Developers sue Ormond Beach residents fighting Tomoka Reserve subdivision

A fight over a proposed subdivision in an Ormond Beach neighborhood has moved from City Hall into the courtroom.

The developers behind the proposed Tomoka Reserve subdivision are now suing 12 residents who have been opposing the project, which would bring up to 254 homes to the former Tomoka Oaks Golf Course — a 147-acre property that has been at the center of community debate for nearly five years.

The lawsuit accuses the residents of using homeowners association resources to fight the project and claims their actions have cost the developers money.

Bonnie Kloepfer is one of the 12 residents named in the lawsuit.

“It will devalue everybody’s home if he jams in all these ridiculous close houses,” Kloepfer said.

She says traffic safety is among the neighborhood’s biggest concerns.

“It’s already crowded trying to get out on Nova Road here. The traffic there is ridiculous. They have signs showing how ridiculous that it’s a high crash area. So now they’re going to add… if you have 254 homes you’re talking about, at least if it’s only a two-car household. 500 cars coming in and out of one spot,” Kloepfer said.

News 6 emailed the developers’ attorney for comment but had not heard back. On their website, the developers describe the proposal as preserving more than half the property as green space, with nearly three miles of buffering around the development.

Fellow resident Darla Widnall, also named in the lawsuit, says the group is not entirely opposed to development — but wants to see fewer homes built on the land.

“I mean, that’s going to cause flooding if they put houses on that land, because right now that soaks up water like crazy for this whole neighborhood,” Widnall said.

“My opinion is I would like for it to still be green space, but other residents are just wanting it to be a safer amount of homes put on the land, not 254,” she added.

Beyond the lawsuit, the residents are also separately challenging the city’s approval of the development — an appeal that is still working its way through the courts.