W
hen Jayson Meyer first envisioned a corporate campus for his company, Synergy
Billing, he imagined the campus as a thriving place where his team members could work, play and live. That vision is taking form today in Holly Hill, a small community bordering on Daytona Beach. There, Meyer is creating a 25-acre corporate campus, The
Fountainhead at Holly Hill, in a part of the city designated as a Community Redevelopment Area. When completed, the project is expected to reflect a $ 25 million investment in the community.
Jayson Meyer reviews plans for The Fountainhead
When Volusia County Schools closed Holly Hill Middle School in 2012, it had never been on the tax rolls of the city or county. Under a previous city administration, Holly Hill purchased the land and two existing buildings for $ 60,000 per acre, with the intent to influence the use of the property. There were no serious proposals until Meyer stepped forward in 2015 to offer the city the same price per acre for which they had purchased the land and buildings. Since then, Meyer and the city of Holly Hill have worked to finalize their agreement and plans for the project, with the city providing some incentives.
First, about that name. A fountainhead is the wellspring from which a river flows. Meyer envisions the campus to be the wellspring from which jobs, education and prosperity flow into Holly Hill and the surrounding community.
The Fountainhead at Holly Hill is hailed as a particularly robust example of smart growth, and there are several characteristics of the project that reinforce that view. One need only turn to Smart Growth America to see that this development adheres to many of the principles that seek to“ improve everyday life for people through better development.” These are the principles that are guiding the development team. In fact, this is among the reasons that the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity granted Synergy Billing the opportunity to receive over $ 1 million in tax incentives, including a $ 213,000 match from Volusia County.
A Mixed-Use Development
A Smart Growth development encourages building homes, employment centers, schools, green space and other amenities near each other. This is in lieu of spreading residential communities, employment and shopping amenities in sprawling sites that are not closely located to each other, necessitating further travel.
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