Melbourne, FL Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)

Section 4(C)(3) of the zoning ordinance's affordable housing article ties Melbourne's density bonus directly to the future land use map, not to zoning district alone. Only property zoned R-1B, R-2, R-3 or I-1 qualifies, and only if the parcel carries a future land use classification that already permits residential density. 5 units per acre, and High Density Residential and Mixed Use inside a Melbourne Activity Center (MAC) both rise from 30 to 39 units per acre. The 30 percent figure is a ceiling, described in the code as the maximum permitted density using the density bonus option, not an entitlement layered automatically onto every affordable unit proposed.

The bonus is one of four incentive options under Section 4(B), alongside use of specific zoning/land development standards, impact fee deferral or waiver, and the newer Live Local Act allowances; a project can combine more than one. Before relying on the bonus, an applicant must first qualify the project as an affordable housing development under Section 4(A), meaning at least 30 percent of units (40 percent in commercial/mixed-use districts) are reserved for households at or below 120 percent of the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville area median income.

Community development department staff review the request through the affordable housing use certificate process in Section 4(E), which starts with a pre-application conference and an online submittal detailing unit counts, income tiers and building style. One express carve-out: property subject to the comprehensive plan's neighborhood protection policies is barred from the density bonus regardless of zoning or future land use.