Dunes CDD Contemplates Incorporation – Town Hall Meeting Scheduled
Should the Hammock Community Development District become a city? Hammock Dunes Property Owners Association schedules Information meeting for members.
Palm Coast, FL – October 8, 2009 – Should the Hammock become a city? An October 28th Town Hall Meeting will let Ocean Hammock Property Owners Association (OHPOA) members hear the recommendations of a study committee and consultants regarding the possible incorporation of the Hammock Community Development District (CDD).
The OHPOA’s Town Hall Meeting will be held at the Hammock Beach Resort Wednesday October 28, 2009 from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM. The meeting announcement states:
"Representatives of opposing views on the incorporation issue will each make a 15 minute presentation which will be followed by a Q&A period with written questions from the attendees that will be addressed to the appropriate side by the moderator."
The move toward incorporation is driven by property owners’ longstanding fear of annexation or consolidation fueled in part by Palm Coast’s early attempts to tie the extension of utility services to annexation.
GoToby.com thinks the movement is also a response to an identity crisis. Clearly, the Hammock CDD (made up of Hammock Dunes, Ocean Hammock, Hammock Beach, Island Estates, Yacht Harbor Village, and North Ocean Shore Blvd.) represents the greatest concentration of luxury properties in the county. But other than being part of "The Hammock," it lacks a unique identity. Being identified as an upscale beachfront community has value. A well chosen city name highlighted in travel and real estate advertising would likely increase real estate values to help offset tax increases.
The CDD already has a substantial revenue base from its established utility system and from Hammock Dunes Bridge tolls. The study argues that the incremental cost of adding a "city" government will thus be marginal. This brings to mind one of my favorite phrases, "It cost more than I thought it would but, then I knew it would."
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Just What We Need – More Government!
This is a power grab pure and simple. As a resident of the Ocean Hammock community there is absolutely zero value in creating a city bureacracy sucking up more taxes from our pockets. Come one. The bridge is paid for and yet, residents have to keep forking over $2 every time we drive home. If we keep our senses, we will kill this idea pronto. It’s clear that the Dunes Development people have rigged ‘the study’ to say surprise!! We need to incorporate. Very bad idea.
The Hammocks
Can’t blame the high rollers in the Hammocks for wanting to protect themselves from the over development in the county and surrounding cities.
Hammock City
Guess I don’t understand question # 8, why would the new city have to pat the Sherrif’s Office just like Palm Coast current does to the tune of several million dollars. Doesn’t the same hold true for trash removal, fire protection services, etc. Are the people pushing this plan looking out for the best interest of the residents or do they have personal ($$$) reasons for pushing this plan?
Hammock Incorporation
Maybe Palm Coast needs to end Palm Coast Parkway, just west of the bridge or possibly install a toll along that road for vehicles coming across the bridge. The pay back could be hell!!!
Reply to Fred: RE: ‘PalmCoast’sNewBridge’, etc.
Fred, just last week several of us were talking about how Palm Coast’s New Bridge was presented to us all here before it was built for us. One person said ‘…thirteen years and it will be paid for…’. At that time we all were obviously excited since our Bridge cut down distance to our Oceanside Palm Coast Beach Club / Features and also the Palm Coast Motel / Resort / Oceanside Pool / Features all overlooking ‘…5 miles of Palm Coast Beaches…’. on acres and acres of Tropically Landscaped Palm Coast Land.
…Will that Toll continue? – do you know why Fred or anyone?
The Palm Coaster:
The Palm Coaster
The Community’s Newspaper
Volume 15, Number Two
Winter 1988
Cover
A sunrise provides a dramatic backdrop for Palm Coast’s new bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, the link to beautiful beaches Palm Coasters have been waiting for.
Featureline
1. The Front Page, 2. People 3. Business , 6 Food, 7. Homes, 10. Vacationa, 12. Schools, 14. Sports
THIS ADVERTISING MATERIAL IS BEING USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF SOLICITING SALES OF TIMESHARE PERIODS. TS TS5203
Palm Coast Blossoming as New Hometown
PALM COAST< Florida This rapidly growing planned community is becoming the ‘resort hometown’ planners at ITT Community Development Corporation envisioned ten years ago.
The "hometown’ aspect of life in Palm Coast is evident everywhere. Citizens are involved with community growth; activities and challenges. Local government and ITT-CDC play stong roles in planning for and meeting those challenges successfully.
