DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A riverfront revitalization project is set to transform downtown Daytona Beach. 

What You Need To Know

  • Daytona Beach's downtown riverfront is being transformed

  • Part of a $25 million project to turn it into a esplanade

  • Construction is underway despite the pandemic pushing back the schedule

​While the schedule was pushed back due to the pandemic, construction is now moving right along. 

At Sweet Marlay’s coffee, owner Tammy Kozinski is buzzing looking at all the construction happening on Beach Street. 

“Excited, yeah, super excited,” Kozinski said. 

It is all part of a $25 million project to revamp the land along the Halifax river into the Brown Riverfront Esplanade. The land is on a 50-year lease to the Brown Riverfront Esplanade Foundation, which is handling the project. 

They asked Joe Yarbrough to manage the area. 

“I couldn’t help from getting excited, this is part of the renaissance of downtown Daytona Beach,” said Yarbrough, Esplanade manager. 

He said that the project is broken down into two phases, with phase one on the North end of Beach Street. They are working on that phase now. 

“Everything from a dog park to water features to jogging paths, to open passive areas, to a dune that oversees the river," Yarbrough said. 

He shared renderings of the next phase which will feature a splash pad, interactive fountains, a botanical garden and a wedding venue. While phase one was set to open in April, it's been pushed back to June or July. Then with phase two is set to open in the first quarter of 2022. 

“COVID didn’t help anything of course and everybody that is in the construction business knows it takes a while to even get materials now if you can get them," Yarbrough said. 

Once the esplanade is completed, Kozinski is hopeful it will become a destination and help Beach Street as a whole. 

“The more people in the area, the more alive the area seems, the more vitality, the more businesses that will come in. It will all feed off of each other,” Kozinski said.

She is hopeful it will create a renewed interest in downtown Daytona Beach. 

“I am hoping for it not to be what it was but to be something even better than it's ever been,” Kozinski said.

While the cost of this project is being covered by the non-profit, the City of Daytona Beach will have to pay yearly maintenance fees that are expected to be more than what the average park would need. Bids for that will go out this month.