New Lodge at Hammock Beach or Status Quo – a False Choice
The status quo is unsustainable. The Hammock Beach Resort with its amenities cannot survive without increasing resort guest revenue. Read one resident’s perspective on the importance of this decision.
Palm Coast, FL – December 8, 2014 – At 6:00 P.M. Tuesday, December 9th, the Flagler County Planning and Development Board will have a second chance to make the right decision. They will decide whether or not to recommend approval by the Board of County Commissioners of Salamander’s $72 million proposal to expansion and upgrade the Hammock Beach Resort. At the heart of the debate is a 198 room lodge designed to fit on the footprint of the ageing 20-room beachfront lodge. GoToby.com strongly supports Salamander's proposal.
Existing Lodge Footprint
Tim Hale, a Hammock Beach resident and Managing Partner of Coastal Cloud offers a resident’s perspective on the importance of passing the Salamander proposal. Here is what Tim has to say.
PERSPECTIVE FROM OWNERS & MEMBERS ON THE SALMANDER LODGE PROPOSAL
The Business Case for a New Lodge
- Hammock Beach is a resort community – despite what some would like to believe.
- We depend on resort revenue to subsidize the cost of the amenities & service we enjoy as Club Members -two world-class golf courses, three restaurants with special member menus, a sushi bar, a full service spa, a well-equipped fitness center, dozens of fitness classes, regular member social events, a world class pool complex, member beach chairs – you get the picture – we are blessed.
- Member dues can’t come close to paying for all of this – we need a healthy resort business if we expect what we have to continue.
- The resort is in a slow decline – slowly losing memberships and corporate group business is going elsewhere.
- Competitors in the region have undergone major capital improvements to attract new members and important mid-week corporate business meetings. We are losing ground to competitors
- Without a major capital infusion to re-invigorate Hammock Beach, we’ll see steady erosion in the quality of the assets/facilities of the Club and the level of the amenities and services provided.
Doing nothing is not an option – a $72 million capital investment in our community will result in real improvements to our facilities, amenities, services, and member-only benefits.
Why the Salamander Group
- They are the only true “operators” who have managed our Club since it was opened
- Unlike the real estate developers that ran the Club for years – they know what they are doing
- The Salamander Group, or its executives, have experience in developing and running first-class, high end clubs in resort communities – they have a track record at
- The Sanctuary at Kiawah (https://www.kiawahresort.com/accommodations/the-sanctuary-hotel)
- The Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, VA. (https://www.salamanderresort.com/).
- They have been transparent and collaborative throughout the process of developing plans
- They have listened to owners and members, adjusted their plans accordingly, and worked diligently to meet with anyone with questions, concerns, or suggestions. I'm not sure we could find a better partner.
Member Benefits
- Major spa renovation/remodel AND expansion & renovation of the fitness center & aerobic room
- Renovation/remodel of Delfinos restaurant & Loggerheads restaurant/lounge
- New, larger ocean-front restaurant/dining room (Atlantic Grill)
- Expansion of the Ocean Course halfway house with indoor seating & more outdoor seating
- New members only ocean-view club room w/outside seating; new member-only locker rooms
- New members only card/billiards room
- New golf pro shop & staging area
- New 7,000 SF Grande Ballroom to accommodate large member events
- The Ocean Ballroom (in the big house) can’t accommodate our current membership
- New luxury pool complex that is more adult themed
- Improved maintenance of Club assets – golf courses, grounds, buildings, etc. Increased revenue and cash flow enable this to occur.
- Expected increases in property values (based on experience in Kiawah) – the new & improved resort offers improved facilities and amenities, attracting target buyers to the area.
- Expected increase in rental rates for rental program participants – new lodge creates higher price-point for the resort. There is $3 million marketing budget planned for new lodge opening.
- New Lodge buildings sit on the exact same parcel as the existing Lodge building and facilities – revised plan has the new Lodge 15’ FURTHER AWAY from the dune than the existing building.
- New Lodge buildings are same height as the existing Lodge building (actually 2 feet shorter).
- 50 parking spaces for the new Lodge will be under the entry drive, covered, to allow easy access when weather is inclement.
Community Benefits
- 150 new jobs (1/2 permanent, 1/2 seasonal) – Flagler County has the second worst unemployment rate in the Florida.
