Residents shown revised plans for Silver Beach hotel in Daytona. Here's how they reacted.

DAYTONA BEACH ― Developers' revised plans for a proposed oceanfront high-rise condominium/hotel at A1A and Silver Beach Avenue drew strong reactions from both those for and against the project at an emotionally-charged neighborhood meeting Tuesday night.

The new plan calls for a slightly smaller Silver Beach condo-hotel both in number of floors (25 instead of 28) and rooms (274 instead of 304). The changes were made after residents at a Daytona Beach Planning Board meeting in June voiced concerns over height, blocked views and potential for increased beach erosion.

The Planning Board is scheduled to review the new plan Oct. 26. Miami developer Eddie Avila and his partners are seeking a zoning variance regarding side-yard setbacks.

The 2.6-acre vacant property is south of the Silver Beach Avenue public beach access ramp. It is bordered by two six-story motels: the Silver Beach Club to the north and Sea Dip Beach Resort to the south.

Daytona native: 'I do not believe seawalls are the answer'

Tuesday's meeting at the Daytona Grande Hotel drew 50 people.

Daytona Beach native Janet Meredith was one of several attendees against the project.

"I am 100% opposed to developing on the east side of A1A and I do not believe seawalls are the answer," she said.

Meredith noted that a report on "wave flanking" by a conservation group called the Surfrider Foundation identified seawalls as a contributing cause of beach erosion because they direct waves sideways instead of downward.

She also held up a Florida Department of Environmental Protection report on critically eroded beaches which included several in Volusia County. "The area where they (Avila and his partners) want to build is in the critically eroded beach," she said.

Realtor: Project will 'lift up the surrounding area'

Realtor Frank Molnar was one of several attendees who approved of the latest plan.

"We have one of the most blighted beachside communities in the country. It could be so much more," the Wilbur-by-the-Sea resident said. "This project will not only lift up the surrounding area, it'll provide millions of dollars in taxes that our city and county and our School Board desperately need."

Beachside resident Didiayer Snyder said the project is much needed because "We do not have the revenue to support our police station. ... When I walk with my daughters today, I don't feel safe. But in two years I will because the presence of this (project) will change what happens on that city block, so I am for it."

Across-the-street neighbor: Reduce project to 10 stories

Beachside resident James Tigyer lives across the street from the proposed condo-hotel. He said he just wants to building to be shorter. He expressed concern that its present proposed height would cause his home to constantly be in its shadow.

"We appreciate the fact that you're going to do something for this community," Tigyer told Avila who was sitting in the front row. "We don't appreciate what you're proposing. ... Build a 10-story motel. You'll make money. We'll be happy. Give us some concessions. I mean, come on."

Beach-driving advocate: 'We're ignoring the elephant in the room'

Paul Zimmerman belongs to a beach-driving advocacy group called Sons of the Beach. "We're ignoring the elephant in the room and that's sea level rising," he said.

The beachside resident expressed concern that developers will respond rising sea levels by building higher seawalls.

"Do we want 12- and 15-foot-high seawalls?," he said. "Tourists are one thing. What about the people who live here?"

Joseph Hopkins is an engineer with The Performance Group in Daytona Beach working on the project. He responded to Zimmerman by pointing out that state regulations generally only allow seawalls to be 11.5 to 11.7 feet tall. "We're going to be limited to that same elevation. We're not going to be permitted to build a seawall that's 15 feet tall," he said.

Developer: 'We cannot afford not to build'

Avila, following Tuesday's meeting, said, "I think we've made some ground, but not everybody is happy," he said of the new design. "We'll continue to see what can be done as we move forward."

"We came in with our ideal project the first time. We listened to the community. We went back, we modified them. We made a lot of concessions," he said.

When asked whether he and his partners might be willing to make more concessions, Avila responded, "The project needs to work. If it doesn't make financial sense, it will not be built and we cannot afford not to build. We have a lot of money invested in it.

"Hopefully, we'll get to the point where we can build a viable project — something that people can look up to and say it was worth the fight."

How the new design stacks up to the old one

According to a slide presentation showing the new design Tuesday night, the proposed building now has a narrower base to "preserve view corridors." Other concessions include restricted sound amplification on the rooftop areas as well as revised accessory uses, parking area stacking and front and rear setbacks "to be code compliant."

Hopkins in an email added that building's overall size has been reduced to 260,843 square feet, a 25% reduction from the originally proposed 345,678 square feet.

The building height has been reduced to 270 feet, down from 295.

Developers' representatives at meetings both last year and this past June described the project, as originally planned, as being 27 stories. The original plan actually called for the building to be 28 stories, according to Hopkins.

The discrepancy was because of a lack of clarity internally on the part of the development team on how that top floor would be used. "It was debated to be either amenity space or living," Hopkins wrote, "but it was always included in our floor plan and overall height calculation, which is why it may have been referred to as 27 versus 28 floors."

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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Residents react to revised plans for Silver Beach hotel in Daytona