'The Cupola at Oceanside': Construction nears finish line for townhome project in Ormond

ORMOND BEACH ― The city's first new beachside multifamily residential development in more than a quarter-century is set to welcome its first move-ins by the end of this month.

The "topping-off" celebration for The Cupola at Oceanside luxury townhomes at 100 N. Halifax Drive was originally scheduled for Thursday, but has been postponed until Nov. 30 because of the heavy rains forecasted this week.

The city is expected to issue a certificate of occupancy the week after Thanksgiving.

"We expect the first residents to be in by the end of the month," said Nancy Lohman on Tuesday. Lohman is one of the project's developers along with husband Lowell, son Ty and daughter-in-law Tovah.

So what makes the townhomes 'luxury'?

The Cupola at Oceanside is a gated townhome community across from Oceanside Country Club.

It's just a short walk to a Publix grocery, Post Office, restaurants, shops and the Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens along East Granada Boulevard. It's only a few blocks to the beach and one block to the riverfront Fortunato Park.

The community offers two-story townhomes ranging in size from 3,228 to 3,958 square feet. All offer three bedrooms and 3.5 baths, covered lanais on both floors, and either a two- or three-car garage. The kitchens come with stainless-steel appliances and quartz countertops.

Amenities include a central courtyard with an 80-foot-long water feature and fountains. On the sides and in the back is another courtyard with a gazebo, pizza oven and outdoor grill. Each townhome has a small backyard that can double as a "pet relief area" for those with dogs.

The rear courtyard area includes a gate that opens to a public-right-of-way leading to Fortunato Park.

The Cupola's front entrance includes a cabana, a secured package-and-mail delivery area and private cubby storage units for each townhome.

Roughly half of the townhomes have been sold. The remaining available units are $925,000 each.

Who are the Lohmans?

The Lohman family for years has been heavily involved in charitable causes including the Museum of Arts & Sciences, Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens and Halifax Humane Society.

They've also been blessed with success in business. Lowell, Nancy and Ty, along with Lowell's brother Victor, were the original owners of the local Lohman Funeral Homes chain. They sold the chain in 2012.

Since then, Lowell, Nancy and Ty along with Tovah, the broker/owner of Starr Realty, have teamed up on real estate ventures. They sold the last apartment property they owned jointly in late 2020. That's when they began thinking about what new project they could tackle together.

Enter: Ed Schwarz.

The Cupola once had a different developer, name

Schwarz is a broker associate at Coldwell Banker Commercial Benchmark who bought the former First Church of Christ, Scientist property for $330,000 in 2014. His vision was to redevelop the 1.5-acre property into luxury townhomes.

Award-winning Orlando architect Don Evans was brought in to design the project. Schwarz planned to call it "Ma Maison at Oceanside."

After what he said was a long, frustrating process, Schwarz finally obtained approvals from the city. That's when he got a surprise call from the Lohmans. They offered to buy the property and take on the cost of developing the townhomes.

"They made it real easy to make a deal," Schwarz recalled.

The Lohmans completed their $800,000 purchase in May 2021. They broke ground in January 2022.

Nancy Lohman said her family stuck close to Schwarz's plans, with the exception of minor tweaks, because they loved his concept. Nancy said she used to tell Schwarz, "Ed, I'm your biggest cheerleader."

The two biggest changes the Lohmans made were renaming the project and scrapping Schwarz's idea to adorn the top of the entrance with a church steeple.

Ty Lohman said he contacted Schwarz after Nancy got so excited telling the family about the townhome project.

Initially thinking of developing a similar project, they realized there were no other suitable beachside development sites in the city.

"It gives me a lot of satisfaction that I had the right design," said Schwarz. "Nancy has a good sense of style. She knew it could work."

Schwarz said he has been impressed to see how the Lohmans have persevered despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising costs, building material delays and the labor shortage.

"They did the heavy lifting, that's for sure," he said.

What will they be 'topping off'?

The event on Thursday, Nov. 30, from 4 to 6 p.m., will feature the installation of a miniature cupola over the entrance.

It's a nod to the city's rich history and the late 1800s-built cupola displayed at Fortunato Park as the last surviving remnant of the old Hotel Ormond. The "Gilded Age" hotel was a beachside landmark for more than a century until its demolition in the 1992 to make way for the Ormond Heritage condos.

Built in 1996, the eight-story condo complex was the last new multifamily residential development on the city's beachside until The Cupola townhomes.

Other festivities for the topping-off ceremony will include a champagne toast and refreshments, speeches by local dignitaries, and tours of a model townhome unit.

What others are saying

Tim and Vanessa Curtis were among the first to buy a townhome at The Cupola.

"My wife and kids love going to the beach. Living on the beachside will be a lot more convenient," said Tim Curtis, co-owner of the local Houligans restaurant/sports pub chain. "When we heard about the Lohmans' project, we went and took a look. Knowing that this was one of Nancy's pet projects, we knew it would be a top-notch building and, once again, the Lohmans are exceeding everyone's expectations."

Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington described the townhomes as a "spectacular infill project." He added: "The Lohman Family Development Group does exceptional projects and these luxury quality townhomes will provide a truly incredible quality of life for those lucky enough to live there."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Construction nears finish line for 'Cupola' townhomes in Ormond