Orlando Extended Metro Developments (Volusia/Brevard/East Polk)

[AmIReal]

35 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

And yet, Daytona is still one of the slowest growing cities in Volusia. Any thoughts why that is?

Is that true? I keep seeing articles about it being one of the fastest growing metros in the country and a top 10 growth real estate market, but I had not seen any numbers related to city by city comparisons within the county. I do know there home starts keep setting quarter by quarter records. Is the Margaritaville development within the city? What about the rest of LPGA? If so, I think the population numbers are about to explode.  

[Dale]

1 hour ago, jrs2 said:

So here's the "momentum" projects:

1.  Speedway got a major facelift; looks purdy...

2.  ISC built One Daytona which is still opening in phases; Cobb 12 is super busy and I hear is the nicest cinema in CFLA. PF Changs, Guitar Center, Bass Pro, etc...

3.  ISC is redeveloping Volusia Point Plaza and incorporating it into One Daytona

4.  Volusia Mall is currently building a 6 outparcel section of new restaurants

5.  Brown & Brown will break ground on their DB HQ in downtown late 2018; it should be transformative

6.  Protogroup is building it's two tower condo hotel resort at Oakridge & A1A; it will be Daytona's tallest and probably larger than the neighboring Wyndham 2-tower resort.

7.  Desert Inn became Hard Rock hotel.  I think they're getting traction now...the valet lot was close to full and the visitor lot was half full plus.

8.  Tanger opened up a couple years back

9.  Tomoka Town Center next to Tanger is u/c; a very large plaza (Dave n Busters coming)

10.  Bucky's 100 pump Texas gas station mecca will be built near Tanger.  Isn't that so Daytona?  or Bithlo...

11.  Landshark & Cocina 214 opened up on the beach near A1A & US 92 (ISB)

12.  Trader Joes Distribution Center opened near Tanger a couple of years ago.

13.  Jimmy Buffett Villages-like community u/c off LPGA west of I-95

14.  US 92 & SR 400 & I-95 interchanges and overpasses undergoing I-4 Ultimate-like work.

15.  I-4 from SR 44 to I-95 was widened a couple years back; US 92 interchange redone

16.  Daytona Screamer's Park, with 2 rides, opened just south of Main St.

17.  Daytona Country 500 on it's 2nd or 3rd year; good concert festival momentum

18.  Sunwing may come by end 2018 to DAB

19.  US-1 median beautification in Holly Hill and other portions (sides of the road still look like...you know what)

20.  CEO Gamer Tournament was at Ocean Center this year; may return annually depending on whether OCCC undercuts Ocean Center.

21.  Embry Riddle Research Park- two buildings built already

22.  ERAU new campus buildings

23.  Daytona State- new Student Union/ main building u/c

24.  Halifax Health new location u/c at 472 & I-4

25.  Major brand name hotels/ resorts- over the past decade, consumer confidence has returned to A1A with several brands taking over hotels and hanging their shields; also a few timeshares as well.  Blue Green, Exploria, Residence Inn, Hilton garden Inn, Best Western, Hyatt Place, etc...

 

Plenty to cheer city-wide. I suppose when I think DB I think the beach.

[spenser1058]

7 minutes ago, AmIReal said:

Is that true? I keep seeing articles about it being one of the fastest growing metros in the country and a top 10 growth real estate market, but I had not seen any numbers related to city by city comparisons within the county. I do know there home starts keep setting quarter by quarter records. Is the Margaritaville development within the city? What about the rest of LPGA? If so, I think the population numbers are about to explode.  

People often talk about "Daytona" as the catch all for the beachside, I think. The real growth population wise has tended to be in Port Orange.

Looking at JRS's list, I'm struck by how commercial it is. Put another way, how many Main Street Districts are there?

The tourism/racing industry has fought the neighborhoods every step of the way and the net result is people choosing to live elsewhere. You mention Margaritaville and LPGA, those are very corporate types of neighborhoods. If they are in Daytona, they're as far on the edge as it's possible to be. It coincides with the very sterile towers they are building on the beachside. 

It will be interesting to see if that lifestyle proves popular. I keep thinking about Rosemont in Orlando which was supposed to be so upscale when it debuted in the '70's while College Park was considered passé. 40 years later, where would you rather live?

It reminds me of the exact type of residential we'd get in "Downtown Orange County" if our tourism execs were in charge of residential.

 

[jrs2]

1 hour ago, spenser1058 said:

And yet, Daytona is still one of the slowest growing cities in Volusia. Any thoughts why that is?