- Secure/preserve the current ~400 Hammock Beach jobs – without these jobs, Flagler County would have the worst unemployment rate in Florida
- Improve the take home $$ of those 500-600 employees because the caliber of the Club & Resort are raised and higher rental rates are realized
- 300+ construction jobs
- Tax revenue – estimated to be $4 million in the first 5 years.
- Estimated $55 million in County spent in first 5 years
- Make the Lodge a desirable destination – Currently worst rated in Flagler County by TripAdvisor #12/12
- County is spending $1 million a year to attract tourists to Flagler County – improved Lodge leverages that investment
Concerns Over a New Lodge
Of course, there is some concern – as there always is with change.
- 2 years of construction will present challenges for everyone. When the existing buildings are taken down, we lose the Atlantic Grill, pro shop, cart/bag storage, locker rooms, member space, and a spinning room. Parking for the golf course could be affected. A thorough transition plan will ensure the inconvenience is kept to a minimum and that alternate plans are developed for the amenities affected. Salamander will work with the members to ensure concerns are identified and addressed.
- Parking, while a concern, should not be a problem based on the County’s assessment of available parking versus requirements. It’s expected that Lodge guests will be required to be valet parked. An optional (small) parking lot on the south side of 16th Road has been proposed. Options for employee parking off site are being explored. Yet, while a concern that may require some changes to operational policies, parking is sufficient to handle the extra visitors to the resort.
- Traffic on 16th Road, the beach, and the golf course are a concern to some. Traffic studies indicate the incremental rooms will not create traffic problems. More people staying at the Lodge will likely increase the traffic on the beach, but probably mid-week when corporate functions will be targeted for events. Not a very heavily used section of the beach now. Golf rounds in 2014 are projected to be about 55,000 for the two courses combined (about 27,000 of which are member rounds). Maximum capacity of the two golf courses, assuming 40 tee times a day & 325 days of operation (at each course) = 104,000 rounds. The worst-case scenario is we get 200 additional rounds per week for 40 weeks of the year, or 8,000 additional rounds – bringing us to 63,000 rounds per year – or still about 60% of max capacity. There will be no problem protecting prime times for members and accommodating incremental play from Lodge guests.
- Environmental concerns rest in two camps – the elimination of native plants (largely scrub oaks and saw palmettos) and potential impact on the turtles. If a parking lot is required on the south side of 16th Road, existing landscaping and some scrub oaks and saw palmettos will be removed, and re-landscaped with specimen trees and shrubs in a way that will minimize the view of the lot from 16th road or the golf course. Laws exist vis-à-vis the types of lighting permitted on beachfront buildings so as not to disturb or confuse the turtles during nesting season. We would expect Salamander to meet or exceed the requirements of these laws.
Salamander has committed to expand the natural dune area, add more trees than they remove, use special lighting on the buildings, and will bring in beach chairs nightly so as not to disturb the turtles during nesting periods. Importantly, Salamander’s management team has experience creating premiere environmentally sensitive areas (Kiawah).
CURRENT LODGE SITE – aerial view
The new lodge is on the same site of the current lodge
- North building is narrower than current lodge
- South building replaces curent member lounge & library, restrooms & pool deck
Excpetions
- Golf cart path moved to east side of buildings & there is additional parking on the south side of 16th road
- New lodge is slightly shorter than current lodge
New lodge is much less imposing on beach versus Hammock Dunes condos, Cinnamon Beach, Hammock Beach Club "big house" and Surf Club
There is plenty of beach space available. Only 20% of resort guests go to the bech – maximum 198 rooms = 396 guests = 80 incremental beach visitors = no encroachment in to Old Salt Park
Member, Hammock Beach
Full time resident at The Villas at Hammock beach.
Thanks for the article. Most informative. We can’t stand still, will go backward. We must change in order to move forward.
Improve or Die
I could not agree more with Tim’s assessment. I specifically invested and have a home and property in Hammock Beach Resort because it was a “resort” community. We have a “residential” community right next door in Hammock Dune for those looking for the quieter residential lifestyle. As a result the Hammock Beach “Resort” must keep pace with it’s resort competitors if it plans to survive. As members and residents we have to face the reality that the vision of this resort community cannot survive with continued and increasing non-member revenues. The beauty of this is that we benefit from the enhanced amenities required to maintain a competitive resort.
I have invested a lot in this community and am grateful that Salamander has the financial backing to do so as well. If this fails we may see many reconsider their investments.
Flagler County Property owner
Toby,
Thank you again for the in depth reporting of the LODGE update and
upcoming BOCC vote.
