- March 24, 2026
The Planning Board also approved an amendment to a phase of the Sawmill Branch development on Highway U.S. 1 to build 244 single family homes, but not without concerns from some board members.
The request lowers the overall density of Phase 6 of the Sawmill Branch development. The 66-acre lot is owned by DR Horton and Forestar USA Real Estate Group, which merged together in 2017. The project was previously approved for 320 townhouses in 2024.
The final plat for that approved project is currently under review by city staff, but the applicant’s request is to instead build 244 single family homes on 30-foot lots.
“The project will provide less units, creates less traffic, and be more consistent with the other single family residential developments in Palm Coast Park and the other Sawmill branch single family residential projects,” said City Planner Estelle Lens.
Attorney Michael Chiumento, representing DR Horton, said the company has a new footprint it wants to build in Palm Coast. The plan is to keep the footprint of a townhome while providing homeowners with independent and distinct yards, he said.
The townhomes were approved to be 18 feet wide while these new single family homes will be between 20-22 feet, he said. The lots will be a minimum of 30 feet wide, instead of the 40-foot minimum for standard single family homes..
“It is less than a typical 40-foot lot but its greater than the townhouse lot,” Chiumento said.
DR Horton’s Bob Porter said the company has used this design across the country.
“You get windows on the side. Makes it a much much nicer looking, brighter unit. You have a private yard for the kids and the dog,” Porter said. “To me, these look way better than seeing a building that is 120, 160 feet long.”
Porter said they have not priced out the units yet, but that the cost for the smaller units should start under $300,000.
Board Chair Sandra Shank pointed out that these types of homes, especially being situated near the site of a future school, would be targeted at families. But, she said, that price doesn’t include the associated homeowner’s association and Community Development District fees and increased taxes and insurance fees.
“When we look at our first responders, the teachers that would be working in those schools, they will be, in essence, priced out,” she said.
Porter argued similar homes they have built in St. Johns County have sold to first responders in that same price range.
“First responders, a married first responder, policeman, firemen, medical workers, will be able to afford these,” Porter said.
“Right, with a two-person household income,” Shank said.
Shank, who is an advocate for more affordable housing opportunities, asked if DR Horton would consider setting aside some of the homes for affordable housing. Porter said not for this project.
It’s difficult for DR Horton to sell those homes, he said, because most home buyers do not want the inherent restrictions that come with purchasing an affordable home.
“I have done those before and our customers really dislike them because they know that if they have to move for some reason, they have to sell it to somebody that qualifies,” Porter said. “You can't even rent them to somebody that doesn't qualify. It's a restriction that the vast majority of home buyers simply don't want.”
Shank said if that’s the case, than in the interest of Palm Coast residents, it would be better to keep the townhome structure.
“It just concerns me that we're reducing everything but we're not protecting any type of affordability,” she said. “And it's adjacent to a school.”
“Why bother having a school,” board member Mark Stancel said, “if the people that have kids can't afford to buy there?”
Both Shank and Stancel they were concerned about the reduced lot size from standard single family homes.
As part of the Sawmill Branch development, residents will have access to a large amenity center included in the development. But that center is not located near to Phase 6, and the proposed lot sizes, Shank argued, do not leave a lot of room for children to play.
“There really isn’t anything that parents can put in their backyard for their children,” Shank said.
Stancel pointed out that there are single family homes, with the standard lot sizes, that do not have HOA fees that could be purchased around the same price point in Palm Coast.
Chiumento said it costs around $250,000 just to build a new home in Palm Coast. Many of the homes Stancel mentioned, Chiumento said, are 20 or 30 years old and need to be remodeled.
Porter argued that these homes would be the least expensive single family homes that could be purchased in Palm Coast. As well, townhomes in Palm Coast are going for around $260,000 now, he said, which is not much less expensive than the $300,000 price point for the proposed single family homes.
“The monthly payment is not going to be substantially higher,” he said, “and you end up with a nicer home.”
“I just cannot agree with reducing the lot size from the 4,000 minimum single family requirement to 2,550,” Shank said.
Ultimately, the board voted 3-1 to recommend the Palm Coast City Council approve the amendment, but with conditions. Shank was the sole dissenting vote, and three board members were absent from the meeting.
First, the board asked the units be broken up into rows of 12, with an open space between every 12th home. Second, the board asked a small children’s play area be added to this area of the Sawmill Branch development.
Lens said the application is scheduled to go before the Palm Coast City Council for approval on April 21, with a second reading scheduled for May 5. Should the council approve the application, the applicant will have to submit a subdivision master plan, followed by a preliminary plat and then a final plat, for approval.
After the meeting, city staff reached out to Chiumento and asked the applicant to provide a new concept plan that included the conditions for the April 21 meeting.
Sawmill Branch is part of the Palm Coast Park Master Planned Development, a multi-phase development along Highways U.S. 1 between Palm Coast Parkway and Matanzas Woods Parkway. The other phases of the Sawmill Branch development are either approved and under construction or are currently under review, she said.
