Economic Development Board - Regular Meeting

They are

I've called it to order.

We're being recorded. Yes, ma'am.

Roll call, please.

Jamieson? I'm here. Ms. Cruz? Here. Mr. Inman?

Here.

Ms. Power? Here. Mr. Lundin?

Here.

Mr. Champion? Mr. Kelly?

All right. We don't have any approval of or minutes to approve at this time. But we do have somebody in the audience this morning, Mr. Lou Harris, Volusia County Economic Development Department. You want to speak to us this morning or

No, just supporting, listening, so

Well, thank you for being with us. Okay. Moving on to old business, the discussion of the commercial space industry overlay, and the future land use element. Hello, Ryan.

Good morning. So we're, again, talking about the commercial space industry overlay. One of the things is there's several policies in here and steps to take. I wanted to first talk about some of the steps that staff are already taking with a lot of the partners in the city. So right now, city staff with the city of New Smyrna Beach, city of Oak Hill, East Central Regional Planning Council are working towards two grants, one for a gap analysis of infrastructure needs as this commercial space policy indicates.

The second one is looking at Old Mission Road for improvements for transportation in relation to the million square feet that's gonna be built out in Parktown. And they've just completed almost completed. The building's up on the first building, which is a 115,000 square feet in Parktown. So part of that grant is that policy two point one point two, which is identifying suitable lands. And then concurrently, you know, one of the questions or one of the part of this is to figure out what are the environmental constraints, what are the utility constraints, possible transportation constraints of the infrastructure as we move westward from the industrial park and as we look at increasing industrial in the city.

And that's what that gap analysis is supposed to be for under that grant. City staff wanted to know if there is something specific else that you would like city staff to be working towards, city staff have, in my later report, we have begun conversations with FP and L that took quite some time to actually just finally get with FP and L. And we have identified power needs and and are kind of the next expansion of industrial. And so that's really why I wanted to bring this up today is if there's something that the board would like city staff to be kind of a next step of what does the board expect city staff to be continually doing to work towards this overlay and this goal.

As it relates to the industrial park or in general?

Just in general in activating this. Like, so this one says the city shall create a zoning overlay. And so we need to begin working on that. We probably we need to have a conversation about where this overlay

I thought we already had that had it mapped.

I don't have a map unless you have one.

Yeah. When the county did this, the county already mapped it

all. Okay.

I mean, well, from the county's perspective. And it already went down to and way down into Oak Hill. You know, I mean, it's not continuous, but there are patches. And they were already laid out. And the area along US1 in Edgewater, right there around Boston Whaler and Insertec, was also identified in that overlay. As commercial? As commercial space industry opportunity overlay. Yeah.

Do you recall, Bliss, is it just broad for the entire county, or is it specific to Southeast Volusia for the three cities?

It was broad. Okay. This was from the county perspective.

Okay.

And they just laid out the commercial space industry opportunity overlay. But, I mean, it's not that large.

Okay.

And, yes, there was an overlay map. We So can find

maybe at the next meeting, I'd bring back that overlay map. Can we evaluate the overlays and see if additions or

Well, this was the thing is to, you know, to make sure we have infrastructure to those areas and then to expand industrial properties in and around them.

Was there something that needed to be done from the city's perspective as that map happened? Do we need to be more finite? I know there was some discussion about development would it be west of intact the new facility, like some kind of residential? Wasn't there some concern down by the railroad tracks or something? Remember Okay.

You're talking about that? Yes.

Actually You know, it's zoned commercial or Yes.

It's zoned heavy industrial. Since you brought that up, do you want to give the update on that property and the plan? It is, for clarification, the property across the street from Boston Whaler next to Insertec and everybody's familiar with Insertec? That property is zoned heavy industrial right now. And the man selling the property bought it. And when he bought it, he knew it was zoned heavy industrial. So I'll let Ryan update you as to where the project is on that, and then we can move forward.

So right now, city staff are entertaining an application for the 137 acres, which about 48 acres is heavy industrial. And then the other part, it has this public, semi public with this annexation agreement for a hospital, ALF, medical complex on the North Side. City staff are entertaining a application from Holiday Builders for homes and for commercial upfront, And that will be heading to TRC, I believe, next Thursday, and then to planning and zoning in March, and then towards council.

Okay. So Rebecca, to answer your question, and in relation to the comprehensive space opportunity overlay, and instead of increasing industrial, we're taking the only heavy industrially zoned piece of land that we have and we're going to change it to residential. And I'll remind everybody, last year this time, we had a moratorium against any residential, any and all residential, much less to take heavy industrial, our only heavy industrially zoned piece in the city, and turn it into residential. Anybody have any excuse me, two questions. Anybody have any comments on that?

And then Mr. London, did you attend the town hall meeting they had in what was that, January?

Yeah.

In January?

Regarding?

Holiday builders made a presentation.

I don't know if I did or not. I don't recall because

Can't believe you missed it.

It was early January. I had a child here.

Good reason. Okay. Any comments, questions, discussion on this?

A little background, please. So it's zoned one way, and they want to change it. Do we have to let them change it?

No. It's up to the council's decision. It's a legislative one changing a future land use designation.

Okay. Because to Bliss's point, if you don't have much of that designation zone and you want business to support tax base, that doesn't make a lot of sense.

And the space overlay, too.

And it's closest it's the only heavy industrially zoned property we have, and it's the closest one we have to The Cape. And then if you just you brought up diversification of the tax base. If you fill it with single family homes

Right. Then it goes that makes it very difficult. It makes the pie chart worse.

So then as the board, what do we do?

And it's right next to something that's already going to be industrial.

Do we just submit a recommendation to counsel to not change it? Like, what action do

we need to

I think that's a marvelous idea.

I think we did. I we've had this discussion.

Well, I think we need to do it again, Robert.

Not We since I've been on the board.

Six months ago, we had this discussion.

And I think it'd be easy to tie this to our

Comprehensive Yes. Economic development strategy. Yes.

So it's not like we're just talking. Like, we're actually tying this to the actual plan

Well, still is against it. We've let Bliss attack the project several times. But we haven't ever actually heard Ryan out on why he's doing it. And I will reserve that for the council meeting. I would say just look at the land use map of the entire area.

