City of Edgewater - Brochure 2016

2 3 Located in southeast Volusia County, Edgewater is an IntraCoastal waterfront community, adjacent to the Indian River and the renowned Mosquito Lagoon with 21,000 acres of sports fishing paradise and a haven for nature tours. The lagoon is also the site for the Kennedy Space Center. Written by Anne Lindert-Wentzell hirty years ago, social psychologists David McMillian city “are under capacity. So we have plenty of infrastructure avail- and David Chavis formulated a theory about the power able for growth and development as we move forward.” Tof communities. In essence, their theory postulates that a sense of community is derived from an emotional connect- The Florida East Coast Railway operates from Miami to Jackson- edness to a region – a feeling of belonging – with a shared ville and runs directly through Edgewater providing access to a faith that all needs and visions for the future will be realized and number of ports. commitment to making that happen. It is this sense of connect- edness that proves crucial for attaining healthy communities The city is conveniently located between two deep-water ports. - communities that offer an unrivaled quality of life. The international trade seaport of Jacksonville Port Authority is an hour and half away to the north, and the Port Canaveral There are some communities that will falter in the attempt to Authority – a cargo, cruise and naval port – is less than an hour achieve this end, but such is not the case for Edgewater, Florida. away to the city’s south. “Everything for the space transporta- This riverfront city of close to 22,000 and growing, recently cel- tion programs that are opening up the Kennedy Space Centre ebrated its sixty-fifth anniversary since being incorporated in all come through [Port Canaveral] as well,” adds Samantha. 1951. There is so much more to celebrate moving forward. The city offers easy access to a number of airports including the Not only has Edgewater’s quaint charm earned it the title Massey Ranch Airpark and the neighboring municipal airport of ‘The Hospitality City’, but this vibrant, centrally-located located at New Smyrna Beach. Daytona International is a half- business and commercial community is well positioned to hour away, and Orlando International is an hour outside the city. take advantage of any investment interests through its business-ready strategy. The largest employers in Edgewater are in education, health- “This vibrant, centrally-located care and government. Manufacturing also plays a vital role in business and commercial Edgewater is on I-95, which runs along the Atlantic seaboard from the Edgewater landscape with twenty-five percent of the city’s community is well positioned Florida to the New England states and is less than a half hour to workforce skilled in the mechanical, construction and manu- the east-west interstate I-4 corridor. The U.S. Route 1 – a historic facturing industries. to take advantage of any highway on the nation’s east coast – runs through the city. investment interests through The biggest manufacturers include luxury boat builders such as its business-ready strategy.” Samantha Bishop, Edgewater’s economic development and rede- Boston Whaler, Everglades Boats and Edgewater Power Boats. velopment coordinator, says that the internal roadways within the Brunswick Commercial and Government Products is also in the 4 5 tion. The school is the “first STEM certified elementary school in the state of Florida,” affirms Samantha. Edgewater is well positioned to both attract and retain business interests and capital investment with available incentives. These include a recently approved tax abatement program for every ten new jobs created. This abatement, “provides tax abatement for the city taxes up to one hundred percent and up to ten years,” states Samantha. Brownfield grants are also available for the redevelopment and revitalization of underutilized properties situated along the “Diversity enables target industries southeast Volusia corridor which include the city of Edgewa- to engage with a specialized labor ter and nearby cities of New Smyrna Beach and Oak Hill. These force that provides the knowledge grants are approved by the Southeast Volusia Improvement Coalition (SVCIC). Its mandate is, in part, to assess environmen- and skill sets that make such tal concerns, strengthen these cities’ economies and financially industries productive.” support all brownfield undertakings. “Those brownfield grant dollars can be used to pay for a Phase I city and specializes in craft requirements for law enforcement, and a Phase II environmental survey, as well as clean up,” explains fire and rescue agencies and special operations and combat. Samantha. If a property is going to be redeveloped into housing projects, there are additional bonus funds for the purchasing of Diversity enables target industries to engage with a special- building materials. “There are great opportunities there.” ized labor force that provides the knowledge and skill sets that make such industries