* * * NEWS UPDATE * * *

February 24, 2000

Last week, Palm Bay City Council had two meetings on items of concern to Valkaria.

On Tuesday, February 15^th, Palm Bay City Council held a special hearing to decide whether to proceed with annexing 20 acres on the northeast corner of Babcock Street and Valkaria Road and changing the land use and zoning to commercial. After the applicant’s attorney made his presentation, approximately 40 citizens of Palm Bay and Valkaria addressed the City Council. Each and every one of them spoke against the annexation and rezoning. 402 petition signatures opposing the annexation and rezoning were presented to the City Council. Brevard County sent Senior Planner Todd Corwin to place the county’s objections to the annexation and rezoning on the record.

In spite of strong opposition and an excellent turn-out of concerned citizens, the City Council voted 4 to 1 in favor of proceeding. Only Councilwoman Jackie Colon voted no.

Ordinances will now be prepared to carry out the annexation and rezoning, and there will be two meetings on the ordinances.

On Thursday, February 17^th, the regular City Council Meeting included the first reading of the Ordinances to annex, change the land use designation and rezone the single lot on the southeast corner of Babcock Street and Valkaria Road. This time, no one, not even the applicant spoke in favor of the Ordinances. Senior Planner Todd Corwin once again registered the county’s objections. The preliminary vote was again 4 to 1 in favor of passing these Ordinances.

There will be one more hearing for the final vote on the ordinances for this small parcel.

Plan to attend as many of the Ordinance hearings as possible in order to voice your objection on the record. Watch this web site and the Legal Notices in the Classified section of Florida Today for the dates and times.

Once the hearing process is completed, Palm Bay will have to submit its Comprehensive Plan amendments to the State of Florida. We then have the opportunity to appeal to the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Our participation in every step of the process is necessary for a successful appeal.

Annexation and rezoning is a long, multi-step process, and it isn’t over yet. With persistence, we still have a good chance at success.

Palm Bay City Council to Consider 20 Acre Parcel

Palm Bay City Council has set a special hearing date for 7:00PM Tuesday, February 15, 2000. The property in question this time is approximately 20 acres on the northeast corner of Babcock Street and Valkaria Road. Developer Brian West is requesting Community Commercial zoning for a 77,000 square foot shopping plaza.

Palm Bay City Council will almost certainly vote to annex the property and grant Community Commercial zoning. Meetings with the City Council members prior to last month’s meeting indicate that four of the five council members favor any opportunity for annexation and rezoning as a method of increasing Palm Bay’s revenues. Local residents’ concerns for the effect of the changes on established residential areas seem not to matter.

On January 12th, City Council received over 400 petition signatures, numerous letters, and more than two hours of public comment, mostly in opposition to annexation and rezoning. They still voted 4 to 1 in favor of annexing a single residential lot on the southeast corner of Babcock Street and Valkaria Road. Only Councilwoman Jackie Colon voted against the measure.

Two additional votes were taken on the land use and zoning. Once annexation is complete, the land use designation will be Commercial, with Neighborhood Commercial zoning. The votes were again 4 to 1.

This was the first of three public hearings required to complete the annexation process on this lot. The next step is for Palm Bay to prepare and advertise an Ordinance to annex the lot and hold two public hearings on the Ordinance.

This same three-step process must be followed for the 20 acre parcel. The hearing on February 15^th is the only first step in the process.

The 20 acre parcel is large enough to require review by the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA). We can appeal the City Council’s decision in this case. We have a chance of overturning the zoning change at the State level if DCA finds that a commercial center is not needed in this location, contributes to urban sprawl, or is incompatible with the surrounding residential area.

ATTEND CITY COUNCIL HEARINGS

In order to succeed in our appeal to DCA, we must make our objections loudly and plainly known on the record during the hearings before the Palm Bay City Council. Be sure to attend and get your opinion on the record! These hearings are held in the City Council Chamber, Palm Bay Municipal Complex, 120 Malabar Road on the southeast corner of Minton and Malabar Roads.

