Daytona commissioners make decision on new 1,660-home development; here's what happened
DAYTONA BEACH — Two months after rejecting a new $400 million housing project, city commissioners reversed course and approved the 1,660-home venture at their meeting Wednesday night.
It wasn't the quality of the development between Interstate 95 and Tomoka Farms Road that led commissioners to a no vote in March. It was their worry that adding thousands of people to the vacant 415-acre site just south of Interstate 4 was going to cause severe traffic tie-ups in the already congested area where International Speedway Boulevard, Tomoka Farms Road, and Bellevue Avenue intersect.
So the developer worked with a traffic engineer and city and county officials to come up with a plan to reconfigure and improve traffic at that busy nexus near I-95 onramps and offramps. Commissioners liked the suggestions, and they liked the developer's pledge to pay for the $1.7 million worth of improvements.
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They approved a vital rezoning for the project that will transform the land that's been used to grow crops and produce cattle over the past century
Now Daytona Beach is on track to add another housing development to its growing west side that will include 340,000 square feet of commercial, institutional, and light industrial uses.
It will be an upscale community with a network of walking and bicycling trails. There will be a dog park, multi-use field, clubhouses, fitness centers, and resort pools. Berms and 50-foot natural buffers will line the neighborhood's borders.
The developer will also spend up to $10 million extending city utility lines across I-95, and another $7 million will be paid for impact fees.
When fully built out in about six years, the new subdivision will start producing an estimated $7.25 million in tax revenue annually. The land currently yields just $5,000 per year in taxes.
Untangling the Tomoka Farms Road logjam
"By every standard of development and smart growth, this is a good project and one that I think we should be able to sleep well about," said Mayor Derrick Henry.
Katherine Kirton Wingard and her family are selling the land being used for the new development. She said her parents, who both died in 2012, would approve of the project.
"I know my mom and dad would be so happy because there's so much green space and water, and not just jammed-in houses," Wingard said.
The new community will front Tomoka Farms Road and is about one mile south of the intersection of Tomoka Farms Road, Bellevue Avenue, and International Speedway Boulevard.
Officials agreed on three traffic improvements for the area near the Daytona Flea & Farmers Market. One involves adding a traffic signal at Bellevue and Tomoka Farms Road.
The plan also calls for extending the existing northbound right turn lane at Tomoka Farms Road and International Speedway Boulevard so more cars can stack up without blocking motorists who aren't turning right.
The third change will re-establish the direct right turn lane from International Speedway Boulevard onto Bellevue Avenue. That right turn currently takes motorists onto Tomoka Farms Road before they can access Bellevue.
Henry said he hopes the city has learned from the traffic congestion that mushroomed alongside rapid home growth around LPGA Boulevard.
"We have to be more deliberate to protect people who will live in these neighborhoods," the mayor said. "Moving forward, let's always make this our standard."
You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Council approves major new housing development in west Daytona Beach
