PALM BAY -- - Palm Bay councilmen voted to advance an ordinance to relax height and density rules in the Bayfront district
in exchange for more commercial square footage.
At the same time, they preserved stricter rules for height and density for the Bayfront Village area, which was supported
by the Bayfront Community Redevelopment Agency and the Planning and Zoning Board.
Their unanimous vote at a special meeting Tuesday also came at the request of residents of the area and members of the
Friends of Turkey Creek.
The changes have been in the works for months. "We need to preserve the character of the area," said Jim Ritter of the
Bayfront Redevelopment Agency.
For the rest of the district, city planner Dave Watkins said, the ordinance needed to be more relaxed with incentives to
get developers to include more commercial sites.
So, the ordinance would give developers a variety of incentives to include more commercial space.
The ordinance requires 5 percent commercial in areas zoned residential; 10 percent commercial in institutional areas and
15 percent in areas zoned for commercial use.
And the ordinance now requires at least 3 acres for a mixed use project, while developer Ralph Denuzzio asked that be relaxed
because he lacks a tenth of an acre on one site where he wants to put a combination of commercial and residential. Council
agreed to reduce the required acreage to 2.5.
Cheryl Ritter pointed to Cocoa and Melbourne Villages and said Palm Bay needs a similar site for concerts, art shows and
other events.
The ordinance will have a second public hearing Sept. 15.
Contact Jump at 409-1423 or ljump@flatoday.net
