Plans to attract healthy grocery options to the Bayfront Redevelopment District have been awarded technical support through a federal grant designed to help create sustainable communities. Palm Bay’s Bayfront area is in the midst of executing plans to build the Evans Center which will be located at the corner of Randolph Street and Florida Avenue. (Google Maps image)
BREVARD COUNTY • PALM BAY, FLORIDA – Plans to attract healthy grocery options to the Bayfront Redevelopment District have been awarded technical support through a federal grant designed to help create sustainable communities.
Palm Bay’s Bayfront area is in the midst of executing plans to build the Evans Center which will be located at the corner of Randolph Street and Florida Avenue.
The master plan for the center includes a health clinic, a fresh food marketplace and classrooms for youth job training.
The focus for the newly awarded technical assistance grant will be put towards improving access to healthy food within this area as well as the US 1 – Port Malabar area including the original Port Malabar subdivisions which are outside the BCRA.
Tim Ford
“We hope this grant will help the city, the BCRA and our community partners to attract healthy food markets,” said Tim Ford, BCRA administrator.
“This is an area that is identified as under-served when it comes to access to healthy food and we are working hard to make positive changes moving forward.”
The grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Sustainable Communities and its partners from Livability Solutions will facilitate a series of workshops in which a coalition of experts from ChangeLab Solutions will work with the BCRA administrators and local residents to create a successful grocery store attraction and improvement strategy in order to bring healthier food options to the Bayfront area.
“Attracting a grocery store to an under-served neighborhood not only makes fresh produce and other healthy foods more accessible, it can create living-wage jobs, raise the value of surrounding property, attract other businesses to the area, and create a new destination within walking distance of local residents,” Ford added.
“This technical assistance gets us a big step closer to making it happen.”
Palm Bay’s Bayfront area is in the midst of executing plans to build the Evans Center which will be located at the corner of Randolph Street and Florida Avenue.
“Attracting a grocery store to an under-served neighborhood not only makes fresh produce and other healthy foods more accessible, it can create living-wage jobs, raise the value of surrounding property, attract other businesses to the area, and create a new destination within walking distance of local residents,” Ford added.
