Developer plans condo-hotel high-rise on Daytona site with connection to Elvis

DAYTONA BEACH — A South Florida developer recently unveiled plans to build a 27-story oceanfront condominium-hotel here on the former site of a 1950s motel where Elvis Presley once stayed.

Developer Eddie Avila hopes to break ground a year from now on a 27-story, 304-room development he is tentatively calling the Silver Beach Condo-Hotel on the southeast corner of A1A and Silver Beach Avenue.

The north portion of the 2.8-acre Daytona Beach site was previously home to the Copacabana Motel, which hosted the emerging King of Rock-and-Roll and his band in August 1956. They were in town to perform at Peabody Auditorium.

"Elvis Presley, whose tortured moans have found a vast audience in a tin-eared nation, slept here Wednesday night," according to a Daytona Beach News-Journal report. The article focused on fans camped outside the room at the Copacabana where the "reigning king of cacaphony" was staying.

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The Copacabana and another 1950s-era lodge next door called the Lido Motel were demolished in 2007 after both were sold to Avila and his partners.

"Both were badly damaged by the hurricanes in 2004," said Avila, president of Key Realty Advisors in Coconut Grove.

Avila said his group bought the site with intentions from the start to develop an oceanfront condo-hotel. The project was put on hold by onset of the Great Recession in late 2007.

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'Daytona is catching up'

Avila said his group kept waiting for market conditions in Daytona Beach to improve to where they could justify spending more than $100 million to build their planned luxury high-rise.

That time has finally come. "We feel Daytona is catching up with the rest of Florida," he said.

The "Silver Beach Condo-Hotel" name listed on preliminary plans submitted to the city is just a working title, said Avila. "Once we get it branded (as part of a hotel chain), then we'll have it (officially) named."

Avila said his group has already invested $11.5 million on the project, including buying the land as well as hiring Miami-based architectural firm Arquitectonica and Daytona Beach engineering firm The Performance Group.

Arquitectonica's projects include the International Finance Center in Seoul, South Korea, the headquarters for the Agricultural Bank of China and Mandarin Oriental Hotel & Residences in Shanghai, China, the Brickell City Centre in Miami, and Microsoft's European headquarters in Paris, France.

Renderings of the project show a curvy gleaming skyscraper that emulates ocean waves. "We'll have all the amenities, including a pool, gym, spa, restaurant and meeting rooms," Avila said.

Concerns over new oceanfront projects

Avila held a neighborhood meeting on Nov. 21 to present his plans to area residents.

"I'm very concerned about developing something that big east of A1A, given the recent storms we've had," said Anne Ruby, who lives a mile south of Silver Beach Avenue. She said she was one of eight beachside residents who attended the meeting.

The recent back-to-back tropical storms Ian and Nicole washed away many of the seawalls along Daytona's coastline. Nicole also damaged condo high-rises and hotels and caused several oceanfront homes to topple into the ocean.

Paul Zimmerman, president of the citizens group Sons of the Beach, said he is concerned about the new oceanfront development projects. They include another developer's plans to build a 29-story condo tower just a few miles north of Silver Beach at 2100 N. Atlantic Ave.

Zimmerman said he recently rode his bicycle along the beach and was horrified to see the destroyed seawalls and collapsed ramp approaches. "It's time we call for a moratorium on new construction on the beach until we can do a comprehensive impact study on the condition of the beach," he said. "It used to be at high tide there would still be ample room to walk or even drive on the beach. Now, the waves are lapping at the base of the seawalls."

Avila said he is aware of the beach erosion. "Some of those (damaged) buildings are from the 1950s and '60s. They weren't built with the knowledge we have today. Those pilings (for oceanfront high-rises) need to go down to the rock, at least 75 feet. If you look at Miami Beach, there are a lot of tall buildings and nothing happens to them."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Condo-hotel planned for Daytona site with connection to Elvis