Ormond Beach FL River Walk - can it become a Reality?

Imagine a river walk in the city, complete with a restaurant and day-time marina on the Halifax. The city has come up with two preliminary site plans for Bailey Park to determine whether enough community support exists before spending money on a feasibility study.

"The concept has existed for years, first as a promenade along the shoreline," said Ric Goss, the city's planning director. "Over the years, it morphed and morphed" into many concepts. But he said the idea was included in the city's redevelopment plan in 2007, and in March commissioners directed his staff to develop a few possible options. Two were presented during the Sept. 14 commission meeting.

One calls for a low-impact, 10,000-square-foot "mom and pop" type restaurant complete with 36 parking spaces. The second is more involved, requiring more parking and the historic Pilgrim's Rest Church to be relocated a second time. It originally stood at the Pilgrim's Rest cemetery and was moved to the park when Granada Boulevard was widened many years ago.

Commissioners consider a river walk as a potential economic magnet to draw additional people downtown. "I think it would be outstanding," Mayor Fred Costello said. "But I'd hope it was a local person, rather than a chain" that built the restaurant.

Commissioner Ed Kelley added: " It would create a vibrancy within downtown."

Currently, Ormond Beach has no restaurants or public marina on the river. The city has $75,000 allocated in the 2009-10 budget for a feasibility study -- money collected from a special taxing district that's earmarked for community improvements.

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(resource: News-Journal)