The city of Debary is looking to hit pause on new development proposals for nine months while it overhauls its land development code.

According to city staff, the pending growth moratorium, which passed first reading by the City Council on Oct. 4, would not impact projects already under review or those within the city’s transit-oriented development district — a 261-acre area around the SunRail station.

The ordinance is slated to come back before the council for final adoption on Oct. 18.

“The temporary development moratorium is focused on the review, the adoption, and the implementation of a new land development code,” said Steven Bapp, the city’s growth management director. “Our land development code is probably twenty years old. We are transitioning to a more modern type code.”

Bapp said the city has been planning to update its code since 2020, when a third-party contractor was tabbed to help with the process. That task was delayed due to turnover in the city’s growth management division and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The code has not seen a facelift to this scale since DeBary became a city in 1993, Bapp said, adding that the process will consist of several meetings and workshops with council members and residents.

Source:  GrowthSpotter