- June 3, 2026
Volusia County and Prince of Peace Catholic Church are working to find a solution to the concern regarding vehicular access onto the church campus and thrift store off Hand Avenue.
Ormond Beach City Commissioner Lori Tolland, a parishioner at Prince of Peace, said there has been "good dialogue" between the county and church leadership. She attended a meeting on Thursday, May 28, between the parties as well as city staff.
"There was a great collaborative effort with solutions discussed concerning the left turn ingress into Prince of Peace," Tolland said.
Parshioners have raised concerns in recent weeks about a new median part of a $5.1 million road project on Hand Avenue. The project, designed to improve safety in the corridor, impacts the section between Clyde Morris Boulevard and Nova Road.
The new median prevents Prince of Peace parishioners and visitors to its Like New Shop thrift store from making a left turn onto the grounds from the eastbound lanes.
At a community meeting hosted by District 4 Volusia County Councilman Troy Kent on May 18, County Engineer Tad Kasbeer explained the road project prioritized full median openings for residential areas. Prince of Peace is surrounded by a few mobile home communities —Shady Oaks, Coquina Cove and Pinewood Estates — as well as Wellington Station condominiums. These communities only have access from Hand Avenue, whereas the church has an entrance at Nova and Division Ave., with a traffic light.
City Commissioner Harold Briley said he was disappointed that the county was reluctant to make changes that would renew access into the church and the Like New Shop on Hand Avenue.
"However, I'm hopeful that through further discussions we can come to an agreement to make it more accessible for westbound traffic on Hand Avenue to utilize the driveway for Prince of Peace," said Briley, who represents Zone 4 on the commission.
On May 22, Kasbeer met with church leadership, parishioners and Assistant City Manager Shawn Finley onsite to discuss the median. The May 28 meeting, Tolland said, was a follow-up.
While the county is not willing to remove the median, they are willing to consider other options, she said. The residents who attend Prince of Peace and live on the west side of town primarily use the Hand Avenue entrance.
"They feel like it's very unsafe that you can't make a left turn into that, so they're all going up to Wellington and making a U-turn, and they feel like that's even more unsafe," Tolland said.