I support the changes proposed, they look great. The economics as a
result of a “yes” vote far outweigh the negative shouts of a very small minority group of protesters.
I was possibly going to build a home on my property in Palm Coast and
join the Club , but if this is voted down , I will be selling my lot.
My feeling is that there are many more voters that favor the changes
than the small group of protesters. They will remember those commissioners that vote against the wonderful economic changes that will benefit all Flagler County residents.
Ben O.
PLAT RESTRICTION
The plat on which the Ocean Hammock golf course and the current clubhouse are located is retricted. It can only be used for a golf course and a clubhouse and cannot be residentially or commercially developed. It is intended to be Open Space and a buffer in the development of The Hammock. The plat restriction provides that this limitation shall be in effect “perpetually.” When Lubert Adler acquired the property this restriction was contained in their deed and they knew they could not develop the parcel. Their 2009 attempt to do so in their NOPC proceeding was denied by the county, a state judge and the Governor because that plat of ground cannot be developed. Nothing has changed.
No one commenting has seen an operting statement for Salamander and knows the extent to which the Palm Coast resort is operating profitally or otherwise. They refuse to make such information available.
Moreover, the property is located in the most environmentally sensitive and protected area of Flagler County..the Scenic A1A overlay which the county is legally obligated to protect from development that will adversely impact on the corridor, which this project cleary will do so since, among other things, it will involve the destruction of one of the last remaining Hardwood Hammocks in Northern Florida along 16th Road.
I support the concept of a hotel and conference center…just not at the location being proposed on the beach in the Scenic A1A Overlay. Lubert Adler owns thousands of acres of land elsewhere in the county where this hotel could be built. Let them build it on one of those properties that are not in the Scenic A1A Overlay.
What’s the real purpose?
With the new lodge comes a new group of investors (owners). While Salamander may continue to manage the property, they have no skin in the game at present. Current owners may want to sell and walk away, hoping a new set of owners step up to assume the risk and potential losses. Approval by the county is necessary to help sell this package to a new set of investors. Salamander has stated it could take a year to put this financing together. While I agree that things could be improved, the negative impact to current condo owners who are in the rental pool over the next 2-3 years will be devastating. With current occupancy at or below 60%, doesn’t adding 198 more rooms to the mix sound overly ambitious? The underlying flaw in Salamander’s position is that upgrading facilities will attract lots of corporate business. Without convenient air services and local attractions, what corporate travel planner is going to bring convention business to this location? This may just be a plan that allows current owners an exit, while new owners are left holding the bag.
Flagler County Needs This To Get Done
I could not agree more that The Hammock Beach Club is a Resort. That being said the surrounding community in Ocean Hammock is not. Any one that lives in Flagler County or outside the state can be a member of the Hammock Beach Club and have full use of the new amenities.
Keep the density where it belongs in Hotels not single family homes.
The redevelopment needs to be approved. There is to much competition out there. Amelia Island and the newly proposed Hard Rock Hotel in Daytona. Flagler County needs jobs. If the zoning is in place for this new construction it should be approved immediately.
Take a look
Toby, please review the below,,,,explanation needed. Businesses and recent acquisitions seem pretty robust. Look like they are expanding to Tampa?
They have,done a very nice job growing their portfolios of business’ $19 billion, they are doing a great job.
lubertadler.com/news.php
Thank you…
Remove from Life Support …
Thank you once again Toby for keeping us informed.
As a condo owner I emphatically support the proposed expansion and upgrade to our wonderful resort removing it from life support and infusing it with the vision that is required to ensure that it thrives for many years to come …
I won’t bore anyone by revisiting the years of selfish gain, apathy and mismanagement. We finally have management in place who are proactively moving in a positive common sense direction for the greater good. Let’s not handcuff them and seal our fate.
FTC C-2854 and 15 Year Compliance Report
That Federally ORDERED Recreational Area is encumbered by and is specified and within the F.T.C. Docket C-2854 and its Federally Ordered 15 Year Compliance Report.
Heritage and Historic MARKERS
Does anyone know if there is any action being done to acquire Heritage and Historic MARKERS for this Area / Old Salt Park or the Ancient Archaeological and Paleontological acreage a.k.a. ‘ Bon Terra ‘ a.k.a. ‘ FL 0005 ‘ or any other eligible areas? Thank You.
