Shores revisiting debate on height limits for building

Article Courtesy of  The Daytona Beach News-Journal    
By Casmira Harrison

Published June 1, 2016


DAYTONA BEACH SHORES — Several big names in the housing industry would like to build bigger, taller buildings in this city already lined with beachfront towers, and the City Council is weighing whether to let them do it.

But while leaders "do research" on the topic, some city residents have been vocal in their opposition.

It's going to be a total eclipse at Oceans One," said Frank Dart, a resident of Oceans One condominium, directly across from the police station. Dart referred to the southern-facing view he enjoyed that he said would be eliminated if the taller buildings are allowed. He also said traffic along South Atlantic Avenue is already tough to cross.

    

City Manager Michael Booker said there are three developers so far — DiMucci Companies, real estate developer George Anderson and Cook Development — that are looking to build past the current height limit of 110 feet or 12 stories-high.

 

While a representative of DiMucci and developer Anderson could not be reached immediately for comment, and Cook Development owner Doug Cook said he didn't want to comment until the subject came before city leaders again. Cook has built at least six luxury oceanfront condominiums in Daytona Beach Shores and was planning another in 2009 when he halted his proposed Bella Brisa project because of the recession. That project is back on the table.

The building-height debate can be counted on to wash over the city as steadily as the waves that crash on its shores - and the recent showing of residents at a council meeting suggested another wave was inbound. The subject came up two decades ago and led to a recall vote of former Mayor Phyllis Garmin, as well as several lawsuits. The height limitation was supposedly settled in two voter referendums, a council vote and costly lawsuit.

Daytona Beach Shores is once again taking up the issue of height restrictions on buildings in the city.


 

But the recent push by developers of two proposed separate beachside condominium projects has lifted the subject to the forefront again.

The tallest building in the Shores currently is The Peninsula condo tower at 22 stories and about 207 feet. It was completed in 1992, six years before the city put a cap on the ceiling. By comparison, The Bella Brisa Condominium — one of the two latest projects planned — is a 26-story, 275-foot tower set for the space next to Oceans One, kitty-corner to the Publix shopping plaza. And Town Center Condominiums are planned to be twin 24-story, 264-foot towers next to Browning Avenue and across from Congo River Golf near the city's north side.

The renewed effort to build higher prompted city leaders at a January visioning session to talk about dissolving the 110-foot limit in certain zoning districts.

But by the time staff put together a proposal to change the rules, Mayor Harry Jennings said he and other city leaders received a flood of calls and emails after residents learned the building heights ordinance had been drafted. The outpouring of concern prompted city leaders to table the proposal before it could be acted upon. Booker said he is planning public outreach before the issue comes up again at a City Council meeting.

But despite that, several residents wanted leaders to know what they thought of the idea and Jennings said he agreed, they should know.

"It takes me five minutes to get across the road if I want to head south" on A1A, Dart said about the possibility of traffic . Other residents added they were concerned home and rental values might slide due to any increased density.

Evender Spradlin said he bought his Oceans One condo in 1999.

"I was told that no one would build to the south of me." Spradlin said, adding, "Perhaps we can look at extending the height on the west side of A1A."

"It's an emotional issue for a lot of people," Booker said in an interview this week at City Hall.

"Are we going to become the next Miami Beach? No," said Booker. But he said if you remove emotion from the equation, the fact remains that the Shores has no place to grow but up. Unlike other cities in the area — Booker used Port Orange and its vast western expansion as an example — The Shores is bordered on all sides by water, he said.

Ron Wysocarski, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty in Port Orange agreed.

"Building up is really the only option. There just isn't enough land to build out," said the Realtor.

Wysocarski said condo sales around the greater Daytona Beach area dipped 5.6 percent year over year, but his team's analysis also showed prices skyrocketed by more than 48 percent. Median sales prices soared from 130,000 in 2015 to 193,500 in April this year. The prices also are up dramatically from March’s median sales price of $154,000.

“The market is very busy and demand for vacation condos is high," said Wysocarski.

The city manager said leaders and staff want to have an open dialogue with residents at several meetings over the summer about the possible impacts and benefits before anything is decided.

"This is more important then to just leave it at a council meeting," Booker said.

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