- April 23, 2024
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A developer has received the city’s approval for the first phase of what will eventually be a 2,200-home development on the west side of U.S. 1 about three quarters of a mile north of Matanzas Woods Parkway.
“We’ve got a great Fire Department. ... As we grow, we want to make sure we’re not losing that response time and allocation of resources.”
MILISSA HOLLAND, Palm Coast mayor, on budgeting for Fire Department needs
Palm Coast Holdings and Dominion Engineering Group had sought the City Council’s approval of a final plat for the initial, 259-home phase of the development, called the Sawmill Creek community.
The City Council approved it 3-0 (Councilman Jack Howell and Councilman Nick Klufas were absent).
The application involves the platting and subdivision of about 110 acres into 259 single-family lots. The land is part of the Palm Coast Park Development of Regional Impact, or DRI.
About two thirds of the homes will be built on 50-foot-wide lots, and the remaining third will be constructed on 60-foot-wide lots, Senior Planner Bill Hoover told the council.
City staff determined that the proposal is consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan and meets the requirements of the city’s Land Development Code.
Palm Coast currently owns its own emergency communications radios — the units worn by first responders and placed in their vehicles — but that will soon change.
The City Council at its Feb. 18 meeting approved an agreement with the county government under which the city would rent radio equipment from the county as part of the county’s emergency communications system upgrade.
“The new system is going to be about 98% effective throughout the whole county. … Our current system operates at just about 70%,” Palm Coast Fire Department Lt. David Faust told the council.
That means that in certain buildings and outlying areas, there’s little or no radio reception, he said. There’s also another problem: The current system is no longer supported by the manufacturer, so parts can’t be replaced.
Under the new agreement, the city would pay a one-time rental fee of $876,253, plus fees for each individual radio unit. The city currently uses 398 units, and that number of units would cost a combined $47,760 yearly.
CORRECTION: This story has been corrected to reflect that the City Council vote on the Sawmill Creek plat was 3-0, with both Councilman Jack Howell and Councilman Nick Klufas absent for the vote.
