After some delays and amid some concerns about school overcrowding, wildlife and traffic, a multifamily housing project in Orange City may soon go vertical.
City officials also voiced concerns about whether the current land-development code, drafted and approved in 1997, is adequate for the growth trends now unfolding.
Setting aside for the moment their misgivings, the Orange City Council approved Hidden Oaks, a 109-unit apartment complex to be built on 9.11 acres at 500 E. Ohio Ave.
“This is what your comprehensive plan and land-development code say should be here,” Robert Doan, the attorney for the developer, told the council Nov. 14. “I don’t mind growth; I just want good growth.”
The rectangular parcel at the intersection of East Ohio and South Leavitt avenues has a land use of Residential High (RH), which permits as many as 12 dwelling units per acre. The property is zoned R-3, meaning High Density Residential.
Hidden Oaks will feature seven two-story apartment buildings, and there will be 220 parking spaces. A clubhouse, swimming pool and play areas will be on the property, as well.
“This is unacceptable, and I hate the fact it’s going in there,” one member of the audience said during the public hearing on Hidden Oaks.
On the west side of Hidden Oaks is another apartment complex named Greenleaf Gardens.
Based on the Volusia School District’s projections, Hidden Oaks may have 14 children attending public schools within Orange City. Vice Mayor Bill O’Connor said the closest school, with an enrollment of more than 600, is already overcrowded.
“Right now, Orange City is at 117 percent of capacity,” he noted.
O’Connor urged city officials to review the land-development code now in place to determine if they need to change it.
“It’s time to look at it again,” he said. “This was set up long before any of us were sitting up here.”
Realizing the Hidden Oaks project, as presented, meets the city’s development standards, City Council Member Alex Tiamson concluded the council must abide by the law or be accused of “moving the goal post.”
“I fear if we vote no on this, we’re opening ourselves up for liability,” he told his colleagues.
Casandra Jones agreed.
“You can’t go against what we’ve already set in our rules and regulations,” she said.
The City Council approved the Hidden Oaks project with a 6-0 vote. Council Member Kelli Marks was absent.
Before any site preparation for the apartments begins, another environmental survey of the property must be done to verify if gopher tortoises are there.
“We did see a gopher-tortoise home today,” O’Connor said, referring to his visit to the property. “It was a burrow. It was on the Greenleaf side.”
Hidden Oaks’ developer is listed as Nick Stockhammer, of Project Management Advisors Inc., of Chicago. The owner of the property is Le Parc Holdings LLC, of Chicago.
