1. Tomoka Farms Road Extension
How lamentable is the re-vote at late hour of the request by Consolidated
Tomoka et al. to add this road segment to Volusia County's thoroughfare
systems map. With citizens opposing the extension having gone home believing
the destructive road was defeated, Big John and Jim Ward joined the three
yes votes so the road extension can be revisited at the Council's September
19th meeting, beating the deadline for the 2002 cycle of plan amendments.
Thank you, Pat Northey and Joe Jaynes for resisting the pressure to change
your votes.
At the Sept. meeting impact fee policy will also
be addressed. Allowing developers to build a road, and then return to them
their costs in road impact fee credits is insane. Roads bring on development,
which is consuming Volusia County every day. Do we want to accelerate it?
Should they be allowed to pay NOTHING to construct access to their remote
lands - wetlands, forested flood plain, recharge, wildlife habitat - that
are benefiting the public far more than the proposed road ever will? What
is the value of the land today and what will it be when the road is extended?
You will make the landowners richer and the community poorer. Attorney
Morris tells you the road WILL be built; and if you want any input, you
better add it to your thoroughfare map. But they can build it only if CC
approves it, only if Council votes to transmit a comprehensive plan amendment
to upzone this land from Low Impact Urban and remove it from the Natural
Resource Management area, a category you bestowed upon environmentally
sensitive land which growth is to be directed away from. The water crisis
demands wise leaders who will honor their comprehensive plans as written.
The extension goes through 160 acres of gopher tortoise
mitigation area for LPGA, which prohibits road construction. Why allow
Con Tom to destroy a pledged conservation easement? According to staff
the middle section of the requested road extension must traverse a river
wetland that will prevent the road's through connection. We have two relatively
unpolluted streams in Volusia County, two of only a few in the entire state.
A road alongside the Tomoka for two miles will do a lot of damage. Downstream
Ormond Beach will feel the consequences. It is the County's job to protect
this wonderful gift.
The traffic analysis does not support the claim
of need. I-95, Clyde Morris, and Williamson will be widened. PD&E is
not even complete for SR 415. Staff determined that the proposed addition
will not serve as a critical link in the thoroughfare system, but will
primarily serve thedevelopment in its path. EC hopes CC will heed staff
and vote this down again in September.
2. Plantation Oaks
Another nail in the coffin of our beautiful Volusia
County. A DRI from the 1980s is dredged up, but with mobile homes instead
of the original fixed homes. The Park owner's land tax and tags for the
proposed manufactured homes on leased lots would bring in over a million
dollars less than ad valorum taxes. Impact fees will be lost to credits
for fire and school sites. Existing homeowners will pay for taxes and impact
fees not collected from new residences for services they expect. How can
the County or Ormond Beach afford this? Manufactured homes are incompatible
with the surrounding neighborhoods, as well as the coastal high hazard
area.
Access is proposed from US I and Old Dixie Highway,
connected by a 2 mile, 100 foot wide road running through the proposed
development. Egress is from the road's center. If a house were located
in the southerly portion of the proposed development near U.S I, the resident
would have to drive one mile north to the entrance road and one mile south
to U.S. I. He or she would then have to repeatthe wasteful two mile trip
to return home. Bad planning.
The EC opposes the proposed development because
it fails to protect the unique ecology of the 1033 acre rural forested
site. 1577 homes and a golf course will burden Old Dixie Highway, part
of Volusia's prized and beautiful Loop, with the comings and goings of
easily 3000 cars. The Ormond Loop is one of Volusia County's special places
where trees are dominant and tranquility reigns. It should not suffer this
impact of heavy traffic. The unneeded golf course will destroy additional
acres of wetlands, trees and vegetation, pollute surface waters with chemicals,
and waste aquifer water for irrigation. At EC's August meeting all present
signed the petition opposing the rezoning to RPUD. EC believes our Volusia
sole source aquifer cannot support the extra drain and loss of recharge
this or any further large developments will inflict.
Since Ormond Beach will provide utilities, it must
annex the land. EC appeals to CC to advise the developers to take their
plan to Ormond Beach. It is only fair and right that the development meet
its standards.
3. Tomoka River
The EC had asked FDEP's Watershed Management Chief,
Eric Livingston, why the State had ceased sampling the Tomoka River. Last
month he informed the EC that the department does not have the resources
to conduct special monitoring projects. The EC fears that the LPGA overpass
may have silted the river by as much as two feet. Test borings need to
be taken at this location to determine the extent of the siltation. The
Volusia County Health Department and Volusia County Environmental Health
Lab on Indian Lake Rd. sample and study Tomoka River water, but only for
coliform bacteria and only below SR 40, not on the upper reaches of the
iver. Can the County Council address the possible pollution from the interchange
as well as the Auto mall and direct staff to take test borings of the river
bottom and conduct a site inspection to insure the proper useof erosion
and sediment control? Allowing development near our valuable surface waters
demands action to prevent pollution - and monitoring to see if it is working.