The developer and his attorney have been saying that "most people" want a shopping center near where they live. Even if you don’t want to step forward and speak, as many of us as possible must go to the hearings in order to demonstrate that "most people" in this area don’t want this particular shopping center.

Grant may also be affected by these precedent-setting decisions. The annexations for commercial rezoning on the corner of Babcock and Valkaria may be only the first of many. Mayor Ed Geier is on the record as favoring annexation and rezoning in general, and Councilman Hank Simon has stated openly that he believes the "natural boundary" between Palm Bay and county land is I-95! Members of the Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce, of which Hank Simon is Chairman of the Board, advocate commercial and industrial use of the land between Babcock Street and I-95, including the western part of Grant.

An interesting note – William L. Wilson, owner of the first parcel annexed and rezoned on January 12^th, is President of the Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce.

If you do not want to speak at the hearings, or cannot attend, be sure to get your opinion on the record some other way. Phone the Palm Bay Legislative office at 952-3414 and leave a message with your opinion for the Mayor and City Council. If you prefer to write, you can mail a letter or fax it to:

At the very least, add your signature to the petitions. For petition forms, contact Bob Garvin at 723-5201 or Tina Laskes at 728-0276.

THIRD ANNUAL YARD AND BAKE SALE

VNA’s biggest fundraiser, the yard and bake sale, will be held February 26^th & 27^th in Dewey and Marion Leidal’s front yard at 3655 Valkaria Road from 8am to 4pm. Bring your donations of usable household items to the Leidals’ carport during the week prior to the sale. Baked goods should be delivered on the 25th.

We can help you transport large items. From now until the 23^rd, phone Steve Caporusso at 724-6062 to make arrangements for pick-up. From the 24^th until the 26^th, phone Johnnie Wimpee at 724-8691.

We also need to borrow a few things for the sale – tables and coat hangers to display our lovely wares, a gas grill, a coffee maker, and some warm bodies to help set up before the sale or "man the store" for a half day. To volunteer to lend us these items or lend a hand, phone Janis Walters at 984-8898.

Join us at the sale for some good stuff cheap and the best grilled hot dog you’ll ever taste. Free coffee all day.

OTHER NEWS IN VALKARIA

Valkaria Airport conducted a controlled burn of the infield area on January 21^st. The burn completes the infield maintenance project to enhance the scrub habitat and provide improved visibility between the active runways. An experimental airplane was hot-wired and stolen from the FBO tie-down area two weeks earlier.

• VNA IS AT YOUR SERVICE •

Our purpose is to preserve and enhance the rural residential character of Valkaria and to keep you informed of governmental proposals that will affect the Valkaria area. To achieve our goals, we need your support.

If you would like to become a member, send your name, address, phone number and $10.00 yearly dues to Valkaria Neighborhood Association, Inc., P.O. Box 500743, Malabar, FL 32950-0743.

Thank you for your support.

Janis Walters, President Feb-00

Have you paid your dues this year?

ANNEXATION & REZONING HEARING SET

You Must Act Now to Prevent Commercial Zoning!

The people of Valkaria and Palm Bay have the power to persuade Palm Bay City Council not to annex this land. Petitions bearing over 240 signatures of Palm Bay and Valkaria residents who are opposed to the annexation and rezoning have already been sent to the Mayor and City Council, and more are being collected. Delegations have been organized to meet with each member of the City Council prior to January 12^th. But this is just a small part of the effort that is needed.

The very best thing you can do is attend the City Council hearing in person on Wednesday, January 12th. Try to bring at least one friend who also lives in Palm Bay.

Circulate a petition form and collect as many signatures as you can, especially from Palm Bay residents. Return all petitions to VNA no later than Friday, January 7^th for forwarding to City Council.

