OSTEEN, Fla. — A developer from Daytona Beach has his sights set on a piece of property in Osteen, with the hopes of transforming it into 80 townhomes.
The 12.98-acre lot sits on the Southeast intersection of State Road 415 and Eighth Avenue.
However, Osteen residents are concerned about overdevelopment in their community. Several attended Thursday morning’s Development Review Committee meeting to ensure that any development going through Osteen is done right, all while adhering to zoning codes.
Bill Wilson has lived in Osteen for the last three decades and, like many in his community, he wants to see future development done right.
“Growth is inevitable. It’s going to happen," he said. "I’m not against growth. But what they’re proposing to do is change zoning for the profit of a developer which is wrong."
Wilson’s property sits on the street behind the lot where a proposed townhome project by the Spruce Creek Civil Engineering group would be built.
Since the 12.98-acre lot, which sits on Osteen property, uses city of Deltona water and sewer, the developer, David Glunt, inquired about how to move forward with an annexation agreement to connect to the city’s water.
However, the city’s Development Review Committee quickly informed him that this particular property for the planned development is within a Joint Planning Area Agreement, or JPA, with specific requirements he must adhere to.
According to the agreement, one requirement is developers can only build one unit per acre since the property sits on wetlands.
“What they’re proposing is to put a strip mall of town houses that look more like apartments — 80 units," Wilson said. "And that would just ruin Osteen."
He fears the development could severely impact traffic in an area that is already congested.
Wilson said he had other concerns as well, including environmental and flooding impacts resulting from a development project like this one.
Wilson accompanied a dozen other concerned Osteen residents at Thursday morning’s Development Review Committee meeting to attend the developer’s pre-application meeting.
Other residents like Tina Swift, who spearhead the Osteen Preservation & Planning Society, which aims to educate Osteen residents on what the process is for land-use and development for those in the unincorporated community of southwestern Volusia County.
She said better infrastructure rules and building codes are needed at both the city and county levels to prevent this kind of development from continuing to happen.
When Deltona’s planning manager, Jessica Entwistle, listed out the requirements per the JPA, residents including Swift applauded city officials for adhering to the rules, because she said oftentimes, rules tend to be overlooked.
“When we show up and hold the city and county accountable for rules that have been put in place like the JPA, the Joint Planning Agreement, we are better served, because nine times out of 10, the city or the county they don’t necessarily pay attention to the rules on the books," she said. "They are busy, everyone’s got different projects that they’re serving."
Like Wilson, she said she’s not against development, but supports the “right kind of development,” including sustainable development and ensuring those new projects align with the community.
The annexation process must go through public hearings in front of the Deltona City Council before it can be given the green light, although the developer has not filed an application for the project yet.
Spectrum News reached out to the developer, but was told no comment would be made on the matter.
During the meeting, Glunt said he and his team would go back to the drawing board and requested a one-on-one meeting with the city to figure out next steps.