Secrecy of Amazon's identity ahead of comp-plan land-use change unspools other concerns

New years start with the brightest of intentions. It's human nature to seek a fresh start, a blank slate. Inevitably, after those first few days — or, for some of us, hours — the light of day reveals the baggage we can't always let go.

On Dec. 1, Daytona Beach City Commissioner Stacy Cantu joined with three others to vote to change the comprehensive land use for two adjacent Daytona International Speedway-owned parcels totaling 211 acres, clearing the way for an Amazon distribution center. "I love this project. I think it will put us on the map," she gushed.

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By the second week of January, Cantu's tone had changed considerably. Her Pelican Bay neighbors near the future Amazon site, adjacent to Daytona Beach International Airport, had raised a ruckus about traffic generated by the development, and she hosted a community meeting.

There, they heard the Amazon site was expected to see 630 trucks coming and going daily, and another 3,000 vehicle trips for employees, with much of it using Beville Road.

"It's going to be a nightmare," Cantu said, as quoted by The News-Journal's Eileen Zaffiro-Kean.

When they voted on the land-use change, commissioners weren't told what prompted the change. Commissioner Ken Strickland challenged the secrecy, which is sanctioned by state law and par for the course.

"It would be helpful if we knew why we were changing the land use," Strickland said to Mark Watts, a land-use attorney representing the Speedway's interests as the seller.

Watts politely explained that the comp plan has got two separate land uses for the 211 acres, and the owners wanted to consolidate them under the mixed use category.

"Because right now you've got two separate land uses. One of them is a county use classification. and the other is a commercial amusement classification under the city and so we're asking to go under the mixed use because I think it provides for consolidated planning of the overall property," Watts said.

Strickland sighed. "I sure would like to know what I was voting about," he said.

While Strickland was joined by Commissioners Ruth Trager and Quanita May in opposing the land-use change, the request passed 4-3, and later, when it was announced that the prospect was, indeed Amazon, a tax abatement — which is a whole other story — was ratified.

Strickland's question, while not answered at the time of the land-use vote, was a good one.

And we won't chide Cantu or the other commissioners for voting to clear the way for the Amazon project. It certainly delivers jobs, although many are at a wage that may make it difficult for workers to find housing.

The problem here, aside from trying to figure out how to get vehicles in and out of the distribution center with as little disruption as possible, is twofold.

1) State law grants economic development prospects anonymity. Neither Watts nor the Team Volusia Economic Development Corp. were required to disclose Amazon's plans, or even its name before the comp plan land-use changes, and it's become par for the course that these negotiations take place behind closed doors, away from public scrutiny and in a fashion that eliminates hassles like residents questioning traffic patterns. If you don't like state law, push legislators to change it.

2) While Strickland asked for the name of the company, none of the Daytona Beach commissioners asked any questions about the actual change in land use. What are the implications of changing from "city commercial amusement" or "Volusia County Activity Center industrial" to mixed use? Does that change the level of impact Amazon or any other potential future user of the property will have on the community?

Other questions linger.

The Amazon agreement calls for it to be built on 111 acres, leaving another 100-acre parcel available for other potential developments. Is another shoe about to drop? What impacts beyond Amazon will further developments bring to the southwest side of Daytona Beach?

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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach-Amazon secrecy imbues public distrust in government