PORT ORANGE ― A new development planned next to Spruce Creek in unincorporated Port Orange has neighbors pushing back over environmental impacts and other concerns.
Creek Crossing is a proposed development that would bring 111 luxury single-family houses to about 125 acres between Tomoka Farms Road and Interstate 95. The plans are scheduled to go to the county’s Development Review Committee on April 28 for review of the Overall Development Plan. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in Volusia County Council Chambers at county headquarters at 123 W. Indiana Ave. in DeLand.
Concerns over the development prompted Paul and Susie Holmes to seek changes to the development proposal and, along with other nearby residents, speak to the County Council repeatedly about their concerns.
Paul Holmes is the president of the Spruce Creek Property Owners Association. Spruce Creek Fly-In’s air rights are a main concern for him. Holmes said he and others have made progress working with the firm behind the project, Orlando-based Luxer Development, on that point.
“Spruce Creek has hired a team of lawyers, civil engineers, city planners and ecologists to help us with this protection of our rights,” Paul Holmes told the Volusia County Council during public comment on April 21.
Holmes and other residents have additional concerns.
The county has received more than 400 letters in opposition to development at the site “from adjacent or nearby property owners,” according to the Development Review Committee agenda packet.
“The consistent topics of concern from the public include stormwater retention and potential flooding, environmental impacts to Spruce Creek, increased traffic, decreased property values, and taking of property along Creek Crossing Road,” according to the packet.
Luxer Development has been working with people to address concerns, according to the firm.
“We are hopeful that, with the proposed plan, which has undergone … multiple revisions to take into consideration, many of the concerns by the greater community, we could move this project forward with the support of the County and the community,” the business said in an email to The News-Journal.
Opponents plan to appeal if the Development Review Committee approves Creek Crossing’s plans.
Three members sit on the Development Review Committee: Growth and Resource Management Director Ray Tyner, Public Works Director Ben Bartlett and Aviation and Economic Resources Director Cyrus Callum.
Resident concerns about Creek Crossing include bridge, wetland impacts
The proposed Creek Crossing land is “generally on the west bank of Spruce Creek,” according to the county.
State officials have designated Spruce Creek as an Outstanding Florida Water, meaning it’s “a water designated worthy of special protection because of its natural attributes,” according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. “This special designation is applied to certain waters and is intended to protect existing good water quality.”
Luxer Development is seeking to develop the site as a Conservation Subdivision. Such a project “incentivizes the conservation of a property’s natural resources, such as wetlands, while also allowing for the clustering of residential units,” according to the county.
Some take issue with the property being developed as a Conservation Subdivision because of wetland impacts and other concerns.
Creek Crossing would impact wetlands
The project is asking for multiple waivers, including one that would allow about 1 acre of wetlands to be impacted for residential lots.
Among other concerns, Luxer Development plans to put a pickleball court in the development that would impact wetlands. In an email to The News-Journal, the developer described the wetlands impacted by a pickleball court and roadway as “low quality and inefficient.”
“The current location/design of the proposed roadway and the Pickleball court amenity is the most efficient for the project, providing minimal environmental and life-safety impacts to the community,” according to the firm. “The proposed path allows the project to preserve higher-quality wetlands, riparian habitat, and buffer zones adjacent to Spruce Creek to avoid more significant impacts.”
Susie Holmes opposed the wetland waiver and disagreed with the description of the wetlands as average to lower quality.
“I think that this is very incorrect,” she said.
Creek Crossing would set aside 63 acres of wetlands and upland buffers in a conservation easement as part of the project, according to the agenda packet.
A bridge is another sticking point for critics.
Plans call for a bridge for traffic access from a Quiet Place in the Country to Creek Crossing. Luxer Development must demonstrate that it won’t harm Spruce Creek. That said, there will be impacts.
“Direct impacts to Spruce Creek will be associated with the bridge as it will span the creek and wetland side slopes,” according to the agenda packet.
Luxer Development stated to The News-Journal that the bridge “will be designed to ensure that it will not have a negative impact on the water flow in Spruce Creek.”
Now residents turn to the Development Review Committee to ensure the project aligns with the County’s Comprehensive Plan and other regulations.
“Together, the (Overall Development Plan), (Preliminary Plat) and (Final Plat) processes ensure consistency with adopted land-use policy, zoning entitlements, applicable infrastructure, and design standards prior to construction and the creation of lots,” according to the county.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia County to review 111-home development at Spruce Creek
Reporting by Sheldon Gardner, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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