Yes.

And it's obvious. Also heavy industrial poses pretty significant risk on Live Local. You were discounting the fact that someone can come in and someone already is coming in, has come in. We now have two Live Local projects at the city. It's a gamble.

What's the gamble?

You mean Live Local can still overtake it?

Uh-huh. Talk about that. So I mean, it's not like by saying no, we've automatically protected it. I mean, there's an opportunity that very easily someone can come in there and do that. So it there's pros and cons to it, and staff have weighed all those options. And we are moving forward with the recommendation of approval. But alas, it is the council's decision on whether to change it and what is appropriate for the area, given past councils have changed almost the entire area to residential. Everything around it is residential in nature.

However, the reason it is residential is because it was in the middle of nowhere and it was very inexpensive land. And they went up there out there, and they gobbled up inexpensive land. They put inexpensive homes, and all those people knew they were out there near Boston Whaler and Car Tech, And they were heavy, industrially zoned properties. And they have already and you've been on council forever. You know that they have been complaining about Boston Whaler and the fumes depending on which way the wind is blowing.

Right. And they have a pretty cool stack system there. They do? Yeah.

GREGORY They do. It's not what do they call it RTO regenerative thermal oxidizer, RTO. They didn't do that. But the real issue was the property next to Boston White that we ended up purchasing in the city has a portion of that. It was to separate the actual it's not just the smell. It's noise, it's trucks, it's, you know, after hours work. I mean, if I remember, the prestressed concrete plant was restricted on hours they could work because it disturbed the residents in what's this?

Hacienda Del Rio. Hacienda Del Rio.

Right. So there was a lot of complaints, and you're talking several 100 people that make those complaints. So the intent was move all the manufacturing on the Whaler site and move all the parking, you know, on the open lot, which was a huge undertaking cost wise. But I can say from the time I worked at Boston Whaler, Hawk McMillan was trying to develop that land. You know, they were going to sign something.

Every resident was gonna sign something that said, I understand I'm purchasing next to an industrial plant with smells and sounds and hours of operation, which might last until the next council meeting that somebody said, well, that's not really reasonable. People have a right to sleep at night and not smell things. So, yeah, it's Go to a big city. See how that works. Yeah.

And, you know, the comment I have on this is as long as I've been involved with both New Smyrna and the city of Edgewater is that we are very dependent on residential residential tax base to be very high. You know, there are advantages to manufacturing in terms of jobs, keeping children here, you know, after they've graduated from college, growing this community in such a way that has a balance for the tax base. So it's disappointing that staff will recommend to make that residential, and it's disappointing that they're shortsighted in looking at let's develop it now and get the taxes now versus what the future may bring. The space industry in the last three years, the commercial space, has gone crazy. And eventually, the land and opportunities are going to move farther north here.

And Sur Tech is an example.

Yes. So I would recommend both based on attracting businesses into the area to bring jobs into the area and to bring revenue into the area outside of residential, and that, you know, there are advantages. When Whaler did their expansion, you know, we did some things to the road. We put in a new FP and L, you know, system out. There was a lot of things that you can ask industrial people to participate and they expect to.

You know, you don't get that from residential builders. Know, it's a postage stamp plot that they're, you know, want to pop out. So, you know, I strongly would recommend that we reevaluate that because I don't even think the council has an understanding of what that long range, you know, risk is. Also,

other parcel he said there is some mixed use and hospital. And somebody way back when had a vision that this area was going to grow and we were going to need a hospital. Well

That's probably not That's going to

on its way now, with all the homes that are just how many homes do you have on the books?

12,000.

12,000 homes on the books. I mean, those people are going to need plus the people in Oak Hill don't have anything. I mean, that would be the closest medical. Why wouldn't we sell it for residential?

No, it doesn't make sense. It doesn't to add to the we were at 78% residential tax base to add to that does not make sense. We've already got 12,000 coming into that sector. Well, not only are you

adding residential, you're taking away the industrial. The percentage becomes, you know,

Worse very heavier less excited at that wrong way.

And we have eliminated the opportunity for us to participate in any of the space industry jobs except for maybe, you know, engineering or something, but no manufacturing anymore. And that's sad.

When to me, the way to put it would be people residents complain about why is my water bill so high. It's because it's partly because it's residential paying into it. And the reason New Smyrna is not as high is because they have more commercial in it. So that's to me, to share the load with commercial makes sense.

Plus there's an infrastructure for water. We're already talking about having those investments and grant monies. You know, some of those things can be part of development things that people will do in terms of pipelines down. I mean, I think, you know, they even extended the was it watered down U. S. One? You know, if you think about a location in the entire Southeast Volusia community closest to the space center that would be ideal, and it doesn't have too much residential yet. Right. And for us to take that and put residents in the midst of high industry Boston Whaler and Insta Tech it just seems

I must be How intuitive.

Well, it's like a flag to me. It's a red flag for commercial space to me. Yeah. No, we don't want you here. That's what it signals.

So we've talked about it. Brought it up. Is there someone who would like to make a motion? I know we've already made the recommendation. Right. But I feel like we need to double down on it and not only send it to the council, but also let planning and zoning know what the economic development board's position is.

Is there anything from Volusia County as it relates to a conversation on that, Lou? Is there anything that your thoughts would be in support of either more residential or more

Well, think you expressed it beautifully. I do think so I'm look I'm going to look at data. Industrial land use in the county is 0.8%. That is Wow. Minuscule.

So people usually think that it's a number more in the neighborhood of five or 10%. It's 0.8%. We presented that in the last quarterly breakfast. And so the point of aerospace industry and aviation expanding and starting to reach our county and haven't seen Insertec, it makes sense that we have the space reserved for that purpose. It's a longer term play that will be more beneficial to the community than an immediate, you know, use of of residential.

Plus, I think the points made on the use of the space by residential then complaints in the future is very, very valid. And and so I I I I like what I'm hearing. I think that you discussion was was exactly where where where in speaking on behalf of the county, the county would would support this this this idea. And so I it it makes sense.

