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Residents and council press for stronger protections before abandoning DRIs and approving MPD
Summary
Public commenters and multiple council members said the proposed master plan development (MPD) lacks the old DRI commitments for roads, parks and schools; council removed abandonment of DRIs from the agenda and demanded more mitigation agreements, economic analyses and an MOA with the historic society.
Multiple residents and several council members told the Palm Coast City Council on July 21 that the proposed Master Planned Development (MPD) for the city's westward expansion does not yet contain commitments that previously existed under the Development of Regional Impact (DRI) framework.
At public comment, Jimmy Henge urged the council to review how the MPD replaces prior DRI obligations and said many specific requirements are missing: "In 2010...developers shall build at developers expense...at a cost, estimated cost of approximately $110,000,000," he said, urging the council not to proceed with approval without answers on roads, parks, schools and public-safety mitigation agreements.
Council members agreed there are unanswered questions. Council member Miller said permitting and mitigation agreements remain required and staff counsel had advised that development cannot proceed until those mitigations are agreed: "No permitting or development can occur until we agree to those mitigations," he said. Vice Mayor Pontieri said he has asked legal to compile historical records to clarify what was placed on past ballots and indicated he would not support abandoning the DRIs until an acceptable MPD and mitigation framework are in place.
Council removed the DRI-abandonment item from the agenda and sought additional economic-impact information and a memorandum of agreement with local preservation stakeholders before advancing the MPD. Several members emphasized protecting current residents from shouldering costs and asked staff to return with two economic-impact versions — one using current tax rules and one projecting changes if upcoming amendments to local taxing measures pass.
