E-Zone
The "E-Zone" is the working name of a revitalization project for the core tourist area around the Ocean Center, Peabody Auditorium, Boardwalk and Main Street. The process of creating a master plan, which will attract investment and guide redevelopment, is currently underway.
The intent is to retain the authenticity of Daytona Beach, while capitalizing on its world renowned name to help the area realize its full potential.
What is the E-Zone project?The E-Zone is envisioned as a world-class entertainment district that will complement the Ocean Center, further Daytona Beach’s image as a convention and family tourist destination, and reinforce the City’s international reputation as the “World’s Most Famous Beach.”
Why E-Zone? Why now?
As a city accustomed to the fluctuations of seasonal visitors destined for the “World’s Most Famous Beach” and large off-season big events with a regional draw, Daytona Beach is uniquely positioned to attract investment, revitalize its core and expand its economic base by both: 1) scaling and broadening its beach-oriented entertainment offering; and, 2) claiming greater status as an event city. We see substantial place-based “hidden assets” in Daytona Beach which can be leveraged to achieve the city’s goal to attract nostalgic visitors, first-time vacationers and convention meetings. The city has envisioned this location as a convention destination since the Main Street Community Redevelopment Area Plan of 1981, but has faced significant challenges in realizing that goal.
Hasn’t something similar been done before? How will this be different?
In determining the project approach, we found ourselves brainstorming about an entertainment (retail) zone in a challenged economic environment, both locally and nationally, with a proposed program that is anchored by convention hospitality. This program is highly competitive in any market - but in Daytona Beach even more so, since the biggest convention destination on the planet is just 45 minutes away. It is our position that a conventional process using conventional methods of programming and financing led by a conventional team will result in a plan that is not consumable by the development and hospitality industries, funding a process that succeeds only in reaching a new starting line rather than an implementable project. Our team is structured around a simple premise: that this project on this site at this time presents a complex set of problems that require a customized and innovative solution to achieve success.
We believe that process and outcome ultimately define one another. To achieve an unconventional outcome, this project requires an unconventional process. Our mission is to create a magnetic place for people, a place of high design quality which exudes that electric feeling of a memorable destination. This is easy to envision yet hard to do. We propose a task force approach led by AECOM’s Real Estate + Strategy team with Entertainment Retail Visioning led by Rockwell Group. Our process will be structured around strategic inputs by designers, economists and a panel of developers and operators who are active in Florida - the people who build and run the types of development that this site seeks to attract. These “twin towers” of vision and implementation will lead to a compelling definition of not only what to do, but how to do it. Our goal is not only to create a compelling vision for the E-Zone, but to ensure that the vision is implementable and realized by the development community in partnership with the City. These are challenging times requiring a “break from convention” and the AECOM + Rockwell Group Team have the vision and real estate acumen to deliver.
The "E-Zone" is the working name of a revitalization project for the core tourist area around the Ocean Center, Peabody Auditorium, Boardwalk and Main Street. The process of creating a master plan, which will attract investment and guide redevelopment, is currently underway.
The intent is to retain the authenticity of Daytona Beach, while capitalizing on its world renowned name to help the area realize its full potential.
What is the E-Zone project?The E-Zone is envisioned as a world-class entertainment district that will complement the Ocean Center, further Daytona Beach’s image as a convention and family tourist destination, and reinforce the City’s international reputation as the “World’s Most Famous Beach.”
Why E-Zone? Why now?
As a city accustomed to the fluctuations of seasonal visitors destined for the “World’s Most Famous Beach” and large off-season big events with a regional draw, Daytona Beach is uniquely positioned to attract investment, revitalize its core and expand its economic base by both: 1) scaling and broadening its beach-oriented entertainment offering; and, 2) claiming greater status as an event city. We see substantial place-based “hidden assets” in Daytona Beach which can be leveraged to achieve the city’s goal to attract nostalgic visitors, first-time vacationers and convention meetings. The city has envisioned this location as a convention destination since the Main Street Community Redevelopment Area Plan of 1981, but has faced significant challenges in realizing that goal.
Hasn’t something similar been done before? How will this be different?
In determining the project approach, we found ourselves brainstorming about an entertainment (retail) zone in a challenged economic environment, both locally and nationally, with a proposed program that is anchored by convention hospitality. This program is highly competitive in any market - but in Daytona Beach even more so, since the biggest convention destination on the planet is just 45 minutes away. It is our position that a conventional process using conventional methods of programming and financing led by a conventional team will result in a plan that is not consumable by the development and hospitality industries, funding a process that succeeds only in reaching a new starting line rather than an implementable project. Our team is structured around a simple premise: that this project on this site at this time presents a complex set of problems that require a customized and innovative solution to achieve success.