So if I was to craft instead of just making a motion and we can do it here, but it'll be followed up with some documentation and send it to everybody that includes, you know, the entire Volusia County, and you can maybe add some specifics to that so that when we make this motion and we present to both the planning and zoning and we present to city council, they understand the long term risks. So we're talking about adding residential into an already very industrial area concerns. You know, people buy next to airports and get mad because of noise. Well, typically, we don't move airports. But we do want to shut down manufacturing in some cases.

They make it very challenging. And then the second portion is the overall look at Volusia County, you know, putting residential and eliminating the only piece that we have left. And you're right, it's a long term strategy. It could be ten years before that's developed and somebody wants to take on vacant land because it's expensive to do that.

But We'll support it. If such a thing comes our way, we'll we'll add or contribute any way we can to support it.

Thank you, Luke. Yeah. I write in, you know, the discussion about the last piece, what's the size of that particular?

One thirty

one hundred and thirty six acres? And what's usable? Do we know what the wetland?

Yeah.

And we need to tie it back to the SEDS, the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, and the space opportunity overlay. And I was reading earlier that we are I'd have to find it.

I'm sure there are a lot of opinions on the best use of the land, but to spread houses out over it doesn't seem to me to be the best use of the land.

No, even if they made a light industrial, you know, complex that would help grow some connection to the space industry would feel better than just industry. Yes, ma'am.

Rebecca, objective 1.1, identify desirable businesses and industry targets. Within that, under bullet point, aviation and aerospace equipment supplies, service supplies and technology, it says I'm just picking one sentence out of there expansion of existing sites in these businesses and new endeavors should be actively pursued in the future. So actively, that means increase.

Question before we go to the motion, which, by the way, I'm not opposing. The owner knew was heavy industrial, so he believes there are a path to get his way through the current legislation no matter what is how I am understanding this. Is that correct? I mean, he could go to live local and he gets his way.

Yeah. I mean, he hasn't had any buyers. He's been wanting to sell his land.

Now, that's

not Do exactly we have a yeah, I I agree with what we're talking about. But the long term is it's going to end up he wins no matter what is what I just heard.

Well, well, excuse me.

This is calling a bluff. And we have done that in the past at the city. And I'm going to show you right now. Here's a bluff that the council called right there. That's a live local site plan that a DO is getting issued this week.

It's know, Okay, number

that you're calling. And you need to be cognizant that you are

Calling a bluff.

Doing that. Yes.

But for you to say that there has not been a buyer is not accurate.

Okay. We pushed off a bleach plant that's now in Titusville.

Okay. But there was a bleach plant. That was heavy industrial. Now, granted, we didn't want a bleach plant. But at the time the bleach plant was looking, we didn't have Insertec. Now we have Insertec. Insertec is a calling card. Now we are advertising incredibly amounts of advertising because we have a million square feet of industrial coming out of the ground in Parktown, and we have the Deering Park coming out. I mean, the advertising for these two things is humongous. And if we can start, you know, tapping into Insertex suppliers, I mean, we haven't given it a chance.

And to say, well, we haven't had any buyers. Well, excuse me, we just came off four years of, you know, nothing. Right. So now that we have a different president, whether you like him or not, we are onshoring manufacturing. We are actively pursuing manufacturing. Aerospace and aviation is busting at the seams. We cannot say that enough. So for I mean, we we're Okay, you can either call a bluff or you can shoot yourself in the foot. And to call the bluff, Holiday Builders is not a live local builder. They are not an apartment builder.

So they're going to either spin it off and find another buyer, which is going to take time. And then just the opposition to residential from the city's perspective is going to put others off for wanting to turn that property into residential unless you do live local. And if they do a live local It's on them. A crapshoot. Yeah. How do you know? But if take away our only opportunity for heavy industrial, that's on us.

Yeah. Yeah.

Just for the purpose of time, do you guys make a motion? Because I really want to get back to the list, what the overlay to actually do work.

Just real quick, did you have the acreage that was available for or that was wetlands out of that?

So out of the heavy industrial, that part has over 24 acres of wetlands on that part.

On the 136 acres, 20?

No. On the industrial portion of it, on the 40 something acres of industrial, it's got 24 acres of wetlands on it.

Half of it's wetlands.

And then on the north 60 or whatever whatever plus plus acres, acres, it's it's got got another another twenty twenty something something acres acres. Of wetlands. It's got about 44 acres.

And there is mitigation. It's just expensive to mitigate something. Yeah, I

know. And the wetlands run against the track.

All right. So I'll make a motion that this economic development board recommends not approving additional residential, and that on top of that, I will work with this team to try and craft something that can be sent specifically to PNR and to or PNZ and to the city council. And then I'll copy, Lou, and then you can provide the guidelines and the overall process of development from Volusia County as it relates to things that we have going here.

Okay. And it will include the SEDS 1.1.1? SEDS 1.1.1. I'm not 1.1.

And the space opportunity overlay. I'll craft something, Bliss. I'll send it to you first, and then you can correct maybe some Go through Ryan. I'm sorry, through Ryan.

Then But,

yes. Yes.

We can all weigh in on it. And this needs to be done quickly. Yeah. Because it's February. And when does it go to PNC?

Next week. Oh, PNC next week.

March? What was next week?

TRC.

That's

staff. So, Okay?

Second.

We have a second?

Can I get a recap on that motion first?

Yes. I have a recommends

to not approve any additional residential development.

We have to be

specific. Yeah.

The version of heavy industrial Yes. With regard to just that specific or was that broad?

That specific for this particular instance. I think in general we can

No, think we need to make it broader. Otherwise, we could be GREGORY Writing another one. Yeah, we can

be But I think you're going to do that anyway. You know, people's memories and thoughts are very shortsighted. You're going to fight these battles one at a time.

GREGORY Okay.

I agree. Over and over.

Ms. Bliss? Yes. Ms. Cruz?

Yes.

Mr. Eamon?

Yes.

Ms. Power? Yes. Mr. London?

Yes.

Thank you for getting us back on track too, Ryan.

