Cocoa council narrowly approves seven‑lot Village Bay Estates plan amid heated flood and drainage debate

Council voted 3–2 on April 14 to approve the Cocoa Village Bay Estates large‑scale site plan and preliminary plat, a contentious proposal for seven single‑family lots on about 7.12 acres at North Indian River Drive and Dixon Boulevard.

City staff presented the project as a low‑density proposal with significant conservation: 3.33 acres proposed for development, roughly 48 percent of the site retained as conservation, and a mix of on‑site and purchased wetland mitigation to offset 2.59 acres of wetland impacts. Planner Erica Hughes said the applicant has updated environmental reports, hydrologic modeling, and an environmental resource permit from St. John’s River Water Management District issued in January.

“Approximately 3.62 acres will be preserved and that will include a mix of open space, tree planting areas and wetlands,” Hughes told the council. City engineers and independent reviewers described a multi‑component stormwater design that includes a dry retention basin, a wet detention basin with engineered filters, underdrains and bypass collection systems intended to reduce the…