, Fla. — Brightline and SunRail are both expanding in Central Florida, and developers are following close behind them.
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Transit-oriented development is taking off in the area.
On the Space Coast, developers are already betting on Brightline.
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One developer scooped up land for apartments at FL-524 and Cox Road. It’s roughly two miles west of the planned Brightline station at the Cocoa Curve, where State Road 528 meets U.S. 1.
The project is called Allegra at Cocoa and will include 312 apartment homes. They plan to break ground this year with plans to start leasing next summer.
“We’re already seeing signs of that through permitting and applications that are going in through the county,” Florida Department of Transportation Public Information Director Cindi Lane said.
The Volusia County Council approved a plan for a more than 120-house development approximately a mile from the DeLand SunRail station along West New York Ave. near Grande Ave.
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“So just like the other areas where we’ve seen really strong transit-oriented developments such as Kissimmee and Longwood, Sanford,” Lane said. “We’re very excited for what this new station will offer to the DeLand area.”
The Deland station is nearing completion. Besides housing and development, leaders are expecting to see an economic boost to the area with more Central Floridians visiting DeLand and exploring downtown using Votran, Volusia County’s public transit system.
“The Votran has recently introduced a new service called Vo-ride,” Lane said. “It’s a ride-share program that’s on demand. You use an app, or you call them and they pick you up in a minivan.”
A full fare on Vo-ride will run about two dollars.
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Lane says they don’t have a specific date for when the new station will open, but they’re expecting it to be this summer.
SunRail is hoping to see an increase in overall ridership once the new station opens.
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