Cops Corner

Volusia plans to purchase 36 acres of land in The Loop

The landowner and developer of Plantation Oaks, Parker Mynchenberg, has given the county 90 days to come up with an answer.

JARLEENE ALMENAS

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Volusia County has 90 days to determine the fate of a 36-acre piece of land along the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail.

The land, originally slated for 76 residential lots in Plantation Oaks, was brought to the public’s attention by Ormond Beach resident Suzanne Scheiber and Spruce Creek High School student Natalie Pilipczak, who approached developer and engineer Parker Mynchenberg in the fall regarding placing the 175-foot buffer in a conservation easement, as well as asking whether the land could be sold for conservation. The asking price is $1.3 million.

It was a proposal that Mayor Bill Partington said, in an opinion piece to the Ormond Beach Observer, should be led by Volusia County. At the council’s meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 19, the council did just that by directing staff to explore options to purchase the land.

The motion, made by District 4 Councilwoman Heather Post, whose district includes the Loop, passed 6-0. Councilman Fred Lowry was absent.

“Once these lands are gone, they’re gone,” Post said. “We don’t have the opportunity to come back.”

The item was added to the County Council’s agenda late Friday, a factor which spurred some pushback from members of the ECHO Volusia Forever PAC, who advocated for the renewal of both the ECHO and Volusia Forever programs via referendums on the 2020 election. They passed with 72% and 75% of the vote, respectively. As chair of the PAC, Pat Northey, stated the group was not commenting on whether or not they favored the acquisition of the property, but rather the fact that the acquisition had not gone through a transparent process. Transparency was promised to voters;a past concern was the council’s use of direct allocation to speed some projects along.

“We ask that you step back, take a deep breath and honor the voters’ overwhelming approval of the referendums by ensuring that transparency, process and fairness are in place before you consider any new acquisition,” Northey said.

A direct allocation of ECHO funds (not permitted under Volusia Forever) was one of the methods presented by county staff as a way to purchase the land, as the land only met three of the 18 criteria for Volusia Forever, according to staff. However, the council was unanimous; a direct allocation of funds was not the course “We ask that you step back, take a deep breath and honor the voters’ overwhelming approval of the referendums by ensuring that transparency, process and fairness are in place before you consider any new acquisition.”

PAT NORTHEY, chair of the PAC

Map courtesy of Volusia County government The land in question was originally slated for 76 residential lots in Plantation Oaks. they wanted to take. It is unclear whether the county will explore ECHO or Volusia Forever further, as historical and archaeological significance (due to the ruins of a historic home) was highlighted by Chair Jeff Brower.

Scheiber reiterated during her comments that the goal has always been land conservation. She outlined various past deadlines from different grant programs that could have been utilized to purchase the land. She also presented grants that were still available, such as a recreation grant by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

“Please don’t ignore our voices,” Scheiber said. “The public is speaking.”

Brower spoke at length regarding why this piece of land, and others need to be preserved. He said the item was placed on the agenda because it was time-sensitive. The land has not yet been cleared.

“This is the Loop,” Brower said. “This is what we’re trying to preserve — not just branches over the road.”

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