- April 18, 2024
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Ormond Beach City Commissioner Troy Kent remembers fishing and surfing around the old pier in Ormond-by-the-Sea. But it was demolished in the early 90s, and memories are all that remain.
While Kent can't change the past, he's made improving the beachside in Ormond a priority for his next two-year term in office — And he wants a pier. This time, in the city limits.
He pictures a pier like the ones he saw when he surfed in California as a young adult. Piers like Huntington Beach's, with sturdy concrete posts, restaurants, amusement rides and places to sit and have a family picnic.
“They are an attraction," Kent said. "They themselves are a destination. I believe that if we had something like that in Ormond Beach, it would certainly enhance our beachside.”
It would be different from the Flagler Beach and Daytona Beach piers, Kent said. He believes a pier would be a positive thing for the synergy in the beachside community, and that Ormond has a chance to offer that.
He's eyeing the vacant land at 251 S. Atlantic Ave., which is almost directly across from the Florida Hospital Oceanside property. The land last sold in 2011 for $2.55 million, but the Georgia-based investment group that owns it, SMTT Investments LLC, has yet to build on it. Kent said there could be an opportunity there for the city to buy the land.
“I need two more people to love the idea," Kent said. "I would really like to have five elected officials in Ormond love the idea, and then we can kind of go from there.”
As for funding, Kent said this would require collaboration with not only the county, but state and federal government, since a building a pier involves the beach and ocean waters. The city would need to rally all its representatives in government. He also said there could be people in the community willing to donate money for naming rights.
If the city is going to think big, they can also look at the hospital property for sale to incorporate more shops and restaurants into the attraction, Kent said. The four-acre land is being sold for $2.5 million. However, Kent said he still wants an emergency room somewhere in the beachside.
All in all, Kent wants A1A to look like Ormond Beach's downtown district, and he credits that success to the energy of the downtown community and the fact that it is part of the city's Community Redevelopment Area. A CRA is eligible for property improvement grants, which assist property owners with redevelopment efforts. Perhaps the county could allow Ormond to extend the district, or create another CRA on A1A, Kent suggested.
“I think Ormond Beach is the poster child for how a CRA should operate, and that’s what I would like to see over there," Kent said.
Crosswalks are also part of his vision for A1A. He said city staff has already laid out locations of where they are needed.
The beachside needs a facelift, he said. Some buildings haven't changed in 50-60 years, and there are properties that he believes would benefit from an improvement to their facade. However, he said never want to change the feel of the town, pointing out that he was the only commissioner to vote for height restrictions on the beachside in 2007.
“I would never allow our small-town charm to get changed, and I certainly, would not want to have high rises anywhere on our beachside," Kent said.
