- May 7, 2024
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Preparing for a population of about 203,000 residents is no small task — especially if that isn’t expected to happen for another couple of decades.
But the Palm Coast City Council is trying to do just that. And it has spent the last few months tweaking its park impact fee system to try and figure out just how many recreational facilities are needed when the projected buildout population is reached, which would be approximately 2.6 times the city’s current population.
“Our impact fees as they are right now are a very convoluted formula,” City Manager Jim Landon said at Tuesday night’s meeting. “It is hard to follow, and it has a lot of flaws in it.”
The city has worked with Public Resources Management Group Inc. to fix the system, which Landon has repeatedly called “flawed.”
On Tuesday, the City Council took the first step toward fixing the system and planning for the future.
Households pay $1,264.06 under the current recreational impact fee. Under the new one, if approved on second reading, households would pay $1,163.01 — a decrease of about $101.
The council unanimously approved a new system on first reading, but not without hesitation from City Councilman Jason DeLorenzo. He took a few seconds to cast his yes vote. A few minutes earlier, he proposed a motion to the council that had several changes compared to what was approved.
In the end, the council passed the item, but changes could come in two weeks when council members vote on the item for the second and final reading.
DeLorenzo suggested the city look at its future recreational plans every three years.
He wanted to see the city reduce the funding that’s going to the Palm Coast Tennis Center, which he said is losing money every year. He also thought it’s too early to tell how many parks and Community Centers need to be built 30 or 40 years from now.
“I think we should sharpen our pencil, do a better job of defining our reality, and reduce the total future investment from the start — understanding that we’re going to look at it every three years,” DeLorenzo said.
His motion failed because of a lack of a second.
Residential, commercial color code clarified
In an effort to clarify the city’s exterior color rules for both residential and commercial structures, the City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved changes to its code.
“It was an issue that we all agreed needed to be corrected,” City Manager Jim Landon said.
The city worked with the Flagler Home Builders Association to clear up the rules.
Changes allow for darker garage doors, darker earth tones for main wall color (both commercial and residential), accent colors are clarified, and earth tones and prohibited colors are further defined.
Landon said last week that the changes won’t impact neighborhoods.
Representatives from the Flagler Home Builders Association and the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce spoke during public comment on Tuesday night.
Residents aren’t required to get colors approved by the city prior to painting, and there is no fee to paint. But Landon urged residents who are considering painting to check with the city to make sure colors comply with code.
City Councilman Bill McGuire asked staff if a potential commercial business decided not to build or locate to Palm Coast because of its color code.
“Not that I know of,” Landon said.
