Planning board recommends approval for 41,800 sq ft DuPont warehouse site plan

The City of DeLand Planning Board on June 11 recommended approval of SP 24‑198, a Class 3 site plan to build a 41,800‑square‑foot warehouse with associated office space at 2500 Eidson Drive, subject to conditions in the staff report.

City senior planner Emily Kunkel told the board the 6.03‑acre site is zoned M‑1 (Industrial) and is currently undeveloped. The proposal includes on‑site parking for 48 vehicles (including two ADA spaces), tree protection areas, stormwater management sized to retain the 100‑year, 24‑hour storm event, and a landscape buffer plan. Staff said the proposed stormwater system is designed to meet St. Johns River Water Management District requirements and the City of DeLand standards; the plan includes a cistern to provide temporary irrigation pending city review and approval.

The project lies northwest of DeLand Municipal Airport and within an airport overlay. A traffic impact memo dated Feb. 7, 2025, estimated the development will generate about 70 average daily trips; projects under 1,000 daily trips do not require a full traffic impact analysis per staff's presentation. Elevations show a 46‑foot building constructed with site‑cast tilt‑up panels; the applicant updated plans to show screening for rooftop mechanical equipment and added a trellis/green wall feature.

Kunkel outlined outstanding conditions the applicant must address before a development order is issued: update landscape plans to reflect correct buffer types and planting counts; confirm and approve cistern and irrigation plans with city engineering and utilities; and update cover sheets/index to include irrigation plans. Staff noted the south and west buffers must be at least 30 feet (Type D) and include a 100 percent opaque screen wall or fence; the applicant subsequently added a 6‑foot vinyl fence in those buffer areas on revised plans.

Chris Rolley of Zeb Cohen and Associates (applicant) described the stormwater control as complying with the new code requirement to set the weir at the 100‑year peak elevation; he said the wet detention pond includes an orifice (3.25‑inch pipe in this design) that allows gradual drawdown without exceeding predevelopment release rates. He confirmed the project is not in a closed basin and that the design will be reviewed by city engineers.

Motion and vote: a motion to approve SP 24‑198 with the outstanding conditions passed by roll call. Nora Lewis, Dawn Liska, Troy Baumgartner and Jeremy Owens voted yes. The approval is conditioned on the applicant addressing the staff's outstanding TRC comments and receiving required engineering and utilities approvals prior to issuance of a development order.

The applicant and staff will continue coordination on irrigation, cistern design and landscape buffers before issuance of the development order.