The four trailers at the former Broken Glass site have been sold, but the buyer only wanted one of them. The rest are available free of charge. Phone Jack Masson of Parks and Recreation at 633-2046 if you want to claim one. Any trailers unclaimed as of January 31^st will be demolished.

Our purpose is to preserve and enhance the rural residential character of Valkaria and to keep you informed of governmental proposals that will affect the Valkaria area. To achieve our goals, we need your support.

Newsletter, October 1998

Brevard County has already refused to rezone these lots because commercial use in this location is inconsistent with the Brevard County Comprehensive Plan and the Valkaria Small Area Plan.

To thwart the intent of the county planners and the wishes of the local residents in both Palm Bay and Valkaria, Mr. Wilson and W & R have turned to the City of Palm Bay. They hope Palm Bay will annex these properties for the sole purpose of creating commercial-use property in the middle of our agricultural-residential community.

W & R and Wilson are holding an information meeting at the West Melbourne Library, 2755 Wingate Blvd. 10:00am Saturday, Oct. 16^th to present their ideas and opinions on this issue.

HOW THIS AFFECTS ALL OF VALKARIA

Adjacent property owners will very likely find themselves on residential property that is no longer suitable for the quiet and private lifestyle we moved here to enjoy, and will probably move away. They, or the new owners (Want to bet it will be developers?), are likely to seek commercial zoning, too. That "urban creep" process could continue until Valkaria becomes completely unrecognizable as the place we love today.

There is also an economic risk for those of us who don’t fall victim to "urban creep." Commercial development will require city water and sewer service. If Palm Bay is interested in the commercial development of this property, the city will have to provide adequate utilities.

By state law, Palm Bay has the right to extend its water and sewer utilities service as far as five miles beyond its city limits. If Palm Bay extends its utilities, all of us who own property within 1,000 feet of the sewer lines will be forced to connect to city sewer. Since most of us chose to build our homes as far from the road as possible, this will be hideously expensive!

Residents of Palm Bay and unincorporated Brevard County along Babcock Street will be faced with this problem as soon as Palm Bay provides utilities to the newly annexed land.

The city utilities service makes all of Valkaria vulnerable to annexation and rezoning. Remember that the Buhler Trust property near Valkaria Airport is within the five mile extension limit and is already zoned for a planned industrial park. Palm Bay city utilities would make development of the industrial park possible, and developers would surely move to make it happen.

If we want to retain the rural, residential character of Valkaria, we cannot afford to let commercial developers gain a foothold.

The Brevard County Attorney has discovered that the county has no legal means to challenge a voluntary annexation. It is only the people of Valkaria and Palm Bay who can persuade the City of Palm Bay not to annex this property.

We can let outsiders like the land speculators and commercial developers decide our future for us, or we can stand up for our homes and our community and let our voices be heard.

We must let Palm Bay know what we think and how we feel about annexation and commercial zoning in this location. We must persuade two governmental bodies – the Palm Bay Planning and Zoning Board and the Palm Bay City Council.

The first group we must address is the Palm Bay Planning and Zoning Board.

Planning and Zoning has the power to recommend for or against the rezoning question. Their recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council.

Planning and Zoning will hear this issue on Wednesday, October 20th at 7:00 pm in the City Council Chamber at Palm Bay City Hall, 120 Malabar Road SE, at the corner of Malabar and Minton Roads. City Hall is set well back from the road. Look for driveway entrances near the fire house on Malabar and the DeGroodt Library on Minton. The City Council Chamber is on the ground floor.

The best thing you can do is attend the meeting. The more people who come to the meeting, the stronger our message will be.

The next best thing is to phone or write to Planning and Zoning to give them your opinion of commercial zoning on this property. Planning and Zoning needs to hear from us in order to make an informed decision. Your opinion does matter to them. Call or write to:

If you phone, just leave your name and a brief message for Mr. Watkins with anyone at Planning and Zoning. Refer to Case No. CP-7-99 and CPZ-7-99 in your phone message or your letter.