The state dropped the ball. We urge the County to take up this responsibility.
4. Halifax Indian River Tasl Force
The Task Force is formulating a Work Plan. Its goals
are: 1. begin clean up and restoration of specific river sites. 2. complete
the Manatee Protection Plan. 3. work to expand the Indian River Lagoon
National Estuary to include all Volusia County. Bob Haviland will lead
the October meeting when the Task force will begin to develop a list of
what needs to be done to clean up the river. It will be held at 2 PM, October
2, at the Halifax Harbor Marina, Boaters Lounge. Volusia County has no
plan in place to restore the Halifax River; therefore, it is urgent that
it supports its Task Force in this effort.
5. Flagler Environmentally Sensitive Lands 2002
The November ballot will contain a referendum to
extend Flagler County's land acquisition program, which passed overwhelmingly
in 1988. The additional milage has allowed it to preserve thousands of
acres of land, and will give Flagler another $6 million over a three year
period to buy more. Noteworthy is the inclusion of a 10% cap on the amount
of the funding that can be used for enhancement and improvement of parks
on the land acquired.
6. Beaches
No one is paying attention to the status of life
on Volusia's beaches. Sand fleas are gone from driving beaches. Live coquinas
were seen at Canaveral National Seashore, but in the spring they died off
in the areas north of the inlet. Half grown ones are now dying. There has
been a marked kill off of crabs of all kinds. During molting, dozens per
mile are washing up dead.
A letter was sent to County Administrator David
Haas about the turtle-endangering ruts left by 4-wheel drive vehicles on
Flagler County's beach. Even though the sand is not suited to automobile
driving, there is no prohibition. The City of Flagler Beach forbids cars
on its beach; but not having a Minimum Standard Ordinance as Volusia ounty
does, Flagler cannot require other cities to ban driving. It should set
an example by prohibiting motorized vehicles from the unincorporated beach.
Thanks to past Volusia County Councilman Tom Brown's foresight, cars were
eliminated in 1978 from the beach at Ormond-by-the-Sea, whose sand is similar.
Turtles lay their eggs only every two or three years
and 2002 appears to be an "on" year. The pattern of laying, though, suggests
lights and fireworks may have discouraged turtles from nesting in some
areas, according to turtle monitors, Beth Libert and Mary Marshall. Beth
is concerned about bright lights in the new condos at Hammock Dunes in
Flagler County. She is also worried about the harm the above mentioned
deep tire ruts in Flagler will have on hatchlings. Flagler County is one
of the most heavily populated nesting areas and driving is allowed round
the clock. Four nests have been run over. Flagler County needs a Shirley
Reynolds.
7. Venetian Bay
This new moniker for Spruce Creek Ranch was given
it by the Johnson Group which has a contract to purchase from CRG et al..
New Smyrna Beach gifted CRG in 1997 with annexation of the 1250 acres.
The annexation was illegal; but because no citizen challenged it, it went
through. In 1999 the city put pressure on Jeb's DCA chief to overturn his
recommendation not to adopt the amendment because it is urban sprawl, in
the 100 year flood plain, in a Priority Water Resource Caution Area, adjacent
to the headwaters of Spruce Creek, and in Samsula's rural and agricultural
community. Typical of many landowners, CRG sold it once the City and DCA
inflated the value of the property with upzoning. Now the Johnson Group
is seeking approval of 1900 housing units, commercial space, and the ubiquitous
golf course. The number one goal of the City Commission is "westward expansion";
so, needless to say, approval was granted.
You can label it new urbanism, quaint village, or
traditional neighborhood design. By any other name it's still urban sprawl.
There are 3 miles of forest, pasture, a pollution plant, and proposed gas
fired power plant between this faux town and city services, the delivery
of which will overburden the city budget. Every police car, every garbage,
recycling, yard waste, fire, utility and public works truck will have a
six mile round trip to the entrance of Venetian Bay. The rest of the city
will foot the bill. The inefficient, incompatible, unnecessary, leapfrog
growth Venetian Bay exhibits is a good city planner's nightmare.
The stores on site will meet only a small portion
of the needs of the residents. Venetian Bay's distance from the city core
will result in dependence on vehicular use, and increased fuel consumption
and exhaust. It will facilitate an intensive land use along an undeveloped
section of SR 44. It will set a precedent that will be used to convert
other lands fronting on S.R. 44 between I-95 and Samsula to more intensive
uses such as commercial. The proliferation of commercial along arterial
roadways reduces the capacity to move traffic freely and creates ugly strip
commercialism that plagues so much of Florida.
The County earmarked this land for Agriculture and
Environmental System Corridor. Volusia County may one day regret the loss
of this land for crop growing. With our aquifer overdrawn, permitting new
large scale developments is folly.