Palm Bay Council to Vote on Lotis, Cogan Projects Amid Infrastructure Debates

Palm Bay’s Nov. 6 Council meeting tackles votes on the 1,372-unit Lotis plan and Cogan storage, as the GO Roads program faces a funding gap.

Palm Bay City Hall as council members address will make key votes on the Lotis development, Cogan Plaza storage, and the GO Roads program.

Key Votes at November 6 Palm Bay Council Meeting

Palm Bay, FL – The Palm Bay Council meeting on Thursday, November 6, will confront two highly controversial development proposals that have drawn significant resident opposition. The council must cast deciding votes on the 353-acre Lotis Palm Bay project and the Cogan Plaza storage facility, both previously denied or contested by other bodies. These votes arrive just as the city’s GO Roads paving program update highlights a $70 million funding gap for critical infrastructure.

Council to Vote on 1,372-Unit Lotis Palm Bay

The main agenda item is the preliminary development plan for Lotis Palm Bay (PD23-00010). The 353-acre project proposes 1,372 new residential units and over 100,000 square feet of commercial and daycare space.

City staff recommended approval, finding the project conforms with the Parkway Mixed Use (PMU) zoning code (LDC § 185.057). The Planning & Zoning Board also passed it in a 6-1 vote.

Public opposition, however, has been significant. Residents raise concerns that the project fragments a vital wildlife corridor between the Micco Scrub Jay Sanctuary and Grant Flatwoods Sanctuary. P&Z Board member Norris, who cast the lone dissenting vote, echoed this, citing concerns over “high-density residential developments” that “convert rural land.”

The primary conflict, however, centers on documented infrastructure deficits. A school capacity report shows Sunrise Elementary, Southwest Middle, and Bayside High are all already over capacity. Furthermore, public correspondence warns that existing two-lane roads, like Micco and Babcock, cannot handle the new traffic, with some residents likening the approval to a “cruise ship” being approved for a “port... already over capacity.”

Cogan Storage Project Returns After Unanimous Denial

The council will also hear a second attempt for the “Cogan Plaza at Bayside Lakes” self-storage facility (Resolution 2025-40). This item returns to council despite a unanimous denial from the Planning & Zoning Board on October 1.

The P&Z board found the project failed LDC criteria for compatibility with surrounding neighborhoods and lacked a public benefit. Board members stated it would “diminish the integrity of Bayside Lakes.”

The project was first denied by the City Council in December 2024. The applicant is returning by citing a procedural ‘mistake’ in the city’s initial process (per Code § 51.05), a move that allows them to bypass the standard one-year waiting period for a denied project. Residents share the P&Z Board’s concerns, citing “oversaturation” of storage units and traffic safety, noting that “Cogan is already a racetrack.”

GO Roads Funding and Other City Business

The development votes are set against the backdrop of an update on the GO Roads Paving Program. The voter-approved $150 million bond program has completed 418 miles (53%) of neighborhood roads.

However, the program now faces a $70 million shortfall due to inflation. With only an estimated $50 million remaining, the city faces a conflict between finishing neighborhood paving and funding massive, unfunded capacity projects like the paving of Malabar Road.

Other items on the agenda include:

• A resolution (2025-42) to renew the city’s “opt-out” of the Live Local Act tax exemption. This action, justified by a 2024 Shimberg Center report identifying a surplus of affordable housing in the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville MSA, allows the city to continue collecting property taxes on certain rental properties that would otherwise be exempt.

• The council will also choose its deputy mayor for the next year.

• A final order on the previously denied Centerpointe Church rezoning request.

This meeting places the council at a crossroads between approved development blueprints and the logistical realities of strained infrastructure. The council’s decisions on the Lotis and Cogan projects will set a significant precedent for the city’s financial strategy and the future character of its neighborhoods.