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DeBary council approves first reading to reallocate 284 units inside Rivington MPUD
Summary
City council approved first reading of ordinance O8-2025 to allow redistribution of 284 residential units between Rivington phases 4 and 5 without increasing the MPUD's total unit cap; staff said density and comprehensive-plan consistency are unchanged.
The DeBary City Council on first reading approved Ordinance O8-2025, a major amendment to the Rivington Mixed Planned Unit Development (MPUD) that reallocates 284 residential dwelling units between two phases without changing the MPUD's total permitted units.
City staff told the council the amendment removes a 60-unit cap on one 10-acre parcel and clarifies allocation language so that the 284 units may be reallocated between Rivington phases 4 and 5 while the overall MPUD total of 984 units remains unchanged. "The proposed amendment does not change the density of the MPUD in any means," Growth Management Director Stephen Bap said, and staff recommended approval of first reading.
The applicant, Dean Barbary of Reader Communities, said the change is largely a clarification of prior language and not a substantive increase in units. Barbary said the request resolves a technical discrepancy between language used at first and second readings of earlier ordinances.
Council members pressed for clarity about whether any homebuyers had been promised specific lot sizes or layouts. The applicant said no pre-purchased-home commitments were affected and that phase 5 would be an extension of phase 4's development. Council Member Sell described the change as "housekeeping"; Council Member Stevenson and others said they had no objection because total units and density remain the same.
Mayor Karen Chazet moved to approve first reading of O8-2025; the motion passed with Council Members Stevenson, Sell, Papalardo, Vice Mayor Butland and Mayor Chazet voting yes.
If approved at second reading the ordinance will be advertised and recorded as required. Staff said the change would preserve the MPUD's previously approved unit totals and that the amendment met applicable land-development code and comprehensive-plan criteria.
Background: the Rivington MPUD was originally rezoned in 2016 and amended in 2018 and 2021; the 10-acre parcel at issue was annexed in a 2023 ordinance allowing up to 60 units on that tract. The present amendment removes the 60-unit allocation restriction and combines the permitted units for phases 4 and 5 into a single 284-unit allocation for those phases.
Council scheduled a second reading and adoption hearing if the ordinance clears second reading and meets posting requirements.
