- December 4, 2025
Changes in The Hammock in Flagler County’s available sewage system may open the door to additional businesses going up along State Road A1A north of The Hammock Dunes bridge.
In an interview with the Observer, Commissioner Greg Hansen said the county has received funding to expand the water and sewage connections in The Hammock. The county is actively working on installing those connections, to extend from the Hammock Dunes bridge, north to Mala Compra and Bings Landing and then out from Mala Compra to Washington Oaks Gardens State Park.
Unincorporated Flagler County in The Hammock has long had septic tanks on the individual properties and the opportunity to connect to a sewage system could pave the way for more businesses in vacant lots along the A1A corridor in The Hammock.
Between Beverley Beach and Marineland, there are 544 parcels that are zoned residential/limited commercial. Of those, 211 are vacant properties.
Under this R/C zoning, property owners are allowed to have a variety of low-impact businesses: real estate offices, medical offices, attorney’s offices, bed and breakfasts, sit-down restaurants with a maximum 160 seats for indoors, banks and other similar businesses.
Having infrastructure in place on a parcel, Flagler County Economic Development Manger Dolores Key said, means businesses do not have to put additional funding into the site.
“Anytime that you have infrastructure in place that makes a site, what we call ‘pad ready,’” Key said, “...that's something in economic development that makes a site more desirable.”
When deciding if a site is desirable, Key said, businesses look for water, sewer, drainage and electric infrastructure. Though having a septic tank system on a lot would count as sewer infrastructure, having a sewer connection instead is preferable for businesses, she said.
The septic system takes more maintenance by both homeowners and business owners, and is also outdated – the state as a whole is moving away from the septic tank system, Key said.
“It's really a big deal to have to maintain and work with a septic system month after month, and that you really have to stay on top of it,” Key said. “Just personally, as a homeowner as well as a business owner, I would want to have sewer provided, as opposed to being on a septic system.”
But while the work is underway to make connections to Palm Coast’s sewer system available, there is no telling just yet how long it will be until residents or property owners can make the swap over from the septic field system.
Growth Management Director Adam Mengel said the R/C zoned parcels are primarily along the frontage of S.R. A1A, and the septic system has in the past been a limiting factor for commercial development in the past. The fear some residents have, Mengel said, is that with the switch from septic to sewer, that would allow for larger restaurants with more parking and more seating to fill the empty R/C lots.
“The limited commercial part comes in only through the issuance of a special exception,” he said, “only through public notice, only through public hearing and the uses are very finite.”
Property owners who wish to have a business on an R/C lot must first apply for and receive a special exception from the Flagler County Planning Board. The applicant must demonstrate their proposed use is appropriate to the area, Mengel said, and the board can impose additional limitations to the property.
Parking has been an issue with some businesses in the area in the past, he said.
“What happens if you have something that's extremely popular, then that ends up then stretching off into the neighborhood? And we really don't want that to happen,” Mengel said. “We don't want the negative impacts into the adjacent neighborhoods from these commercial uses.”
Bronx House Pizza’s Hammock location infamously caused issues when it held multiple events that caused overflow parking issues along the shoulders of S.R. A1A. The restaurant has since purchased a second nearby lot for valet parking to address the problem.
The approval process for special exceptions can take around three months, Mengel said, and any additional parking outside of what is typically allowed on a lot would also need additional approval.
For now, he said, the county and Palm Coast utilities are still working out the details for when property owners might be able to make the switch from septic to sewer.
“It's been a substantial delay to get to this point, and we're excited about the availability coming in,” Mengel said.
While there may be concerns about increased traffic if there is additional commercial development, developing economically is a priority for Flagler County. Key said that while she is focused on bringing light industrial projects, any new business will help diversify Flagler County’s tax base.
Flagler County’s tax base is 85-86% residential, Key said.
“That's not a way to run a county or a city,” she said. “You really should be more at 30-40% commercial to run a stable economy.”
