Over the past five years, and after a series of false starts in redevelopment plans, the fate of the Old Jail is back in the hands of the DeLand City Commission. But the commission exhibited starkly different opinions about the future of the Old Jail and the land it sits on.
There are two options: demolition or the authorization of a rehabilitation architectural study by JL2 Architecture, a Lakeland-based company, at the cost of $23,398.
City Commissioners Kevin Reid and Charles Paiva leaned heavily in favor of demolition, while Mayor Chris Cloudman and City Commissioners Jessica Davis and Dan Reed expressed interest in considering the benefits of preservation.
“I understand some see the life that it could be. I don’t share those visions… I personally would much rather see a grassy field there than that old jail. And when it comes time that it does go out to rebuild, a blank canvas can be something that you can be very creative on,” offered Reid.
“Demolition is final. Before we finalize and get to that point — can we look at something else? Just in case, when we put it back out to bid, there may be someone interested in the structure, is what I’m thinking,” questioned City Commissioner Davis.
Four people in total addressed the meeting, all with impassioned and creative visions that implored the city commissioners to consider rehabilitation and transformation, rather than demolition.
One of the speakers was Beacon publisher and president of Conrad Realty Co. Barb Shepherd. Shepherd owns the Conrad Building, the property adjacent to the Old Jail.
“Do you want to save something, or do you just want to continue the cycle of: consume resources, waste, get some more resources, waste, and consume some more?” Shepherd asked the City Commission.
Sidney Johnston, a Stetson University employee who helped establish the city’s Historic Preservation Board, described his professional experiences in both demolition and preservation of historical jails. “I’ve helped demolish one county jail and put another county jail on the national register,” described Johnston.
As Johnston provided his expertise in describing existing precedents of how Sanford, St. Augustine and Fernandina Beach have revitalized historic structures, he left the board with these creative visions: “These are cool places that none of us would want to go to for its original use, but repurposed for adaptive reuse, for historic preservation: Many people want to go see what it looks like. Preservation architects … help revitalize and envision the possibilities, moving beyond what you might otherwise think would be acceptable in an old county jail.”
But any intention of rehabilitation will require more assessments of the property, city staff explained.
“If you want further analysis of the building, another option you have is to have a registered architect, professional engineers — mechanical, electrical and structural — they’re going to go out there and do a visit and come up with a report,” Deputy Public Services Director and City Engineer Ray Bahrami told the City Commission. “At this point, we just want to get direction as to what the pleasure of the City Commission is.”
Complicating the matter is the history of attempts to revitalize the spot.
A bid by a local company, GlassHouse, was selected by the City Commission in 2018 to proceed with a redevelopment plan that would see the Old Jail torn down and an office building erected in its place. But, the contract was terminated by the city in early July of 2023 after much fussing over the details of the plan.
Glasshouse filed suit in late July 2023 with an appeal to overturn the rezoning denial. The case is currently in litigation. Any decision to proceed — in relation to demolition or otherwise — is contingent upon the resolution of the GlassHouse appeal. City Attorney Darren J. Elkind anticipated that the GlassHouse litigation would be resolved within a year.
The split in the commission, and the pending legal status, have left city commissioners at an impasse despite the wishes of the city staff for a clearer direction. The ultimate result was an agreement to pause on making a decision, for now.
A Brief History
2018: A trade is made
The City of DeLand acquired the Old Jail, the parking lot on the south side of West Georgia Avenue, and the former Volusia County vehicle inspection site located adjacent to the City’s utility campus in 2018 when the City traded the old City Library on West Rich Avenue to Volusia County.
2018: Commission chooses GlassHouse
GlassHouse Square LLC was selected by the City Commission to redevelop the Old Jail and the associated land, located in Downtown DeLand at 130 W. New York Ave.
2018 – 2023: Plans start to fall apart
Concerns regarding rezoning requirements, insufficient parking options, the potential damage to surrounding buildings during a demolition, and allegations of a lack of clarity on both sides of the development group and the DeLand City Commission stymied progress over the course of five years.
June to July 2023: City axes deal
The ongoing contention reached a head after GlassHouse received a June 2023 denial from the City regarding a rezoning application. This led to an eventual July 2023 unanimous vote by the City Commission and Downtown DeLand Community Redevelopment Agency to terminate the agreement with GlassHouse.
July 2023: GlassHouse seeks appeal in the courts
Following the application denial and termination of contract, GlassHouse appealed to the Circuit Court of the 7th Judicial Circuit. As of publication, litigation is ongoing.
