City council advances rezoning for Hargrove Lane industrial site amid strong business and environmental concerns

Palm Coast city council on Aug. 5 approved on first reading a rezoning request that would change a 36.65‑acre site on Hargrove Lane from light industrial (IND‑1) to heavy industrial (IND‑2), a move that would allow higher‑intensity uses including a concrete batch plant. The vote was 3–2 at first reading, with Vice Mayor Pontieri and Council member Miller voting no.

The rezoning drew lengthy presentations from staff and the applicant and extended public comment. Michael Hansen, senior planner for the city, presented the staff review and said the site contains roughly 10.27 acres of wetlands, portions of FEMA 100‑year floodplain, and two nearby city potable wells (SW‑60 and SW‑105). He said the applicant has proposed a potable well on the site and that the project would need a consumptive‑use permit from the St. Johns River Water Management District.

The applicant, represented by civil engineer Kurt Wimpey of Alliant Engineering and Brian Hercules of SRM Concrete, described a development footprint concentrated away from wetlands. Hercules said SRM operates ready‑mix plants nationwide and that a modern Stevens‑brand plant would include dust‑collection and water‑recycling systems, and asserted the company would typically create 10–20 jobs at start‑up and invest about $18–$20 million in plant and equipment. "We use state‑of‑the‑art dust suppression," Hercules said, and described a load‑and‑wash system he said recycles truck wash water and captures particulates.

Nearby businesses and property owners disputed compatibility. More than a dozen speakers who operate shops in the Hargrove industrial park said the area has long been light‑industrial and that heavy‑industrial zoning could lower property values, increase truck traffic on narrow roads, and risk contamination of the linked canal system and the two city wells. Several speakers and council members pressed staff for specifics about water consumption; Hansen said the applicant estimated 10,000 gallons per day but the applicant's backup materials listed an average near 14,000 gallons per day, and staff committed to re‑checking the hydrogeologist's assessment before second reading.

The city's contracted hydrogeologist reviewed the initial 10,000 gpd figure and called it a relatively small draw unlikely to affect supply wells, but recommended locating a project well as far as practicable from the city supply wells. Hansen said the site would require technical site‑plan review that would address wetland buffers, compensatory storage for FEMA floodplain impacts, air‑quality permitting, and the land‑development code's industrial performance standards (section 4.14). He also noted that the planning board was unable to make a recommendation after split 3–3 votes.

Council members debated criteria for rezonings, including impacts on the existing light‑industrial business community, transportation effects (staff estimated a potential increase of about 20 PM peak trips under a theoretical maximum), and the availability of public facilities. Several council members said they could support the concept only if the applicant and staff produce stronger, enforceable commitments—measured buffers, scale limits, and firm water‑use modeling—before second reading. The council directed staff to obtain a written hydrogeologist update on the 10,000 vs. 14,000 gpd numbers and to measure the proposed buffer distances on the concept plan before second reading.

Outcome: first reading approved 3–2. The rezoning will return to council for second reading after staff and the applicant supply the follow‑up analyses required by council.

Context and next steps: Rezoning decisions are conceptual; any development will require a technical site plan and permits, including consumptive use permits from St. Johns River Water Management District and air‑quality approvals. The planning board's split recommendation was noted in council debate and staff said a major site plan (over roughly 100,000 sq ft) would return to council for approval; smaller site plans may be handled administratively or by the planning board depending on square footage.