- February 24, 2025
Downtown parking and roads to support Ormond Crossings are included.
Wayne Grant
Staff Writer
The city of Ormond Beach recently developed a list of transportation projects that the city would like to see funded in the next 10 years. The Roundtable of Volusia County Elected Officials transportation subcommittee is seeking ways to fund projects throughout the county, and requested that cities come up with a list.
The subcommittee asked the cities to identify transportation projects that would help the economy, and would also be supported by residents should a gas or sales tax be proposed to fund the costs. The subcommittee will be working with the River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization.
The roundtable, which meets monthly to discuss countywide issues, is made up of one elected official from each of Volusia's cities and county government. It came into being after the Volusia League of Cities was dissolved last year. The meetings are hosted by the Volusia County Council.
Ormond Beach city staff prepared a list of desired projects, and the city commission approved the list at their March 17 meeting.
On the list for the downtown area is to add parking to New Britain Avenue from Beach Street to Ridgewood Avenue. This would require taking right-of-way on the north side of the street, which means the properties would lose space between their house and street.
Storm water improvements need to be made in that area, and they would be done in conjunction with the work, according to Ted MacLeod, assistant city manager and public works director.
He said the residents would lose some space, but would benefit from improved drainage. Members of the city’s Planning Department have met with the residents on the plans.
The theory is that the addition of approximately 50 parking spaces along the street would add to the economic viability of downtown, by providing more customers to local businesses.
Also on the list is a project that is already on the River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization’s list of projects that should be done in the next 20 years, the extension of Hand Avenue west to Tymber Creek Road. It would cross above Interstate 95 and there would be no interchange, according to Lois Bollenback, TPO director.
“The biggest reason is to design relief for the Granada, I-95 and Williamson intersection, especially as the west develops,” she said. “You can only add so many cars to that area.”
Hand Avenue already provides an east-west artery for those wishing to avoid Granada Boulevard, and the extension would make it more useful.
.”When you add a parallel road you’re giving drivers another choice,” she said.
Other projects on the list were roads that support Ormond Crossings, the planned development on North U.S. 1 that provides an opportunity for both residential and business growth for Ormond Beach.
“We’re looking for great development in the crossings area,” MacLeod said.
Other roads outside of Ormond Crossings are in the plan including Pineland Trail.
Other items on the list include improvements to the interchange at I-95 and North U.S. 1, where traffic currently sometimes backs up. It would become busier if Ormond Crossings develops.
Bollenback said the Florida Department of Transportation is currently studying the interchange.
The city also placed street resurfacing on the list for throughout the city.
Road wish list
1. Parking along New Britain Avenue. $650,000.
2. Extension of Hand Avenue to Tymber Creek Road. $17.5 million.
3. Improvement of intersection of Interstate 95 and North U.S. 1. $41 million.
4. Ormond Crossing collector roads. $35.6 million.
5. City street resurfacing. $250,000.
Financing could include county, state and federal funds.
Relief for Granada Boulevard
Bollenback said there is more traffic on Granada Boulevard on a typical day than either Dunlawton Avenue or International Speedway Boulevard. But she said that state and local governments have done a good job with the heavy traffic.
“It flows,” she said.
Other than Hand Avenue, there are no projects on the horizon to take pressure off Granada Boulevard. Bollenback believes that all city and county governments should be thinking in terms of mass transit.
She said if buses run only once an hour, it may not encourage much usage. But, if a bus runs every 15 minutes, more people would use it because it would fit better into their schedule.
“Transit is the future,” she said. “The challenge we run into is the financing.”
She said as congestion increases, transportation alternatives will become more and more important, and governments may need to look at a sales tax or perhaps having transit taxes instead of impact fees to raise money.
