the charm.
The Ormond Beach City Commission approved a development order on first reading for the proposed Tattersall at Tymber Creek project by way of a 3-2 vote on Tuesday, Oct. 18. City Commissioner Troy Kent and Mayor Bill Partington voted against.
Local homebuilding company Paytas Homes sought approval for the construction of a 129-home residential subdivision to be located in an 84-acre property at the northwest corner of Tymber Creek Road and Airport Road. The meeting on Tuesday marked the fifth time the commissioners considered a proposal for the land, with three prior proposals — including the first by Paytas Homes in January — being denied.
"I don't have a justification in my mind to say no," City Commissioner Rob Littleton said. "... They've done as much as they can to make this project suited for the community."
The first proposal for the property was approved in 2006. The developer at the time planned to build a 68-lot subdivision in a smaller portion of the property, since the developer didn't own the northern half of the parcel. This project was never built, and in 2013, the developer returned to the city to ask for a lot increase to 163, a request that was denied.
Then in 2018, the City Commission denied a proposal for a 144-lot subdivision on the property, known as the Marshside Village project. The developer of that project filed a petition in the courts to repeal the commission's denial, which was upheld by a Volusia County Circuit Judge in June 2020.
Earlier this year, Paytas Homes approached the City Commission with a proposal for a 143-lot subdivision, but was denied due to concerns about density, lack of traffic or road improvements and flooding.
This new proposal, commissioners said, was much improved.
"This is an infill development," Commissioner Dwight Selby said. "When you look at the map, virtually everything around it is densely populated. By putting homes here, where the city services are already available, we eliminate sprawl — we reduce sprawl going out further west or north. ... It's really smart growth."
Selby mentioned the reduction in lots, that the project will preserve 38.5% of the land, the project's density of 1.53 residences per acres — which he said is "incredibly low" — and the construction of a 50-foot swale from Leeway Trail connecting to Groover Branch, a channelized wetland, to help with stormwater. He also spoke about the project's recreation area for residents and the proposed 6-foot sidewalk along Airport Road to Leeway Trail to nearby Pathways Elementary.
Tattersall's homebuilder also included in the development order that, unless required as part of needed infrastructure or engineering, individual lots will remain preserved until a home is ready to be built.
Four people spoke at the meeting and shared their concerns for Tattersall, with flooding being the most prevalent. But engineers representing the project voiced confidence that the swale would help water flow through the property.
Kent said he wasn't against the parcel of land being developed, but that his major concern was the existing traffic on Airport Road and Tymber Creek Road due to the proximity of the parcel to two elementary schools, Pathways and Pine Trails. Unless he could be convinced that the roads could handle the impact, he voiced early on in the public hearing that he would be voting against the project.
"I can't approve this when I've been screaming about 'Why would Daytona Beach allow more, more, more, when they don't have the infrastructure fixed?' Kent said.
Partington said that, while the project is better than previous ones, he still believes there are negative impacts that would impact the safety and quality of life for residents in the area, calling the traffic "atrocious" on that corridor. He wanted to see less lots, suggesting closer to 120 homes.
Until someone votes no on a project, the issues won't be fixed, he said.
"It needs to be fixed beforehand, not after or during," Partington said.
A second reading for the Tattersall development order will take place at the next meeting on Nov. 1.
