VOLUSIA COUNTY -- A major automall is moving into the DeLand area as part of an agreement with neighboring Lake Helen. 

Commissioners in DeLand met Monday evening to talk about moving forward with neighboring city of Lake Helen to help develop an auto mall in a 50-acre plot of land on the border of I-4. 

Despite DeLand Commissioners voicing their concerns with the project, they ultimately voted to pass the deal, saying the development of the land was inevitable and this agreement allows them to have a say in the property. 

The developer, I-4 Automall LLC, will build the proposed mall just west of I-4 at the Orange Camp Road interchange, near the DeLand-Lake Helen city limits.

As a part of the compromise, the developer would build an auto mall with 11 dealerships, instead of the proposed 13.

Some DeLand residents say that is not good enough, although the city stated it tried to work with the developer.

"Although it was our sincere hope to reduce the number of buildings to a number less than 11, we could not get the developer to agree to a lesser number," city staff said in its recommendation to DeLand's city commission.

The agreement is between DeLand, the I-4 Automall LLC developer and the city of Lake Helen.

Lake Helen officials wanted to annex the county land to build the auto mall to double the city's tax base and add 1,500 jobs to the area.

However, DeLand's city commission sued to stop the auto mall because it would be too close to homes in city limits.

DeLand residents in the nearby Victoria Park area are concerned about traffic and noise from the proposed auto mall.

Under this agreement, the developer plans to move the car loading and unloading facility farther to the east and away from homes, hoping to reduce noise.

"The distribution center was a point of great concern to residents and city staff, and getting it re-oriented and moved further east should further buffer the residents from the operation as well as protect the view corridor along the proposed frontage road," city staff said in their recommendation.

In their findings, DeLand's city staff concluded that the auto mall could have been built with or without the annexed land, so they might as well get some concessions out of it.

"When we analyzed the possible legal outcomes from the annexation and land use challenges, the developer could have just as easily broken up the entire parcel and annexed only the auto mall piece into Lake Helen and still built the auto mall as originally proposed," the recommendation said.

As a part of the deal, Lake Helen would annex the county property where the auto mall would be built. DeLand would annex the property right next to the auto mall where proposed restaurants, a gas station and hotel would be built.

The City of DeLand is hoping to work with the County addressing traffic concerns. 

Now, Deland and Lake Helen leaders will have to work with the developer to finalize the agreement, which city leaders here said will be the best deal locals in the area will get. They hope to have an agreement in the next month. 

Reporter Bailey Myers contributed to this report.