A four-and-a-half-hour special meeting Monday night, Nov. 22, was not long enough for the DeLand City Commission to come to a decision on Beresford Reserve, the 615-unit housing development proposed for the former Southridge Golf Course — formerly the DeLand city dump.
From concerns over the number of homes — down from an originally proposed 861, but still higher than some may like — to the involvement of the city in the environmental remediation required of developer Elevation Development, concerns raised by the public and commissioners themselves led to yet another delay for a decision on the project.
A decision would not be made on the development, city commissioners agreed, until there is a thorough environmental review of the site.
At nearly 10:45 p.m., the City Commission voted unanimously to, once again, delay a first reading on the project to a future meeting, with the date “to be determined.”
The Nov. 22 special meeting marked the fourth “first reading” for Beresford Reserve’s possible rezoning from R1-A residential zoning to a planned development tailor-made for Elevation.
Now the city will try a fifth first reading sometime after the holidays, according to Mayor Bob Apgar.
The Beacon will feature full coverage of Monday night’s City Commission meeting in print and online. Stay tuned.