Well.  your guess is as good as mine.  There's not too much urban infill in the core.  Also, LPGA has not grown that much in the past 20 years, which is also city limits.  The core between Mason Ave and Beville Road out west to about Clyde Morris and a little farther  is already built up with no new density; the beachside is and has always been dense sans the vacant oceanfront lots.  It's really been all about Port Orange, Ormond and unincorporated VoCo the past 20 or so years...

[spenser1058]

This, of course, is a familiar argument because it's the same one Miami Beach faced. Supposedly the only way to save it and build new towers. The locals fought back with the help of the Wolfsons and others and ended up with one of the world's most successful beach communities. Daytona beachside, on the other hand, is a place no one seems to want to live.

Edited July 20, 2018 by spenser1058

[Dale]

The shame of it is that, Beachside, Ormond Beach is doing fine, Daytona Beach Shores is doing fine ... it's just the in-between part that's languishing.

[spenser1058]

3 minutes ago, Dale said:

The shame of it is that, Beachside, Ormond Beach is doing fine, Daytona Beach Shores is doing fine ... it's just the in-between part that's languishing.

Interesting point.

[spenser1058]

Another interesting comparison closer to home is Downtown St. Augustine. Property values and rents are soaring even though there are more tourists there than ever. Nevertheless, people would die to live there. Not so many years ago, it was a place no one wanted to be. Why is that?

[spenser1058]

Meanwhile, a plan is in the works for restoring Daytona's downtown Riverfront Park. Props to the Brown family for their idea to set up a foundation to handle the maintenance the city has been neglecting for decades (after all, the tourists don't go downtown anymore, so why bother?)

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20180719/lane-new-plans-for-once-and-future-showpiece

From the News-Journal

Edited July 21, 2018 by spenser1058

[jrs2]

18 hours ago, Dale said:

The shame of it is that, Beachside, Ormond Beach is doing fine, Daytona Beach Shores is doing fine ... it's just the in-between part that's languishing.

You guys are talking about the vacant lots on A1A, right?

[spenser1058]

1 hour ago, jrs2 said:

You guys are talking about the vacant lots on A1A, right?

Actually, much of the beachside is languishing including residential along Peninsula (some of the apartments along the stretch from the Seabreeze bridge down to the Silver Beach bridge to City Island are REALLY sketchy. ISB is pretty much an abortion anywhere east of Nova Rd. EXCEPT the Krispy Kreme (Nova Rd ain't great, for that matter). Ridgewood Ave has been going downhill, too. There's been some improvement along Beach St., but we're waiting for the Browns to fix Riverfront Park as noted above in a previous post.

Edited July 21, 2018 by spenser1058

[orange87]

23 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

And yet, Daytona is still one of the slowest growing cities in Volusia. Any thoughts why that is?

My guess is the out of control crime and poverty makes people not want to move there. But all the recent economic development in the city of Daytona Beach will hopefully create jobs which should create more stability there.

Edited July 21, 2018 by orange87

[spenser1058]

A better look at what's coming growthwise as AmIReal mentioned to LPGA Blvd west of I95 in the next few years:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20180721/little-bridge-big-problem-despite-thousands-of-homes-coming-to-lpga-blvd-west-of-i-95-major-obstacle-stands-in-way-of-widening-this-2-lane-road?template=ampart

From the News-Journal

[spenser1058]

Also out on I95, the News-Journal shares news of a slew of new car dealerships (is that Daytona's idea of diversifying its economy now - selling lots of cars?)

Of course, in addition to all the lovely 1960's sprawl this will add to the fringe of the Palmetto Curtain, it also means more empty dealership buildings, this time along the increasingly scruffy Nova Rd. To quote car dealer George Nahas, "Is this a great country or what?"

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20180721/more-sales-mean-more-dealerships-in-volusia-county?template=ampart

Is it possible that the only thing harder to repurpose than a dead mall is an old car dealership (without even considering the brownfield issues.)

[codypet]

I know they're planning an auto mall off Orange Camp in Lake Helen.  That's gonna drain Woodland of all their dealerships basically.

[jrs2]

On ‎7‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 12:27 PM, spenser1058 said:

Also out on I95, the News-Journal shares news of a slew of new car dealerships (is that Daytona's idea of diversifying its economy now - selling lots of cars?)

Of course, in addition to all the lovely 1960's sprawl this will add to the fringe of the Palmetto Curtain, it also means more empty dealership buildings, this time along the increasingly scruffy Nova Rd. To quote car dealer George Nahas, "Is this a great country or what?"

