On the beachside, Main Street is the epicenter of Bike Week and Biketoberfest each year. For these two events, the street is a lively scene. But during the rest of the year, the street is pretty desolate. There are some businesses that stay open year round, but for the most part, buildings and businesses are closed.
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If you walk down Main Street and look around, you'll see some lovely early 20th century buildings. This street could be the jewel of the beachside; the "bones" are there. We are working to polish that jewel. We want Main Street to be a year-round, inviting, vibrant, walkable destination.
Update June 2021
Thanks to enforcement efforts by the Codes Department, some of the little things that detracted from the street scape, like hanging wires and old awning brackets, have disappeared. But there is still little enforcement of the special codes that apply to Redevelopment and these are the things that detract from the image of the street. For example, glow-in-the-dark or fluorescent paint is prohibited, as are painted windows and windows with an obstructed view. But right on the corner of A1A and Main Street, we see this: Other recent improvements include painting the planters in a bright color and less trash that's visible. Mayor Henry has started a Beachside Advisory Committee to work on identifying "low-hanging fruit" that can make immediate, visible improvements to the street. These actions haven't come to the Commission yet.
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Update March 2021
At the end of the 2021 Bike Week, Main Street went into quarantine along with the rest of the world. The street gradually re-opened, and at this year's 80th Anniversary, it looked like any other Bike Week - heavily attended, though with inside capacity restrictions on those stores that elected to participate in the Bike Week Master Plan. There are some new additions to the street. The owners of the Pallet Pub have added a brewery to their operation. The former Tombstone building has been painted a vivid blue, and the owners were just approved for a Planned Development (PD) agreement that will allow them to operate a tattoo parlor and art gallery inside. They also requested that the PD include permission to stage outdoor art and music in the paved parcel next to the store. That prompted a discussion about allowing similar agreements for other businesses on Main Street, as merchants are currently required to obtain a license for each separate event.
Update April 2019
Change is finally coming to Main Street and it's not the result of a "game-changing" master plan or a government-directed initiative. Instead, we are seeing the incremental change brought by small businesses with devoted and energetic proprietors.
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Carol's Cat House has every accessory, toy and supply even the most pampered cat might need, including biker accessories for Harley-loving kitties.
Peanut and George's has replaced the former Lucky Rooster. They open for breakfast and serve through dinner. Their burgers and fries are great, but they offer many other delicious choices.
The Pallet Pub is 3 businesses in one. The pub serves a wide selection of beers on tap, including local breweries. They also have a pallet painting business that lets their customers hand-craft a variety of rustic-looking signs for home decor. And their Hop-mobile is a party on wheels, allowing groups to pedal their way along a route to several bars and restaurants in Daytona Beach.
Murals are approved for building sides just off Main St., thanks to the diligence of Frank Molnar, a member of the county-appointed Beachside Redevelopment Committee, who has pursued this idea as an individual effort. An existing motorcycle mural was also freshened.
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The Code Enforcement role has been returned to the Police Department and enforcement has seen some great strides under the direction of Captain Scott Lee. Some areas continue to languish. The former livery stable on Noble St. just off Main was allowed to deteriorate until it had to be demolished. The often empty, ugly grey planters still decorate the streetscape. Multiple locations continue to violate temporary signage rules for the Redevelopment Area; Code Enforcement still has work to do along Main Street.
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Update January 2018
On May 19th, C4RD invited members of the Daytona Area Chamber of Commerce and City Staff to do a walking tour of the E-Zone and Main Street Redevelopment Area. The kick-off for the walk was the newly-renovated Streamline Hotel. All of us shared the desire to support this beautiful addition to our beachside by urging the city to talk a serious look at the condition of the surrounding neighborhood.
Chamber members present admitted the kind of eyesores we witnessed that day deter their ability to bring new businesses to the area. Our image is NOT good. As I spoke to City staff about these problems, I got the feeling that A.) They have never seen many of the issues before, even though they have stood for decades and B.) The broken-down look of the entire area almost seems acceptable to them. I felt I had to stress over and over again why these problems are detracting for new business, and creating an image of Daytona Beach that none of us can be proud of.
It is our hope that communicating in this way with the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, and urging City officials to see the problems from the ground, that Citizens for Responsible Development will actually be on the forefront of some changes in the existing landscape that has been the norm for far too long.
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--Amy Pyle
Update - May 2017
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Seven months later, the Main Street problems we identified last January have barely changed. In the interim, the head of code enforcement has been replaced, the code officer primarily responsible for the area has been replaced by a rotation of officers, and there remains no clarity on who has overall responsibility for the lack of enforcement. Almost all of the violations that were submitted as complaints were returned 'unfounded'; a situation we were told was the result of new enforcement officers unfamiliar with the code provisions specific to redevelopment areas. We recently shared the list of 'unfounded' complaints, with each violation identified by the relevant section of the code, with the Deputy City Manager.
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In response to the blight on our beachside, Volusia County Council appointed a special Committee on Beachside Redevelopment. So far, the committee has accomplished little more than a rehash of ideas from the plans you can find here, under Plans and Possibilities. If you haven't attended the meetings and would like to hear what was said, you can find audio and minutes here.