- April 25, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
Palm Coast has been attracting residential and commercial developers to its Town Center Innovation District, and multiple developments are opening or are expected to open over the coming months, Palm Coast Chief Development Officer Jason DeLorenzo told City Council members in a May 12 City Council workshop.
“Development in the Innovation District was strong in the second quarter,” he said.
A number of single family home parcels in Town Center northwest of the City Hall building have sold or are under contract to developers, DeLorenzo said.
One developer has submitted site plans to the city for a development to be called The Haven, and the city’s building department completed its initial review last week.
A multifamily residential development — Central Landings, next to the Epic Theatres — has already begun a phased opening and has several buildings occupied, DeLorenzo said.
Nearby, the multifamily complex called The Palms, still under construction, expects to complete its first buildings over the coming month.
So far, DeLorenzo said, the city’s kickstart incentive program has provided 311 residential credits, but the program is due to sunset on Dec. 31 and may need to be extended because of the economic impact of COVID-19.
The city also recently used a drone to take video footage of traffic near the Imagine School at Town Center entrance, and a traffic consultant has been working with the school to reconfigure the drop-off and pickup area to reroute some traffic away from Town Center Boulevard, DeLorenzo said.
“That’s vital for us, to get traffic off of Town Center Boulevard as citizens and residents continue to come down to Town Center,” he said.
Due to the pandemic, DeLorenzo added, the city’s building and permitting staff have moved the meetings they hold with potential developers to Zoom.
Representatives of Tesla, the electric vehicle company, met with city of Palm Coast staff last week and submitted plans to install eight new 250-kW electric vehicle “Superchargers” at the new Wawa at the corner of State Road 100 and Bulldog Drive, Palm Coast Chief Development Officer Jason DeLorenzo said in a May 12 City Council workshop.
“Tesla has lass than 9,000 stations worldwide, so Palm Coast getting one is impressive,” DeLorenzo said.
The Wawa is nearly finished — only a couple of city inspections remain, and the city expects to issue the convenience store a certificate of occupancy this week or next week — and its management expects to open sometime in June in coordination with the Gov. Ron DeSantis’ reopening timeline, DeLorenzo said.
The developer of that parcel also plans restaurants , shops and offices, and has said they’ll submit a site plan with in the next two weeks.
Palm Coast Vice Mayor Nick Klufas had previously championed electric vehicle superchargers as a potential way to draw traffic off the highway and into the city.
“I think this will be a great economic incentive, and I’m thankful that we were able to work with Wawa and take advantage of their partnership with Tesla for installing these V3 Superchargers,” he said at the workshop.