Only the City Council has the power to carry out the annexation and the rezoning. If we can get a recommendation against rezoning from Planning and Zoning, we will be one step closer to persuading the City Council not to annex and rezone part of Valkaria.

This matter will go to the City Council after Planning and Zoning has made its recommendation. Legal notice of the hearing must be published in Florida Today because the annexation requires a city ordinance. We will also spread the word of the time and date through the VNA members telephone tree. To be sure of getting a phone call, you must be a member of VNA.

Once again, the very best thing you can do is attend the City Council meeting in person.

Meanwhile, it is never too soon to let the Mayor and the City Council know what you think about the proposed annexation and rezoning, Case No. CP-7-99 and CPZ-7-99.

You can phone and leave a message at 952-3414. If you prefer to write, you can mail your letter or fax it to 953-8971. Letters should be addressed to:

The City Clerk will copy your letter and deliver it to the Mayor and each member of the City Council.

Do you know anyone who lives in Palm Bay? Give them a copy of the newsletter. Ask them to go with us to the Planning and Zoning and City Council meetings, or make phone calls, or send letters. Invite them to our meeting on October 26^th. Ask them to pass the word to their neighbors, too.

For extra newsletters to pass around, phone Bob Garvin at 723-5201

The annexation and rezoning will be the main topic at the upcoming meeting. Please join us at the Malabar Fire House, 7:00pm Tuesday, October 26^th to get the latest information.

We will discuss the outcome of the Planning and Zoning Board meeting and decide how to proceed from there to prevent the annexation and rezoning.

It’s Election Time Again. Annual election of the Board of Directors will be held at the October 26^th meeting. Nominations are open and volunteers to serve on the Board are always welcome.

The Recreation Area on the Valkaria Airport 5-Year Improvement Plan is ready to begin the planning phase. Airport Manager Jim Shimkus would like our ideas and suggestions for the location and type of recreational facility to build. The budget is $15,000.

The airport layout plan currently designates a site opposite the Habitat Golf Course entrance on the north side of Valkaria Road. It may be possible for this recreational area to become an element of the linear park proposed for the green corridor between Malabar, Valkaria and Sebastian Inlet. Please bring your ideas to the meeting on October 26^th.

The four mobile homes at Valkaria Park, formerly Broken Glass, will be removed from the site some time very soon. Brevard County is now making arrangements for their disposal.

Our Annual Yard and Bake Sale on Grant Seafood Festival week-end in February needs the stuff you don’t need anymore. Keep us in mind before you throw out items that still have some use left in them. The yard sale is our biggest fundraising event.

Friends and Neighbors:

Many hands make light work, and we have some important work to do in the next few months to protect our community. Besides serving on the Board or holding office, there are many other ways to help. Consider these:

• Do your best to attend county and city meetings to support Valkaria.
• Write letters and call elected officials on issues concerning Valkaria.
• Volunteer for the phone tree – make 8 or 10 phone calls a few times a year to remind other members on your street or in your neighborhood of upcoming meetings and events.
• Volunteer to fold newsletters. We only publish 4 to 6 times a year.
• Donate to the annual yard and bake sale, or help in the organizing and set-up.
• Come to the annual lasagna dinner.
• Keep your dues paid up.
• If you’re not a member yet, join up.
• Encourage your neighbors to join for the sake of the community.

Every issue may not be one that affects you directly, but one day you will need the help and support of your neighbors to protect the value of your home and property and the integrity of our community. The VNA is always here to make sure you have people on your side that you can count on. We’d like to be able to count on you, too. Join us!

Thank you for your support.

Janis Walters, President Oct-99

Our purpose is to preserve and enhance the rural residential character of Valkaria and to keep you informed of governmental proposals that will affect the Valkaria area. To achieve our goals, we need your support.

If you would like to become a member, send your name, address, phone number and $10.00 yearly dues to Valkaria Neighborhood Association, Inc., P.O. Box 500743, Malabar, FL 32950-0743.