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20180721/more-sales-mean-more-dealerships-in-volusia-county?template=ampart

Is it possible that the only thing harder to repurpose than a dead mall is an old car dealership (without even considering the brownfield issues.)

you know, they added new signage this past year with arrows pointing to newly designated parts of town.  On 92 WB near BCC (or BCU), there's a sign pointing to the right for "Midtown Daytona."  The area in question is that area off of Nova they are referring to, between 92 & Mason Ave.  Um, is there anything there worthy of a neighborhood name on a new sign?  I don't think so...

[spenser1058]

NASA will announce the first astronauts for commercial crews on SpaceX and Boeing flights to the ISS next week.

This is important to us as an important step in returning to manned launches from Brevard. There are only a handful of places to access space in the world and even fewer for human launches. This is a unique core competence for the region.

NASA to announce astronauts for SpaceX, Boeing commercial crew launches
http://bit.ly/2LNN2lH

From the Sentinel

[spenser1058]

More on ERAU's spaceship-looking student center:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20180728/sneak-peek-inside-embry-riddles-new-student-center?template=ampart

From the News-Journal

 

[spenser1058]

If at first you don't succeed... the former Food Lion in Ormond Beach has been empty for a while now. A little back story: the Food Lions in Volusia were originally SuperX Food and Drug stores, which were a Kroger foray into the Florida market which ended with a whimper before the Publix juggernaut.

Now comes word the Ormond space will become the county's first Lucky's Market, which includes as one of its investors.... Kroger!Better luck this go-round, guys.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20180727/luckys-market-to-take-over-old-ormond-beach-food-lion?template=ampart

From the News-Journal

[spenser1058]

Update on the Silver Beach/City Island bridge in Daytona:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20180730/curious-coast-unique-design-weather-delays-slow-daytonas-orange-ave-bridge?template=ampart

From the News-Journal

I often give grief to the powers that be in Daytona for being stuck in a 1970's bland rut, but this is going to be one good looking bridge. I can't wait to see it finished.

[jrs2]

On ‎7‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 9:27 AM, spenser1058 said:

If at first you don't succeed... the former Food Lion in Ormond Beach has been empty for a while now. A little back story: the Food Lions in Volusia were originally SuperX Food and Drug stores, which were a Kroger foray into the Florida market which ended with a whimper before the Publix juggernaut.

Now comes word the Ormond space will become the county's first Lucky's Market, which includes as one of its investors.... Kroger!Better luck this go-round, guys.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20180727/luckys-market-to-take-over-old-ormond-beach-food-lion?template=ampart

From the News-Journal

Wow!  Huge!  that empty storefront has been empty longer than the Winn Dixie in Maitland which is now their town center bldg.  What a black eye.  Now, 180 degree turnaround.

On ‎7‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 6:19 PM, spenser1058 said:

More on ERAU's spaceship-looking student center:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20180728/sneak-peek-inside-embry-riddles-new-student-center?template=ampart

From the News-Journal

 

There's no building like this in CFLA, stated Hosseini.  Well, technically, the main campus building at FIT off of I-4 designed by Calatrava would be the other architectural gemstone in CFLA.

[spenser1058]

9 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

 

There's no building like this in CFLA, stated Hosseini.  Well, technically, the main campus building at FIT off of I-4 designed by Calatrava would be the other architectural gemstone in CFLA.

I assume you mean at FPU and I agree. It's interesting to get these unique buildings for both a private and public school while UCF's buildings are serviceable but kinda meh.

[jrs2]

7 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

I assume you mean at FPU and I agree. It's interesting to get these unique buildings for both a private and public school while UCF's buildings are serviceable but kinda meh.

same with UF.  

Whoops... Polytechnic... wow... this Gator talk in the Coffee House has spent my neural receptors and synapses are misfiring...

[spenser1058]

If you think about it, the colleges in Central Florida are amazing for interesting architecture:

• The Wright collection at FSC

• The Mizneresque designs at Rollins

• The building at FPU

• ERAU's new student center

Architecturally, we're doing pretty well with our ivory towers <g>

[spenser1058]

30 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

Wow!  Huge!  that empty storefront has been empty longer than the Winn Dixie in Maitland which is now their town center bldg.  What a black eye.  Now, 180 degree turnaround.

I hope Maitland at least does a plaque or something to commemorate what was the first Gooding's and one of the city's most successful entrepreneurs.