A roundabout leading to Airport Road near a proposed shopping centre in Hunters Ridge. (Google)
The Flagler County Commission on Monday unanimously approved a significant step toward the construction of the first major shopping center in the sprawling, previously mostly residential Hunters Ridge neighborhood that lies on the southern edge of the county and just across the border with Ormond Beach.
Primrose at Hunters Ridge would be built on the northwest corner of the intersection of Hunters Ridge and Airport Road. The area is considered the commercial core of Hunters Ridge. Some Hunters Ridge documents also refer to it as the town center. The plan submitted Monday is Phase 1. “This is a very hypothetical layout,” said County Planning Director Adam Mengel. “However, it is subject to change depending on future tenant needs.”
The 27-acre site is zoned mixed-use, low-intensity planned development. “There are areas here that will have a different housing mix going forward,” Mengel said. “I think there are areas that will at least have apartments or townhouses built. That’s not included in this request.”
Hunters Ridge is a Development of Regional Impact (DRI), which is a very large development that typically contains multiple parcels and commercial areas and is subject to a special regulatory process due to its size. Developments within a DRI must meet certain criteria. Primrose is one such development. Primrose is designated as a commercial component within the DRI, allowing up to 240,000 square feet of mixed use of retail, office and commercial services, with a maximum building height of 45 feet and a required parking space of 960.
The initial phase of development considered by the County Commission would include two buildings totaling 76,600 square feet. Currently, there are no tenants or retail spaces in the buildings to be constructed.
The proposal drew few questions or objections, except from Andy Dance, the committee’s chair, who is studying the plan for balancing primary objectives with people-centered amenities. Sketches of the project showed pedestrian walkways only along the main roads. No pedestrian walkways were shown on the future roads to the site.
“We want to make sure that any additional pedestrian walkways off the road in the future are addressed,” Dance told attorney Jared Trent of the Chiumento Law Firm, which is representing the applicant. But Mengel said the over-the-road sidewalks are within the road right-of-way and are not included in the site plan that was submitted.
“But we have to have a connection. We need a proper pedestrian connection to the future sidewalk,” Dance said. “We just want to make sure we provide access to the site so that other people can access the road in the future.”
Mengel said it’s fine as long as the connections are within the development district. But if it’s not planned for, “it’s not going to happen,” Dance said. Project engineers explained the plan, but Dance wasn’t convinced. “I’m not going to break the plan. It should be more pedestrian-friendly.” Dance frequently points out that nothing in the regulatory process guarantees that developers will meet those conditions unless issues are spelled out at a particular stage, such as the PUD (planned unit development) stage that goes to local boards.
He tried to put some of those guarantees into writing, without much success, but it was an instructive example of local prerogatives, that is, the responsibility of local representatives, which officials often fail to do even when they have the power to do so.
There also appears to be no green space in front of the building. “It’s rare to see a commercial property that doesn’t have something in the front of the building blocking the way or providing shade for pedestrians,” Dance said, asking if there would be any green space.
“As currently proposed, there’s nothing to see,” said project engineer Mark Daoust. “We’ve put more landscaping in the parking lot than is required by the minimum standards. Typically, when you get to construction level, you’ll have columns going in and out of the building, and at that point you can evaluate what you can use for landscaping. Typically, buildings aren’t built with a flat front like you see in this photo.”
“So can the PUD add language that says there’s landscaping and trees out front?” Dance asked.
Daoust hesitated: “Of course you could, but I don’t know what the front of the building looks like.”
“If it’s not in the text, we know it’s not going to be there,” Dance said. “So it’s up to you to decide.” Clearly, Daoust couldn’t just dismiss the commissioner’s suggestions.
“We would be open to a condition that we work to provide additional landscaping to the front walkway, the extent of which will be determined after the architectural design is complete,” Daoust said. “We’re not opposed to that. Our goal is to create a very attractive center.”
Dance recessed and, setting aside further discussion about parking, the committee approved the proposal.
Hunters Ridge Primrose Town Centre