Planning board recommends conditional use for Trinity Academy daycare at 988 El Cam Boulevard

The City of Deltona Planning & Zoning Board voted to recommend approval of Resolution 2021-35, a conditional-use request to convert a former house of worship at 988 El Cam Boulevard into a daycare operated by Trinity Academy.

Planning staff told the board the roughly 3-acre site has been used historically as a house of worship and that the applicant intends to relocate part of Trinity Academy’s program—specifically VPK (Voluntary Prekindergarten)—to the El Cam site. Staff’s report estimated the maximum capacity at the site at about 70 children and recommended approval subject to conditions including: obtaining a business tax receipt prior to occupancy; connecting to central sewer when service is available at the property frontage; maintaining a 25-foot vegetated side and rear buffer; providing foundation plantings and a 25-foot landscape buffer along the El Cam frontage; installing a fenced playground as required by the Florida Department of Children and Families; and providing a masonry dumpster enclosure consistent with City of Deltona Land Development Code section 110808(J).

During questioning, board members asked about current Trinity Academy enrollment (the applicant said it was serving about 102 children at the existing campus at the time of the meeting), whether non-parishioners could enroll (the applicant said enrollment is open to the public), playground location and whether vegetation would be removed (applicant said none would be removed and that playground(s) fit within existing clearings), and trash/rodent concerns related to dumpster placement (staff said waste pickup is handled by the city’s exclusive hauler and typically occurs at least weekly).

Several nearby residents spoke during public participation, raising concerns about traffic, speed on El Cam Boulevard, and how the city enforces landscape buffers over time. Staff said the operation anticipates staggered drop-off and pick-up times (which staff said would mitigate peak traffic spikes); staff also explained the city provides public notice to property owners within 300 feet for conditional-use requests and that code compliance would enforce buffer requirements if altered inconsistent with approval.

A motion to approve Resolution 2021-35 was made by Ruben Munoz and seconded by Allen Pfeiffer. The board chair called for roll call and announced the motion approved; staff said the resolution will appear on the City Commission agenda for September 20 for final action.