productive. Edgewater’s target industries are based, “in aviation, space transportation [and] IT,” says Samantha. “Some of the skill sets that are required for boat building would transfer over to aviation. We obviously have the skilled workforce that can do that.” And that skilled workforce is provided by five universities and colleges in southeast Volusia, all within thirty miles. These institutions include Stetson University, (known as the Harvard of the South), University of Central Florida, Daytona State College, Bethune-Cookman College and the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which is “the top aviation school in the world,” says Samantha. The Advanced Technical Center in Daytona Beach is also a short commute from the city. These institutions provide, “some great production training programs for certified production technicians and programs that hit on all of those skill sets required” she says. They align themselves closely with the local manufacturing industries and are quick to respond in providing the required training programs necessary. “They are very responsive to our needs.” Additionally, the Edgewater Public School recently earned AdvancED STEM Certification, a further indication of the city’s commitment to preparing students for post-secondary educa- 6 7 Developers can “take advantage of low-interest rates for any residential properties to its east and an industrial park to its loans associated with redeveloping that property and building west and is just east of the I-95. “Numerous activities encourage something new on that property.” physical activity and healthy Currently, there is a waiting list for Tee hangars and larger lifestyles.” Since 2005, Edgewater has been home to Volusia County’s hangars are ninety-five percent occupied by businesses. “There largest industrial park – ParkTowne Industrial Center – located are 30,000 square foot hangars or manufacturing available for on over 342 acres and ideal for commercial and industrial inter- sale. Aero-Tech Business Park consists of 50 acres available for will proceed with a conscious approach to environmental ests. Currently, the occupancy rate is fifty percent and parcels additional commercial/industrial development. I just need planning and economic growth that will foster Edgewater’s of land are shovel-ready with electricity, water and sewage someone who is interested in developing them,” says Bliss quality of life. Deering Park is, “a complete planned unit devel- available. There is an eighty-three-acre tract available on the Massey, broker associate with Massey Properties. “We have fifty opment,” explains Samantha. north side of the park with other parcels for sale by private acres called Aerotech Business Park for additional commercial/ owners that are, “willing to do build-to-suit buildings and do industrial development,” she continues. In 2014, Edgewater’s first Community Redevelopment Area some great creative opportunities there.” There are also other (CRA) was approved and will incorporate a twenty-year plan to STRONG BOATS. industrial areas with properties that have, “rail spurs available “We have luxury homes, taxiway homes with private hangars redevelop a stretch of the U.S. Route 1 that is in need of revi- STRONG COMMUNITY. for any of the businesses that would be relocating here that available for sale including the townhome development the talization and to create a downtown area. The U.S. 1 Route was Boston Whaler’s heritage as the would need rail service.” Villas at Massey Ranch. Residents’ ability to live on taxiways and the only roadway fifty years ago, taking travelers from Key West “Unsinkable Legend” means more than building superior boats. It means have planes in their garages is really a very nice feature with to Maine before the I-95 was built. a dedication to quality, a passion for Moreover, there is free fill through the city’s partnership with the beautiful upscale homes,” adds Samantha. innovation and a commitment to Florida Inland Navigational District (F.I.N.D.) which can provide, Many of the properties are small with older buildings and odd positive growth. A strong community makes this all possible, which is why lot sizes that don’t accommodate the landscaping, parking and “750 cubic yards of fill material for each full-time job created.” At the southwest corner of the I-95 is the nine-hundred-acre we’re proud to call Edgewater home. Deering Park Center, a mixed-use development. It is still in storm water requirements. “The CRA is created to help offset Further enhancing the community is Edgewater’s Massey the planning stage and will include housing, medical centers, those costs to allow and provide funds for property owners Ranch Airpark, a presence in the city since the 1950s. This fly-in hotels, shopping, parks and industrial development. Upon that want to enhance these properties,” explains Samantha. bostonwhaler.com residential community also serves as a commercial/industrial completion, Deering Park is expected to accommodate 1.5 The premise is to establish an appreciation for the U.S.

Load more