Board allows Midtown event center to operate despite residential proximity requirement

The Daytona Beach Board of Adjustment approved a variance on Dec. 18 to allow an event center at 204 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard despite the city's 250-foot separation requirement from residential zoning.

Renee L. Richardson, who identified herself as the property owner and a business owner in Midtown, told the board the project began in March and has faced stop-work orders and code issues but is now renovated and ready to operate as an event center. "This is the last hurdle...so we are really asking for the variance just to be able to provide this service and provide this beautiful location," Richardson said. She said she is negotiating partnerships with a veterans nonprofit and expects community events.

City staff member Rose Askew and planner Melissa Phillips explained that the Midtown redevelopment area was expected to need variances because it was developed under older zoning; Askew said the code requires event centers on smaller lots to limit patron counts and to keep activities interior-only. Askew told the board the applicant's property totals roughly 10,200 square feet, limiting patrons to between 50 and 199, and she emphasized: "All activities are required to be inside on the property. They cannot have any type of outside air activities." Askew also said parking is not required along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in this area and that the applicant will provide additional on-site parking across the street.

Neighbors and audience members questioned why a variance was necessary given the built character of the area; Askew replied the 250-foot criterion was adopted citywide and that the Board of Adjustment was the resource when redevelopment properties could not meet specific criteria. After the board's questions about parking surface (asphalt) and capacity, an unidentified board member moved to approve and another seconded; the motion passed by roll call.

The variance allows Richardson to operate an event center under the city's event-center standards while not meeting the 250-foot separation from residential uses. Code limits discussed at the hearing include the indoor-only restriction, patron cap tied to lot size (50–199), and operating hours limited to midnight.