The DeLand City Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4, to discuss a number of items, including the latest on efforts to save a historic tree on North Garfield Avenue, suggestions from a committee of DeLandites and more.
Speaking for the trees
Negotiations have been underway for months between the City of DeLand and Anthony Visconti, a DeLandite whose property on North Garfield Avenue is close to a historic live oak tree as well as the proposed route for the next leg of the city’s multiuse bike trail. When the city approached Visconti about an easement onto his property to save the tree in 2022, city officials said Visconti was not interested.
In recent months, outcry from local residents encouraged the city to try again, and back-and-forth between Visconti and the city’s attorney resulted in Visconti asking for a $20,000 check in return for a 250-square-foot easement onto his property. Doing so would allow for the trail to meander onto his property, saving the tree.
When city leaders heard the proposal last month, they were less than enthusiastic about paying the property owner that much for an easement. Ultimately, the City Commission asked City Manager Michael Pleus to explore the possibility of nearby North Garfield residents raising some money to show the city how much they wanted to save the tree.
Now, one month later, a new proposal is up for discussion: Visconti is asking for $12,500 for the easement onto his property, and nearby residents are offering to fundraise $2,500 to bring the price tag for the city down to $10,000.
The Dec. 4 agenda also includes discussions surrounding the removal of several other historic trees in DeLand, too. One “deteriorated” live oak tree, according to a city report, is at 1101 S. Amelia Ave. — the site of the city’s expanding water treatment facility — and another in “poor condition” is in the 200 block of Meghan Circle in the Victoria Oaks neighborhood.
City committees
Since early 2023, a 21-member committee of DeLandites has held community forums and debated how to evolve DeLand’s strategic plan, a document filled with goals and plans for the city as it grows. With months of discussion under the committee’s belt, a proposed revision of DeLand’s strategic plan was penned with changes including:
— Updating the document that was last revised in 2015,
— Introducing smart growth as one of the city’s guiding principles, with a focus on protecting the environment, appealing to “a range of income levels” and promoting an interconnected transportation network.
Development and more
Other items on the City Commission’s Dec. 4 agenda include annexation into the city and rezoning for Taylor Ridge, a 26-acre development proposed for DeLand’s southeast side. The development was previously turned down by the City Commission in 2022, but a version of the project with fewer units, larger lot sizes and more amenities was approved by the DeLand Planning Board in September.
Other items on the City Commission agenda include loosening the restrictions on where doggie day-cares can be located in DeLand city limits and rescheduling city meetings to avoid Christmas and New Year’s Day.
The DeLand City Commission meets at 7 p.m. on the first and third Monday of every month in the City Commission Chambers at City Hall, 120 S. Florida Ave. All meetings are open to the public and also streamed live online, HERE.
To see the full agenda for the Dec. 4 meeting, click HERE.
