With the Deering Park Innovation Center project still going through rezoning and city approval, residents expressed concern over the proposed 1,618-acre development.
If approved, the current green, undeveloped land south of State Road 44 and west of Interstate 95 would give way to 6 million square feet of residential retail space, a sports complex and even a new police substation, according to a document on Tuesday's City Commission meeting agenda.
The changes and potential impacts to the city concerned some residents who spoke out against the proposal Tuesday night.
Ann Gunter encouraged the commission to “protect the charm of our small coastal community.”
“It is disconcerting just for this project to have gotten to this point in the process,” Gunter said. “I say ‘no’ to changing our comprehensive plan and our zoning. No to the Deering Park project.”
Steve Gunter also spoke out against the project, highlighting the magnitude of the 6 million square feet of the proposed development and the potential impacts he said it could have on stormwater drainage.
“Now what you’re trying to do is have Deering Park say that, ‘We’re going to conserve 400 acres for conservation,’ which really means 1,200 acres are going to be elevated, covered in concrete, and you’re going to push that stormwater somewhere,” he said.
The city’s west side resident said he is worried that the stormwater from the development will be “pushed down on homes in Corbin Park, Ellison Acres, Quail Hollow, Hidden Pines — all these mature neighborhoods. We’re going to receive that stormwater.”
According to city staff, the project would dedicate 413 of the total 1,618 acres to preserving natural vegetation.
The land is currently zoned Agriculture (93 acres), Forestry Resource (948 acres), and Conservation (577 acres), which will require the City Commission’s approval to change the zoning to Industrial Mixed Use.
Deering Park: City Commission asks for more time to question 'monumental' 1,618-acre project in NSB
“We have a small coastal community. People came here because we are a small coastal community,” Steve Gunter said.
One resident, Gerard Pendergast, spoke in favor of the development, calling it a “very good proposal.”
“We can’t go a day without hearing the statistic from Tallahassee that 1,000 people a day are moving to Florida,” Pendergast said. “Well, they’re not all going to The Villages — they’re going all over the state. And we can’t control that. But we can control what is going on (in New Smyrna Beach), and you have a great opportunity to put a good proposal together on the property.”
He added that if the project doesn’t get approved as the Deering Park Innovation Center, “it’s going to be something else.”
“We have the opportunity now to control what’s happening and I totally support, and I wish that you will give it merit,” he added.
What is the Deering Park Innovation Center project?
The site extends south from its northern frontage on State Road 44 to the city limits of Edgewater.
The project plans to include 2,150 residential units and 136 acres of retail space for “corporate headquarters, light industrial, research, hotels (150 room maximum), small non-retail business, and office uses,” according to city staff.
The idea for a major development in the area has been in the works for decades — with different ideas and visions proposed over the years . The idea for the area as the Deering Park Innovation Center project was brought to the City Commission in December, outlining its history and zoning designations.
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Later in the meeting, the commissioners decided to postpone the planned first reading for the Deering Park Innovation Center project after some board members expressed a desire to learn more about the proposal.
City Commissioner Lisa Martin said the proposed development is “so large” that the community could benefit from a workshop session for commissioners to ask more questions before voting to rezone the property.
“This is a fundamental change to the city, and I would appreciate more time with it.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NSB residents raise concerns over proposed 1,618-acre Deering Park project
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