River of Lakes Heritage Corridor
Neighborhoods
Coming Into Its Own
For decades, West Volusia County was relatively untouched by the boom enveloping the rest of Central Florida. Long overshadowed by high-profile Daytona Beach to the east, the western stretches of the county were known primarily for small towns and nature preserves.
No longer. Today, thanks to improved access and the availability of land, development is rolling east past Seminole County and into such places as Orange City, Deltona, DeLand and DeBary.
West Volusia consists of about 60 square miles and is home to some 100,000 people, according to county demographic data. That’s nearly a quarter of the county’s total population.
Over the past half-dozen years, West Volusia has become essentially the northern edge of Orlando, linked to the metro area by I-4 and the St. Johns River Bridge, both of which have been widened.
Much of the population growth is a result of outmigration, says Rick Michael, director of the county’s Economic Development Department.
About 22 percent of West Volusia’s new residents—about 32,000 people over the past five years—moved from Orange and Seminole counties, Michael estimates. Many are still commuting to their old jobs in Orlando" target="_blank">Orange County’s high-tech business centers.
Meanwhile, West Volusia is evolving as a place to work as well as live.
DeLand, home of Stetson University and the Volusia county seat, offers employment for numerous government and education professionals. Industrial parks are being developed along I-4 while retail and office centers are sprouting up along U.S. 17-92 and Saxon Avenue in the Orange City-Deltona area.
In fact, Orange City has blossomed into a commercial hub for West Volusia. City officials estimate that the city’s official population of 9,000 more than triples during the day as a result of shoppers and workers.
To accommodate West Volusia’s growth, several large master-planned communities are springing up, including DeLand’s amenity-rich Victoria Park.
Victoria Park, in fact, was the hottest community in all of Volusia County last year, with 287 new and resale homes sold at an average price of $330,679.
About 50 percent of the new owners in Victoria Park come from elsewhere in Central Florida, says Jeff Gersh, vice president and project manager for St. Joe, the community’s developer. The remainder of the residents are split almost equally between other Floridians and northerners escaping the cold.
Many are drawn by relatively affordable prices compared to similar homes in Orlando proper, Gersh adds. You can get a spacious new home with a pool in Victoria Park in the $300s while you’d be lucky to find a 60-year-old bungalow for that price in the neighborhoods around downtown Orlando.
But they’re also enchanted by DeLand, which is one of the most appealing small cities in Florida.
The picture-postcard downtown district is a mix of trendy boutiques and mom-and-pop eateries occupying vintage brick buildings, many dating from the 1880s.
At the heart of DeLand is Stetson University, a private liberal-arts institution founded more than 100 years ago by John B. Stetson, the renowned hatmaker.
Vintage residential neighborhoods surround DeLand’s commercial district and are attracting ready-to-remodel baby-boomers, according to Maggi Hall, a longtime city resident and broker at West Volusia Properties.
For example, the city’s Garden District, where Hall has her office, was down and out until newcomers began renovating their homes about seven years ago.
Still, it’s Victoria Park that will have the biggest impact on this once-sleepy city. It occupies more than 1,800 acres and, when built out, will encompass more than 4,200 homes and 10,000 people. DeLand’s population in the 2000 census was just under 21,000.
The fact that a major player such as St. Joe considers the area ready for such a major project is clearly a sign of West Volusia’s increasing stature in development market.
The largest city in all of Volusia County is Deltona, which was first developed in the early 1960s as a master-planned community marketed primarily to northerners. Deltona finally incorporated in 1995 and today boasts nearly 72,000 residents.
Deltona, which sits squarely in between Orlando and Daytona Beach, is now mostly built out but still has relatively inexpensive resale homes.
But while most experts expect the western portion of the county to attract most of the attention from builders and buyers, the eastern? portion of the county is also seeing growth.
For example, Venetian Bay, located in a rural area west of New Smyrna Beach, will encompass about 1,800 homes on a 1,250-acre site that until recently was a working cattle ranch.
In terms of scope and significance, it’s on par with Victoria Park and offers such amenities as a community center and 256 acres of nature preserve. Plans also call for an 18-hole golf course and a pedestrian mall.
“Not only does this project bring a significant number of rooftops to the area, but the commercial and retail components really create a sense of community like no other,” says Cara Kane, director of public relations for KB Home, one of Venetian Bay’s builders.
The community is popular with move-up buyers, Kane says. Buyers also tend to be local, many from only 10 or 15 miles away, in part because of the amenity package and in part because New Smyrna has long been “Orlando’s beach town.”
Venetian Bay is sparking the westward expansion of New Smyrna Beach, bringing not only new residents but also new infrastructure to an often-overlooked part of the county.
“The community has helped the city transform from a quiet, small-town atmosphere to a vibrant, up-and-coming destination that people are excited to be a part of,” Kane says.
Venetian Bay was the second-hottest development in Volusia County last year, with 211 sales of new homes at an average price of $360,543.
The county’s next three communities with the highest sales were also along the coast: Oceans Grand (182 condominium units at an average price of $336,389), Waters Edge (159 single-family homes at an average price of $363,133) and Plaza Resort and Spa (157 condominium units at an average price of $254,711).
There is a downside for buyers: Volusia County isn’t as affordable as it used to be. Prices haven’t hit Orlando levels yet, but they’re moving up as the area becomes more popular.
Sue Darden, executive officer of the Volusia Home Builders Association says investors buying homes and hoping to “flip” them for a quick profit helped to inflate prices over the past several years.
But, as in other parts of Central Florida, speculators have abandoned the market as the real-estate market slowed. That means some of the upward pressure on prices has eased.
So for now, at least, Volusia remains a place where the living—and the buying—is easy.
