Edgewater council signs off on 500 more houses

Edgewater’s housing inventory could grow by more than 500 single-family houses.

The City Council unanimously approved June 4 preliminary plats for three subdivisions, including one that stalled in 2005.

The new communities were on an active list of 19 short- and long-term residential developments, representing about 12,600 new homes, developers have expressed an interest.

Of about 2,700 units that could be built in the near term, the majority are single- family houses, with only 30 multi-family, 18 condominiums and six townhouses, according to the list of proposed projects maintained by the city.

Of the three new developments receiving City Council approval, the Oak Leaf Preserve subdivision is the largest.

Scheduled for construction at the corner of Massey and Old Mission roads, the site plans call for residential lots, two clubhouses and lakefronts on 179 acres, according to developer LaCour and Co. of Port Orange.

Liberty Village, with 40 homesites starting at $160,000 each, is planned for a 63-acre undeveloped tract on South Glencoe Road.

The upscale gated community would be restricted to custom-built houses that must be approved by a Liberty Village architectural review committee, according to developer David Evans.

“The policy protects all the property owners from objectionable designs, structures, fences and colors not in harmony with the natural beauty of the grounds or the developer’s vision for Liberty Village,” he explained.

Houses will be required to have an attached two-car, or larger, side-loading garage.

The development will feature an 11-acre natural conservation area.

On Edgewater’s south side, a 103-lot subdivision is planned off Roberts Road between U.S. 1 and Indian River Elementary School.

Woodbridge Lakes of Edgewater, planned by Falcon Development Corp. of Melbourne, will offer custom built houses on single-family lots that feature lakes and green areas.

West of I-95, south of the Indian River Boulevard Extension, the northern gateway to the 59,000-acre Farmton property was the topic for development. In January, state, county and city officials attended a regional meeting to plan for the initial construction phase of the planned residential and commercial project.

Farmton plans to construct Deering Park Center, an environment-friendly master-planned community, which will serve as the northern entry to the company ’s vast property holdings that extend south from State Road 442 to Maytown Road in Volusia County and beyond into northern Brevard County.

Although Deering Park Center is permitted for up to 4,692 dwelling units, Mr. Storch said only about 600 will be built in the first stage, with 820,000 square feet set aside for nonresidential use, such as shopping centers, public facilities and a school. The planned development property has already been annexed into Edgewater.