Developer withdraws LPGA Golf Villas comp-plan request after resident objections over traffic, trees and golf practice area

A developer withdrew a request to change the future land use for about 36.5 acres near International Golf Drive and Champions Drive following more than an hour of testimony from residents concerned about traffic, tree loss and the conversion of LPGA practice holes to housing.

The applicant had asked the Daytona Beach City Commission to reclassify three future‑land‑use parcels (retail, office transition and golf course) to a single ‘‘Level 1 Residential’’ designation and then proceed later with a plan development (PD) zoning request. City staff and the applicant showed the commission alternative site plans and described a package of concessions developed in neighborhood meetings. At the end of the hearing the applicant withdrew both the plan amendment and the companion zoning request.

Why it matters: The change sought to eliminate higher‑intensity uses allowed by the existing plan (including multifamily and medical office) and to cap development at the lower density the applicant proposed. Residents said even a smaller single‑family plan would add traffic to an already congested corridor, remove public green space and reduce golf practice facilities that they and the LPGA headquarters use.

What was proposed and why the applicant said it was needed

Attorney Rob Merrill and the project team told commissioners they sought the comp‑plan amendment so future zoning and land‑use designations would match, allowing development under single‑family residential standards. The city packet and the presentation showed the existing map split among retail, office transition and golf course uses; the applicant proposed reclassifying those areas to a single low‑density residential category.

Design engineer Parker Minchenberg described a sequence of neighborhood meetings and a series of concessions the team said it had offered: reducing earlier concepts that included townhomes and multifamily to a single‑family plan of about 120 lots; eliminating a previously proposed public park in favor of setting several acres aside as preserved wooded area; eliminating a roadway connection to the northeast; and adding continuous hedges and tree buffers along lot rear yards to screen the development from the highway and the driving range.

Transportation planner Matthew West said the team had compared the theoretical maximum traffic that could be generated under the existing comprehensive plan designations with the figure a 120‑home cap would generate. Using standard trip‑generation methodology, West said the maximum theoretical buildout under the current office/retail designations could produce roughly 85,000 daily trips and about 8,108 PM peak‑hour trips, while a 120‑unit single‑family cap would produce about 1,193 daily trips and about 118 PM peak‑hour trips. He told the commission the change would eliminate an estimated tens of thousands of theoretical daily trips and reduce PM peak trips by thousands in that theoretical comparison.

Resident concerns and neighborhood outreach

More than a dozen residents — including Trish Hayden, Kevin Killian, Russell Bruning, Cheryl Rubin and Greg Rubin — told the commission they opposed conversion of LPGA practice areas to housing. Their concerns included increased congestion on LPGA Boulevard and nearby bridges, loss of tree cover and the practice area used to teach youth golf, impacts to emergency response times, and perceived broken promises by the golf‑course owner.

Hayden, whose house faces International Golf Drive, said she and others had been told the course would be preserved and said high evening traffic sometimes blocks emergency vehicles. Kevin Killian, who identified himself as a nearby resident, described the course as a functioning facility and warned against setting a precedent of converting golf course land to housing. Other residents said that while they had attended numerous neighborhood meetings and welcomed several concessions, they preferred keeping the existing mix of uses or leaving the golf designation in place.

Staff and applicant responses

City staff and the applicant stressed two points: the comp‑plan amendment under consideration was limited to changing the future‑land‑use designation (which removes the theoretical potential for high‑intensity office or multifamily uses), and separate negotiations on a PD could memorialize buffer, timing and construction‑traffic measures. Merrill said the PD would be a separate item and that concessions discussed with neighbors would be captured in that future zoning agreement if the developer returned.

Outcome

Before the commission could vote on the ordinance, the applicant withdrew the comprehensive plan amendment and the related zoning request and said it would return with revised materials. The applicant told the commission the withdrawal followed feedback from residents and commissioners and would allow the team to “retool” its proposals and address outstanding neighborhood concerns.

Key details and timeline

- Parcel size cited by the applicant: about 36.5 acres. - Applicant’s voluntary cap (text amendment): 120 single‑family lots (applicant said the Level 1 residential land‑use category would otherwise allow a higher maximum; the applicant described successive reductions from earlier concepts that had reached higher theoretical unit counts). - Applicant’s stated new‑development timing (if approved later): the team said infrastructure and approvals would require roughly a 2½‑year delay before the first residential certificate of occupancy could be issued. - Impact fees cited for 120 single‑family homes: the applicant stated a county road impact fee estimate of about $655,000 and a city road impact fee estimate of about $45,600 (both presented as estimates tied to standard fee schedules and a 2,000‑square‑foot average house).

What the withdrawal means

The commission did not vote on the comp‑plan amendment. The applicant said it would return with a revised package; the withdrawal leaves the existing future‑land‑use map and zoning unchanged pending any new filing.

Speakers

Rob Merrill, counsel/agent for the applicant (Cobble) — business representative; Parker Minchenberg, design engineer for project — business representative; Matthew West, transportation planner, LTG Inc. — business representative; Trish Hayden — resident; Kevin Killian — resident; John Nicholson — resident; Russell Bruning — resident; Cheryl Rubin — resident; Greg Rubin — resident; Amy Knox — resident; Karen Knox — resident; Mayor Derek L. Henry — mayor, Daytona Beach City Commission; Commissioners: Cantu, Reid, May, Perez, Strickland, Reed — elected officials.

Authorities

- Florida Statutes, section cited in hearing: Fla. Stat. §163.3187 (small‑scale comprehensive plan amendments) - City of Daytona Beach Comprehensive Plan (future land use categories discussed in presentation)

Actions

- Applicant withdrew both the comprehensive plan amendment (second‑reading public hearing item) and the companion PD/zoning request prior to commission action. Outcome: withdrawn (no commission vote taken).

Discussion vs. formal decision

- Discussion: applicant presentation, traffic estimates, neighborhood meeting history and resident testimony about traffic, tree buffers, LPGA practice facilities and construction traffic. - Direction/next steps: applicant stated it would retool proposals and return with revised materials; staff was asked to review neighborhood and traffic concerns as future items return. - Formal action: none (application withdrawn).

Clarifying details

- Acres: ~36.5 acres (applicant description) - Applicant’s proposed cap: 120 single‑family lots (voluntary text restriction described by applicant) - Comparative trip estimates presented by applicant: theoretical existing comp‑plan buildout ~85,000 daily trips / ~8,108 PM peak trips; proposed 120 units ~1,193 daily trips / ~118 PM peak trips (estimates per ITE methodology presented by Matthew West) - Impact fee estimates for 120 single‑family homes (presented): county roads ~$655,000; city roads ~$45,600 - Applicant’s estimated delay before first residential CO (if later approved): ~2.5 years

Proper_names

LPGA Golf Villas; LPGA (headquarters/golf community); Cobble (applicant counsel firm referenced by presenter); LTG Incorporated; Tomoka River; Dunn Avenue extension; International Golf Drive; Champions Drive; I‑95; Buc‑ee’s; Margaritaville; Daytona Beach City Commission.

Searchable_tags:["LPGA","land use","comprehensive plan","traffic","trees","Daytona Beach","residents","zoning","plan development"]