Redevelopment agency reviews Main Street streetscape plans as merchants press for parking protections

Catalyst Design Group presented conceptual streetscape designs for Main Street to the Daytona Beach Community Redevelopment Agency on April 1, drawing both support for pedestrian improvements and sharp warnings from merchants about parking and construction impacts. Ken Thomas, the city's Redevelopment Director, said the project has followed public outreach and a work authorization approved in December 2024 and recalled a November public meeting with more than 80 participants.

"We looked at Main Street itself and the connectors that connect into it," Tim Saucer of Catalyst Design Group told commissioners, describing the team's goals to balance special-event functionality with day‑to‑day pedestrian activity and to improve links to the Peabody and Ocean Center. Consultants showed alternatives that range from maintaining asphalt to placing brick pavers in portions of the roadway; other elements included raised planters, flush curbs and flexible spaces that can be converted for festivals.

Merchants and long‑time property owners pushed back on specific options and on the construction approach. Dino Pass Velasquez, representing a property owners association, urged the city to avoid incentives that encourage tearing down existing buildings to create temporary event space: "We should not allow it if you have to tear down a building," he said. Tom Guest and other speakers warned that earlier Main Street renovations removed curbside parking and contributed to business closures; Guest said, "We need the turn lanes. They have to be there," arguing vehicle circulation must be preserved for events and everyday use.

Consultants said the next steps are a more detailed survey and cost estimating after commissioners provide design priorities. On schedule and phasing, the design team suggested the full design program could take roughly a year, with construction phased block‑by‑block and scheduled around major events such as Bike Week and Biketoberfest to limit business disruption.

Commissioners asked staff and consultants to meet directly with merchants and motorcycle stakeholders before finalizing design choices; staff agreed to organize follow‑up stakeholder meetings and to return to the CRA with more detailed renderings, cost estimates and phasing options at a future workshop. The agency also discussed coordinating any gateway signage or changes to the bridge with Volusia County because the county owns the roadway at the bridge approach.