Venetian Bay condo complex on U.S. 1 in Palm Bay. the city of Palm Bay has begun a program that gives Bayfront Development Area owners of commercial property incentives to sell or lease their property to a business, and to sell or lease a building they are vacating to make sure it doesn't sit idle. Image by Linda Jump, FLORIDA TODAY

In fact, city officials say it will take another 25 years to be the four-mile gateway to the city that they envision. But some incentives are in place to get there.

Since Oct. 1, a Business Recruitment Incentive program has offered owners of commercial property cash if they sell or lease a building they are vacating to make sure it doesn't sit idle. The amount of their incentive is based on the square footage of the building, with a maximum of $15,000.

Tim Ford, the Bayfront Redevelopment District planner, said no one has taken up the city on its offer yet. He said the program lures businesses into the redevelopment district, and he hopes it will keep business sites occupied to preserve jobs in the city.

A program through the Palm Bay Police Department offers residents rewards for reporting crime within the district. A $10,000, one-year grant allows rewards through Sept. 30.

Bayfront Park is planned at Palm Bay Road and U.S. 1. It will include an arched gateway, a plaza, walkways, a pier, canoe launch and picnic areas.

"The Bayfront Redevelopment District is a four-mile linear district with a 30-year plan to improve existing housing, the business infrastructure and to cure other blighted conditions," said Chris Norton, Palm Bay's economic development director.

The district runs along U.S. 1 from Melbourne to Malabar. Since 2001, as much as $5,000 has been available for facade projects and $2,000 for landscaping. The city also has loans and discounts within the district.

Several projects are proposed in the district. Beta Max Hoist Co. has begun construction on Robert Conlan Boulevard for a site to relocate its business from Kirby Industrial Park.

The city also has received an application to change the land use and zoning for the Days Inn Hotel site from commercial to multifamily. As many as 80 units could be built there, if approved.

The Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce has a proposal to remodel its U.S. 1 building, and the Old Crow's Restaurant will be razed after it was rezoned from commercial to multifamily.

Plans are being reviewed for a 10,400-square-foot store in the Florida vernacular style at the southeast corner of U.S. 1 at Turkey Creek Bridge.

Despite $5 million to $6 million in property damage in the Bayfront District, Norton said businesses are renovating.