Yeah. I mean, so part of this policy, one of the concerns that staff has is this number two under policy 2.1.2 is that nonresidential land use designation shall include industrial, commercial, public, semi public, and mixed use. And so all nonresidential land use designations within the CSIO are eligible for rezoning. But you also need to change the land use. And so this policy, although it just talks about changing the zoning, it really doesn't do anything to change the land use, which has to be compatible with zoning in order to develop.

So, you know, I was wanting to get is it agriculture that we're looking at for land use that are also

It's anything and everything that's not residential.

Because right now, this only

says I mean, that

the county as a whole has 0.8% industrial. The goal is more industrial. We are the closest geographically located area, Southeast Volusia as a whole, to The Cape. This is where they want to be. And to put all your eggs in Deering Park is great, but Deering Park is not out of the ground yet. And we have ground in along US 1 that could be developed tomorrow.

Is there some things, Lou, that and I'm just going

to make one more comment

that the county helps with in terms of I'm just thinking about this owner. Has a piece of property, got shot down for a bleach plant, wants to sell it, you know, has a viable offer with residential. Does the county promote some of those things? Are there, you know I know we don't necessarily advertise an individual piece of property, but

If you're asking if we have any say in it?

Not say, but be able to get it out so that maybe more people I know we're out there, but, you know, this is really close

to Oh, to promote the the the space? Absolutely. We can we can help with that. So that's that's part of my what my division can do. And and if we team up with Team Volusia, we can yeah. We can absolutely assist.

Do you meet with the owners on those opportunities? I mean, he obviously knows he bought industrial. Do what's the protocol for that? I'm not even

They work with their commercial broker.

Their commercial

And works with Volusia County, SEBMTC, team Volusia, everybody.

Are they doing that?

Everybody knows about this property. But it is under contract. Contract. So nobody's going to be wasting a lot of time promoting a property that's already under contract.

Correct.

And that is when we have other properties that we're trying to promote. And that has been locked down for quite a long time. You don't promote something that's already under contract. It'd be nice. I went that route. I'm like, can't we get a backup contract?

The city should buy it.

I'm

I'm sorry. Sorry, if I may ask a question, Ryan, I'm sorry. Have we had or you had contact with the owner of that piece of land because if there's a motivation to sell and maybe that contract can be passed on to another entity. Maybe there can be some

It has been contacted through their realtor.

Okay.

Yes.

All

right. And what nothing comes of that. Is that what you're saying?

We have to come up with somebody who wants to take it off. We have to have somebody interested in order to be able to negotiate

you. Yeah,

for $10,000,000 That's what they want? Well, it's a little shy, but I have a hard time believing that well, never mind. Anyway, yes, it's quite expensive. Thank you.

And I didn't mean to jump into the so policy 2.122, you're saying that that will include agricultural and will change that designation, is that correct, or add to?

Well, so right now, under this policy, all nonresidential land use can be rezoned. The problem with that in nature is that not all future land uses are compatible. Not all future land uses are acceptable for an iPad. Alright. In the table, it says what land uses can go to which type of zoning, even a PUD, for example. And so as the policy kind of policy was written without really a consideration of land use. The land use also needs to get changed in order to activate. In order to do a PUD, you have to change the land use.

What's your recommendation for this then?

Well, that we just need to create something in here that allows for that conversion kinda in an expedited manner similar to the rezone where they're allowed for that. And that's that's where really the overlay. If you're in the overlay, you've been identified for industrial growth, then really then it should be just both come in as a match.

This is part of the expedited review process that we that's the part we're missing. But aren't you all working on that at the county level?

Yes.

Do you have any update on

that? What

I've seen so I mentioned before that we have a new director in that department. And I've seen steps being taken in the direction of improvements and updates. We have a new I forget the name. If you go to our website, there's a new system in place to help anyone in the community to be able to understand the permitting process. And they can plug in information and get feedback immediately.

So that's one component of of of, you know, the improvements that have been already discussed. So as in as in a timeline, I I wish I could offer you one, but I do know that the conversation has been I mean, it has been established that we want to basically be in a county where everything is expedited. So it would be no matter where you are, overlay no other overlay. It's simply happening fast.

Right. I didn't bring it with me, but I have given it to you all in the past. The manufacturing and I don't know the exact name of it, but it's what applies to the property right around Daytona Beach International Airport. And all of that gets reviewed and processed and done within thirty five days. Now granted, everything around the airport is

zoned for. Zoned for it.

But this is why I'm pushing for an expedited review, because it should not take anything, especially something into anything, regardless of what it is, much less something that we're trying to expedite, the space industry opportunity overlay. It should not take a year to two years to get your site plan approved and your permits?

Two years?

Try doing some development here.

Wow. Never used to be quite that bad. Why is it? Because of the moratorium?

Am I off on that? It's a year to two years.

It's even longer. Yes.

And unless you have extremely deep pockets and a company that likes to plan long range, if you're a company that needs to come into a market and get your plant going and get your people working and get your product out, you don't have that kind of time to wait, as you know. Well, then

and I'm not trying to be challenging, but Deering Park, it's if you're looking at absolutely vacant land, there's a lot more to it than just approvals. I mean, going through EPA and, you know, St. John's and I mean, that's a very long process, too. St. John's not so much. They have a ninety day or sixty day.

Speaking to, I think what would be helpful, too, is that this calls for rezoning the planned unit development. The problem with that, let's take time, a lot of staff time to negotiate and write. If we're trying to expedite review, really HUD should kind of almost have a framework to it. And I think that would be something that would be helpful for this board to kinda start looking at is what is that framework for these commercial? Right?

Because HUD's typically are done so that it gives the applicant, the developer, it relaxes some standards, but they have to demonstrate they're something above and beyond the code and other aspects of the project that allow for right? It's a balancing act. But so typically, it's site specific. But if we're looking at kinda expedited review, really, I don't know if a PUD is almost PUD allows the flexibility, but straight zoning the reason some people like straight zoning is that it already knows what they're entitled to. Right?

There's no negotiation. It's just black and white. It's a 10 foot buffer, 15 foot buffer, 25. It's not a negotiation. And so I just wanted to keep that in mind too is that, I know we're trying to push for expedited review.

