Melbourne Outdoor Entertainment Venue District: 20-Acre Zoning Ordinance Up for Second Reading October 27
The Melbourne City Council holds the second reading and public hearing of Ordinance No. 2026-34 on October 27, 2026 at 6:30 PM in the City Hall Council Chamber, 900 E. Strawbridge Avenue. The ordinance would create the Melbourne Outdoor Entertainment Venue District, a new zoning district written for permanent open-air facilities whose principal use is programmed public entertainment or spectator events. First reading passed unanimously on October 13 with no public comment, and the Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously on September 17 to recommend approval.
Where OEV Zoning Could Apply
The staff memo says the district may apply to any property in the city of 20 acres or more. The ordinance adds OEV to the future land use compatibility table under five categories: General Commercial, Heavy Commercial, Recreation, Public/Institutional and Industrial. Using it takes a rezoning to OEV filed together with a formal site plan. Staff reviews it, the Planning and Zoning Board hears it, and City Council gives final approval at the second reading of the zoning map amendment.
Melbourne Outdoor Entertainment Venue District Base Standards
Site size: 20 acres minimum.
Lot frontage: 100 feet on an arterial or collector roadway, with at least two full access points from that roadway. Direct access from a local residential street is prohibited.
Perimeter: a 25-foot vegetative buffer around the development, with nothing in it except driveway crossings, pedestrian connections, fences and walls, stormwater, utilities, signage or entrance ornamentation.
Setbacks: 50 feet for principal structures and 25 feet for accessory structures, front, side and rear.
Separation: 1,500 feet from any single-family residential zoning or use, and 1,000 feet from any multifamily residential zoning or use, measured from the principal permanent venue.
Four studies come in with the application: a traffic impact study by a certified traffic engineer, a preliminary lighting photometric plan, a preliminary noise study by a professional acoustic consultant covering residential property within 1,500 feet, and a preliminary operation, management and security plan. Final versions are due with the engineering construction plans.
What the District Allows
Permanent principal facilities listed in the ordinance are bandshells, arenas, stadiums, fairgrounds, outdoor theaters, rodeo grounds, hotels, restaurants and brewpubs, and retail. Permitted services run from concerts, fairs and festivals to circuses and sporting events. Accessory uses include alcohol sales under Chapter 6 with no off-premises consumption and mobile food vehicles only during an event. Flea markets, auction facilities, horse tracks, overnight camping or RV sites and racetracks are prohibited.
Why the City Wrote It
On July 22, 2025 the council directed staff to bring forward land development regulations for "fairground" type uses. Staff hired Inspire Placemaking Collective to write rules for fairgrounds, music venues and arenas, and the two settled on a new zoning district. The October 1 staff memo says most community events now take place in the city's parks, with parking, traffic and noise for the neighborhoods around them, and the zoning code does not say where an outdoor entertainment venue would be permitted.
The Business Impact Estimate dated October 2 puts the cost on whoever brings such a project: the rezoning, possibly a future land use amendment, 20-acre formal site plan fees, the four studies, engineering plans and building permits. It expects no more than one or two projects in the immediate future. The ordinance takes effect on adoption.
If you own 20 acres or more in Melbourne under a commercial or industrial future land use designation and want a number on it, call 321-514-0876 or use the contact page.
Sources
City of Melbourne City Council agenda, October 27, 2026), read October 24, 2026: item B.8.
City of Melbourne City Council agenda packet, October 27, 2026), read October 24, 2026: pages 13 and 14 (October 13 minutes, item 14) and pages 38 to 60 (item report, staff memo of October 1, P&Z memo of September 18, Ordinance No. 2026-34, Business Impact Estimate of October 2).
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a large outdoor venue approved in Melbourne before this ordinance?
The Business Impact Estimate says such a project today goes through the Conditional Use process for outdoor recreation, and most outdoor on-site activities need a Special Activity Permit from the City Clerk's office.
What happens to OEV zoning if the project is abandoned?
Under the ordinance the owner or developer sends the city a written request, and the OEV zoning reverts to the property's previous zoning district.
Written by Cassandra Hartford, founder and CEO of Reach Commercial Real Estate. She has worked in Brevard County commercial real estate for 17 years, representing buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants across Florida's Space Coast.
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