- April 26, 2024
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Also: City swaps building for land and hears beach driving concerns.
Wayne Grant
News Editor
The City Commission gave the go-ahead to a condo development on the former hospital property on Sterthaus Drive; agreed to swap a building on West Granada Boulevard for land to be used for drainage; and discussed beach parking issues at their meeting April 21.
The officials gave the necessary zoning and other approvals so that local developer Buddy LeCour, principal owner in Ormond King Center LLC, can build a condo complex with 286 units in 11 buildings at Sterthaus Drive and Old Kings Road.
Four buildings will be constructed in the first phase, and demand will dictate when the rest are built, according to city Senior Planner Steve Spraker. The 27-acre site was occupied my Memorial Hospital until it was demolished in 2012.
Mayor Ed Kelley thanked LeCour for bringing a “quality development” to the city. He also mentioned, as he has in the past, that he wished the city had bought the property for construction of a “city center,” but said the condo development will bring in revenue for the city.
Developer acquires building on West Granada
The commissioners gave unanimous approval to trading a 600-square-foot building at 164 W. Granada Boulevard to developer Bill Jones in exchange for property he owns on Lincoln Avenue.
The agreement was in the consent agenda at the last commissioner meeting, but Commissioner Bill Partington objected, saying residents should have a chance to offer suggestions on what to do with the building.
Before the April 21 meeting, Partington said he had toured the building and believes that the trade is good for the city. However, he said he was glad he pulled it from the agenda. He said he believes decisions that involve more than the city manager’s authority, $25,000, should always have two readings by the commission to allow public comment.
Appraisals showed the properties had an equal value of $80,000. The city plans to use the Lincoln Avenue land for storm water retention, and build a passive park.
Jones has renovated several properties on Granada Boulevard, including Rose Villa and 31 on the Boulevard, keeping a historical flavor in the design.
The building being traded by the city was built in 1965. The city had leased it to Halifax Urban Ministries until a couple of years ago for a satellite office. The HUM office is now at 54 S. Ridgewood Ave.
Officials hear beach driving opinions
Several residents came forward at the meeting to speak in favor of Let Volusia Vote, an organization that wants a referendum on the 2016 ballot that would put any beach driving decisions in the hands of the voting public. They asked the commissioners to send a letter of support to Volusia County.
The speakers emphasized that they were not promoting beach driving, but rather giving the public the right to decide.
“The residents want a choice in the matter,” said Linda Smiley.
Kelley told the crowd that if they collect the required number of signatures, they will have the right to vote, but there was nothing the commission could do.
“There’s not a single thing we can do to let you vote or not vote,” he said.
But speakers said they still wanted the city’s support.
One speaker, Peggy Farmer, was against the initiative, saying that having an election to decide beach driving issues would be too expensive and impractical.
None of the commissioners made a motion for a resolution to send a letter of support to the County Council.
