The Brevard County Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 6 approved a small‑scale comprehensive plan amendment and a zoning map change to allow Linde Inc. (formerly Praxair) to expand operations at its Mims industrial gas facility, with a binding development plan that the company and staff said will prevent residential Live Local projects on the site.

The commission voted unanimously to change the future land use of about 10.46 acres from Planned Industrial/Residential (PI/Res-2) to heavy/light industrial and to rezone the parcel to an industrial district consistent with that land use. Commissioners also approved a zoning motion that included a BDP to prohibit a Live Local residential development; staff and the applicant said noise, traffic and wetland impacts will be addressed during a later conditional‑use permit (CUP) review.

Linde’s representatives told commissioners the facility, which has operated in Mims since 1966 supporting the space industry and local hospitals, needs more production capacity and a second cold box to meet demand from area launches. “We currently have about 30 employees at the site. We would double that, and then we would also double the production capacity of the facility as well,” said Dave Yulescu, Linde director of capital projects.

Why it matters: company officials and staff emphasized the plant's role in supplying oxygen and other gases used by Kennedy Space Center tenants and local industries. Commissioners and residents raised concerns about noise from compression equipment, truck traffic on Wylie Avenue/US‑1, and wetlands on the property. Staff told the board the action before them was the plan-and-zone change; the CUP, with site plans and mitigation measures, will come back for review where the board and staff can impose traffic and noise conditions.

Commissioner John Delaney moved to approve the land‑use change; Commissioner Altman seconded. The roll call vote on the plan amendment was unanimous. Delaney later moved to approve the zoning change (IU to IU‑1) with the BDP restricting Live Local projects; Commissioner Atkinson seconded, and that motion also passed unanimously.

Staff and the applicant said the BDP will be recorded so that a Live Local residential project cannot be proposed on the parcel. Public commenters urged the board to add buffering and to make noise and truck‑route mitigation conditions part of the future CUP. The applicant said it does not intend to remove existing tree buffers and is willing to accept a BDP prohibition on Live Local housing.

What’s next: the plan amendment and rezoning clear the way for Linde to file a CUP and detailed site plans. Staff said a traffic review of the Wylie Avenue/US‑1 intersection is under study and that noise standards in county code apply; additional conditions may be added at the CUP stage.

Ending: Commissioners thanked company representatives for the planned job growth and said they expect detailed mitigation and monitoring when the conditional‑use application returns.