Palm Bay vacant lots

[Nypafl4u]

Wonder indeed. It smells awful bad in my opinion.

[ExIslander]

Originally Posted by j_k_k

I gather 'The Compound' refers to the stuff that was platted out before some certain day, and is the part of town that has the most vacant lots?

Yeah, it's a term some people use for that whole area that rabflmom mentioned, where General Development Corporation bought several square miles' worth of land in the southwesternmost part of town, paved a couple hundred miles' worth of streets and started selling lots before going bankrupt.

If you want to have fun with Google Maps, call up Palm Bay in street-map view and find where Bombardier Boulevard (running E-W) meets Degroodt Road (running N-S). To the southwest of that intersection, you'll see a street pattern that looks like a thriving suburban community. Switch to Earth view and there's basically nothing there.

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by ExIslander

If you want to have fun with Google Maps, call up Palm Bay in street-map view and find where Bombardier Boulevard (running E-W) meets Degroodt Road (running N-S). To the southwest of that intersection, you'll see a street pattern that looks like a thriving suburban community. Switch to Earth view and there's basically nothing there.

I'm glad my lot isn't in that part. Whoooeee. Mine is in the developed part, but when people talk about a certain oversupply of building lots, I can see why they might say that. Did that vacant area get utilities run to it, or was it just platted and then nothing else happened?

[Nypafl4u]

[QUOTE
If you want to have fun with Google Maps, call up Palm Bay in street-map view and find where Bombardier Boulevard (running E-W) meets Degroodt Road (running N-S). To the southwest of that intersection, you'll see a street pattern that looks like a thriving suburban community. Switch to Earth view and there's basically nothing there.[/quote]

For even more fun, if you have the guts, a GPS, a cell phone, and gas, try driving through the area. It is spooky and surreal. There are several You Tube videos as well, if not wanting to chance it yourself.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by j_k_k

I'm glad my lot isn't in that part. Whoooeee. Mine is in the developed part, but when people talk about a certain oversupply of building lots, I can see why they might say that. Did that vacant area get utilities run to it, or was it just platted and then nothing else happened?

It is undeveloped except for the roads constructed by GDC. In the last 5 or 6 years a few of the roads where people have built down that way have been repaved but most are deteriorating streets. Found this video on you tube. Starts out with a mistake in when roads were built, but gives a look at what it is like down there.

The Compound | Haunted Places | Palm Bay, FL

[ExIslander]

Originally Posted by Nypafl4u

For even more fun, if you have the guts, a GPS, a cell phone, and gas, try driving through the area. It is spooky and surreal. There are several You Tube videos as well, if not wanting to chance it yourself.

I did that a few months ago, starting with the eastern end of St. Andre. Funny thing is, the roads were absolutely horrible on that end where it's sparsely developed, but when I got to the completely undeveloped part, the main roads weren't too bad at all. Pavement holds up better when there's no traffic on it!

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by Rabflmom

It is undeveloped except for the roads constructed by GDC. In the last 5 or 6 years a few of the roads where people have built down that way have been repaved but most are deteriorating streets. Found this video on you tube. Starts out with a mistake in when roads were built, but gives a look at what it is like down there.

The Compound | Haunted Places | Palm Bay, FL

That is just bizarre. Like time after humanity. I guess we know where the local youth go for I&I.

[PacketHauler]

Originally Posted by j_k_k

I'm glad my lot isn't in that part. Whoooeee. Mine is in the developed part, but when people talk about a certain oversupply of building lots, I can see why they might say that. Did that vacant area get utilities run to it, or was it just platted and then nothing else happened?

Looks like no utilities, most of the roads if you look on the YouTube videos don't even have curb and gutter, just the road. Really odd way of doing things now a days. The new neighborhood by me was getting all the storm drains/sanitary sewer put in before road beds were even constructed. Looks like like that area wasn't really well thought out in that regard.

If I get bored someday, I'll make a trip down with a GPS that does a breadcrumb trail of where I came from so I can get out again.

[Nypafl4u]

Remember, when many of these roads were put in, there likely was no city water or sewer yet. The expectation was septic tank and well water. Today, any new area being developed, likely due to Enviornmental concerns, will require sewers to be installed before hand. Reason for higher taxes and/or assessments in those areas if you are a land owner.
My 1st house in Palm Bay was way at the end in the NW section on Tamworth St. It was built in 1990 and we had septic only. I remember hearing about how only 80% or so of the lots on a given street could be built on for that reason. It actually was a pressure if you had a lot and the street was being built up, to build before it was too late. I believe once the city sewers came in, the limit was lifted.

[j_k_k]

I pay some form of sewer utility fee, about $20 per year. Surprised they haven't yet figured out more ways to soak the absentees; in their place, if I had a bunch of property owners who didn't get to vote in local elections, I would milk them with a mighty milking. So if they only nail me for $20 a year, I think I'll just not make noise at them about that, lest it give them impetus to seek a new method of soakage. I am not sure whether that fee actually buys anyone anything. Guessing that it just goes toward the cost of connecting that development, or a major repair. It's not like I can refuse to pay it, so I never bothered finding out what it really was. Costs associated with real estate investing (which this is, in the sense that picking out a 1958 wheatback penny is technically coin collecting).

Don't get me wrong, I wish Palm Bay massive prosperity. Massive. The kind that makes its lots the most desirable on earth, that has me flipping off people who insult my intelligence by offering me less than $50K for my lot. And after I sell mine, fair's fair, hope the prosperity continues and it becomes the next big Space Coast destination. I long ago decided that it was best to be cheerful, since the alternative is to sell and book a loss, and being a grump about the costs wouldn't alter them a nickel.