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City intern’s community development report shows steady population growth and strong commercial permit value
Summary
A summer planning intern presented DeLand’s annual community development report showing continued population growth, a stable number of residential permits and a large increase in commercial permit value between 2023 and 2024.
An intern in the City of DeLand planning department presented the city’s annual community development report at the July 21 commission meeting, summarizing recent population trends, building permit activity, employment data and housing-market figures.
Tyler Figgenscher, identified as a planning intern, said historical population growth rates averaged about 2.82% since 1990 and that the city is projected to reach about 44,871 residents in 2025 using certificate-of-occupancy counts and Bureau of Economic and Business Research figures. He reported that residential building permits were roughly steady year-over-year; total residential permit value rose about $14 million from 2023 to 2024 while 2025 permit counts showed a small decline from 2024 with value holding steady.
For commercial permits, Tyler said the city saw a big increase from 2023 to 2024: the total value increased by roughly $103 million; the 2025 permit counts and value (to date) are similar to 2024, with about 45 permits valued at roughly $8 million in 2025 (to date). He said DeLand had the second-highest number of new residential permits in the county and the highest number of commercial permits in Volusia County for 2024.
Tyler summarized employment and housing data: unemployment fell from 6.2% in 2021 to 4.1% in 2024 though the labor force expanded by about 2,000 and the unemployment rate ticked up slightly since 2024. He reported a median home sale price of about $358,000 (roughly $188 per square foot) and noted the median sale price had decreased approximately 5.9% year over year; average days on market were about 62 days. He also said rents rose roughly 0.7% year over year.
Looking ahead, Tyler listed notable upcoming projects and changes in the city: a freestanding emergency room planned near South Woodland Boulevard and Publix, an expansion of the African American Arts Museum, reconstruction of the Holy Tower, a new student residential hall and a city land-development regulations code update with a public email and website for questions.
Commissioners thanked Tyler for the report and asked for process suggestions; Tyler recommended more structured training time to make the internship more skills-focused. Planning staff noted Tyler has been accepted into a graduate planning program and is in a dual-enrollment compressed undergraduate/graduate program.
