Officials Celebrate Granada Plaza Makeover
Originally published July 27, 2014 in the Ormond Beach Observer
by Wayne Clark
A project that required the involvement of OrmondMainstreet, the city, a management company, a construction company and property owners has ended with a new look for Granada Plaza, located at the corner of State Road A1A and East Granada Boulevard.
Representatives of all involved parties gathered at the plaza for a ribbon cutting July 25.
“It’s beautiful. I like it a lot,” said Julia Truilo, executive director of Ormond Main Street. She said it’s an example of what can be accomplished when different entities work together.
Ormond Main Street recommended that the city provide Community Redevelopment Agency funds to remodel the façade of the plaza last year, and the City Commission agreed, awarding $249,121 toward the $1.2 million project. The design was approved by Ormond Main S
The colors of Granada Plaza now reflect surrounding nature, owner says.
Officials celebrate the renovation with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
treet, so that it would fit in with other renewal projects along with the Granada Corridor.
The plaza is owned by Linda Neubauer and Anne Lichtigman, longtime Ormond Beach residents, as Granada Plaza Group LLC.
“We are so very thrilled,” said Neubauer, “We want to enhance the streetscape of Ormond Beach.”
Anne Lichtigman pointed out that the colors blend in with the environment. The background is the color of sand, the tile awnings are the color of the ocean, the light blue is like the sky and the stone columns tie in with Andy Romano Park.
“It’s traditional yet up to date,” she said.
Ted Lightman, vice president of Charles Wayne Properties, the management company, said the plaza has a 93% occupancy and draws a lot of visitors. He said it was time to “freshen up” the property, which was last remodeled in 1987.
He said there would be no immediate effect on rent, because the businesses already have leases.
“The rents here have always been extremely reasonable,” he said. “I think with the improvements, in the future businesses will be willing to pay more. But we won’t drive away a long time tenant.”
Mike Underwood, of M.L. Underwood Construction LLC, said there was nothing unexpected in the project and it was completed in the seven-month time frame.
Two unattached buildings to the west, the Outback Steakhouse and the building next door to it, are part of Granada Plaza but were not included in the redesign project.
The Outback Steakhouse is currently being remodeled by the restaurant owners. The other building, west of Outback, has occupancy available and Lightman said it may eventually be the home of a single tenant, such as a bank or restaurant.
The oldest building in the plaza was constructed in 1967.
Nicole Harvey, of Sun Dollar Boutique, has been in the plaza for three years.
“I love the new look,” she said. “It’s coastal and fresh.”
Pearls International, a full-service jewelry store, will celebrate their one-year anniversary in the plaza in November. The Stradley family just finished remodeling the interior of the store at the same time as the exterior.
“It’s cool how that worked out,” said Sophie Stradley. She said business was good throughout the project. The construction company made sure customers had access to the stores and stopped work during major tourist events, such as Bike Week.
Both business owners remarked that Granada Plaza has very good foot traffic, which is important for their business.