May 2007         

Daytona Beach Visioning Committee hopes to have a plan by October

A visioning committee meeting at City Island Recreation Center. Photo by Sean McNeil.

If at first you don’t succeed, try again. This could be the motto of the Daytona Beach Visioning Steering Committee after the city’s first attempt came up short. Now the group is back at it and working hard to ensure that the visioning process leads the city to a bright future.

“The 2005/2006 experience may not have worked, but it has energized the community to action,” said Edith Shelley, a longtime resident, City Planning Board member and chair of the Daytona Beach Visioning Steering Committee. “Everyone is optimistic. They want action and they are driven to see positive change in our community.”

Evidence of this change is apparent in meetings of neighborhood groups. Residents are discussing concerns of their own neighborhoods and those of the community as a whole. These participants are evangelists for change – going door-to-door encouraging people to participate in the process.

The work of the committee is yielding citizen champions and community groups who are helping to perfect the vision and are taking responsibility for implementation of its elements. They seek a better Daytona Beach not only for themselves, but also for their children and grandchildren.

After months of getting the renewed effort reconstituted, the first of a series of community forums was held on the campus of Daytona Beach Community College in May. About 150 people attended, coming from diverse backgrounds and representing many different sectors of the city. They worked on elements of a longterm vision and identified action teams that will be meeting to work on goals and strategies that will form sections of the overall vision plan. Among the areas to be studied are education, economic development, infrastructure, environment, land preservation, affordable housing, redevelopment and quality of life.

Among those in attendance at the forum at DBCC was Jack White, whose company has been active in downtown development initiatives including the popular Wall Street Lofts, a three-story collection of condominiums in the heart of downtown along Magnolia Avenue, above spaces for commercial enterprises.

“Proper planning can help us avoid sprawl and improve the character and quality of our urban areas,” said White. “By going up and not out, we can make our downtown a more interesting and vital place for residents and visitors.”

Subsequent meetings are planned throughout the summer and Shelley is optimistic a first draft of the vision plan can be completed by October. She said that what is different about this second effort is a commonality of purpose and enthusiasm among the participants. There has been great effort to ensure all stakeholders become involved and none are overlooked. The group is putting a premium on communication and soon will post its own web site, which is being developed courtesy of Benedict Advertising. When complete, it will provide an easy way for people to follow the process and even post comments as concepts and plans are posted.

“The visioning process is bringing the community of Daytona Beach together to look at key issues and face the challenges of the future armed with facts, not fiction,” she said. “The result will be a road map for the community that we would all love Daytona Beach to become.”