DELAND, Fla. – Cities across Central Florida are booming with population growth and development, and DeLand is no exception.
As the city looks toward the future, city officials are asking residents to fill out a survey about what they’d like to see moving forward and what should stay the same.
For 25 years, Anita Rash has owned a furniture and home décor business along Woodland Boulevard in the heart of downtown DeLand.
“We’ve been through the good, the bad, and the ugly,” she said. “When I first came here, everyone tried to deter me from doing this. They said it’s called ‘DeadLand’ and that it would be a bad mistake. I said, ‘No, there’s great potential here.’”
And she was right.
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It’s now one of the most vibrant and economically successful downtown districts in the state. The ‘Old Florida’ charm attracts visitors from all over, but finding parking can be a challenge.
“That’s one of our main issues here,” Rash said. “I would definitely say we need a parking garage because there’s not enough square footage on the ground to go wide, so we’re going to have to go up.”
“I think we’re a bit of a victim of our own success,” said Chris Graham, DeLand’s community information manager. “We have a great downtown, and people want to be a part of that.”
The winds of change are blowing in this growing city. In the last decade, DeLand has added more than 10,000 new residents, and more are on the way.
But what should that growth look like? It’s a question DeLand leaders are asking residents in a survey as they work to update the city’s 2050 Vision Plan.
“With the growth that Florida has seen, that DeLand has seen, and really all of Central Florida, it’s really accelerated that timeline,” Graham said. “Maybe we wouldn’t have done it this year, as far as revising our plan, but we’ve seen the growth, so we need to get on top of this.”
Development is happening all over the city. Apartments are being built downtown, new homes continue to sprout in the Victoria Park community, and a new SunRail station will open in a few months.
“We’re asking people how they want that area to look,” Graham said. “Right now, it’s pretty rural, but a lot of SunRail stations do promote growth, so how do people want that to look in the future?”
Rash said she’s excited about the SunRail expansion and the potential for more visitors, but since it’s nearly 4 miles away from downtown, she wants to add a shuttle service for riders.
“Just so there’s no question about how you’re going to get here once you get to that point, it’s going to be taken care of,” she explained. “Somebody gives us a call and we’ll be there to pick you up.”
The results of the survey will be presented to DeLand’s planning board and city commission in April. Whatever they find out will then help the city update its comprehensive plan, which is set to be finalized later this year.
“If we keep that community feel and we keep the camaraderie, then I think we’re doing a good job,” Graham said.
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