- April 18, 2024
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Five parcels of land recently purchased by the city of Port Orange could lead to further development within the Riverwalk District, which includes the newly opened Riverwalk Park.
The five separate properties, approved for purchase during a City Council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 12, have a combined appraised value of $985,000 with a total purchasing price of $1,208,552. The combined purchase price is approximately 22% above the combined appraised value.
Vice Mayor Bob Ford said there has been discussion about selling the property to a developer with the expectation that businesses or residential units would eventually be built on the land.
With the purchase, the city owns all of the property south of Herbert Street in the Riverwalk District, with the exception of the Dunkin' Donuts, Bob's Bike Shop, Port Orange Mower Center and a private residence. According to the acquisition report, "staff will continue to work with these businesses and residents while we discuss options for development of the land that will be owned by the city."
"This is the area we expect to develop into a little community down there," Ford said.
During the Dec. 12 City Council meeting, City Manager Jake Johansson said this purchase puts the city in a position to start talking to developers about the acquired land. He said that before he was hired as city manger, there had been discussion to turn this area into a small seaport village. However, he said he doesn't know if there would be enough land to do this now.
As for developer conversations, Johansson said he has been in discussion about mixed use with businesses below and either low-rise condos or a boutique hotel above as an option. Johansson added that the development would remain small and would not be of "the 13-story nature."
Johansson said he also believes that some developers are contacting other business land owners in this area to see if they can combine their efforts "to make something big just south of the park," adding that he believes the land purchase "is in the best interest of the city."
