Once again, DeLand has commercial construction projects that are visible along Woodland Blvd. Here are a few updates on three major projects.
Goodwill on North Woodland Blvd.
Construction is well underway for a new Goodwill retail store and employment center on North Woodland Blvd, north of the Hampton Inn and Suites. The current location of Goodwill is in the Frontier Communications plaza, at the corner of Woodland Blvd and International Speedway Blvd. The new location will be more than twice the size of existing store, but also will contain the employment center. The job center provides employment seekers advice on how to write a resume and how to interview for a job. Goodwill Industries describes its mission as helping people overcome barriers to employment and find meaningful work. The new location is expected to open late 2017.
Courtyard By Marriott – Downtown DeLand
The new Courtyard by Marriott in Downtown DeLand is coming along nicely and is slated to open in November of 2017. With 104 rooms over five stories, the new Marriott cost $5 million to build. Designed by architect Adelson Ramos in 2015 who spent time studying existing Downtown DeLand structures, trying to make the new building blend with DeLand’s current, historic Florida architecture, yet maintaining Marriott’s standards. Along Wisconsin Avenue, the Courtyard will be mostly red brick on the first floor, with alternating areas of yellow, orange and cream-colored stucco from the second to the fifth floors. The Woodland Boulevard elevation plan also shows a yellow tower at the northeast corner topped with a green roof.
Walmart Neighborhood Store – South Woodland Blvd.
Work on South Woodland Boulevard began on July 17 for a new roundabout that is simultaneously being built in front of a new Walmart Neighborhood Center, a grocery-only Walmart retail store. The 42,000 square foot store is expected to open in the fall of 2017, according to WRS, Inc., the store developer. Passersby will notice the the exterior of the store is taking shape as external walls are now erected. The new roundabout will provide for right turns into and out of the DeLand shopping center, as the traffic moves around two large oak trees in the Woodland Blvd. median.