deland old jail from above
BEACON FILE PHOTO DeLand's Old Jail, and its surrounding buildings on W. New York Avenue, shown from above.

The DeLand City Commission and the DeLand Planning Board will meet next week to discuss topics including a 184-acre housing development on the city’s southeast side and the latest plans for the city’s vacant Old Jail.

The City Commission will meet first at 7 p.m. Monday, May 16. One topic up for discussion is the second reading of changes to the city’s land development regulations. These changes are designed to make housing within city limits more affordable. Changes include easing restrictions on residential development within Downtown DeLand and allowing for more accessory dwelling units on single-family properties.

The changes were approved on first reading by the DeLand City Commission last month, and recommended by the Planning Board in March.

Another topic up for discussion is the second reading for the rezoning of Trinity Gardens, a 184-acre housing development with 543 homes at 791 S. Blue Lake Ave. The 543 units would include 425 single-family homes and 118 town homes.

The application to rezone the 184 acres of land is accompanied by requests to annex 64 acres of land from Volusia County into the City of DeLand.

Trinity Gardens’ applications for annexation, land-use change and rezoning were approved on first reading by the DeLand City Commission in January by a 3-2 vote. Mayor Bob Apgar and City Commissioners Kevin Reid and Chris Cloudman voted in the development’s favor, while City Commissioners Jessica Davis and Charles Paiva voted against.

Chief among complaints from Davis was the number of homes on 50-foot lots, 330, which has not changed since January.

The Planning Board meets next, at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, to discuss topics including the plan to redevelop DeLand’s Old Jail, 130 W. New York Ave., into Glasshouse Square, a multiuse project comprising two buildings and a pedestrian walkway spanning over Georgia Avenue.

When the project last came before the DeLand City Commission — for guidance, not for a formal approval — parking was a hot topic, with city commissioners requesting around 60 parking spaces on the property. Developers Glasshouse Square LLC had previously suggested a scenario where they provide the city with money to build more parking and settle for fewer parking spaces on their property.

According to the Planning Board agenda, city planning staff are recommending the item be continued to a later meeting, “until additional information is provided.” Among planning staff’s requests are to see an on-site parking plan.

Another item to be discussed by the Planning Board is a request to turn 143 acres of vacant land near State Road 472 and Interstate 4 into a commercial and industrial development called DeLand Tech Park. The land, according to the meeting agenda, was once proposed to be used as a joint-business area for a number of Volusia County’s cities.

“The project was envisioned as a shared major regional employment center, encompassing adjacent portions of Orange City, Deltona, Volusia County, and DeLand,” the report reads. The project fell through, but the City of DeLand maintains the land-use designation for development of the land.

The 143-acre DeLand Tech Park would be split into three parcels. The first, 120.6 acres, would include 1.39 million square feet of industrial space. The second and third parcels, totaling 22.2 acres, would include 205,000 square feet of commercial space.

These projects as well as an application to rezone a nearly 30-acre parcel of land at the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Beltway and Cassadaga Road will all be up for discussion May 18.

Both meetings will be held in the City Commission Chambers in DeLand City Hall, 120 S. Florida Ave. All meetings are open to the public, and meetings of the City Commission and Planning Board are broadcast live on the city’s website, HERE. At a meeting’s scheduled start time, a button will appear allowing remote viewers to tune in.

Full agendas for each meeting area also are available on the city’s website, HERE.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here