Deltona commission rezones 36.46-acre Normandy site to allow mixed-use MPUD, 6-1

The Deltona City Commission voted 6-1 Tuesday to approve Ordinance 12-20-24, rezoning roughly 36.46 acres along North Normandy Boulevard from R-1AA single-family to a mixed-use planned unit development (MPUD) called Synergy at Normandy.

The move clears the way for a development the applicant says will include about 52% nonresidential uses on about 19 acres (flex space, offices, retail and restaurants) and a multifamily residential parcel of roughly 17.2 acres. The developer told the commission the MPUD would allow up to 343 multifamily units and that 320 units are presently planned.

City staff told the commission the rezoning aligns with the city’s activity center overlay and comprehensive plan requirement that development there proceed as a planned unit development. Jordan Smith, the city’s director of planning, said the proposal contains unified architectural standards, prohibits outdoor storage, directs truck traffic away from adjacent residential neighborhoods and commits the developer to proportionate fair-share payments for traffic mitigation required before certificates of occupancy.

The applicant, who said he has worked for years assembling parcels in the larger activity-center area, told commissioners he will dedicate a 30-foot strip along the site’s northern boundary for the future extension of Rhode Island Avenue and agreed to additional right-of-way along North Normandy Boulevard to support county road realignment plans. Attorney Michael Woods and developer Scott Banta told the commission they had revised the master plan to reduce lots from six to five, relabel Lot 3 as “gas or flex” (not committing to a gas station), and position buildings and truck wells to limit residential impacts.

During questioning, commissioners pressed staff and the applicant on: the exact alignment and timeline for the Rhode Island Avenue extension; how truck movements and curb cuts would be controlled to avoid truck traffic on residential Normandy; architectural standards and storefront treatments along Normandy and Rhode Island; required buffers between the apartment buildings and existing single-family homes on Firwood; and how the county review of the traffic impact analysis (TIA) will affect the project.

Smith said the TIA has been submitted and is under review by Volusia County and the city’s traffic consultant; any mitigation measures identified by reviewing agencies would be required under the development agreement and before occupancy. The applicant told the commission the nearest multifamily building façade would be about 160 feet from the existing homes on Firwood, that interior parking and landscaping were planned as buffers, and that lighting would be low-impact and directed away from nearby residences.

Several members of the public and a planning expert testified in favor of or in support of the development’s multifamily component, saying apartments are needed to support local employment. Opponents raised concerns about truck traffic using residential streets before Rhode Island is extended and questioned whether the area currently has adequate services and infrastructure for more multifamily housing.

Commissioner Santiago moved to approve the ordinance at first reading with conditions discussed on the record; Vice Mayor Herriot seconded. Vice Mayor Herriot, Mayor Avila, Commissioner Avila Vasquez, Commissioner Howington and Commissioner Lully voted yes; Commissioner Caldwell voted no. The motion carried 6 to 1.

Next steps include finalizing the traffic impact analysis mitigation, preparing a development agreement with the conditions discussed on the record, and subsequent site-plan reviews required before issuance of building permits and certificates of occupancy.