2 Development Proposals Delayed by Palm Coast City Council

The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday voted to table two development proposals to be decided at a later date. Both proposals involve hundreds of new residential units. One is adjacent to the L Section neighborhood, while the other is on the southern end of the S Section. Both votes to table the proposals were 4-1. Mayor Mike Norris was the dissenting vote in the L Section proposal, while Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri dissented on the S Section vote. The first development proposal was Lakeview Estates, a planned 272-unit development where the Matanzas golf course used to be located on Lakeview Drive. The property owners are Matanzas GC Palm Coast LLC, represented by attorney Michael Chiumento III. They seek a Future Land Use Map amendment for around 20 acres out of 280 total acres in the project. Vice Mayor Pontieri made the motion to table the Lakeview Estates proposal, citing concerns with the fate of undeveloped land and potential chemical contamination on-site. She mentioned finding a way to conserve the remaining land, and pushed to test for potential arsenic. The majority vote was made up by Pontieri along with Council members Charles Gambaro, Ty Miller, and David Sullivan. Norris was the lone no vote. Lakeview Estates will come back before the City Council at its September 15 meeting. The other issue being considered was Seminole Trace, a housing development already under construction on Seminole Woods Boulevard in Palm Coast’s S Section. It’s located just east of the western end of Seminole Woods at US-1. The property owners, Byrndog PCP and KL Seminole Trace LLC, are hoping to increase the maximum number of units from 416 to 743. An increase of 327 units would amount to a 78.6% capacity increase. In 2023, when the developers first presented their plans to the City Council, they discussed having up to 850 homes on-site. Of the current Council, only Pontieri was in office when the landowners were denied the scope they wanted at first. She said that the attempt to return to prior ambitions was “something that I don’t feel in good faith we can approve”. The City Council ultimately didn’t decline this request outright. Charles Gambaro made the first motion to table the item for six months (to a date when he and David Sullivan will be out of office). He withdrew after his colleagues called this too long, and Ty Miller motioned for a three-month delay. This passed 4-1 with Pontieri dissenting.