DeLand commission approves reduced parking for 84-unit New York Avenue affordable housing with conditions

The City of DeLand Commission voted 3-1 April 21 to approve a parking reduction and allowance for off-site residential parking tied to an 84-unit affordable housing project proposed at 225 West New York Avenue.

The action permits the developer, Blue Sky Communities, to provide 94 on-site vehicle parking spaces and requires the developer to secure an enforceable off-site parking agreement for 20 additional vehicle spaces within roughly 500 feet of the site. The commission attached three written conditions: (1) the project must remain affordable for the long term (a condition discussed as 50 years during the hearing), (2) 13 units shall be dedicated for permanent supportive housing and managed in partnership with the Neighborhood Center per the county’s restrictive covenant, and (3) the off-site parking agreement(s) must be finalized and presented for review at the site-plan approval step.

The vote followed more than an hour of staff briefing, applicant testimony and public comment. Planning staff recommended denial because the City’s Land Development Code does not currently include a formal mechanism for reducing parking for listed multifamily uses or for allowing residential off-site parking. Carol (planning staff) told commissioners the code requires 188 vehicle-equivalent spaces for the proposed mix and that the application, as submitted, proposed 94 vehicle spaces plus 52 bicycle spaces (which the code then equated to additional vehicle credit), leaving a staff-calculated shortfall of 68 vehicle spaces under the existing code.

Developer representatives said they redesigned the site to add 28 spaces and now propose 94 on-site vehicle spots; they also presented a signed parking study and counts from comparable local affordable complexes showing underutilized parking at those properties. Mark Watts, attorney for Blue Sky Communities, argued the project’s downtown location, proximity to transit and the applicant’s observed parking utilization supported a reduced requirement: “When you look at the actual observed demand at comparable locations, 75 parking spaces would be the ITE demand that would be justified here,” Watts said during his presentation. Blue Sky’s CEO, Sean Wilson, told the commission the project is funded by state and county allocations and that the developer has already spent design and due‑diligence funds: “We only have 84 units. We have 94 parking spaces on-site and we know that about 76 households are likely to own a vehicle — there will be a space for every single one of them,” he said.

Supporters who spoke during public comment included clergy, local nonprofits and pedestrian/active‑transportation advocates, who said the project would serve students, service workers and households without cars and would increase affordable housing stock near downtown jobs and services. Reverend Todd Campbell Jr. said, “This proposal isn’t just about parking, it’s about people.” Savannah Jane Griffin, CEO of the Neighborhood Center of West Volusia, said the Neighborhood Center will manage the 13 supportive units and offered data that 74% of their adult housing clients do not own a vehicle.

Opponents and some commissioners raised concerns about weekday daytime parking pressure and the tentative nature of off-site arrangements. City and county parking lots near the site were discussed as possible overflow locations; county staff indicated the county could consider a non‑exclusive license but had not committed to long-term reserved spaces. Commissioners framed a compromise that requires the developer to secure off-site spaces and present the finalized agreement at the site-plan stage.

The motion to approve the parking reduction and allow off-site residential parking was made by Commissioner Kevin Reid and seconded by Commissioner Richard Paiva. The roll call vote was Paiva — yes; Vice Mayor Jessica Davis — no; Kevin Reid — yes; Mayor Christopher M. Cloudman — yes. The motion carried 3-1.

The project will return as a class‑4 site plan (because it exceeds 80 units), when staff will review the off-site parking agreements, final engineering and any Historic Preservation Board modifications to building height or design before a final city approval.

The commission’s approval does not change the Land Development Code; several commissioners and staff urged updating the parking and infill standards for downtown and affordable housing in subsequent code amendments.