We believe that process and outcome ultimately define one another. To achieve an unconventional outcome, this project requires an unconventional process. Our mission is to create a magnetic place for people, a place of high design quality which exudes that electric feeling of a memorable destination. This is easy to envision yet hard to do. We propose a task force approach led by AECOM’s Real Estate + Strategy team with Entertainment Retail Visioning led by Rockwell Group. Our process will be structured around strategic inputs by designers, economists and a panel of developers and operators who are active in Florida - the people who build and run the types of development that this site seeks to attract. These “twin towers” of vision and implementation will lead to a compelling definition of not only what to do, but how to do it. Our goal is not only to create a compelling vision for the E-Zone, but to ensure that the vision is implementable and realized by the development community in partnership with the City. These are challenging times requiring a “break from convention” and the AECOM + Rockwell Group Team have the vision and real estate acumen to deliver.
Our approach is centered on the goals of value creation and focused on the end game that no plan can maximize value unless it is executed. Value creation occurs as both a tangible financial measure and as an intangible outcome of place making such as creating authentic character that is memorable and rooted in place, or achieving the translation of a place into a brand. Starting with the end game that something is going to be developed is essential because of the difficult economic and programmatic challenges at hand. The gap between planning and development, which in good times may present only minor hurdles, brings stark realities and failures when margins are slim, financing is scarce, and risks are high. To successfully realize plans for the E-Zone, this gap must be closed. It is our task to create a framework that will successfully catalyze reinvestment and create a place that inspires pride in the City of Daytona Beach.
APPROACH
With value creation and the end game as the two guiding principles informing our approach, the team asserts that it is necessary to disrupt the standard flow of tasks that typically characterize a design and masterplanning process - typically beginning with an analysis of existing conditions and ending with an illustrative plan and written guidelines. We propose instead to approach the problem like a development team, starting with an inventory of assets and rights, and ending with a project and program ready to move into design and construction.
In the end, our approach will result in the same basic deliverables as the traditional process, but with fundamental differences in how we get there. We are co-led by design visionary David Rockwell and development professional Chris Corr, who has decades of experience in large project realization as a leading Florida development industry executive. We are furthermore informed by a panel of developers, some with a strong local presence and others with hospitality or convention expertise.
The team will insert real estate strategy into the planning process at every stage, fundamentally changing how deliverables are envisioned, vetted, and produced. We will simultaneously engage in an active public process to ensure that the ultimate residents and users of the E-Zone have a strong voice in its realization. Our premise is that to achieve true value creation, a project must go beyond the proforma and venture into the realm of human experience.
How long will it take to develop a master plan?
The development of a master plan is a 6-month process, which has been condensed in response to the high level of excitement and support in the community and a desire to see implementation actions occur. The team has held a kickoff meeting with the Community Redevelopment Agency and has been conducting Stakeholder interviews since the project kicked off in early May.
http://www.codb.us/ezone
APPROACH
With value creation and the end game as the two guiding principles informing our approach, the team asserts that it is necessary to disrupt the standard flow of tasks that typically characterize a design and masterplanning process - typically beginning with an analysis of existing conditions and ending with an illustrative plan and written guidelines. We propose instead to approach the problem like a development team, starting with an inventory of assets and rights, and ending with a project and program ready to move into design and construction.
In the end, our approach will result in the same basic deliverables as the traditional process, but with fundamental differences in how we get there. We are co-led by design visionary David Rockwell and development professional Chris Corr, who has decades of experience in large project realization as a leading Florida development industry executive. We are furthermore informed by a panel of developers, some with a strong local presence and others with hospitality or convention expertise.
The team will insert real estate strategy into the planning process at every stage, fundamentally changing how deliverables are envisioned, vetted, and produced. We will simultaneously engage in an active public process to ensure that the ultimate residents and users of the E-Zone have a strong voice in its realization. Our premise is that to achieve true value creation, a project must go beyond the proforma and venture into the realm of human experience.
How long will it take to develop a master plan?
The development of a master plan is a 6-month process, which has been condensed in response to the high level of excitement and support in the community and a desire to see implementation actions occur. The team has held a kickoff meeting with the Community Redevelopment Agency and has been conducting Stakeholder interviews since the project kicked off in early May.
http://www.codb.us/ezone
No comments:
Post a Comment