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

[codypet]

The Sears there closed?  I thought that one was doing well.   Well alright as far as Sears is concerned.

[JFW657]

2 hours ago, Dale said:

Sorry, grew up in DB. Much as I'd like to disown it, I get all tingly when I see signs of life.

I grew up south of there in Cocoa Beach, but spent a good bit of time there in the 70's and 80's. In the 70's, the family of a kid I knew owned a rust proofing shop just across the river on the mainland side within walking distance of MainSt. The oldest brother ran it and used to let us "camp out" in the office when we'd drive up on Saturday night during spring break. 

I have to say I actually miss the old pier and boardwalk area. All these slick, modern new massive hotels have kinda ruined the charm it used to have for me.

JMO.

[spenser1058]

2 minutes ago, JFW657 said:

I grew up south of there in Cocoa Beach, but spent a good bit of time there in the 70's and 80's. In the 70's, the family of a kid I knew owned a rust proofing shop just across the river on the mainland side within walking distance of MainSt. The oldest brother ran it and used to let us "camp out" in the office when we'd drive up on Saturday night during spring break. 

I have to say I actually miss the old pier and boardwalk area. All these slick, modern new massive hotels have kinda ruined the charm it used to have for me.

JMO.

That's so true. It makes me crazy that Miami Beach thrived by embracing their history while Daytona Beach creeps along for the most part tearing theirs down. It's sad.

[Dale]

1 hour ago, JFW657 said:

I grew up south of there in Cocoa Beach, but spent a good bit of time there in the 70's and 80's. In the 70's, the family of a kid I knew owned a rust proofing shop just across the river on the mainland side within walking distance of MainSt. The oldest brother ran it and used to let us "camp out" in the office when we'd drive up on Saturday night during spring break. 

I have to say I actually miss the old pier and boardwalk area. All these slick, modern new massive hotels have kinda ruined the charm it used to have for me.

JMO.

I just moved to Charlotte, from Cocoa Beach, a few months ago! Lived on June Drive just off A1A.

[leondecollao]

1 hour ago, spenser1058 said:

That's so true. It makes me crazy that Miami Beach thrived by embracing their history while Daytona Beach creeps along for the most part tearing theirs down. It's sad.

I get what you’re saying but there isn’t much to save in Daytona. 

I too grew up in DB and totally giddy the city is finally starting to see some development 

[JFW657]

3 hours ago, leondecollao said:

I get what you’re saying but there isn’t much to save in Daytona. 

I too grew up in DB and totally giddy the city is finally starting to see some development 

I wish they'd have saved all the historic old Coquina structures around the boardwalk and pier. 

[jrs2]

So, recent developments in Daytona also include the Trader Joe's Distribution Center near I-95 & LPGA Blvd., and to the north, Tanger Outlets.

Trader Joe's Distribution Center serves the entire southeast US. 

Tanger Outlets has 80 stores.  The land to the east of Tanger which is dirt in the photo is being built out with a large SC.

[jrs2]

This is a long post.

So, as everybody knows, One Daytona is being developed by ISC.  However, this retail entertainment complex was preceded by a half-billion dollar makeover of DIS.  Here are some images of what it now looks like.  They have sponsors for the main gates at the "stadium."  Toyota, Axalta, Sunoco, Chevrolet, Florida Hospital, etc.  They also have club and box seating; just like at Amway where you can stand inside a breezeway promenade, drink or eat,  and look over club seats at the action.

They also completely redid the grounds; sidewalks, concrete; etc.; think Citrus Bowl renovations.  The speedway now has 40 escalators.  17 elevators; 1,400 video monitors; 60 suites, over 100k seats.  The thing is lit up incredible at night.  I took a flight from OIA during a race last month and you could see this thing like a giant beacon from the plane.

They also built a second crosswalk to cross US-92, and improved the entire border with US-92 with new sidewalks, irrigation, palm trees, foliage, sprinklers, etc.  This was done on both sides of US-92 from Midway to Williamson.

 

Edited March 16, 2018 by jrs2

[spenser1058]

If the Daytona Water Co. were a sponsor, they would have Water Gate (just like Richard Nixon!)

[jrs2]

15 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

If the Daytona Water Co. were a sponsor, they would have Water Gate (just like Richard Nixon!)

So... I went to the 500 last year.  We had regular seats, walked up to the row, saw the race start and Gerard Butler start it off, waited another 5 minutes, then went back inside.  Went to our box with our passes (Brighthouse) and then went to the club area promenade and stayed there the whole race underneath.  I'm not a NASCAR fan at all, but the roar of those cars is incredible.  Use earplugs.  But I don't get how people can sit in those stands with the sun hitting them in the face for several hours.  Not for me.  Same with football games though.  