Heritage and Historic MARKERS
Does anyone know if there is any action being done to acquire Heritage and Historic MARKERS for this Area / Old Salt Park or the Ancient Archaeological and Paleontological acreage a.k.a. ‘ Bon Terra ‘ a.k.a. ‘ FL 0005 ‘ or any other eligible areas? Thank You.
Heritage and Historic MARKERS
Does anyone know if there is any action being done to acquire Heritage and Historic MARKERS for this Area / Old Salt Park or the Ancient Archaeological and Paleontological acreage a.k.a. ‘ Bon Terra ‘ a.k.a. ‘ FL 0005 ‘ or any other eligible areas? Thank You.
Conservation Easements
If what Mr. Southmayd describes in his comment about a plat restriction is indeed an enforceable Conservation Easement (CE) on the property then the current developers will not be able to deviate from that restriction. There were likely financial benefits which accrued to the original developer who agreed to this CE which the IRS takes very seriously. The benefit of any favorable tax status that accrued to the original benefit were provided quid pro quo for the public benefit of protecting the natural area in perpetuity meaning forever. Should County officials ignore or try to circumvent the CE there could be legal action taken on behalf of the public good by the State Attorney General and/or other entities who are entrusted with defending these easements.
Looking at the two renderings provided in the article, there seems to be a substantial loss of natural vegetation replaced by too much impervious surfaces which results in more runoff and pollution. I oppose the additional parking on the south side of 16th. The developer should be required to build parking under structures rather than paving paradise.
Conservation Easements
If what Mr. Southmayd describes in his comment about a plat restriction is indeed an enforceable Conservation Easement (CE) on the property then the current developers will not be able to deviate from that restriction. There were likely financial benefits which accrued to the original developer who agreed to this CE which the IRS takes very seriously. The benefit of any favorable tax status that accrued to the original benefit were provided quid pro quo for the public benefit of protecting the natural area in perpetuity meaning forever. Should County officials ignore or try to circumvent the CE there could be legal action taken on behalf of the public good by the State Attorney General and/or other entities who are entrusted with defending these easements.
Looking at the two renderings provided in the article, there seems to be a substantial loss of natural vegetation replaced by too much impervious surfaces which results in more runoff and pollution. I oppose the additional parking on the south side of 16th. The developer should be required to build parking under structures rather than paving paradise.
Palm Coast Visitors Center – Bon Terre FL 0005 etc
“….
“We dug up seven mastadons and a woolly mammoth in the area of Bon Terra in the Hammock,” he said.
The area is across from the Harborside Inn along the Intracoastal Waterway.
“We dug them up by hand and it was hard work.”
Tommy said Moody had plans to use the bones for a tourist museum and attraction.
The bones were checked on by representatives of the Smithsonian and verified, according to Durrance, to be an excellent example of the prehistoric animals that once roamed Florida.
( To my knowledge the Flagler Beach Museum has Archaeological and Paleontological Artifacts ; some families/family may also be in possession of more )
Credits and Above FR:
The Florida Quest, Saturday, August 9, 1997, ‘ Durrance Spins County History Tales ‘, by Carl Laundrie-Bureau Chief,NIE World Publishing.
I hope the above information is informative and helpful if Official Heritage and Historic MARKERS are being pursued.
Palm Coast Visitors Center – Bon Terre FL 0005 etc
Palm Coast dirt and excavated sand:
I am Steward of much that may be useful for the required documentation if Heritage and Historic MARKERS is pursued which I will gladly share.
This was incredible for us to watch the dirt and sand be moved from the Canal System to Beachfront :
**************************************************
Orlando Sentinel
‘Tis a Privilege to Live in Central Florida
Preservers Applaud Palm Coast
By Peggy Poor
Sentinel Staff
Dramatically changing the damaged image of usually damned developers, ITT Levitt Corp., now building Palm Coast, the country’s largest housing project in Flagler County, is winning kudos instead of kicks from conservationists.
More than that, with long-range environmental planning and careful study by staff
ecologists, the mammoth venture may not only set an example for future would be despoilers but come up with some urgently sought answers to pollution problems.
For Example, ITT Levitt scientists are investigating why St. Johns and Flagler County shellfish harvests had to be prohibited because of contaminated waters. The hope s to reverse conditions that required the ban, if possible.
Preliminary findings indicate sewage dumped principal culprit, according to Dr. Stanley Dea, the firm’s chief ecologist.
