Local officials have approved a polarizing plan to build 6,100 homes in Bunnell — a development projected to multiply the city’s population sixfold once completed.
In front of a packed and noisily hostile audience on Monday, the Bunnell City Commission voted 3–2 to advance the project, FlaglerLive reported.
The outcome marked a sharp reversal from June, when the panel rejected the plan in a 4–1 vote that seemed to put it to rest.
Subsequent lobbying by the developer — who pitched the community as a transformative economic catalyst for Flagler County’s seat — ultimately shifted the tide.
“I know that you’re not happy about this, but Bunnell does need to grow,” Mayor Catherine Robinson told the crowd before casting her vote, according to FlaglerLive. “Growth is a double-edged sword. I’ve said that for many, many years.”
The 1,615-acre project will consist primarily of single-family homes, with 160 acres set aside for apartments. Ten percent of the housing will be classified as “affordable.”
A 50-acre mixed-use town center is also planned, with 625,000 square feet of retail space.
Another 200 acres are designated for industrial use — including an RV park — while 12 acres will go toward public facilities, the outlet reported.
Roughly 60% of the total acreage must remain green space, and the buildout is scheduled to occur in six phases and be completed in 20 years.
Critics argued the project would irreversibly change Bunnell’s small-town character, strain infrastructure, and worsen traffic congestion.
Backers contended that it would bolster the town’s finances and steady its fiscal future.
With a current population of roughly 3,000 residents, Bunnell is located along U.S. 1 just south of Palm Coast, roughly 40 miles from St. Augustine.
Founded in the early 1900s as a railroad and timber town, it retains its historic downtown but has increasingly become a focal point for growth as Flagler County and the surrounding area expands.
