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BUSINESS

Volusia County hands over portion of beach approach to hotel developer

Dustin Wyatt
dwyatt@shj.com
A developer is hoping to build a 195-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel on a vacant oceanfront lot overlooking the Daytona Beach Pier. The hotel would include shops, a restaurant, parking garage and an expanded Boardwalk. [Rendering provided by Avista Properties]

Twenty feet makes all the difference in the world to a beachfront hotel project that comes with an extension of the Daytona Beach Boardwalk and a promise to boost the city's tourist district.

That became clear this week when Volusia County Councilwoman Billie Wheeler asked why developers of a Courtyard by Marriot wanted to take over some of a beach approach to the south of its property near the Daytona Beach Pier.

That request, ultimately approved 6-0 Tuesday by the County Council, wasn't a part of its original plan with the city of Daytona Beach and was met with opposition from beach-driving supporters who are tired of developers using public beach ramps or beach driving as a bargaining chip.

"This (hotel) will not work without the 20 feet," Glenn Storch, the attorney representing Orlando-based Avista Properties, told the council. He explained later that a portion of the Harvey Avenue approach is needed to give hotel guests access to a 249-space parking lot below the hotel. He added, "the amount of public access we are providing is actually more than we are taking."

Council members don't see the arrangement as a blow to beach access. The beach approach at Harvey is located near a traffic-free zone, and it's used now only by beach vendors and emergency personnel. Even if its width is slashed in half, it can still be used for that purpose, officials say.

[READ: Hotel developer promises to expand Daytona Beach Boardwalk]

Council members also expressed excitement about a promise hotel developers have already made to the city. The developers will add 270 feet to the southern end of the boardwalk and ADA-compliant entry points to the beach. A sea-view cafe and shops will overlook the boardwalk and the sea as part of the 10-story, 195-room hotel.

"I love it; it looks beautiful," Wheeler said. "I'm excited to see the final project."

"Obviously, this is not going to be a magic wand to fix the area," Councilwoman Heather Post said. "But I do agree that this is going to be a benefit to the area."

The vote to vacate a section of beach approach didn't come without some familiar opposition. Three years ago, the Volusia County Council inked a deal with Summit Hospitality Group, the team behind the Hard Rock Hotel, that resulted in the removal of cars from 410 feet of sand. The nonprofit, Sons of the Beach, sued the county over that agreement and has fought against every development deal since that's tied to the beach.

"We continue to try and purchase prosperity by giving away beach ramps or taking cars off the beach," beach driving advocate Ken Strickland told the council. "We would appreciate if you stop giving away our public assets for the benefit of people who come here from somewhere else."

Like the Hard Rock deal before it, the developer of the Courtyard by Marriott must meet certain criteria. If a development agreement isn't reached within a year, or if construction doesn't start within 16 months, the ordinance is void and the county maintains its beach approach, Deputy Attorney Jamie Seaman explained.

[READ: New hotel could overlook Daytona Beach Pier]

Given the excitement from city officials and the developer's attorney, that seems unlikely to happen.

"We think this is good public policy" that will help improve the city's tax base, the Main Street corridor and East International Speedway Boulevard, Jim Morris, Daytona Beach's deputy city manager, told the council.

"When a hotel goes into an area like this," Storch said, "it is a giant economic shot in the arm."