NEW CONCEPT
Therefore, in order not to aggravate the situation, ITT Levitt is making a detailed engineering analysis of sewage disposal possibilities to come up with designs new for Florida, and cheaper, Dr. Dea said.
Because Florida’s flat terrain and high ground water level have made gravity systems costly, developers have tended to use septic tanks. But septic systems have become a serious factor in the pollution picture.
America’s biggest conglomerate, therefore, is exploring feasibility of pressure and vacuum systems which may be tried for the first time in the Florida venture.
Meanwhile, in the first section now under construction, 20,000 acres of
the total of 100,000,
sewage will get secondary treatment, prior to storage in a polishing lagoon, providing tertiary treatment. Effluent thus purified but still nutrient rich will be used to irrigate an 18 Hole golf course.
Sewage Studies
This recycling, by an adaptation of nature’s own system, is a relatively new concept in sewage disposal developed at Pennsylvania State University and now in use in several California communities and in one near Tallahassee.
Much of the pollution and “murder of streams, and lakes, such as Apopka, is the result of eutrophication or over-enrichment by nutrients, which are not removed by treatment plants.
As most plants discharge into some body of water, pollution results. If , however, the treated effluent is sprayed on vegetation, as was demonstrated at Penn State and is planned for Palm Coast, it irrigates and fertilizes crops and even raises the ground water table. The vegetation absorbs the nutrients that would eventually destroy streams, lakes, and estuaries.
Using Willows
Palm Coast ecologists plan to plant Florida vegetation and particularly high absorption qualities, such as willows.
Engineers have devised a mechanical apparatus which can fit in a residential size and style building, so the neighborhood view will not be spoiled by an unsightly treatment plant. A chemical has been developed that eradicates the odor, according to Dick Beidl, Palm Coast public affairs officer.
The University of Florida’s famed coastal engineering department, whose $1 million facilities are now considered unexcelled in the United States, is advising how best to lay out the system of canals for waterfront property so that tidal action will keep them flushed clean, Beidl said.
A brief flurry of local fears that the big dredge churning inland from the Intracoastal Waterway channel to scoop out a yacht basin would increase turbidity in the estuaries has been set at rest.
Dike Employed
Although the dredge is operating in a man made cut not subject to provisions of the Randall Act, ITT Levitt will still ‘plug’ the opening into the Intracoastal with a dike until its earth stirring digging is completed and settled.
“It’s the cleanest operation I’ve seen. No problems”, said Larry Shanks, of the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission at Vero Beach, who inspected the site last week.
———->The Operation is pumping the material removed by a 1 1/4 mile pipe line that crosses the waterway and runs under highway A1A.
With a 1100 horsepower booster pump the excavated sand is being hoisted up and down over this uneven course to fill a depression just behind the sand dunes which rim the ocean shore.
The hole will be filled to a height of about 20 feet above sea-level about even with the dunes; and this will be the site of a motel, probably to be operated by Sheraton, another ITT subsidiary.<----------- Dunes Retained Shands had nothing but praise also for this beachfront plan which contemplates leaving the natural dunes as a stabilizer against erosion. Palm Coast experts are also studying the whys and wherefores of erosion and exploring preventative treatment, according to Dea. Palm Coast has also handed its brain trust the choking problem of weed eradication, he said. At the display site, where six model homes and four story office building with viewing tower are under construction, bulldozers wove an intricate path around trees marked for salvation instead of knocking everything down. This more costly method has won approval of forestry officials, and Palm Coast expects it to pay off in long-run appeal of attractive landscaping to prospective purchasers. Space Advantage ------->In the master land use plan, thousands of acres will be preserved in the natural state, Dea said.