MELBOURNE — Driving north on U.S. 1 from Palm Bay, motorists enter an aging commercial corridor peppered with shuttered buildings and industrial vistas of asphalt and concrete.
Melbourne officials aim to improve this view. They envision a mile-long streetscape project featuring brick-paver crosswalks, bike lanes, landscaped medians, sidewalks and shade trees such as Southern magnolias and bald cypress.
“The ultimate objective down the road is to spur private investment. More businesses. More foot traffic. More amenities for the public — there’ll be bike racks, benches — things like we have in the New Haven area,” said Jack Ryals, chairman of Melbourne’s downtown redevelopment committee, standing in the shadow of the Crane Creek Medical Center.