For additional information about West Volusia, please see page 65. For a listing of new home communities in West Volusia, please see pages 120 to 121.
No longer. Today, thanks to improved access and the availability of land, development is rolling east past Seminole County and into such places as Orange City, Deltona, DeLand and DeBary.
West Volusia consists of about 60 square miles and is home to some 100,000 people, according to county demographic data. That’s nearly a quarter of the county’s total population.
Over the past half-dozen years, West Volusia has become essentially the northern edge of Orlando, linked to the metro area by I-4 and the St. Johns River Bridge, both of which have been widened.
Much of the population growth is a result of outmigration, says Rick Michael, director of the county’s Economic Development Department.
About 22 percent of West Volusia’s new residents—about 32,000 people over the past five years—moved from Orange and Seminole counties, Michael estimates. Many are still commuting to their old jobs in Orlando" target="_blank">Orange County’s high-tech business centers.
Meanwhile, West Volusia is evolving as a place to work as well as live.
DeLand, home of Stetson University and the Volusia county seat, offers employment for numerous government and education professionals. Industrial parks are being developed along I-4 while retail and office centers are sprouting up along U.S. 17-92 and Saxon Avenue in the Orange City-Deltona area.
In fact, Orange City has blossomed into a commercial hub for West Volusia. City officials estimate that the city’s official population of 9,000 more than triples during the day as a result of shoppers and workers.
To accommodate West Volusia’s growth, several large master-planned communities are springing up, including DeLand’s amenity-rich Victoria Park.
Victoria Park, in fact, was the hottest community in all of Volusia County last year, with 287 new and resale homes sold at an average price of $330,679.
About 50 percent of the new owners in Victoria Park come from elsewhere in Central Florida, says Jeff Gersh, vice president and project manager for St. Joe, the community’s developer. The remainder of the residents are split almost equally between other Floridians and northerners escaping the cold.
Many are drawn by relatively affordable prices compared to similar homes in Orlando proper, Gersh adds. You can get a spacious new home with a pool in Victoria Park in the $300s while you’d be lucky to find a 60-year-old bungalow for that price in the neighborhoods around downtown Orlando.
But they’re also enchanted by DeLand, which is one of the most appealing small cities in Florida.
The picture-postcard downtown district is a mix of trendy boutiques and mom-and-pop eateries occupying vintage brick buildings, many dating from the 1880s.
At the heart of DeLand is Stetson University, a private liberal-arts institution founded more than 100 years ago by John B. Stetson, the renowned hatmaker.
Vintage residential neighborhoods surround DeLand’s commercial district and are attracting ready-to-remodel baby-boomers, according to Maggi Hall, a longtime city resident and broker at West Volusia Properties.
For example, the city’s Garden District, where Hall has her office, was down and out until newcomers began renovating their homes about seven years ago.
Still, it’s Victoria Park that will have the biggest impact on this once-sleepy city. It occupies more than 1,800 acres and, when built out, will encompass more than 4,200 homes and 10,000 people. DeLand’s population in the 2000 census was just under 21,000.
The fact that a major player such as St. Joe considers the area ready for such a major project is clearly a sign of West Volusia’s increasing stature in development market.
The largest city in all of Volusia County is Deltona, which was first developed in the early 1960s as a master-planned community marketed primarily to northerners. Deltona finally incorporated in 1995 and today boasts nearly 72,000 residents.
Deltona, which sits squarely in between Orlando and Daytona Beach, is now mostly built out but still has relatively inexpensive resale homes.
But while most experts expect the western portion of the county to attract most of the attention from builders and buyers, the eastern? portion of the county is also seeing growth.
For example, Venetian Bay, located in a rural area west of New Smyrna Beach, will encompass about 1,800 homes on a 1,250-acre site that until recently was a working cattle ranch.
In terms of scope and significance, it’s on par with Victoria Park and offers such amenities as a community center and 256 acres of nature preserve. Plans also call for an 18-hole golf course and a pedestrian mall.
“Not only does this project bring a significant number of rooftops to the area, but the commercial and retail components really create a sense of community like no other,” says Cara Kane, director of public relations for KB Home, one of Venetian Bay’s builders.
The community is popular with move-up buyers, Kane says. Buyers also tend to be local, many from only 10 or 15 miles away, in part because of the amenity package and in part because New Smyrna has long been “Orlando’s beach town.”
Venetian Bay is sparking the westward expansion of New Smyrna Beach, bringing not only new residents but also new infrastructure to an often-overlooked part of the county.
“The community has helped the city transform from a quiet, small-town atmosphere to a vibrant, up-and-coming destination that people are excited to be a part of,” Kane says.
Venetian Bay was the second-hottest development in Volusia County last year, with 211 sales of new homes at an average price of $360,543.
The county’s next three communities with the highest sales were also along the coast: Oceans Grand (182 condominium units at an average price of $336,389), Waters Edge (159 single-family homes at an average price of $363,133) and Plaza Resort and Spa (157 condominium units at an average price of $254,711).
There is a downside for buyers: Volusia County isn’t as affordable as it used to be. Prices haven’t hit Orlando levels yet, but they’re moving up as the area becomes more popular.
Sue Darden, executive officer of the Volusia Home Builders Association says investors buying homes and hoping to “flip” them for a quick profit helped to inflate prices over the past several years.
But, as in other parts of Central Florida, speculators have abandoned the market as the real-estate market slowed. That means some of the upward pressure on prices has eased.
So for now, at least, Volusia remains a place where the living—and the buying—is easy.
For additional information about West Volusia, please see page 65. For a listing of new home communities in West Volusia, please see pages 120 to 121.