<---------- Additionally, there will be parks and artificial ribbon lakes, Studies are being made to ascertain optimum factors for maintaining maximum sport fish populations in these. Palm Coast's planning advantage, Beidl said, lies in having control of the entire 100,000 acres. To get this vast land area in focus, it can be compared with the area of all five boroughs of Greater New York City, for example, which cover only about half that territory, or with the city of Detroit which spreads over about 88,000 acres. Projection is for an ultimate population here of only about 750,000 as compared with New York's 11.5 million and Detroit's four million. An area comparison closer to home is with the Disney's 27,000 acres. Strict Zoning The assure adherence to this careful planning. Dr. Dea said is a model zoning and building code is being formulates, which will not merely meet, but 'exceed' in stringency all federal state, and local regulations, including those necessary to control air, water, solid waste, radiation, noise, and vibration pollution. This will cover not just major regulations affecting industries which might be attracted to the area, but also folksy questions such as when and even whether residences may have trash incinerators in their back yards. Even one possible future doubt raised apparently will be resolved in favor of conservation, according to Harold 'Burrows, and engineer on the project. Line Questioned Question arose at a recent country commissioners meeting about a bulkhead line for Longs Creek, which branching off the Matanzas River, meanders through the tract a few miles north of the first 'Five Year Plan' development now under construction. some 3,000 to 9,000 on the creek, are submerged public lands under control of the Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund. Burrows conceded that prior to recent legislative action, this would have been 'prime development property'.But under present law 'we will sit down with the Department of Natural Resources and do what they tell us we can." AD 2531 Palm Coast ITT LEVITT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION A planned community by the ITT Levitt Development Corporation A subsidiary of Levitt and Sons, incorporated/ A Worldwide Service of ITT Please tell me more about Palm Coast. My Major interest is (check one). Vacation Retirement Investment Name:__________Telephone_______ Address________________________ City__________State____Zip_______ Remember: Palm Coast is a planned community by the ITT Levitt Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Levitt and Sons, Incorporated/A Worldwide Service of ITT Two renowned names assure you that Palm Coast will offer a better place, a better life, a better way. Upper Left Quadrant reads: Palm Coast, A planned community by the ITT Levitt Development Corporation A subsidiary of Levitt and Sons. Incorporated/A Worldwide Service of ITT by the ITT Levitt Development is making headlines across the country... Palm Coast is 28 miles South of St. Augustine and 24 miles North of Daytona Beach. Scale of Miles - 1 inch-0 miles 55 miles 110 miles Scale: One inch equals 110 miles. the information contained in this brochure is general to the eastern coast of the United States area. The property offered for sale at Palm Coast may or may not be affected by the conditions described herein. Lower Left Quadrant reads: Palm Coast A planned community by the ITT Levitt Development Corporation A subsidiary of Levitt and Sons Incorporated/ A Worldwide Service of ITT ITT Levitt Development Corporation. ( I / we all watched this HUGE Pump....'thump' a 'thump'....'thump' a 'thump' a ' thump' a ' thumpa - Nonstop....using Palm Coast dirt from the Palm Coasts' Canals to fill up / raise the land topography for the Oceanside Beach Club / Motel. It was really something to see ! I think this Recreation Area was first known a 'Heidi Recreation' which later became Palm Coasts' SunSport Recreation. ' Heidi' was one of Dr. J.Norman Youngs daughters).
Palm Coast Visitors Center – Bon Terre FL 0005 etc
Palm Coast dirt and excavated sand:
I am Steward of much that may be useful for the required documentation if Heritage and Historic MARKERS is pursued which I will gladly share.
This was incredible for us to watch the dirt and sand be moved from the Canal System to Beachfront :
**************************************************
Orlando Sentinel
‘Tis a Privilege to Live in Central Florida
Preservers Applaud Palm Coast
By Peggy Poor
Sentinel Staff
Dramatically changing the damaged image of usually damned developers, ITT Levitt Corp., now building Palm Coast, the country’s largest housing project in Flagler County, is winning kudos instead of kicks from conservationists.
More than that, with long-range environmental planning and careful study by staff
ecologists, the mammoth venture may not only set an example for future would be despoilers but come up with some urgently sought answers to pollution problems.
For Example, ITT Levitt scientists are investigating why St. Johns and Flagler County shellfish harvests had to be prohibited because of contaminated waters. The hope s to reverse conditions that required the ban, if possible.
Preliminary findings indicate sewage dumped principal culprit, according to Dr. Stanley Dea, the firm’s chief ecologist.
NEW CONCEPT
Therefore, in order not to aggravate the situation, ITT Levitt is making a detailed engineering analysis of sewage disposal possibilities to come up with designs new for Florida, and cheaper, Dr. Dea said.
Because Florida’s flat terrain and high ground water level have made gravity systems costly, developers have tended to use septic tanks. But septic systems have become a serious factor in the pollution picture.
America’s biggest conglomerate, therefore, is exploring feasibility of pressure and vacuum systems which may be tried for the first time in the Florida venture.
