- April 20, 2024
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“A lot of people here have been waiting for this day,” said Realtor Sheriff Guindi at the Aug. 20 groundbreaking for the Ormond Renaissance Condominiums on Sterthaus Drive.
The clubhouse was completed in February and a spring start was predicted for condo construction, but real estate agents, developers and local business people have been kept waiting.
There was at least one condo buyer who has also been anxiously waiting, and she was at the groundbreaking.
“I was ready to bring my own shovel,” she said, referring to the shovels that were used for the photo op. “I’ve been waiting since February.”
It was not a lack of buyer interest that delayed the project, but rather other hurdles, including documents required by the state, finalizing the bank loan and contractor preparations.
“There are a lot of moving parts,” he said.
Now a major marketing effort with newspaper, radio, billboard and television will begin.
The groundbreaking signaled the start of construction of the fitness center, swimming pool and first condo building. Phase One will continue with three more buildings, with construction of each building starting when half the units are sold. For the first building, 19 of the 28 units have been sold.
For the following phases on the 27 acres, construction crews will use access points at the east and west ends of the development, to avoid disturbing residents living in Phase One. At full buildout, there will be 10 buildings, each with 28 units.
Condo sizes range from 1,248 to 1,515 square feet, with four configurations to choose from. Prices currently start at $265,900.
The general contractor is Bomar Condominium Construction LLC, and the developer is Ormond King Center LLC, owned by Josif and George Atanasoski, brothers and local investors who own Microflex Inc. on North U.S. 1. Once the condo project is sold out, ownership will transfer to the HOA.
LOCATION, LOCATION
Real estate agents and others connected to the project tout the construction quality and the location as the primary selling points to the condominium.
Bill Navarra, owner/broker at Realty Pros Assured, which is handling sales, pointed out that the new Granada Pointe development nearby on Granada Boulevard will offer a Wawa and other retail options. Other amenities in walking distance include The Trails Shopping Center, YMCA and the dog park, which is set to be open soon.
More and more people are seeking locations where they can walk rather than drive, industry experts say.
“I’m extremely confident we will sell out,” he said
Debbie Cotton, executive director of the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce, said the condos will be attractive for seniors.
“It fits the needs of the community,” she said.
At least one person living in a condo must be 55 years of age or older. The others can be any age, and the owner can be any age.
Condo owners will have opportunities to join golf memberships at Plantation Bay.
City Commissioner Rick Boehm said he was glad to see the project because condos have been built on the beach, but it’s been a long time since a condo was built on the mainland.
“It’s right here in the middle of the city,” he said.
FORMER HOSPITAL SITE
A large crowd gathered at the same site on April 23, 1967. Five thousand people attended a dedication ceremony for Ormond Beach Memorial Hospital, which was demolished in 2012.
According to the Halifax Reporter, a newspaper at the time, the crowd was welcomed by Ormond Beach Mayor Ernest Cassen and the master of ceremonies was attorney Melvin Orfinger, who was credited for originating the idea of attracting a hospital to the city.
After American Legion Post 267 and local Boy Scouts presented the flag, special recognition was given to John B. Sterthaus, who contributed the land for the hospital in honor of his city, Ormond Beach, and in memory of his son, Sgt. George J. Sterthaus, who died in World War II, according to the newspaper.
Forty-five years later, in 2012, the aging hospital was demolished, and the land was sold by Florida Hospital, which had taken ownership. Florida Hospital had constructed its current facility on Williamson Boulevard in Daytona Beach in 2009, four miles from the Sterthaus site.
There was a deed restriction that the property be used only for medical-related purposes, but a judge ruled in December 2010 that the restriction terminated on the death of the grantor and was no longer valid.
After the old hospital was razed, the site reverted back to a natural area of fields and trees, where echoes of life at the hospital, both sad and joyful, burned away in the summer sun. Now modern buildings arise, changing the face and future of the city.
