Daytona Beach approves Avalon Park planned community with amendment banning construction use of Booth Road

The Daytona Beach City Commission on May 20 approved a large, multi‑phase Avalon Park planned community — rezoning roughly 2,841 acres to allow up to 8,818 residential units and about 1,091,150 square feet of nonresidential uses — and inserted a new restriction preventing the developer from using Booth Road for construction traffic.

The approval, taken during a quasi‑judicial public hearing, followed several hours of public testimony from residents of Ormond Beach and Daytona Beach who warned the commission about traffic congestion on Granada Boulevard and LPGA Boulevard, flooding and impacts on environmentally sensitive corridors. Commissioners also emphasized developer commitments that major infrastructure — including road infrastructure for each phase — must be completed before certain higher‑density phases can advance.

Why it matters: The Avalon Park approval represents one of the largest rezoning and entitlement packages the region has seen, with a buildout horizon commissioners described as 20–30 years. Residents and commissioners said the project will reshape western Volusia County’s transportation, stormwater and school‑capacity needs; the added Booth Road language aims to limit construction impacts on nearby neighborhoods.

What the commission approved and how it will be phased Commissioners voted 7–0 to adopt the Avalon Park plan development general zoning and related annexation and small‑ and large‑scale comprehensive plan amendments after adding an amendment to the PD agreement spelling out that the developer will not use Booth Road for construction activities. Commissioners said the developer must complete required road infrastructure before advancing certain phases; one commissioner said the developer has presented a multi‑phase infrastructure plan with an initial developer commitment of approximately $120 million for roads and internal infrastructure and additional county/state investments for overpasses estimated at roughly $75 million.

Resident concerns and staff responses Opponents at the hearing stressed traffic, flooding and environmental preservation. ‘‘I am opposed to the rezoning, and I think we should preserve our ecological systems corridors,’’ said Shanna Lohman, a nearby resident, during the small‑scale amendment hearing. Multiple speakers from Ormond Beach urged binding transportation triggers, independent flood modeling and guarantees that major infrastructure is operational before high‑density phases proceed.

City staff and commissioners pushed back that the PD includes required open‑space preservation and phased infrastructure triggers. Deputy City Manager Jim Morris and planning staff explained how the PD agreement requires infrastructure sequencing and that the developer cannot move to later phases until specified improvements are in place.

The Booth Road amendment and next steps The commission adopted additional PD language at the meeting after the developer agreed to add a sentence specifying that Booth Road would not be used for construction access. The commission recorded the motion and passed the ordinance with the amendment 7–0. The city clerk was authorized to execute the agreement and related documents. Staff said future site plans, phase approvals and site‑specific engineering reviews and permitting will be required before vertical construction begins on each phase.

What remains unresolved Although the commission approved the entitlements and added the Booth Road restriction, residents asked for additional guarantees: independent flood modeling, transportation triggers that tie density to completed infrastructure, and assurances about school capacity and job integration for existing residents. Commissioners directed staff to continue working with the developer and with county and state partners on traffic and drainage solutions and to return with implementation details as phases advance.

The item is expected to return to staff for implementation steps, and future site plans and phase‑by‑phase permits will be considered by staff and, where required, the commission.