Ask any DeLandite his or her opinions on the housing development boom of South DeLand or the newest roundabout just south of downtown and you’ll get a variety of opinions and probably start some heated arguments. However, you ask the same residents about the improvements made to Georgia Avenue in Downtown DeLand, and you’re likely to hear a chorus of approving responses.
Georgia Avenue was once an afterthought in the downtown DeLand resurgence. The pavement was cracked, it flooded after heavy rains making the road almost impossible and there wasn’t much to offer in the way of businesses. It was forgotten and was just plain ugly! However, in the past years, hometown grown business revitalized the empty buildings along the avenue. Residents and visitors started frequenting specialty businesses like Trilogy Coffee, Café DaVinci, BakeChop and Persimmon Hollow Brewing Company among others. The area grew, yet the road conditions were still abysmal at best.
In 2014, the Georgia Avenue Streetscape project began when the City of DeLand held workshops and surveyed residents about how to best use the more than $400,000 in Downtown DeLand Community Redevelopment Area fund. There was a lot of support in fixing the avenue that had become home to so many new, interesting and original-to-town businesses. So, in summer of 2017, plans emerged for the reconstruction of the road. By mid-January of this year construction began, and the new Georgia Avenue reopened in April.
Crews replaced stormwater infrastructure, utilities, sidewalks and installed deep red, brick pavers along the stretch from South Florida Avenue to Woodland Boulevard. The $548,000 project also included repaving the alley formerly known as Pill Alley, home to the DeLand Wings mural, and renaming it Persimmon Alley.
Now, the road is the new pride of Downtown, and area merchants are not only excited about the change, but residents are able to enjoy the beautiful area that is home to Artisan Alley Friday Growers and Makers Market and at least 12 other businesses.
Business is booming. It’s the place to be for lunch, dinner, a concert, a coffee break, specialty beer tasting or just wandering down the Alley on a Friday night. The consensus is that the hassle, mess and money were worth it. It’s something that residents can agree on… as long as they don’t ever try to install a roundabout!
