Editor, The Beacon:
This past week’s newspaper was full of bad news. I read what our mayor had to say about growth and listening to the people. Too bad he didn’t.
Yes, people love DeLand, and some actually move here. I watched people do the same in South Florida. The developers came and talked and convinced everyone about growth. No one wants to be there now, except the ones who never saw it before.
I saw the drawing of the new apartment complex that is planned for Downtown DeLand. There goes our beautiful Downtown. The building is too big, too tall, and does not even begin to look like the buildings along Woodland Boulevard. And, once again, our mayor agreed to it.
I really don’t care what’s in Downtown already. Are you seriously comparing this with our courthouse? The College Arms Towers is not Downtown! It’s nice to have people living in the Downtown area, but 290 apartments? Are they serious?
Yes, they are. It doesn’t seem to matter how many editorials are written, how many times we write to the editor of The Beacon, or who shows up at the City Commission meetings to talk.
No one is listening, and soon DeLand will just be a bedroom community of Orlando. It won’t be what people want because the city fathers are hellbent on ruining it.
Wasn’t there a song about tearing down paradise and putting up a parking lot?
Jane Donlon
DeLand
I could not agree more, we are not building a better DeLand. There are no true visionaries in DeLand’s government. I am glad to see Bob Apgar gone and I sure hope those who have been attached to his coattails for their entire political careers will find some self confidence now and will start doing what is truly best for DeLand. That monstrosity will not be much of an improvement over the ugly bank. Our quality of life here has drastically decreased in the last 10 years. What was special about DeLand is being lost to the poor planning and build at any cost mentality.