The planning aspects of this, getting more and more of this planning work done because it's planning that takes a long, long time. Setting up the PUD, changing the land use, going through those public hearings process. Right now, I'm gonna be honest, a comp plan amendment and a PUD at the city is taking about a year. Just by the time I negotiate, so Holiday has eight reviews, eight resubmissions. Even Sound down at Tamarac Free site.

That one, I'm on the seventh revision on. So city staff really take their time with it. And so that's I don't know if that is necessarily going to help the expedited process, because that process itself can be lengthy.

Well, I think started out I'm sorry.

Go ahead.

I was just saying, Brain, you started out the conversation that we have a framework for PUD. I'm not sure that this board would be the right ones. If I was looking at, and I'm all for not recreating wheels, but if there's a framework out to reach out to the city of New Smyrna or to Volusia County or to other neighboring cities, think the mayor was up at, you know, some local or, you know, in DC for city kind of things, those would be the kinds of things is do you have a framework where people start out that this PUD is going to be a planned unit development of and it's going to include, you know, so I would recommend that. I'd be more than happy help if that you know, but I don't think I'd be the person to write it or anybody else on us. You know, that's something that and then the city has to be willing to adopt those frameworks.

So think it has to be hashed out. What's that?

That all has to be hashed out.

Right. And not disagreeing. If it shortens, even if it's a couple of revisions and, you know, three or four months, I think we would make a lot of our people attracted to this area happy. But I think that has to come from, you know, whether the county, if they have something already or if everything is a brand new project and it's a blank piece of paper and we start from scratch versus

So city staff will begin exploring and pulling frameworks together, and then we can bring those so we can look at them and see what other municipalities throughout the country are doing. I'll try and get some from Florida who may have to pull from other areas, but just

get some. Let's pull from some from, like, South Carolina and Georgia, where they are expediting things and growing leaps and bounds ahead of us.

Doesn't Brevard County also have, like GREGORY Yeah. GREGORY they're expediting some things in order, especially the space overlay?

GREGORY But if you read number three

GREGORY Wait, are we all done with number two then? GREGORY Yeah. Okay.

Well, number three relates to number two, sorry. Compatibility shall be based on specific criteria that must include the zoning overlay. And the criteria shall be a minimum, address sensory impacts, noise, odor, line of sight, etcetera, adequacy of infrastructure, access to paved roads, potential impact on bona fide agricultural activities, impacts to existing rural neighborhoods, and providing sufficient buffering. So, I mean, there's already but we're not only we were only looking at number two. So a lot of the things we're discussing are already discussed if you read more down into the document.

So can we see number four? There's no number four?

Yeah.

Okay. So it's there. And then, you know, it's a very broad thing, but it is to allow for more industrial land to be identified. But to say that all agricultural land is going to be It's gobbled up not.

So we'll have to staff will have

to work on that because

I mean, because some farmers are going to keep their farms for another one hundred years.

Sure. But it's the opportunity to do it is Yes. What we're trying to get

Any other discussion on this?

Just if there's anything, Ryan, that you know, could I make some phone calls? I don't know people, but I'm pretty brass. I can, know I'm sure the that Volusia County has some things for unit developments, too, correct? If there's maybe some framework we can reach out. How expedited is Volusia County?

Not

Not very? Just

around the airport.

So then the only one that we know of in the general area might be Brevard County or Cape Canaveral.

But like I said, we need to look at our neighboring states, our competitors that are gobbling up people that don't come here, that don't stay in the state.

I just know well, I don't know who has those honest conversations with people like that. It sounds like, Ryan, you had a great idea to have at

least some framework to start with. We definitely need it. That's we need the expedited review process to start coming together. And working with Florida Power and Light is one aspect. You said something at the beginning when you were talking about that that is totally key, getting to the right person. It is like

It took me four meetings before I finally had a meeting where actually got the information from FBNO regarding power for the area. So it took me about five hours of staff time to just get an answer on this area, what kind of power is in this area.

Whoever you spoke to, keep his name and telephone number postcard, because you will find you will use that all the time if somebody is helpful. But we finally got somebody at Wheeler because we did the same thing. We were trying to add power, add stations, maximize the cost because each one of those little things was very expensive. But anyway, Okay.

Yeah, it does take a lot of time. And it takes a lot of coordination to get these partners together. And to also sell the power company on the vision that Edgewater's open for business and Edgewater has a lot of industrial, because that P and L's position is kind of like, well, we'll address it when we see it. We're We're not going to build something before you know, it's always the complaint is infrastructure, right? Why aren't we building infrastructure first?

But, you know, they say that, but you go down US 1 and down there I mean, down past Oak Hill on the curve, And there is this huge, huge power station. And it's like, why did they build this big thing out here in the middle of nowhere? They must know something's coming. And it's really close to Deering Park Parkway, right before you get into Brevard County. So, I mean, that's always the excuse.

We can't build it until they come. Well, we've got them coming, and it takes two years. That's very frustrating and people leave. It's the tail wagging the dog. You look at areas and cities and places where they build it first and they fill it up. It may take a while, but everything does.

Is there partnerships between the electric companies and the cities for those things to happen? Or does electric companies I mean, my guess is there has to be some kind of financial commitment that happens because I don't know any business that builds spends millions of dollars for something that may or may not come.

You think the county had it? Because that's I think that's an unincorporated Volusia County, that big Florida power and light station I'm talking I about down there in Oak

don't know. Yeah.

Is the utilities commission faster?

I would not know. I don't have any dealings with the utilities.

I'm just saying from a New Smyrna standpoint and

don't Well,

I'd be curious to see what also is since the NSP has their own power, what is NSP's policy on power infrastructure for industrial? Because I know NSP is struggling to get their industrial and accommodating more, and so that'd be to see what there is. Because I know FP and L told me, you know, if anyone needed code generation on-site with them, they would enter into an agreement. FP and L with all the data centers has passed, you know, a new policy at the company that they have to sign an agreement with that company. That company does all the work.

They pay for everything. So it it's a lot more intensive. But, again, you know, to Bliss' point, yeah, the the problem with that is you someone has to be willing to if someone of that size comes in, they have to be willing to wait a year, two years. And that's not what this policy is speaking to.

