Bunnell Approves 6.1k-Unit Development

The Bunnell City Commission on Monday voted to approve a new development of 6,100 homes in their second August meeting. After it initially seemed the City Commission may not allow the 1,615-acre development, they ultimately approved it on a 3-2 vote. The Haw Creek Reserve project, when completed, will drastically transform the makeup of Bunnell. The city had a population of only 3,276 as of the 2020 census, and so even without any increases over the last five years this development would bring Bunnell to over 9,300 residents. When the agenda item receives its second vote in the near future, the development will officially be ready to go, with the land in question having been rezoned to allow it. Dozens of residents attended the meeting and the tides were overwhelmingly against it. Flagler County residents have become increasingly wary of large new developments in recent years (this would be the largest for the county in decades), and this initiative quickly became the prime battlefront. When the Haw Creek Reserve first came before the City Commission in June, it was an 8,000-home project with an adjacent 800 sites for RVs. They vetoed the idea 4-1, with only Commissioner Dean Sechrist approving. Since then, the developers reduced the size from 8,000 to 6,100. Even that was 600 more than recommended by the Bunnell Planning and Zoning Board. When approved, it will span 20 years before the Haw Creek Reserve is built in full. It will introduce about 600 affordable housing units, a town center, and 200 acres for industrial operations. About 969 acres out of the 1,615 are to be set aside for green space, with 13 for public usage. The developers are JM Properties, a Jacksonville-based firm. The final vote had Mayor Catherine Robinson and commissioners Dean Sechrist and Pete Young in the majority, with commissioners David Atkinson and John Rogers dissenting. Sechrist flipped his vote from June, after the developers rolled back a quiet increase to the initial number of housing units. The final approved number will still end up larger than what they first applied with.