Meanwhile, in the first section now under construction, 20,000 acres of
the total of 100,000,
sewage will get secondary treatment, prior to storage in a polishing lagoon, providing tertiary treatment. Effluent thus purified but still nutrient rich will be used to irrigate an 18 Hole golf course.
Sewage Studies
This recycling, by an adaptation of nature’s own system, is a relatively new concept in sewage disposal developed at Pennsylvania State University and now in use in several California communities and in one near Tallahassee.
Much of the pollution and “murder of streams, and lakes, such as Apopka, is the result of eutrophication or over-enrichment by nutrients, which are not removed by treatment plants.
As most plants discharge into some body of water, pollution results. If , however, the treated effluent is sprayed on vegetation, as was demonstrated at Penn State and is planned for Palm Coast, it irrigates and fertilizes crops and even raises the ground water table. The vegetation absorbs the nutrients that would eventually destroy streams, lakes, and estuaries.
Using Willows
Palm Coast ecologists plan to plant Florida vegetation and particularly high absorption qualities, such as willows.
Engineers have devised a mechanical apparatus which can fit in a residential size and style building, so the neighborhood view will not be spoiled by an unsightly treatment plant. A chemical has been developed that eradicates the odor, according to Dick Beidl, Palm Coast public affairs officer.
The University of Florida’s famed coastal engineering department, whose $1 million facilities are now considered unexcelled in the United States, is advising how best to lay out the system of canals for waterfront property so that tidal action will keep them flushed clean, Beidl said.
A brief flurry of local fears that the big dredge churning inland from the Intracoastal Waterway channel to scoop out a yacht basin would increase turbidity in the estuaries has been set at rest.
Dike Employed
Although the dredge is operating in a man made cut not subject to provisions of the Randall Act, ITT Levitt will still ‘plug’ the opening into the Intracoastal with a dike until its earth stirring digging is completed and settled.
“It’s the cleanest operation I’ve seen. No problems”, said Larry Shanks, of the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission at Vero Beach, who inspected the site last week.
———->The Operation is pumping the material removed by a 1 1/4 mile pipe line that crosses the waterway and runs under highway A1A.
With a 1100 horsepower booster pump the excavated sand is being hoisted up and down over this uneven course to fill a depression just behind the sand dunes which rim the ocean shore.
The hole will be filled to a height of about 20 feet above sea-level about even with the dunes; and this will be the site of a motel, probably to be operated by Sheraton, another ITT subsidiary.<----------- Dunes Retained Shands had nothing but praise also for this beachfront plan which contemplates leaving the natural dunes as a stabilizer against erosion. Palm Coast experts are also studying the whys and wherefores of erosion and exploring preventative treatment, according to Dea. Palm Coast has also handed its brain trust the choking problem of weed eradication, he said. At the display site, where six model homes and four story office building with viewing tower are under construction, bulldozers wove an intricate path around trees marked for salvation instead of knocking everything down. This more costly method has won approval of forestry officials, and Palm Coast expects it to pay off in long-run appeal of attractive landscaping to prospective purchasers. Space Advantage ------->In the master land use plan, thousands of acres will be preserved in the natural state, Dea said.<---------- Additionally, there will be parks and artificial ribbon lakes, Studies are being made to ascertain optimum factors for maintaining maximum sport fish populations in these. Palm Coast's planning advantage, Beidl said, lies in having control of the entire 100,000 acres. To get this vast land area in focus, it can be compared with the area of all five boroughs of Greater New York City, for example, which cover only about half that territory, or with the city of Detroit which spreads over about 88,000 acres. Projection is for an ultimate population here of only about 750,000 as compared with New York's 11.5 million and Detroit's four million. An area comparison closer to home is with the Disney's 27,000 acres. Strict Zoning The assure adherence to this careful planning. Dr. Dea said is a model zoning and building code is being formulates, which will not merely meet, but 'exceed' in stringency all federal state, and local regulations, including those necessary to control air, water, solid waste, radiation, noise, and vibration pollution. This will cover not just major regulations affecting industries which might be attracted to the area, but also folksy questions such as when and even whether residences may have trash incinerators in their back yards. Even one possible future doubt raised apparently will be resolved in favor of conservation, according to Harold 'Burrows, and engineer on the project. Line Questioned Question arose at a recent country commissioners meeting about a bulkhead line for Longs Creek, which branching off the Matanzas