Okay.

Anything else, Ryan? Anything else on that? Thank you all for that robust discussion.

I I may ask to skip this article, because we only have ten minutes left, and to give some kind of although I do Rebecca, you had you sent me an email regarding this article. And I don't know if everyone was included on it or not. Can you share your insight? Because I thought it was really

On the mechatronics?

Yeah.

So when we developed the FAME program and this was Sarah Dougherty there was a small committee that got together and put together the curriculum. And that was one of the things that was added to the curriculum. So my understanding is available at Daytona State. I don't know if it still is. I know FAME is still struggling a bit, but it was a curriculum to bring megatronics to Daytona State or at least fund that. Is that still correct?

Yeah. So I I did reach out to a couple of folks. I'm pulling up an email now. And I shared what we had been discussing. And so I wanted to ask you guys if I could invite them to our next meeting and have them actually speak on it. So from my understanding, it's it's not a stand alone program or or anything now. It's incorporated into one of our programs. Okay. But by far, I'm not the expert, so I just wanted approval to invite them to speak more on it and what they can and how we can tie that in.

What they're doing for sure. The real interesting part that I thought was interesting is that you had the Boise School District, right, partnering with Micron Technology for this huge expansion, this $100,000,000,000 facility that they're going to be building out thousands of jobs. Yet the kids are not interested, even though it's almost like a pipeline directly into a well paid job. The article really didn't explain why it talked about welding being really something that people are more interested in. And I don't know if, Anaris, are you kind of seeing that, like maybe people at Daytona State, the technical college, they're really focused more on the technical?

The good thing about college in general, like, we'll meet the demands of the city of the area. And so we have seen an increased demand for welders, sure.

Well, there's a shortage in the country.

I can say now that the future expansion of our new Smyrna Beach campus will include welding very soon.

I think a lot of kids aren't interested in that, you know, full time manufacturing job like when, you know, some of us were younger that was either went to college or went to the military or went and got a job. And I'm not talking about working at Mickey D's twenty hours a

week. Sure.

Nothing against Mickey D's, but it was to move out and be independent. Now it's just to have money to pay my phone or to go out to eat. So I find that kids more like 25, which the Fame program wasn't trying to necessarily recruit kids out of high school, but it was to recruit kids that were just now getting ready to start those jobs. We are

actively trying to get more industries, more companies on board with FAME so that they can replicate that. I think it's three days on campus, two days at work Yeah. Or

vice It's the other way, but, yeah.

There you go. So we're actively they're actively recruiting businesses to get them on board to to replicate that.

And what so what does that look like? Like, are they guaranteeing to the college, like, we're going to hire 10 people?

So they've already hired them. So part of the program is the student is hired by the manufacturing or whatever location, but part of it is their degree includes so they can work and earn money and be able to still go to school and get the degree. It's a two year, and then they were looking at expanding it. So it's a two year degree. So it kind of gets your degree paid for.

The business is supporting, training, teaching, you know, trying to get students involved in different parts of the organization. The challenge is just like anything else when you talk about busy staff, those are great ideas, but who's to go work on them? Same with too many students. You know, the success has been when a school or when a business sets aside a person to go manage that. When it becomes your other extra job, I think that's where some of the failure happens. But it's a great opportunity for kids, but I didn't see that many successful 18, 19 year olds. It's when somebody's already done the gamut of fast food and says, you know, I've got to get a real job

that it becomes But most of the students that go through these Spain programs wind up getting

Yes.

Full time permanent jobs Yes. With those

With that company. It's kind of like an intern, but a paid intern with a schooling component to

it. Terrific.

The Greg program. Yes, it is. But, you know, this gets into the whole educational discussion of K through 12.

Paradigm is shifting, for sure, I mean, towards technical training and degrees starting in k 12

Mhmm.

Which is why we saw the birth of the academies, of course. And so now we're just finally catching up to that on the other side, on the higher ed side is maybe we it's not that we've done it wrong. It's just shifting. Now we need to prepare them for technical work, and we've seen that from the state. The governor has pushed that. He's been very vocal about technical training, And that's the way that we are going. So we're doing what we can. The pipeline is strengthening. It's growing. And I think, again, Southeast Volusia is primed for that.

I just wanted to explore the article. I saw it and I just I don't have that much knowledge about and I know Rebecca and Harris have a lot of knowledge about our ecosystem here of what our actual workforce development ecosystem looks like. Because that's also it's not just having right, as Micron said, it's not just about building the building and having the money to build the building. You need people to work in the building. You need people to work at the jobs and be cognizant enough to do the job well and have those skills. Because there's nothing worse than hiring someone that you then have to later fire because they can't meet the demands of what you need. Then it wastes a lot of time.

Yeah. It's attracting the right students still. There's still this until you have to have a job, until you want to get out on your own, it's not I find that it's a challenge. There's not many 18 year olds that go, let me go to Boston Whaler. Work fifty five, sixty hours a week. That's it's just it becomes a challenge. But still a great program and I still think there's an opportunity no matter how much we do for career development or for attracting students to manufacturing. It's still tough.

Well, and I think in the case of this and I didn't read too in-depth about it, but I think they were too narrow in the scope of their business. And that could have led to shutdown as well. I think as we build these programs, right, that the talent is well versed enough that they can move from different specializations into others. So I think this was a case of over specialization and the need died, you know? I think our students, our programs do a good job of making them well rounded that they can move into different areas.

But they were also and I'm not sure if they did something. I kind of backed away from the program when I left a couple of years after I left Whaler. But they were also looking at adding, you know, bachelor's to it. So people that had gotten their associate's degree, which was from certified college, there was a program they were going to include so that they could step up into engineering or, you know, some other type of functional like, I've been working on the floor for five years, you know, now I'd like to be, you know, an engineer. The manager

of robotics. GREGORY Right. Anyway,

thank you. Good discussion. Even though we weren't going to discuss it, but it's still a good one.

Okay. It's not on here. Well, have you made your pretty much made your report throughout the meeting? Or do you have your report?