The ‘Resort’ environment is Florida at her finest. Palm Coast golf courses and all-surface tennis club have earned national recognition. Complimenting these are five miles of beach.., a new beach club with pool, waterways and marina for boating, community-wide landscaping and a waterfront hotel and timeshare resort for vacationers and visitng friends. It is an atmosphere that attracts new industry, stores, services and more than 100 new residents each month to Palm Coast.*
* The Palm Coaster, Winter 1988, Page 1
PALM COAST RESORTS ARE PICTURE PERFECT
Palm Coast, Florida – If you’re not among the lucky 11,000 or so who live here all the time, you can still enjoy the Palm Coast life for a week or two or more, at vacation resorts among Florida’s finest.
Seeing is believing, so we shall let pictures do most of the talking.
A pelican’s view of a people’s paradise…the Palm Coast beach, and new beach club, a place in the sun for vacationers and residents.
The Sheraton Palm Coast Resort and Palm Coast Marina…early evening.
The Harbor Club vacation ownership resort…villas surrounding Oak Tree Island.
You’ve seen the photographs. Now see the real thing. For Harbor Club sales information—vacations for a lifetime–contact your nearest Palm Coast sales office or call toll-free 1.900.874.1828 and ask for the Harbor Club at extension 870.
To reserve your waterfront room at the Sheraton, call 904. 445.3000 and ask for the Harbor Club at extension 870.
Palm Coast property owners can arrange for a holiday through area sales offices
Palm Coast Players Club Named Best Tennis Facility in the U.S.A.:
Palm Coast Players Club named best Tennis Facility in the USA
Palm Coast, Florida The Palm Coast Players Club is the best tennis club in the country, and it isn’t just the club’s staff and members who make that claim.
Tennis Industry magazine and the American Society of Landscape Architects judged the Players Club the "1987 Court-of the Year." The third annual competition drew entries from across the USA. The Players Club, an all surface tennis and racquetball complex built into a forest of oaks and palms, beat out finalists ramging from California to the Caribbean.
I think the residents and members are as proud of this national recognition as we are, said Jim Vidamour, director of tennis for SunSport Recreation. We wanted a club that would provide a first rate tennis environment and preserve the site’s natural beauty. Thanks to our land planners and Palm Coast Construction, we succeeded on both counts. It’s a beautiful tennis club.
In announcing the winner, Tennis Industry cited privacy on the courts, shaded rest areas, orientation of courts to minimize sun glare, and preservation of the site’s integrity. Tournament capabilities-two show courts seating up to 800 in the permanent stands-were another important factor as were member programs, from junior tennis to aerobics.
After careful palnning which involved maintaining most of the trees, wrote the magazines associate editor, ‘The Palm Coast Players Club emerged as a landmark tennis facility. It is a tennis oasis which is naturally beautiful."
The Players Club opened in September, 1986, as one of the only four semi-private clubs in the USA offering all three court surfaces; ten clay, two grass, four hard courts. And there is more to the Players Club than tennis. Situated among the sprawling live oaks are two racquetball courts, a pool, bathouse, and two story clubhouse with players’ lounge, care, pro shop, locker rooms and a specialty designed aerobics room. Between the varied activities and carefully planned construction, it becomes clear the Players Club made it to Number One in the USA the old fashioned way, it e-e-earned it.
The Palm Coaster, Winter 1988, p. 14.
( For the new/recent arrivals, when our new Bridge opened; the ‘Boat Component’ of the required Guided Tour was stopped but there were still Water Taxis up to that point to take us to our Beach Club and Junkanoo Lounge, etc., at our Palm Coast Motel/Inn/Resort there. The Boat Tour Component left from our Welcome Center 64 foot High Tower Docks on Clubhouse, departed up the Main Canal, across the Intracoastal to the other side of the ICW, to the ‘Palm Coast Visitors Center’ and Bon Terra Boat Landing there located on acres of Palm Coast there. Vans then picked up prospective Buyers and took them to our Palm Coast Beach Club and Palm Coast Oceanside Motel/Pool/ Palm Coast Beaches to either Stay there or View the pledged Amenities so they could ascertain if they wanted to buy here. For the new arrivals the Bon Terra Boat Landing/P.C. Visitors center was atop/adjacent to the Archaeological and Paleonotological Site, State of Florida Master Site File: FL 0005. Tommy Durrance, et.al. unearthed 7 Mastadons and a Wooly Mammoth there, verified by the Smithsonian – Yacht Harbor/Admirals Cove is there now to give you an idea of where/how it was done We’re told the city historian person is writing a book about it so some such if anyone wants more info on that>)
So, does anyone have date/info. on that Toll? Thank you.