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Bunnell commissioners to consider request for approval of massive new development Monday
The Bunnell City Commission will meet Monday, June 9, at 7 p.m. to consider approval of a massive new 2,800-acre development known as the Reserve at Haw Creek.
The project developer is asking for permission from the five-member commission to build between 6,000 and 8,000 homes, which would increase the population of Bunnell many times over. The 2020 census put Bunnell's population at 3,276 residents.
The proposal has drawn controversy due to its sheer size.
Commissioners will consider two items. The first is whether to approve rezoning the project acreage to a "Planned Unit Development District." City staff has recommended approval, though the planning and zoning board wants the total number of homes to be reduced to 5,500.
The second item is a request from the developers to approve the development itself. City staff have declared the development agreement is "consistent with the City's 2035 Comprehensive Plan."
Both agenda items will be read for the first time at Monday's meeting.
The development is described as a mixed-use community including residential, commercial, light industrial, emergency support services, parks and recreation, and conservation. Housing types will range from affordable to market rate, and include single-family homes, townhomes, garden homes, and condominiums.
A village center is proposed that will provide "a mixture of neighborhood and community services, retail and commercial spaces, parks and trails, public services, and amenities," according to the proposed plan.
The applicant for the zoning change is Northeast Florida Developers LLC of Jacksonville. The property owner is JM Properties X LLC, of Palm Coast. The property is located between State Road 11, State Highway 100 West, County Road 302, and County Road 65.
The development has drawn some pushback from neighbors, including Cheryl Trujillo, who lives on County Road 302, and spoke up at a public hearing on Jan. 7. While she said she is not against development, this proposal is "too much, too fast."
"This isn't just somebody going to build a couple of roofs," Trujillo said. "You want to have Palm Coast in my backyard, and that's what it amounts to."
"Where are you going to put all these people?" she continued.
High on many residents' list of concerns is traffic. A traffic study has been completed, but was not included in the advance materials for the article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Bunnell City Commission discussing Reserve at Haw Creek Monday night
