Editor, The Beacon:
GlassHouse Square on the Old Jail site in Downtown DeLand: The parking issue seems to be one of the biggest concerns for the DeLand City Commission and local retail establishments. This appears to be the same point that occurred with the White-Challis project a few years ago.
Such small thinking about 10 spaces more or less. Why do our elected officials not look at the bigger picture?
I addressed this issue on April 24, 2019; three-and-a-half years ago.
Nothing changes. If we want to be a vibrant city center, we must look at our planning in a manner similar to what Greenville, South Carolina, has done with the parking issue.
My recommendations:
1. Develop and plan a “system” for parking. Start with one structure, with planning for others.
2. City and county to jointly develop a structure on the north side of Rich Avenue above the current city and county parking area.
3. Incorporate the current Old Jail parking and the 128 spaces on the west side of the Historic Courthouse in the new structure.
4. Establish the area on the west side of the Historic Courthouse as a public plaza.
5. And, in looking at the bigger picture, take the area surrounding the Athens Theatre (the entire east half of the block from New York Avenue to Rich Avenue) and solicit proposals for a development that includes entertainment, retail and multifamily residential, and parking.
And, last but not least, I am opposed to the Deltran project as it is currently proposed. My opposition is based on the following:
1. Incentives and free land to a large profit-making national corporation. Why should 61 percent of the population support a multimillion-dollar corporation that would not pay its fair share of taxes? Should the mom-and-pop shops get the same benefits?
2. Why should they get an 80-percent waiver on taxes for 10 years?
3. The proposed Deltran (GlassHouse) plan is less than inspiring, and lacks creativity for 21st-century design.
4. Can Deltran really construct 40,000 square feet for $100 per square foot? (The numbers they proposed three-and-a-half years ago.) Even cookie-cutter houses cannot be built for $100 per square foot.
5. The memorandum of understanding for this project is grossly flawed in favor of the developer.
Bottom line: Let us look at the bigger picture. Working together, I know we (the city, the county and Deltran) can do better.
Ray Johnson
DeLand
