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Building permits dip, board hears; staff suggests retooling incentives as developable land shrinks
Summary
Jeff Brown reported single‑family COs fell to 34 this month (from 40 recently) and said full‑year CO data will be provided in January. Board discussion covered measuring unsold inventory, TRT monthly items including Pelican Bay redevelopment interest, limited large parcels remaining north of LPGA, and a proposal to modify incentive programs for smaller employers.
Jeff Brown presented the building and CO report, saying multifamily remains in development but single‑family COs for the month dropped to 34 from 40 in prior months. He said a full annual CO report will be available in January to compare 2025 with previous years.
Board members discussed how to estimate unsold inventory, with staff suggesting cross‑referencing permit pulls and whether water meters remain in builders’ names. Members also asked whether the small cottage units across Williamson are counted as single‑family or multifamily for CO purposes; Brown said he will check with the building official.
The TRT monthly report highlighted smaller multifamily proposals and early‑stage site plans. A board member flagged Pelican Bay’s former golf course as an item of interest for more information. Staff said three hotel projects (Choice Hotels, SpringHill Suites and a Hyatt product) are advancing in Tomoka Town Center and Oasis.
During a larger planning discussion, staff and members noted the city has only a few large parcels remaining (land north of LPGA between Williamson and I‑95, property near Buc‑ee's, and Sungate on West 92); much other large acreage is county‑controlled. Given decreased availability of big sites, staff and Frank Jones suggested modifying incentive programs to support smaller businesses, such as per‑job grants with caps instead of only large capital‑threshold incentives.
The board agreed to revisit goals and to receive a more detailed spreadsheet on business application categories and fees at future meetings. Staff noted a Brownfields annual report will be presented in December.
