- April 24, 2024
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The Florida Department of Transportation is planning improvements for Granada Boulevard along a portion of Ormond Beach’s downtown district.
A meeting will be held starting 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, at The Casements, located at 25 Riverside Drive, to discuss a $5.4 million construction project that aims to narrow the travel lanes and “introduce subtle alignment shifts to help encourage slower driving speeds,” according to the project’s flyer. A looping presentation will be presented until 7:30 p.m.
FDOT states that the goal of the project is to extend the service life of the roadway, and enhance safety and operations for all users along the corridor. Smart Growth America’s “Dangerous by Design 2022” report, released in mid-July, identified the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach metro area as the deadliest in the country, with an average of 4.25 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people a year.
In addition to narrow travel lanes along the project area, which spans from U.S. 1 to State Road A1A, FDOT is recommending the construction of a new directional median opening at Washington Street to help reduce potential left-turn conflicts.
FDOT also seeks to reconstruct the traffic signals at the intersections of Granada Boulevard and Ridgewood Avenue, and Granada Boulevard and A1A. Other proposed pedestrian safety enhancements, according to the project flyer, include raised mid-block crossings with pedestrian-activated signals and reconstructed pedestrian curb ramps.
FDOT is also planning to add new bicycle lanes next to turn lanes and minor drainage improvements and
intersection lighting upgrades.
Want to attend, but can’t do so in person? FDOT is providing a virtual option where people may join the meeting online. Advance registration is required for this option, and may be completed by visiting https://bit.ly/3By5Hi5.
You can also join the meeting in listen-only mode by calling 1-866-901-6455 and entering the passcode 979-871-100 when prompted.
Last week, Ormond Beach firefighters extinguished three structure fires — all on the same day, July 22.
According to the city’s staff report for July 29, firefighters responded to a single-story residential home at 70 Hidden Hills Drive at 12:09 a.m., finding heavy smoke and fire showing through the roof. The fire was caused due to electrical issues. All occupants and pets were evacuated safely.
Then at 7:30 a.m., firefighters responded to a manufactured home on fire at 22 Ribbon Falls Drive, which the city staff report states was also likely caused by electrical issues. The home, which was vacant at the time of the fire, sustained significant smoke damage throughout.
Finally, that evening at 11:06 p.m., firefighters responded to a townhome at 9 Soco Trail. Upon their arrival, firefighters reported the home was 50% involved with heavy flames and that there was a partial roof collapse in the garage. Crews were able to prevent most damage to the adjacent units. There were no injuries, and OBFD was assisted by crews from Volusia County and Daytona Beach.
The Ormond Beach Planning Board is scheduled to meet on Thursday, Aug. 11.
On the agenda is a special exception sought by Riverbend Academy at 2080 West Granada Blvd. to construct a new 13,327 square-foot building to accommodate an increase of 400 students.
The Planning Board will also review a small-scale land use map amendment and a zoning map amendment for a 33-acre parcel of land located between Plantation Oaks Boulevard and Old Dixie Highway. This is the property that was bought for conservation purposes by Volusia County.
The land use will be amended to “recreation/open space” from “low density residential” and the zoning to “Special Environmental” from Planned Residential Development.
The Volusia Forever Advisory Committee will meet at 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 5, in the County Council Chambers at the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center at 123 W. Indiana Ave. in DeLand.
Members will recommend eligible properties to be purchased by the program.
