Large, mixed use development west of I-95 in Daytona proposed; ballpark slated for upgrade

Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
·5 min read

DAYTONA BEACH — At their meeting Wednesday night, Daytona Beach city commissioners will consider a rezoning request for a big housing and commercial development planned on 415 acres just west of Interstate 95.

Other agenda items include: a big grant for Jackie Robinson Ballpark improvements; money for low-income homeowners to beautify their properties; a plan to build 227 affordable apartments; and an expansion of DME Sports Academy.

The Daytona Beach City Commission meeting begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall, located at 301 S. Ridgewood Ave.

Here's a closer look at some of those noteworthy agenda items.

Hope in a low-income neighborhood:After decades of sitting on the sidelines, Midtown seeing new home construction increase

Big change at Jackie Robinson Ballpark:Daytona Tortugas seek $30 million for historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark renovation

Backstory on Daytona's DME:From dusty warehouse to sports training giant, a look at DME's 4-year rise

1. Plans for large Daytona residential development

A developer is hoping to rezone 415 acres between Interstate 95 and Tomoka Farms Road from Volusia County Rural Agriculture to City Planned Development-General. The rezoning request is getting its first introduction at Wednesday's meeting and won't be voted on for two weeks.

The developer wants to allow for a mixed-use development to include 1,660 residential units of multifamily, single-family detached and single-family attached housing as well as 340,000 square feet of non-residential uses including commercial, institutional and light industrial uses.

The developer hopes the uses on the large property south of Interstate 4 will allow for an assisted living facility, a community residential home, retirement facility and nursing home facility.

2. Help for Jackie Robinson Ballpark improvements

City commissioners will decide whether to accept a $512,500 grant from the Daytona Beach Racing and Recreational Facilities District for improvements at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

The $512,500 grant would be used to develop a new facility at the ballpark that would be called the Daytona Beach Club, a multi-use community facility. The grant would be paid in four installments of $128,125 over four years.

In an effort to preserve the history and legacy of Jackie Robinson and the riverfront ballpark which bears his name, along with the preservation of professional baseball in Daytona Beach, the city is in the process of developing a $30 million renovation project to improve the Jackie Robinson Ballpark complex. The project will include bringing the facility into compliance with Major League Baseball standards.

The Daytona Beach Club is envisioned to be a multi-use community facility during non-ticketed events at the ballpark. The facility could be used for publicly accessible meetings or rented for special events such as weddings, birthdays or corporate events.

3. Low-income homeowners could get $2,500 for beautification

The Food Brings Hope Community program that's helping low-income residents become homeowners is getting an $80,000 gift from City Commissioner Quanita May if commissioners OK the offer at their meeting Wednesday.

The $80,000 from May is coming from federal funds distributed to cities to help recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Each city commissioner has been allotted a portion of Daytona Beach's COVID recovery funds to use in efforts in their zones.

Ronnie Mack was able to buy his first home with help from the Home Brings Hope program and Midtown Florida Housing.
Ronnie Mack was able to buy his first home with help from the Home Brings Hope program and Midtown Florida Housing.

If approved, the $80,000 from May will provide beautification for the homes. Beautification services can include new plantings, general landscaping, painting, general exterior repairs and pressure washing. Funds can be used to cover the cost of materials, equipment and labor up to $2,500 per property.

The non-profit FBH Community estimates it can leverage the $80,000 to provide nearly $200,000 in beautification by using volunteers and donated or reduced-price materials.

4. Rent relief for low-income tenants

Commissioners will vote on a plan to pay a developer up to $60,000 per year for 15 years to ensure that 227 affordable apartments would be built and offered at reduced rents to low-income tenants. The apartments would be built on 12.78 acres south of the intersection of Clyde Morris and LPGA boulevards.

The deal would be worth upwards of $900,000 for Clyde Morris Phase V Partners, Ltd, and it would give Daytona Beach much-needed affordable rental housing.

A construction crew clears land next to the Clyde Morris Landing affordable apartment and senior housing complex being built out at 1381 N. Clyde Morris Blvd., a mile south of LPGA Boulevard, in Daytona Beach on Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
A construction crew clears land next to the Clyde Morris Landing affordable apartment and senior housing complex being built out at 1381 N. Clyde Morris Blvd., a mile south of LPGA Boulevard, in Daytona Beach on Wednesday, July 20, 2022.

The units would have rental rates that couldn't exceed 30% of tenants' income with parameters established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for low-, very low- and extremely low-income households.

Following Clyde Morris Partners' payment of their annual property tax bill and confirmation of their rental rates each year, the city would make the annual payment. The payment would be either $60,000 or 95% of the apartment complex property taxes, whichever would be less.

According to the 2022 Rental Market Study prepared for Florida Housing Finance Corporation by the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies, there were 19,877 low-income households in Volusia County with tenants paying more than 40% of their income for housing.

5. DME Sports Academy hoping to expand

DME Sports Academy is looking to grow on its campus south of Daytona Beach International Airport and requesting a rezoning on 3.8 acres that's part of 17.5 acres DME wants to develop.

The Daytona Beach sports training center wants to increase the total number of student housing units from 164 to 324 and allow for the development of additional academic and sports training facilities.

Mike Panaggio, owner of DME Sports Academy at 2441 Bellevue Ave. in Daytona Beach, stands on one of the sports training facility's soccer fields as his new neighbor, a five-story Amazon robotics fulfillment center under construction, looms behind him on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022.
Mike Panaggio, owner of DME Sports Academy at 2441 Bellevue Ave. in Daytona Beach, stands on one of the sports training facility's soccer fields as his new neighbor, a five-story Amazon robotics fulfillment center under construction, looms behind him on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022.

The request is to rezone the property from Volusia County Rural Agriculture/Activity Center with Airport Overlay to city of Daytona Beach Planned Development-General.

DME is also looking to add a stormwater retention pond and possibly industrial, medical and office uses on about 13 acres of its property along Bellevue Avenue east of Williamson Boulevard.

You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach to discuss Jackie Robinson Ballpark, affordable housing