National homebuilder to build 700 homes in New Smyrna Beach. Here's where they're going.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH ― A long-planned development project that would add 701 homes along the south side of Pioneer Trail, just west of Interstate 95, is finally set to become a reality.

Scottsdale, Arizona-based Taylor Morrison Homes, one of the nation's largest homebuilders, recently paid $26.5 million to acquire 493 acres of a former sod farm directly east of New Smyrna Beach's sprawling Venetian Bay community, Volusia County property records show. The new community will be called Shell Pointe Colony.

Here's what we know about the project:

They've already started clearing land

The City Commission at its June 27 meeting approved the developers' plans to create 319 house lots in the first two of the project's four planned residential phases.

Permits have already been issued for site work, however, "no permits have been issued by the city for any homes at this time," said Shane Corbin, the city's development services director.

A construction crew could be seen on Tuesday getting ready to clear land on the site's northwest corner.

Taylor Morrison officials did not respond to a request for comment.

Land-use attorney Glenn Storch and his Daytona Beach law firm is representing Taylor Morrison in efforts to develop Shell Pointe's residential component.

"I would imagine if you spent $26.5 million, you'd start pretty quickly, too," he said.

Sellers have ties locally and in Illinois

Storch Law Firm also represented the sellers of the land Taylor Morrison purchased: Gary Melvin and his cousin Bruce Speer.

The two men owned the former sod farm property under their respective businesses Melvin Real Estate Holdings LLC and Speer Real Estate Holdings LLC.

The address for both limited liability corporations, according to public records, is 4216 Dewitt Ave., Mattoon, Illinois.

That's the headquarters for Rural King, a chain of over 100 farm supply and home goods stores in the Midwest and Southeast. Speer and Melvin are former co-owners of Rural King. The company was co-founded in 1960 by their uncle Kermit Speer. Melvin is one of the company's past presidents.

Rural King has several stores in Florida, but none in Volusia County.

Property records show Speer and his wife own a vacant oceanfront lot in Ponce Inlet, while Melvin owns a house and several airplane hangars at Spruce Creek Fly-In. Melvin's son, Alex, Rural King's current owner and chairman, owns a vacant lot at the Fly-In.

Public records show Speer is also a trustee of a charitable nonprofit called the Speer Family Foundation in Port Orange.

Plans include a future 'shopping village'

Speer and Melvin retained a 27-acre parcel at Shell Pointe that has approvals from the city to be developed into a 400,000-square-foot "shopping village." It would be the project's fifth and final phase. No date has been set for when it would be built.

The vacant land is on the southeast corner of Pioneer Trail and Cypress Springs Parkway.

"Phase Five would be developed by someone else (other than Taylor Morrison)," said Storch.

The homes will be built in phases

Representatives for the developers at the June 27 commission meeting said plans call for the first two phases of the project's four residential phases to be developed simultaneously on 210 acres on Shell Pointe's west side.

Phases three and four will also be developed together at a yet-to-be decided future date which would add 382 house lots on 286 acres.

The project will include new roads

Plans for Shell Pointe include two new roads that will connect to existing roads at Venetian Bay, as well as a future south extension of Williamson Boulevard, which currently ends at Pioneer Trail.

Land for the Williamson extension will be donated to Volusia County.

In addition, Speer, Melvin and Taylor Morrison is selling 15 acres on Shell Pointe's northeast corner to the Florida Department of Transportation for $1.275 million. The land is for FDOT's planned I-95/Pioneer Trail interchange.

The new community will be built around existing wetlands

Joey Posey Jr., an attorney with Storch Law Firm, told commissioners at the June 27 meeting that Shell Pointe will be developed around the property's existing wetlands, which cover more than 140 acres.

Plans include new storm water retention ponds to reduce the potential for flooding.

"We'll actually have a 55% after-development drop (in flooding potential)," he said.

Several Venetian Bay residents testified at the commission meeting to express concerns regarding the Shell Pointe project. Flooding and traffic were two major issues.

"My main concern is the rains that we just had (in late June)," said Venetian Bay resident Paula Rossiter. "You drive down Pioneer Trail and look at the (former) sod farm where Shell Pointe is going to be developed. It's all pooling. There's tons of water there."

Michelle Widick, a senior project manager with Ormond Beach engineering firm Zev Cohen & Associates, told the commission Shell Pointe is designed to store up to 410,000 cubic feet of storm-water on site during heavy rains.

Project has been years in the making

Efforts to develop Shell Pointe date back to at least 2016, according to city filings.

"This probably takes the cake for the most submittals and re-submittals I've ever seen for a project," Posey told the City Commission. "This is above and beyond when it comes to design. You have a developer who's put a substantial amount of money into this project. Those (many) years of review were not cheap. The administrative process applications alone were over $100,000."

Posey rattled off a list of "advantages" the project would create for the city, including "infrastructure paid solely by the developer," "the donation of the Williamson right-of-way" and the storm water retention system.

Don't let that sway you, Venetian Bay resident Mike Bouma urged City Commissioners.

"I understand that the owners and the new buyers have put a lot of money and time into this, but that's part of being a developer. That shouldn't matter to you," he said. "I'm not against Shell Pointe. I know it's coming. I just want to make sure that Shell Pointe is not the next Venetian Bay."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Builder plans 700 homes in New Smyrna. Here's where they're going.