Just touched on the council did approve SURF up the pickleball court. They're activating the trail. So I'm gonna give you a heads up on that one. I'm excited for that. I did finally nail down all the staff members at the city, Parks and Rec, Public Works, and we started working on proposed capital multimodal and sidewalk projects for the city.

So I hope to have those nailed down for this budget season on what the city's going to do in the next five and ten year period and stick to it and budget for it. So really excited, and there's lot of great opportunities at the city. Under construction is gonna begin, I believe, about the next six months or so is on the new trail Juniper going up to Mango. K. And that'll be from 30th.

I am currently working on the FGOT lab project for a eight foot sidewalk from 30th And Silver Palm on the West Side all the way north to 442, making that connection. And so there's a lot of opportunities to get around the city for multimodal, which is great for, one, makes the city a more attractive place, and its quality of life is better. So we have I've talked about in the comp plan aging in place. You're seeing we're seeing more and more people using these trails that we have, and sidewalks to get around without using a car. And so building on that infrastructure will help our population age in place.

Again, recall, over 55% of the city is over the age 55. So it's a big number that we need to contend with of how do we help people moving over the next thirty years still get around when they don't have a car in a very car centric transportation camp. And that's really important. So I'm excited that

That's fantastic. That's been fifteen years in the making. Thank you for bringing that to fruition.

GREGORY Yeah. It's really exciting. I think the city, with the trails that are coming in, the trails we have now, the sidewalks and everything, I expect in next ten years that you will be able to get anywhere in the city by bike, golf carting.

Speaking of bikes, do we have any guidelines? Is the city working on rules of the road for e bikes and so forth? When I left here the other night in a council meeting, I'm driving down the road and I see this little, I mean, reflector bouncing back and forth Riverside Drive. And as I'm getting up to the course, I slow down and it's a young man on an e bike with zero taillights, zero headlights, black jacket, black pants. Like, I literally didn't even know it was a gentleman until I was, like, right next to the young man. But I was like, and he's on the road. And he was going against traffic. He's driving oh, I'm going south. He's going north, but he's in the other lane. So I was like, anybody coming is not going to see him.

There was no headlight. I don't know if we have any guidelines. I know there's other cities that are talking about I

we had talked about regulating it, and there was a lot of pushback. I don't know if we're really looking at it. I think certainly we need to, on our trails and sidewalks, adopt a speed policy.

Speed and nighttime driving.

Yeah. Did Liz called me last night, someone on an ebike, went across 04:42, I was driving, and I said, oh. So, yeah, it is a problem because, yeah, that is the difficult part. Part of that right now, I think, is because it's the system isn't fully connected so that people kinda to do haphazard things. But people do haphazard things, really, So in general it will be I think an education will be important.

I just think if you're going to be on city roads, you should be required to be sort of just like a golf cart. You can take a golf cart on a golf course, and you don't need to have blinkers and headlights and taillights and, you know, those types of things. But these e bikes need nothing.

Christine? There's a lot of discussion at CIC yeah, the TPO, whatever. They're talking about it. But FDOT is probably the best, to me, resource for education and even what the laws are now throughout the state for it. There are issues. If, you know, one of the two things that I see I live on Riverside. I watch people going by all the time. And the, you know, no helmet, the kids do in 30 or whatever. Some of them are faster. Some are faster.

And then there's another component, and it is the 70 year old and up that might have balance issues in there on them as well that you think, are they going to make it from one end to the other, you know, no helmet, no whatever?

I just think as far as the city or community that we have to have the guidelines, same with golf carts. And I don't know if FDOT has decided that, but if you're going to drive on a city street motorized and maybe the speed limit, if it's over 20 miles or 15 miles an hour, that you have to have those requirements, brake lights, taillights, some type of blinker system. Right.

And is it twenty five Twenty five you're allowed to drive with the is 35 is when it changes, maybe?

No. Twenty twenty five and under for roads. 25 and under. You can have a golf cart. Okay. So people still there's some guidelines to try and get beachside, but they changed the North Causeway to 25 mile an hour bridge to help that. To help it? Okay. Might even be 30. But anyway, 30, I think, is what it is.

So they can get to the sidewalk? Yes.

Anyway.

Insertex, they are featuring us now on their webpage. Nice. Very exciting. Congratulations. I am working with Insertex on their site plan for their expansion, for the 50,000 square foot expansion. So we're working on that app right now.

Are they actually productive? They selling product? They're almost They're almost done. So they haven't started selling product.

Not yet. The remodel is almost done for the inside on the existing building. But I thought I'd show that they are based in Edgewater, so for their headquarters, which is very exciting. And then lastly, which I had already talked about, but the Live Local site plan, so this was 13.7 acres. It's 162 apartments, car wash, fast food restaurant, gas station, and a 4,000 square foot retail area.

This is where? This is where the industrial

No, this is across from Dollar General and the Publix at 30th, just north of the cemetery?

GREGORY Right there on the river.

GREGORY Tucked in between Edwater Lake or no, landing, sorry.

North of the cemetery?

Was going to be a very nice apartment complex with lots of buffers and this, that, and the other. And it was not voted on because nobody could answer the council's question about density. And so they just didn't vote on it.

So what's happening now? Now it's Live Local.

This is the Live Local. The good news is it actually generates quite a lot of tax revenue because has to be mixed use. Live Local has to be mixed use in the city of Edvard. And we opted out of the tax the tax on it. So

But didn't we lose taxes given that compared to what it would have been?

No. Actually, the commercial ends up kind of looking like it's gonna pay out.

Oh, okay.

So

Well, that's a good part.

About the same. So that's the only good news. The only bad news is if the state finds that Volusia County ends up having not enough affordable units, then taxes on this property go away.

What happens for things like restaurants and car washes if they're not profitable? Does somebody actually run those? Can they close them down and say, didn't make enough money, kind of like Popeyes?

Yeah. Yeah, I mean, that's always a risk, right? I mean, Popeyes literally just completed a site plan, built the building, and closed down within three months. A building, a brand new million dollar, dollars 800,000, you know. So it happens.

I just didn't know if it was included in part of the if you live there, you help pay for some of those kinds of things. I don't know. Okay. Thank you.

Anything else? No.

That's it for Zapp. Okay.

Christine, do you have any reports for River to see?

