- April 18, 2024
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Bill Jones now owns another piece of downtown Ormond Beach property.
The local investor credited with the ongoing redevelopment of West Granada Boulevard bought Suite B of the Medical Office Condominium at 26 N. Beach St. last week from Dr. Rick Acquaro and Dr. Peter Wakeman, longtime chiropractic physicians of Beach Street Medical Center at the location.
Their practice recently moved to the Medical Office Building next to Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach. It is unclear what business will move into that space next.
Jones, the owner of Highlander Corp., declined to comment on his future plans for the property and whether he’d like to purchase the other two suites as well. He’s taken on several redevelopment projects in the downtown area, including potential construction on the current residential properties he owns on New Britain Avenue. Currently, he’s completing a two-story commercial and residential building at 164 West Granada Boulevard.
The sellers of the medical office property at 26 N. Beach St. were represented by Dwight Selby and Diane Larsen at Selby Realty.
In addition to being the CEO of Selby Realty, Selby is also Ormond Beach’s Zone 1 city commissioner.
The commissioner said the city is lucky to have found a local investor who shares a vision similar to the master plan for downtown that was first created back in 2000. The last time the plan was updated was in 2007.
“There’s only so much that the city can do to make the vision a reality,” Selby said. “We can provide incentives and make public improvements to roads and streetlights, but when it comes to actually redeveloping buildings and private property, only private citizens can do that.”
When it comes to the intertwining of city officials and local developers, Lewis Heaster says that having someone who’s doing a little bit of both is useful to the community. In addition to owning Lewis Heaster Properties, he also serves on the city’s planning board.
“I was a developer before I started serving on the planning board, and I’ll be one when I stop serving,” he said. “It’s good to have people involved in the city that can also make an investment in the city and that have a knowledge of the type of industry that can help the city grow.
“You can equate it to other elected offices. People who are successful in those positions usually have a business background. It’s a common theme when you deal with government.”
Under Florida law, commissioners can’t take part in commission votes that would bring them personal financial gain. Instead, they’re required to state before the vote that they have a conflict of interest, then abstain from voting. Selby has done that in the past, and there are not currently any issues up for a vote that relate to his involvement in this recent sale.
The new park that sits in the middle of several residential properties along Lincoln Avenue isn’t there just for show. Underneath the landscaping and park benches is a network of large pipes that provide the stormwater storage for future commercial development on New Britain Avenue.
Last year, the city completed Phase 1 of the Downtown Stormwater Project at 64 Lincoln Ave. Deputy City Engineer Shawn Finley said a consultant is preparing the final design plans and bid documents for Phase 2, which will provide extra stormwater storage and complete the collection and outfall pipe on New Britain Avenue.
Betty Cartwright lives next door to the new park and said that though she thinks the park is pretty, she’s not a fan of what it will bring next. As a resident of her Ormond Beach home for nearly 40 years, she doesn’t think she has much influence over what happens in her neighborhood.
“I’m in my backyard, and people are talking to me as they walk through the park,” she said. “There’s basically no privacy.”
She said if the park and the additional parking lots on New Britain Avenue were the only improvements the city was making, she’d be on board. But after the City Commission meeting where the building height restrictions were amended, allowing three stories instead of just two, she learned the park was just the beginning.
“During one of the slide shows they showed the park as the first step towards the redevelopment of New Britain,” she said. “It’s almost like it’s a done deal. Those plans have been in the works for some time.”
City Planner Ric Goss confirmed that the stormwater project was a part of the master plan’s 2007 update.
“When you’re in a downtown, not every parcel needs to provide a retention pond on their site,” he said. “It takes up too much land. This project was designed to pick up all the water in the CRA (community redevelopment area). There are some residents that will benefit, but not too many. It mostly benefits the commercial areas.”
Living near downtown, Cartwright said she doesn’t think West Granada Boulevard will ever be a pleasant place to walk and shop — which seems to be the goal for many developers and city commissioners.
“I raised five sons here,” she said. “They could walk and ride their bikes to school. It was nice and safe. I’m not sure it’s going to be that way anymore.”
In 2015, the city swapped Bill Jones’ current development project at 164 W. Granada Blvd. with the lot at 64 Lincoln Ave. Mayor Bill Partington objected to the way the vote was brought to the commission during a public meeting April 8, 2015, and pulled the swap off the consent agenda for discussion because he didn’t know if there were any issues, or if any residents objected.
“Residents haven’t had a chance to comment,” he said at the time. He pointed out that other ideas could have been brought forward.
Now, Partington believes the commission made the right call regarding the downtown property and the drainage issues. By continuing the item on the agenda in 2015, they allowed a few weeks for residents to voice concerns, and no one did.
“You see the progress of the new building Mr. Jones is putting up,” Partington wrote in an email. “You can tell it will be a great addition to the downtown area. As usual Mr. Jones is creating quality, value and utility with his project at 164 W. Granada to help create a vibrant downtown area.”
As to Cartwright’s comments about feeling like residents don’t have a say in what happens in their area, Partington said the commission welcomes all opinions.
“Residents should stay engaged from neighborhood meetings to the planning board and ultimately to the commission,” he said. “The more input we receive, pro and con, the better decision we can arrive at on any matter.”
Finley said the city is also planning to re-work New Britain’s roadway to widen the lanes and provide on-street parking and sidewalks for visitors.
"It is pretty, and if all it was, was the park then I would be fine with it. But it's not. It's a prelude of what's to come."
— Betty Cartwright, resident of Lincoln Avenue
