Oak Hill approves land use change

Published: Monday, February 23, 2015 at 3:16 p.m. Last Modified: Monday, February 23, 2015 at 11:23 p.m.

OAK HILL The City Commission on Monday night approved a landowners request to add manufacturing to the list of allowable uses on the 415 acres he and his partners own in the south end of town, possibly opening the door for a mystery company to set up shop and hire an initial 100 people.

Also approved was a request to increase the maximum height limit of buildings on the land from 35 feet to 100 feet.

The vacant property on the east side of U.S. 1 from Church Street on south was previously zoned to allow for up to 75 percent to be developed as homes and 25 percent as commercial retail or offices.

The approvals, by a 4 to 1 vote and then a unanimous vote, came after more than two hours of highly impassioned testimony from the public, which included those in opposition who asked why the identity of the potential user of the land, known by locals as the Unatin property, was shrouded in secrecy, as well as those who saw the request as an opportunity to create well-paying jobs and long-sought water/sewer lines through the city along U.S. 1.

Kent Sharples, president of the CEO Business Alliance, a group of Volusia County business leaders who have been working with the mystery company codenamed Project Panther, told the audience prior to the commissions vote that if the amendment request was approved, I promise you Ill bring the site selector to offer more details regarding the proposed project at a future meeting.

Sharples confirmed that the company was looking to initially create 100 jobs, which could eventually grow to 300. He added that it was unlikely the company, whom he declined to identify, would build a manufacturing facility 100 feet in height.

Beth Lemke, president of Planning Solutions Corp., which provides planning services to the city, said the amendment changes would restrict development of the Unatin property to no more than 145 acres, if it were to be used for manufacturing, with the rest set aside as conservation land. The environmental impacts of the development would remain the same as allowed under the citys existing comprehensive plan for the so-called activity center.

Prior to the meeting, which drew an overflow crowd of more than 100 people, three environmental groups Audubon Florida, 1000 Friends of Florida, and the National Parks Conservation Association sent letters to Oak Hill Mayor Douglas Gibson and members of the City Commission urging them to hold off on approving the requested amendment changes until adequate data and analysis about the proposed project could be conducted.

We have reason to believe that the proposed comprehensive plan amendment is an attempt to site ground support for launch facilities associated with the proposed spaceport outside the process required of the National Environmental Policy Act, wrote Charles Lee, director of advocacy for Audubon Florida, referring to the proposed Shiloh space complex in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge just south of Oak Hill.

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Oak Hill approves land use change