DeBary News August 2018

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candidates on Tuesday's ballot in DeBary will help shape a city facing an The growth boom years in the making. unprecedented there's an estimated dollar value attached to Central Florida's next growth Now $700 million, according to Interim City Manager Ron McLemore. hotspot: of that is The Junction, once known as DeBary town center, at U.S. Highway Part south of Dirksen Drive. It includes: 17-92 unidentified grocery store An retail space, a bank and a coffee shop (no brand names) Restaurants, residential units 500 likely fate of DeBary's most desirable intersection came into sharper focus The new details of the mixed-use project were revealed publicly for the first after last month. time growth boom includes power-plant upgrades on the north (Duke DeBary's $70 million solar power plant) and the south (Florida Power & Light just Energy's $97 million of upgrades at its facility on Barwick Road and more completed is planned.) work part of DeBary proposal Apartments residential portion of The Junction includes a previously approved 289-unit A complex on 16 acres called Integra 289 Exchange, also known as apartment Landing. Hawthorne Junction's preliminary master plan also calls for 149 "single-family detached" The units on other parts of the development, land commonly known as residential Costa property. the 71 residential units, a combination of "carriage houses" and "mixed-use" Another are proposed for the project backed by Steve Costa, a principal with housing Wayne Properties. The project is just west of Gemini Springs. Charles unknown when City Council members will review the plan, but one city It's said The Junction's groundbreaking could be nine to 10 months away. official groundbreaking for Hawthorne Landing could be sooner. The for the project has been underway for years. Planning social media commentators panned it on Facebook last week. Still, responded: Costa the developer of the project we will be required to mitigate any failing traffic "As and are coordinating with traffic engineers from The City of Debary, conditions County, and the Florida Department of Transportation. The goal being to Volusia sure traffic is better than before we started," Costa wrote. "Our site will make an alternative route to 17/92 and help ease the gridlock with a provide at Ft Florida road and 17/92 with a traffic light and promote ridership connection Sunrail with over 5 miles of pedestrian trails connecting to Gemini Springs of the Sunrail station!! and anchors DeBary TOD SunRail land is part of a larger project of roughly 200 acres anchored by the DeBary The DeBary News Page 6 Unprecedented growth on horizon for DeBary's next council DEBARY'S $700M MEGABOOM By Kevin P. Connolly The Junction 118,300 square feet of retail space 16,000 square feet of office space 18,000 square feet of restaurant space 509 residential units 873 parking spaces Sunrail station called the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) district. The plan only identifies types of businesses -- not specific name brands.
of curious residents gathered at City Hall Dozens Aug. 16 to get their first glimpse of a solar on plant expected to bring $70 million to power tax rolls. DeBary’s Meadows and other neighbors quizzed Charles Energy workers who assembled in the City Duke chambers for an open house about the Council project. 350-acre lives on Fox Chase Court, which ends in Meadows cul-de-sac near Duke’s project. a property is north of West Highbanks Road, The of Holladay Road and west of the DeBary east community. Plantation happy just from the fact that it’s something “I’m in that doesn’t require a lot of going Meadows said. maintenance,” 50-foot wide buffer of trees and other A will separate residents’ homes from vegetation plant, said spokeswoman Ana Gibbs. the Energy provided handouts, snacks, drinks, Duke saplings, videos, maps, timelines and tree of the project at City Hall. renderings a dozen workers — wearing teal knit shirts About Duke Energy’s logo – attended and fielded with questions. residents’ the plant would look like and when it might What up were among the issues at the open house. go all goes as planned, installation of solar panels If a parcel west of DeBary Plantation could begin on spring. The plant could go online by this 2019. December 300,000 panels total,” Gibbs said. “We say, “That’s average at peak production, that it will power on 20,000 homes.” about translates into about 74 megawatts, helping That Florida’s energy grid as part of a $1 billion support by Duke Energy to expand renewable effort in the Sunshine State. energy all, Duke Energy is aiming to generate a total of In megawatts through solar energy between 700 DeBary project calls for solar panels clustered The Duke Energy’s existing power plant. around facility has nine combustion-turbine That units for turning fossil fuels into generating much as 561 megawatts of energy as peak demand. during enough to power about 450,000 That’s and businesses. homes 350-acre parcel for the solar plant also The land for a new substation the City includes approved earlier this year. Council change allows for limited access off The E. Smith Boulevard to a 5-acre Donald for the construction of a new parcel 100 workers will be employed About construction of the solar power during plant. the period when residents will That’s the most notice, traffic and other notice activity. very manually intensive to install a “It’s panel,” said Justin LaRoche, business solar manager at Duke Energy. development drainage impacts minimal Traffic, that, residents shouldn’t notice much After the solar plant because it will require from maintenance and very little minimal traffic, he said. vehicle access will be through an existing Vehicle – Holladay Road, which is off West route will be our main construction access “That for O&M (operations and and LaRoche said. “O&M wise maintenance,” you’re looking at one or two people only time, just for preventative full maintenance.” expects no drainage impacts. He will be about 10 feet of space There rows of solar panels, creating a between for rain to funnel into the soil pathway below. not adding much impervious “We’re company will follow requirements The by the permitting agencies, including set St. Johns River Water Management the and the Florida Department of District Protection, said LaRoche. Environmental topography wise, most of this area is “Yet, of lower than the neighborhood, kind than Donald E. Smith. I think much lower the water kind of stays on site of he added. anyways,” DeBary, the project is currently being In by the city’s Development reviewed Committee. Review will need the City Council’s approval in It public hearings. two dates of those hearings have not The set. been Florida, Duke has two solar projects in In County (Walt Disney World and Orange H. Stanton Energy Center) one in Curtis County and two in North Florida Osceola and Suwannee). (Perry other Duke solar projects are under Two One in Columbia County construction: DeBary News Page 7 $70M Solar video: debarylife.com solar 350-acre plant power Dynomo proposed By Kevin P. Connolly substation. 100 workers Highbanks Road. Main access now and 2022. ‘Manually intensive’ surface,” he said. and the other in Hamilton County.
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DeBary News August 2018

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