Deltona Planning and Zoning Board Meeting – October 21, 2026

The City of Deltona Planning and Zoning Board met on October 21, 2026. The board held a quasi-judicial public hearing on Ordinance 17-2026 (RZ 26-0010), a request to rezone four vacant parcels totaling approximately 18.13 acres at 830 North State Road 415 from Volusia County Rural Residential (RR) to City of Deltona Heavy Commercial (C3). After staff and applicant presentations, public testimony, and board questions, the board unanimously recommended approval to the mayor and city commission. No agenda or minutes were provided with the source material; this summary is based on the raw transcript.

Consent Calendar

• The board approved the August 19, 2026 meeting minutes by unanimous voice vote without changes.
• No presentations, awards, or old business were reported.

Public Comments & Testimony

• A representative of Halifax Hospital said he was not objecting to the rezoning, but wanted the record to show that Halifax may return to ask for an amendment to its BPUD to remove a road-connection requirement that he described as unenforceable and unresolved for three years.
• Nicole Bashore, a resident on Sunday Drive, opposed the rezoning. She said she has lived in Deltona for more than 40 years, her home has flooded twice because of overdevelopment, and removing trees and adding commercial pavement would worsen flooding for nearby residents. She said Deltona does not need more discount stores, auto parts stores, or sit-down restaurants.
• Peter Lindsay, a resident on St. Laura Drive across from Tractor Supply, described Tractor Supply as “a nightmare” with noise and broken promises, and said the existing buffer is too thin. He said he did not want to stop the Pell family from benefiting, but feared he would have to sell his home after 37 years.

Discussion Items

• City planner Brandon Hatch presented the application. He said the property has a commercial future land use designation, but the current Volusia County rural residential zoning is inconsistent with the comp plan. The requested C3 designation would allow commercial uses compatible with nearby Walmart, Tractor Supply, and the surrounding commercial node. No site plan or development application has been submitted, so items such as buffers, lighting, stormwater, traffic, and infrastructure would be reviewed later.
• Staff noted that C3 permits uses such as entertainment venues, offices, auto repair garages, and pet boarding. Mr. Hatch initially listed retail sales and services as non-permitted, but the applicant’s attorney corrected the record, saying retail sales and service is a permitted use under C3.
• Applicant attorney Glenn Storch, representing the Pell family, said the family has owned the property for decades, is not developing it, and plans to sell it. He said a restrictive covenant could be recorded to permanently prohibit uses the neighbors opposed, such as fuel farms, nightclubs, tattoo parlors, and possibly truck stops, with the city and Osteen Civic Association as beneficiaries.
• Board members asked about legal enforceability of the covenant, compatibility with residents to the north, traffic on State Road 415, stormwater/flooding, and the absence of gateway standards. Staff said future conditional uses and final site plan review would address many of these issues. Staff also stated that a residential zoning classification would be inconsistent with the future land use, and changing the comp plan would be a more difficult process.
• Legal counsel explained the quasi-judicial hearing procedures; board members disclosed ex parte communications. One member reported phone/text conversations with community members and a commissioner, and two members said they drove by the site.

Key Outcomes

• Member Blodgett moved to recommend approval of Ordinance 17-2026, seconded by Member Stewart.
• The board voted unanimously to recommend approval to the mayor and city commission, with members citing consistency with the comp plan and future land use map. Secretary Amoroso asked that the city commission also note Halifax’s request regarding the BPUD road requirement.
• Staff announced there will be no November Planning and Zoning meeting, a comp plan workshop on November 16, 2026, and a potential public hearing before this board on December 16, 2026. An RFQ for the land development code update may include gateway standards.
• Vice Chair Diarco announced this was her last meeting because she resigned to run for another position; the board thanked her for her service.