Melbourne council advances The Pines as flood-weary neighbors object; official tallies not yet posted

Melbourne City Council voted Tuesday night to approve zoning and site plans for The Pines, D.R. Horton’s proposed 811-home subdivision on 424 acres at the city’s western edge, WKMG News 6 reported, after residents still recovering from the Nov. 1–2 flood urged council to stop it.

The city has not yet posted official results. As of Wednesday morning, its CivicClerk portal showed only the agenda and agenda packet for the meeting, with no minutes, summary of action or video. That means the vote counts, and whether the development agreement and three-way sewer agreement were approved, could not be confirmed. D.R. Horton is expected back before council next month, the station reported.

What was on the agenda

Council’s agenda listed second readings of six ordinances, 2026-36 through 2026-41, for annexation of 120.65 and 5.97 acres, comprehensive plan changes and PUD zoning, including rezoning 298.2 acres already in the city. It also listed the preliminary development plan, the development agreement and the sewer agreement with West Melbourne, which had been held from first reading.

How earlier votes went

• Oct. 27, council first reading: all six ordinances passed 6-1, with Council Member Rachael Bassett voting no on each, according to the minutes.

• Oct. 1, Planning and Zoning Board (advisory): 3-2 to recommend denying the development plan and development agreement, citing safety concerns and inadequate access; 4-1 for both PUD zoning changes; unanimous for the smaller annexation and its minor plan change.

• Protest petition: owners of 10.57% of the land within 500 feet signed, below the 20% that would have required six of seven council votes.

Neighbors and the flood

Mary Koller, who told WKMG she has lived near the site for 21 years, said last week’s storm flooded her home in a way she hadn’t seen before. “Our garage flooded, and so did both of our porches,” she said. Asked about the new development, she said she is worried “because you’re paving over the sponge.” Jessie Corby told council the flooding “exposed a terrifying reality,” saying rivers and infrastructure are “maxed out.”

City records don’t say whether the site itself or its road approaches flooded in the storm. The staff memo says the whole site is mapped in Flood Zone X, outside the 500-year floodplain. The Platt parcel has about 93.5 acres of wetlands, and the St. Johns River Water Management District will decide on any mitigation permits.

Juliet Misconi, D.R. Horton’s forward planning and land development manager, told council the company plans to tackle traffic early. “Most of these improvements will be built or substantially built in the earliest phases of construction,” she said. The developer also said it plans to preserve 46 acres of wetlands and add curb extensions to reduce stormwater runoff, and that the project has approvals and permits from 10 government agencies, WKMG reported.

Conditions still ahead

Under the development agreement in the packet, a two-lane Norfolk Parkway link to the site is required before the first home is occupied, and work at Norfolk’s intersections with Shallow Creek Boulevard and Minton Road before the 300th. Until a road west to St. Johns Heritage Parkway is built, required before the 715th home, the only way in is from the east through West Melbourne via Minton Road. That western link depends on Brevard County issuing a right-of-way permit on terms acceptable to the developer and landowner.

The city’s next council meetings are a special meeting Nov. 16 and a regular meeting Nov. 24; neither agenda had been posted Wednesday morning.

Based on WKMG News 6’s report and the City of Melbourne’s Nov. 10 agenda, agenda packet and CivicClerk portal. 321 Daily did not seek comment for this story.