Daytona Beach commission hears master plan, commissioners press for Derby Park overhaul

The Daytona Beach City Commission on April 2 received a final Parks & Recreation Master Plan and spent a large portion of the night probing priorities, costs and next steps.

Consultant Brett Kazoyan of Castle Bay Design Studio told commissioners the plan is built from a city‑wide inventory, a public website and engagement program, and a statistically valid resident survey. Key demand signals were for improved beach access, passive parks with shade and walking paths, expanded adult fitness and senior programming, and more community‑scale indoor centers. The Ocean Center and Cherry Center were cited as anchors for visitor and local programming; the consultant also recommended adding one 20,000–40,000 square foot community center with an aquatic component where practical.

The plan ranks every park by an “existing park score” (current condition) and a “community impact score” (potential). That delta produces a high/mid/low priority list; the consultant said Derby (referred to in the transcript as “Derbashire/Derby Shire”) Park had one of the lowest existing park scores and one of the highest impact scores, making it the top recommended investment. Staff warned that a comprehensive redevelopment of Derby Park would be expensive — staff and the consultant cited planning and construction costs in the multi‑million dollar range and said the city should be prepared to seek grant matches and impact‑fee leverage.

Commissioners focused on choices for Derby’s programming: whether to prioritize football and rectangular fields to create a regional tournament destination, or to design a more multigenerational campus that includes playgrounds, walking trails and an aquatic center. Public‑works director David Waller and Parks & Recreation Director Keith Willis said tradeoffs include parking capacity, field sharing logistics and staffing; Willis also noted the new Derby football turf is underused and that clubs and nonprofits often program cluster fields, reducing the city’s direct staffing burden.

Members also discussed other named priorities in the plan: Tuscilla Park (beachside family programming), Rainer Park (passive park and storm‑water pond integration with FDOT), and Schnebly community center (on Beachside). Staff asked commissioners to identify three or four top parks for focused design to create “shovel‑ready” projects that can leverage grants. The commission agreed to return in future meetings with prioritized implementation steps and funding scenarios.

Commissioners gave a broad endorsement of the plan and directed staff to prepare actionable next steps — including cost estimates, funding sources and recommended consultant scopes — for the parks the commission identifies as the initial focus.