Ormond Beach Observer

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ORMOND BEACH

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

SPORTS

NEIGHBORHOOD

Campanella gets 400th victory.

Seeing greet: Ormond celebrates St. Patrick’s Day!

PAGE 9

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015

NEWS

Locks of Love gives students a chance to serve others in a unique way. PAGE 3

PAGE 13

if you build it …

OUR TOWN

By Wayne Grant | News Editor

DEVELOPING ORMOND

Wayne Grant

+ Biker Wedding Greg Huber and Denise Miller got married on the spur of the moment in Ormond Beach. See Page 2.

‘As you get more rooftops, you get more retail.’ Wayne Grant

The grounds where Memorial Hospital once stood are returning to nature but will likely be the site of luxury condominiums.

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Courtesy photo

Lady of the Lake, played by Alexa Baldwin, is surrounded by her Laker Girls, played by Mariel Kitaif, Allison Maxwell, Darian Parks and Jenna Klepser.

+ Ormond residents star in ‘Spamalot’

The hit Broadway show “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” a musical comedy from the film classic “Monty Python and The Holy Grail,” opens March 20 at Daytona Playhouse and runs through April 5. The play is the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their quest for the Holy Grail. A Lady of the Lake, Laker Girls, flying cows, killer rabbits, taunting Frenchmen and musical numbers are just a few of the characters in this play, directed by Kathy Thompson with musical direction by Ben Beck and choreography by Anthony Romeo. Tickets cost $21 for adults, $19 for seniors 55 and older and $10 for 18 and under. Buy online at DaytonaPlayhouse.org or call 255-2431.

wo residential developments will be getting started this year in Ormond Beach, though both will take several years to build out. If the Ormond Renaissance Condominium gets a final zoning change approval from the City Commission, it will eventually bring 286 luxury condos to the heart of town. Huntington Village is set to break ground this year on a development of 327 single-family homes and villas west of Interstate 95 in an unincorporated area near the city.

(For more on Huntington, see the box on Page 5.) The City Commission will consider the zoning approval for the condominium in two readings, tentatively set for April. These projects are significant and will likely lead to new business development, according to Ormond Economic Development Director Joe Mannarino. “As you have more rooftops, you have more retail,” he said. “That’s how it works.” The Ormond Renaissance Condominum is good news for

nearby retailers, especially Trails Shopping Center, he said. There are also houses being built in established neighborhoods west of Interstate 95, such as Breakaway Trails, and Mannarino said he expects this to lead to more mixed-use developments along the south side of State Road 40. As the west side of town builds out, it should lead to construction in Ormond Crossings, a planned development on North U.S. 1 that has a potential for 3,000 homes. Neighborhoods

near the Crossings, Halifax Plantation, Ormond Lakes and Plantation Bay, also have room to expand. Ormond Crossings also includes a business park that would provide jobs. But more houses also mean a more populated area and demand on roads and services. City Manager Joyce Shanahan said the need for water, sewer, transportation and other resources are considered by the

SEE DEVELOPMENT / PAGE 5

NO LIMITS By Emily Blackwood | Community Editor

BACK ON TRACK

Despite being in a coma three months ago, Alessandra Buenner will still run in the Halifax Health Tomoka Half Marathon. It was a particularly gorgeous Christmas day for Alessandra Buenner. She was still floating high on that “special feeling you get around the holidays,” and she was going for a ride down East Granada Boulevard in preparation for the upcoming Tomoka Marathon. Flying down the Granada Bridge at 30 mph, Buenner slowed down to 14 mph to make a left turn — and woke up in the hospital 12 days later. “It’s that simple,” she said. “I don’t remember anything. When I woke up I said, ‘What am I doing here?’ The doctors asked me if I knew who I was. My friend

Sara Dean came in after and told me everything is going to be OK. Once you see that person that you trust so much, you are fine. It’s all in your head.” Through three months of recovery at the Halifax Health, Buenner was able to get back on track with her life and her training. She credits her quick recovery to her mindset, and to the officers, nurses and doctors who took care of her. When her therapists weren’t exactly thrilled that she was still training for the half mara-

SEE MARATHON / PAGE 4

Emily Blackwood

Alessandra Buenner will be running the Tomoka Half Marathon.

INDEX Blackwood..............6 Calendar...............13

Classifieds ...........18 Cops Corner............8

Crossword.............18 Neighborhood.......13

Real Estate...........16 Sports.....................9

Vol. 3, No. 27 One section


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