1.0 A Vison for the Bayfront Redevelopment District

The Bayfront Redevelopment District (BRD) shall be redeveloped as an attractive, inviting, and economically successful mixed-use environment that promotes a positive image and identity for the community. The area shall consist of several distinct special character districts with different objectives. The most central of these shall host a community serving commercial district, Bayfront Village, the historic center of the community. The central district/Bayfront Village shall be transformed and feature a turn-of-the-century Florida vernacular style of architecture in keeping with the “village-like” historic character of the area; a compact built environment; a traditional network of improved narrow streets; pathways leading to public spaces and enhanced views to the Indian River Lagoon. A network of trails and public open spaces oriented along US Highway 1 shall connect the districts. The economic vitality of the district shall be further enhanced by the development of incentives to encourage additional industrial development in appropriate areas within the community. Economic redevelopment of the BRD shall result in the improvement of the economic climate throughout Palm Bay.

2.0 History

For centuries the waters of Palm Bay have brought vitality to this area. Named for the white sands and sabal palms along the mouth of Turkey Creek, Palm Bay has long attracted people who live off of the bounty of the land and the river.  Originally the Timucan Indians inhabited this area, drawn here by the freshwater springs and abundant wildlife resources. Other Native American tribes that found homes here include the Jaegas, Seminoles and AIS.  Not until the mid-nineteenth century was this Turkey Creek site settled by Caucasians. They knew this area as the town of Tillman. They planted orange groves along Turkey Creek; they cut lumber; and they herded cattle. Agricultural development increased with the arrival of the railroad in 1894, and received a tremendous boost in the 1920s upon the creation of the Melbourne-Tillman Drainage District. This district’s canal project opened up over 40,000 acres of marshland for agricultural cultivation, which was marketed by the Indian River Land Company.  Tillman was renamed Palm Bay in 1925. Hurricanes and the Great Depression brought development to a standstill. Significant growth did not resume until the arrival of naval air stations and space related industries in the 1940s and 1950s. That growth continued on as the General Development Corporation presented Port Malabar, a major residential development project, that began just south of Turkey Creek’s bay of palms.  Palm Bay continues to lure new residents placing this city in the top ten of the state’s rankings on growth rate and population gain since 1985. This plan for the redevelopment of Palm Bay’s Bayfront District builds on the allure of this natural environment to reinvigorate this thriving, spirited community along the Indian River Lagoon.