COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
SUBJECT:
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Resolution 2026-R-14: Support of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council’s grant application to develop the Southeast Volusia Space Overlay Area Infrastructure Gap Analysis Plan.
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DEPARTMENT:
Economic Development
SUMMARY:
Since 2020, the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council has been providing technical assistance to the Southeast Volusia Coalition (SEV)-a regional coalition comprised by the cities of Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach, Oak Hill, and Volusia County- to further the region’s economic development efforts. This collaborative effort has completed several important milestones including facilitating multiple stakeholder engagement events, and the adoption of the Volusia County Commercial Space Industry Opportunity Overlay (2021) and the Southeast Volusia Economic Development Strategic Plan (2022). One of the plan’s goals was for the SEV to develop a regional infrastructure plan that estimates the feasibility and economic impact of advancing infrastructure to the area’s key sites to make them pad-ready. Since the development of the plan, the area was impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Flooding severely impacted major economic corridors, placing a strain on a number of businesses and the associated workforce. These events highlighted the need not only to examine new infrastructure to expand economic opportunities, but to simultaneously evaluate the need for more resilient infrastructure that will serve both new and future economic development.
As envisioned, the Space Overlay Area Infrastructure Gap Analysis Plan will be comprised of four parts. The site inventory analysis will identify properties most likely to attract aerospace companies and their suppliers. A public engagement process will then follow, with key stakeholders (including utility and transportation providers, major landowners and employers, and target industry representatives) who will review and rank the viability of these sites. The team will then hire an engineering consultant to develop an infrastructure-needs analysis for the selected priority sites, estimating costs to connect them to water, sewer, electricity, and roadways. Based on this analysis, the ECFRPC will provide elected officials and City staff with prioritized investment recommendations and a list of potential funding sources.
The grant requires a match of $11,000 from the City of Edgewater.
BUDGETED ITEM: ☐ Yes ☒ No ☐ Not Applicable
BUDGET AMENDMENT REQUIRED: ☐ Yes ☒ No ☐ Not Applicable
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Motion to approve Resolution 2026-R-14.