Volusia County has a plan to buy 14 acres along the Halifax River and expand the existing one-acre Highbridge Park north of Ormond Beach.
The purchase is up for a vote Tuesday on the County Council agenda.
The cost is $2.7 million in park impact fees plus $150,000 for design and engineering. Volusia County hopes to recoup more than $1 million through a Florida Communities Trust state grant.
On weekends during peak fishing and boating seasons, county staff say the existing Highbridge Park is at capacity and people park all along adjacent roads. That's a safety issue for motorists and pedestrians.
According to a presentation on the expansion, the county has early plans for additional parking, kayak launches, pavilions, seasonal trails with bank fishing access, and a connection to North Peninsula State Park.
Those plans include Paddle Point @ Highbridge Park, which would make it a dedicated kayak and watercraft area. Paddle Point would include:
- a floating kayak launch and ramp,
- parking for small trailers,
- a circular drive for kayak dropoff and staging,
- a self-serve rental kiosk for kayaks and paddleboards,
- a living shoreline walk,
- large swings,
- an elevated walkway to a Tidewater Circle open-air pavilion and
- a dock renovation making it ADA compliant.
Any plans for the park still need public input, and the county plans to hold a public meeting.
The purchase would also conserve tidal marsh and Red Cedar upland habitat. The property, at 4130 John Anderson Drive, belongs to the Granvil M. Tracy Living Trust. It's bordered on the west by the Halifax River, also known as the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway; on the north by the existing Highbridge Park; and on the east and south by North Peninsula State Park.
