Following City Council’s adoption of the Comprehensive Plan Vision 2045, the City underwent amendments to its Land Development Code (LDC). In accordance with 163.3202, Florida Statutes, the City shall amend the Land Development Code within one year to ensure consistency with the adopted Comprehensive Plan. The City took this opportunity to update key sections of the LDC to ensure the flow and organization of the Code allows for quick and simple cross-references, provide greater clarity on critical topics, eliminate internal inconsistencies and conflicts, streamline processes for development applications, reduce the number of redundant public hearings, and incorporate textual amendments at the direction of the City Manager and City Council. Finally, there are some chapters current within the LDC that are not related to the development of land and therefore, they have been moved out of the LDC to other chapters within the Palm Bay Code of Ordinances. This information can be found in the links below.

The City held several public workshops and input sessions to garner input on the proposed amendments. The City and Inspire Placemaking Collective Inc hosted a public workshop on September 26, 2023, in Palm Bay Council Chambers and three virtual workshops on October 2, 2023 at 10 AM, 3PM, and 6 PM. Additionally, the City sought additional input on specific chapters of the LDC in response to concerns from the development community regarding the Planned Unit Development and subdivision processes. The City solicited the services Land Development Strategies to assist in obtaining input from development stakeholders on specific concerns through one-on-one meetings. Following input, the City held a virtual workshop on April 17, 2024, to present the proposed amendments to Chapters 184 (Subdivision Code) and 185 (Planned Unit Development).

The proposed amendments were presented to the City’s Planning & Zoning Board on August 7, 2024, which recommended approval by City Council. The City held a Special Council Meeting on August 29, 2024 to approve the first hearing of the proposed amendments. The second and final reading was held at the Regular Council Meeting on September 19, 2024 were the amendments were formally adopted by ordinance.

• Chapter 170 - General Provisions [ADOPTED]
• Chapter 170 - General Provisions [CHANGES]
• Chapter 171 - Definitions [ADOPTED]
• Chapter 171 - Definitions [CHANGES]
• Chapter 172 - Development Review Process [ADOPTED]
• Chapter 172 - Development Review Process [CHANGES]
• Chapter 173 - Zoning [ADOPTED]
• Chapter 173 - Zoning [CHANGES]
• Chapter 174 - Accessory Temporary and Permanent Uses [ADOPTED]
• Chapter 174 - Accessory Temporary and Permanent Uses [CHANGES]
• Chapter 175 - Tree Protection Landscaping and Buffering [ADOPTED]
• Chapter 175 - Tree Protection Landscaping and Buffering [CHANGES]
• Chapter 176 - Streets Parking and Loading [ADOPTED]
• Chapter 176 - Streets Parking and Loading [CHANGES]
• Chapter 177 - Subdivision Site and Building Design [ADOPTED]
• Chapter 177 - Subdivision Site and Building Design [CHANGES]
• Chapter 178 - Signs [ADOPTED]
• Chapter 178 - Signs [CHANGES]
• Chapter 179 - Natural Resources [ADOPTED]
• Chapter 179 - Natural Resources [CHANGES]
• Chapter 180 - Adult Entertainment [ADOPTED]
• Chapter 180 - Adult Entertainment [CHANGES]
• Inspire Placemaking Collective LDC Presentation
• Content and Input Boards Presented
• Chapters Moving to Code of Ordinances - (Not Development Related)
• Summary of LDC Amendments – Version 2
• Summary of Public Input from Open House Sessions
• LDC Update 2025

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Any member of the public may submit their comments and questions to the City by emailing landdevelopmentweb@palmbayflorida.org.  Please include your name, telephone and any code references so that the City can contact you for additional clarification, if necessary.