No. The call for projects is February 28 is the deadline.

Is the full mission going to be in there?

As a project? No.

No.

And that's a it's county. I mean, it's a county.

Yes. Do we have a list of roads you're going to subject I mean, submit to the call for projects?

Mission, but and I guess the interchange. But that's already on there, is it not?

Yeah. Yeah.

Yes. Okay. You're talking about the four laning under I-ninety 5 that's on there.

Yes, that That's Spearing Park.

That jumped up the list.

Okay. Yeah. Well, it's

It became funded.

Yeah, That's pretty important. There's this big thing out west going on.

Mr. London, anything?

Ask him different questions about what TPO was.

Transportation planning organization.

So I and talking, I got volunteered to I'm on BPAC now. I go to my first meeting next week. So I'm curious The what that's all good news is, it looks like they copy you and everything, so I'm seeing a whole bunch of traffic. I haven't dove into it yet, but it's just get a fair amendment, read all the emails.

Well, thank you for taking that on. They're important boards. But, you know, knowing that they are just an advisory board, just like we are, you know, it's not a bad thing to be able to bring up issues that then the proper TPO, the actual board, which is the elected officials and the county council, actually legislate.

But the more you spread the word, the more Yes. Know, our voice is heard, the more impact we have. Mr. Inman.

Couple of things. So Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce, the only recognized chamber, hosted their state of the cities yesterday. Oak Hill was not in attendance, but mayor DePue and mayor Cleveland were both there. Long story short, it seems like both cities are putting millions of dollars towards the water and storm water and flood water issues. So that was my main takeaway is they all both reported on that and what they're doing.

So very excited about that. I attended the scholarship writing boot camp. And so, Ryan, I sent you an email. I don't know if you got to it yet, but our e our scholarship was not included in their packet. It's not too late, but if we get that to them, they can just add it to their the website in the virtual packet, and students can submit that. I think the deadline is in March, so they still have about a month.

So the city of Edgewater

College. Yes. High

school. New New Smyrna Beach High. Yeah. So if they can get that soon, they can still add it so that students can apply for that. Other than that, this semester is off to a great start at the college. We started classes two weeks ago right after the MLK holiday, so campus is booming. I'm very excited about the growth.

Yeah. That's it. Congratulations.

Thank you. Thank you.

Yes. Yes.

Let's see.

Oh, yeah. I forgot to congratulate you guys on your reappointments.

Oh, thank you.

Thank you. So the Southeast Volusia Manufacturing and Technology Coalition is moving forward. And we are currently working with Michael Schick at Daytona State College. And I do believe we'll be having something at your campus later in February, finalizing those details now. So you'll hear more about those.

I will send out that email once it is finalized. But Michael Shek is the new Frank Mercer, if everybody remembers Frank Mercer. And he is working on five new classes that will help employers, like help them upskill middle management and other things. And so it's going to be an event to invite manufacturers to come and speak with Michael and those professors and give them feedback on, you know, what you all need in the industry. So hopefully that will be well attended.

And they're working with the high school on more student engagement days, which their calendar is full of testing from now till April, May 1. So we're hoping to work with the CTE teachers and get in there. But that is it for me right now.

Just to add, speaking of CTE and high schools, we're also taking a group of students down to Lyman College on the thirteenth. We'll be taking a group of students from New Smyrna Beach Middle, Burnside Tech, and New Smyrna Beach High over to Lyman College just to expose them to those opportunities and kind of gain technical focus.

Rebecca, do you have anything?

So no huge reports. Just a couple of comments. I hadn't been to a city council meeting in a bit of time. So a couple of concerns I had when they talked about advisory boards, which are volunteer almost a 100% so that people that do provide their time and

community

support talking about term limits, which was the first time I've heard that conversation as it relates I think that falls into place when we have elected and paid for, but I'm not sure about it here. But I don't know if there needs to be more discussion on that. This was as it relates specifically to Bob, and I never pronounced his name well. Andrankovich. Andrankovich, which hugely, you know, supportive and and participative in the planning zone. So I just had some concerns over that, and I don't know if something needs to be done or if we have some sort of discussion or you know?

Yeah. I mean, it it would be at the discretion

of the

board. K. The other thing is there was a a good amount of time at the board meeting talking about social media and or other threats and slander. And I know some communities have looked at trying to be able to file some kind of suits on that or some kind of, you know, police because of threat social media. You know, it's just a new way of doing it versus knocking on somebody's door, but I was very concerned over it. I know that the city of New Smyrna Beach lost a city council memo because of any threats.

We did.

And you said

You went in. Did too.

Bob Wilkie. Lasted less than a month.

Yeah. So I just think

it's Sworn in and gone on a taint.

Should be looking at how to address those types of things. Not that I think people need to be protected, and kind of they do. I mean, people are sitting up here as as no different than our political and, you know, senators So term limits. And then just a reminder, we have princess Ball coming up late. Do they have people from the boards volunteering, or is that directly to all I have.

Does the Princess Ball need anything? Do you know? I can

ask Jason. I don't know.

You know, sometimes there's been a, you know, last minute plea for something and

Support or help set up a teardown? Mhmm.

And the board has helped. Parks and Rec. But I don't know. I don't know. Well, I'm going to write this and send

this out, but it will be a framework. So I'm going to encourage anything you have from your experience with state, anything you might have from Volusia County, and anybody else that has any comments on it. But if we've already made the motion. This will just be the documentation for city council going to be able to understand why we said what we said.

And then it'll go to Ryan, and Ryan will dress it up and make it like it's supposed to be. Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you for taking that on.

I just know we make motions, but if people don't understand why and what the comments and your point, it becomes whoever makes the best argument that moment in front of you that gets the decision. I just think it's important to understand why.

The loudest Are they still making decision that residential is more important

than industrial than, as you say, we did what we did and it's done what we've done.

Yes. Yes, yes. Sean, thank you for joining us this morning. Did you have anything you would like to share with us? Nope?

Well, thank you for joining us. We always appreciate your attendance and participation. And Lou, thank you very much. Greatly appreciate it. All right, with that, motion to adjourn.

So moved.

Okay, see you

in