New Farmton Development Plan Approved by Volusia County Planning Commission

The Farmton vision for a planned development stretching south from Edgewater into Brevard County took a step toward reality Sept. 22. The Volusia County Planning and Land Development Regulation Commission (PLDRC) unanimously voted to send the 59,000-acre, 94-square-mile project to the County Council with a thumbs-up. A week before the PLDRC hearing in Volusia County, the Brevard County Commission approved the portion of Farmton that lies in its jurisdiction.

The item will be on the County Council agenda for the 9 a.m. meeting Thursday, Oct. 15, in the county administration building at 123 W. Indiana Ave. in DeLand. Miami Corp., owned by the Deering family of Chicago, has owned the Farmton property for 80 years. The land currently is undeveloped, and used for timberland, wetlands and hunting. Attorney Glenn Storch, who has represented the Deerings and Miami Corp. for nearly 20 years, told PLDRC members, “What we want to do is start looking ahead to the next 50 years.” He said the Deering family does not want to develop the land, but wants to set the template for how the property will be developed.

The property’s current land-use designation would allow the land to be developed into ranchettes, which Storch said would allow sprawl and fragmentation, with septic tanks and wells instead of public utilities. The land would be cleared and fenced around individual homes, he said, to the detriment of wildlife.

Attorney Clay Henderson said the Farmton development plan is unique in that conservation is being done upfront. More than 40,000 acres will be protected in a perpetual conservation easement, “subject to a conservation-management plan,” Henderson said. He said the value of that land is estimated at between $600 million and $1.1 billion, and it will be preserved at no cost to the taxpayer.

This is a complex issue and there are vocal advocates on both sides. Contact your council member for more information, and read the WestVolusiaBeaconOnline for an up-to-date report. Watch this blog for posts as the development moves through the approval process.

Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
386-679-3191
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