New Palm Bay City Council focused on developing 'The Compound'

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Published  December 5, 2024 6:46pm EST
FOX 35 Orlando
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Palm Bay focused on developing The Compound

The City of Palm Bay could use new federal funding to help fix failed development in The Compound.

PALM BAY, Fla. - The City of Palm Bay could use new federal funding to help fix failed development in The Compound. 

More than 2,000 acres were under development in southwest Palm Bay back in the 80s, but the developer backed out, and nothing’s been done there since. 

Now the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants to give the city $100,000 to find a fix. 

For nearly 40 years, there’s been no development, no infrastructure and no plans to turn a corner in The Compound.

This week, the city announced that the EPA is offering Palm Bay technical assistance to help the city find new ways to develop the space, but not every council member wants the money.

"In one month of being with the city, I’ve already seen like a dozen federal grants and federal funding for this and that, and now we're getting money from the EPA," said new council member Chandler Langevin. 

Langevin doesn’t think the city needs money from Washington to study the space because they already know what’s needed. 

"I think it would be a phenomenal opportunity to put a space industrial park or a light industrial park," he said. 

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Council member Mike Hammer is also pushing for economic development at The Compound.

"Right now, Palm Bay is not self-sustaining. We need to have people that can work in Palm Bay. Then when they're done working, they can spend their money in Palm Bay," said Hammer, who also supports using some of the space for a BMX park. 

The new city council voted to fire the old city manager at their first meeting. Now, they want to bring in West Melbourne’s former city manager to help them achieve these goals in The Compound.

"He has more business over there," said Hammer. 

"Their commercial and industrial base per capita is significantly higher than ours," echoed Langevin about West Melbourne. 

Both are hoping Scott Morgan will become the city’s interim city manager and bring big business to the city.

Streets, sewer, lights and even power are all still needed before businesses can move in and change comes to The Compound. 

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