[spenser1058]

The 500 can be a challenge but the Firecracker 400 on July 4 used to be brutal before they switched to races at night. We did that once when I was a pup and I barely lived to tell the tale.

[jrs2]

16 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

The 500 can be a challenge but the Firecracker 400 on July 4 used to be brutal before they switched to races at night. We did that once when I was a pup and I barely lived to tell the tale.

Ooh, thanks for the info.  I forgot they switched to nighttime.  I may go to the next one now if it's at night.  Yeah, I forgot, the 500 usually has cool weather but that darn sun just keeps beating down!

[jrs2]

Here are some aerials and site plan of the Tomoka Town Center u/c next to Tanger Outlets:

[Dale]

Daytona International Speedway makes Charlotte Motor Speedway look like a dump.

[cwetteland]

I'm often across I 95 at auto mall.  The Buffet project Latitudes is diagonal across the LPGA 95 intersection and will have like 25,000 homes.  That whole area is likely to become gridlocked sprawl.   

[spenser1058]

Chase's, a longtime favorite beachside hangout on NSB, has been purchased by the Cohens of Thornton Park favorite Burton's. They plan extensive renovations:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/classified/realestate/os-cfb-real-estate-orlando-packing-district-tennis-20180316-story.html

(Scroll down to the second item; from the Sentinel.)

NSB townies loathe us Orlando weekenders, so they'd probably hate this. Then again, the locals have other preferred haunts than the condo canyons of south A1A, so they may not care. (I tend to agree - I mostly stay around Coronado myself except for rambling down to JB's Fish Camp.)

[jrs2]

The Student Union at ERAU from yesterday.  The 3rd level at the new Hard Rock Hotel in Daytona with views to the north and south of the pool and amenities deck below.

[spenser1058]

KSC stands to more than double its budget for launch facilities if the new federal spending bill passes and is signed by President The Donald.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/brinkmann-on-business/os-bz-nasa-kennedy-funding-20180322-story.html

From the Sentinel

[jrs2]

16 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

KSC stands to more than double its budget for launch facilities if the new federal spending bill passes and is signed by President The Donald.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/brinkmann-on-business/os-bz-nasa-kennedy-funding-20180322-story.html

From the Sentinel

LMAO!  Yes... He sure is....  (notice how the "H" is capitalized)

[spenser1058]

Beachside redevelopment coming to Daytona? Sadly, it sounds like the same old, same old. Someone needs to finally step up with an idea of what Daytona wants to be when it grows up.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20180322/committee-puts-finishing-touches-on-suggestions-for-volusia-beachside

From the Daytona Beach News-Journal

[prahaboheme]

By all means, Daytona should already be the premier central Florida beach town, rivaling south Florida and the gulf coast beaches in terms of development and investment. 

[Dale]

If they did nothing other than concentrate on the Boardwalk and Main St, that would constitute a solid start.

[orange87]

I went to Daytona Beach a couple years ago. It was absolutely REPULSIVE. Drug zombies, prostitutes and homeless people EVERYWHERE.

Edited March 26, 2018 by orange87

[jrs2]

13 hours ago, orange87 said:

I went to Daytona Beach a couple years ago. It was absolutely REPULSIVE. Drug zombies, prostitutes and homeless people EVERYWHERE.

much like downtown Orlando.  But compared to downtown Orlando, they are on par with each other.

If you come in on US-92, they're at the intersection with US-1; the beachside's front door for out of towners.   Not near the Speedway; not near Embry Riddle; not near Bethune Cookman; east of the tracks at US-1.  The US-1 corridor is seedy at points; that's the majority of them.  And, US-1 is seedy in almost every city it goes through in Florida.

I'm in Daytona every week, which means I've been there a hundred times since you were last there.  Your snapshot- is but a paragraph in my Daytona novel.

The thing about Daytona is that it is old, and it is an urbanized beach town.  It ain't no Panama City, and is as densely populated on the beachside as Ft.  Lauderdale probably is.  People keep forgetting this.  They apply the small town or Cocoa Beach or what have you standard to Daytona.  Daytona is an old city, older than Orlando, on the water.  It's clean; it's dirty; it's seedy; and it's ritzy depending on where you go.   

Where the hec are the prostitutes?  I go up and down A1A in the busiest sections and I have yet to see any.  US-1 is a different story altogether.

[I am Reality]

I've never seen prostitutes or felt unsafe in Daytona. I will say that while living elsewhere, people always commented on how tacky Daytona is.  Dollar t-shirt shop tacky.  Daytona also has a reputation as having a lot of child molestors.  People up north and out West joked about it a lot.