River, meanders through the tract a few miles north of the first 'Five Year Plan' development now under construction. some 3,000 to 9,000 on the creek, are submerged public lands under control of the Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund. Burrows conceded that prior to recent legislative action, this would have been 'prime development property'.But under present law 'we will sit down with the Department of Natural Resources and do what they tell us we can." AD 2531 Palm Coast ITT LEVITT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION A planned community by the ITT Levitt Development Corporation A subsidiary of Levitt and Sons, incorporated/ A Worldwide Service of ITT Please tell me more about Palm Coast. My Major interest is (check one). Vacation Retirement Investment Name:__________Telephone_______ Address________________________ City__________State____Zip_______ Remember: Palm Coast is a planned community by the ITT Levitt Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Levitt and Sons, Incorporated/A Worldwide Service of ITT Two renowned names assure you that Palm Coast will offer a better place, a better life, a better way. Upper Left Quadrant reads: Palm Coast, A planned community by the ITT Levitt Development Corporation A subsidiary of Levitt and Sons. Incorporated/A Worldwide Service of ITT by the ITT Levitt Development is making headlines across the country... Palm Coast is 28 miles South of St. Augustine and 24 miles North of Daytona Beach. Scale of Miles - 1 inch-0 miles 55 miles 110 miles Scale: One inch equals 110 miles. the information contained in this brochure is general to the eastern coast of the United States area. The property offered for sale at Palm Coast may or may not be affected by the conditions described herein. Lower Left Quadrant reads: Palm Coast A planned community by the ITT Levitt Development Corporation A subsidiary of Levitt and Sons Incorporated/ A Worldwide Service of ITT ITT Levitt Development Corporation. ( I / we all watched this HUGE Pump....'thump' a 'thump'....'thump' a 'thump' a ' thump' a ' thumpa - Nonstop....using Palm Coast dirt from the Palm Coasts' Canals to fill up / raise the land topography for the Oceanside Beach Club / Motel. It was really something to see ! I think this Recreation Area was first known a 'Heidi Recreation' which later became Palm Coasts' SunSport Recreation. ' Heidi' was one of Dr. J.Norman Youngs daughters).
Residential Community not a Resort
I purchased my lot located in Northshore in 2001 from Adler/Ginn and just reread all the closing documents and disclosures. Nowhere in the documents does the word Resort appear. There is an admenent that says I may if I wish join the Club as a beach member before 90 days. There was no golf in Hammock Beach at the time.
So joining a separate Club is not the same as living in a Resort.
I’d be happy to share these documents with anyone who would like the facts.
Bill W
The proposed Hotel & Conference Center Is a mistak
I am a resident of Ocean Hammock and live less than a mile from the proposed Hotel and Conference Center.
My principal objections include:
Allowing this proposed development to go forward, will remove the existing “plat restrictions” that were part of a past land swap with Flagler County, balancing competing interests. Those restrictions allow only development related to golf course activities. Clearly a 198 room Hotel & Conference Center, is not golf course related activity.
Removing those plat restrictions, will set a dangerous precedent, that will likely have a domino effect and seriously impact the quality of life in the Hammock now, and increasingly, in the future.
Hundreds of Hammock Beach Condo Owners were promised before they bought their units, that there would be no additional development between their buildings and the Ocean. The Developer’s marketing videos are still viewable on the Internet, that made those promises.
This proposal is in effect, a scaled down version of what was declared invalid, several years ago, by an Administrative Law Judge, when the County’s past denial was appealed.
My understanding is the proposed development, will eliminate a net amount of 1400+ scrub oak trees within the Hammock, plus additional trees; Currently the County require homeowners to obtain a permit to cut down 1 tree above a certain diameter. The permit approval process for 1 tree is to preserve the beauty of the Hammock. How can the County consider allowing Salamander to cut down a net 1400+ trees?
My understanding is the existing 18 room “Lodge” was never approved as a “hotel”. Nevertheless, replacing it with anything other than a like size building is totally inappropriate.
There is no overriding public benefit to removing the plat restrictions, and allowing the proposed hotel & conference center to be built.
The location of the proposed Hotel & Conference Center is not appropriate. It will detract from the beauty of the Hammock, and is not consistent with the aesthetics of the area.
There are many individuals & groups opposed to this proposed development. Salamander’s “straw vote” with a subset of Hammock Beach Club Members is not a valid indicator of support. It did not include non-Club members, & was run by Salamander. Participants were asked to include their name on the “ballot”. I see no value to a flawed straw poll, orchestrated by a party with a bias?