Dilapidated Daytona motel coming down as luxury hotel project moves forward

Demolition of the SeaSide Inn Hotel begins Tuesday at Oakridge Boulevard and State Road A1A in Daytona Beach. Construction on a new luxury hotel and condominium project is scheduled to start this fall.

DAYTONA BEACH Much to the delight of people who have been losing patience with the boarded-up windows, chipped paint, weeds, chain-link fence and vagrants at an oceanfront motel thats been sitting vacant for four years, the 58-year-old SeaSide Inn building is coming down to make way for a luxury hotel and condominium project.

Demolition work started this week on the 100-room lodge at the eastern tip of Oakridge Boulevard, and the concrete structure is slated to be leveled in three to six weeks. At a city code hearing last week sparked by complaints about the State Road A1A property, a special magistrate ordered the 1950s-era motel to be toppled by Sept. 3, but a representative for the property owner told the magistrate it could be reduced to rubble by early August if everything goes off without a hitch.

Thats magnificent, Bob Davis, president and CEO of the Hotel & Lodging Association of Volusia County, said when he heard the motel would soon be no more.

Thats great news, agreed City Commissioner Pam Woods. Its another example of moving forward on the oceanfront. Ill be thrilled when its down and the lot is cleared.

The propertys owner, Russian developer Protogroup, plans to start construction on the site this fall to put up two 300-foot towers with 500 hotel rooms and 105 condos.

Protogroup, which owns hotels and supermarkets in Russia, bought the motel property north of the Oakridge beach approach and another piece of land south of the approach in March 2012. The companys vision for the 4.5-acre site is to create a $150 million complex that would be an independent four-star facility and take about two years to construct.

Unhappiness with the SeaSide property had been mushrooming, and more than 150 people signed a petition demanding the three-story structure be taken down.

Davis and Woods both helped get the demolition in gear a few weeks ago. At a recent City Commission meeting, Woods started a discussion about what was happening with the motel, and Davis jumped into action when officials with the neighboring Plaza Resort & Spa said they didnt want to see any more angry guests who expected a pristine ocean view and instead had to look at a dilapidated building.

Protogroup Vice President Alexey Lysich had planned to topple the motel in September just before construction, but when the complaints reached fever pitch a few weeks ago the citys code enforcement division ordered the motel to be knocked down by July 5.

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Dilapidated Daytona motel coming down as luxury hotel project moves forward