Brevard-Melbourne land swap could create new home for Renaissance Fair after Wickham Park

Wickham Park could be replaced as the home for the Brevard Renaissance Fair after Brevard County Commissioners agreed Tuesday to begin negotiations with Melbourne over a potential land swap.

Tuesday's motion, approved in a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Tom Goodson opposing, would allow the county manager to begin negotiations to trade a county-owned parcel of land on Sarno Road for a nearby parcel currently owned by Melbourne.

Any deal would need final approval from the commissioners.Last year, commissioners passed rules limiting special event permits at Wickham Park to a maximum of 15 consecutive days or two consecutive weekends, Friday through Sunday. On top of that, it required that the months of January, February, March and April have at least one weekend per month without special events.

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With the massive construction and time needed to put on the Renaissance Fair, its organizers said that would make holding their event at Wickham Park unfeasible. Since then they have been working with the county and city of Melbourne on possible solutions.

The land deal could provide that new home if it is ultimately approved.

Brevard and Melbourne could swap land parcels with disparate values

At the center of Tuesday's move are two parcels unused parcels of land.

The proposed deal would swap 53-acre parcel the county owns near the Sarno landfill that the county bought for $7.2 million in 2001in exchange for a 3-acre property purchased by Melbourne in 2010 for $584,980.

If the deal goes through, Melbourne would host the fair on the larger parcel.

The county bought parcel in anticipation of expanding the adjacent landfill, but it has remained unused.

Commissioner John Tobia who championed the swap idea Tuesday said the trade could be a way to get some value out of a property that the county owns but does not need.

"Clearly it is not worth that today. It's certainly not worth the $7 million. None of us here were on the board or involved in government at that time," Tobia said. "I think we can take this and make this beneficial for everyone."

Tom Goodson opposed the deal on the disparate size and value of the pieces of land. "So you're gong to give up 50 acres for somewhere around $400,000 I don't see it. I personally would not vote to have the staff waste their time," Goodson said.

Commissioner Rob Feltner who also worked with Melbourne on the parcel exchange plan said the land, which is near the Sarno Road dump, should be put to use somehow.

"The landfill is coming to the end of its useful life. It'll be capped, but we still have this parcel. It's remained unused. I think the best use for it now is for a large events venue in Brevard County," Feltner said.

Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey disapproved of the county's rule changes that limit large events at Wickham Park. The park, which is controlled by the county but within Melbourne city limits, became a point of contention when Alfrey suggested that it be transferred to city control earlier this year to continue holding events such as the Renaissance Fair without interruption.

"I have been working to solve several issues in the city of Melbourne which includes obtaining a large festival venue area that can bring music festivals locally and keep other festivals like the Brevard Renaissance Fair, right here in Melbourne," Alfrey wrote in a social media post after the Board's vote Tuesday. "Again thank you Brevard County Commissioners who approved this as this i believe would benefit all of Brevard County!"

At Tuesday's meeting of the Melbourne City Council, the swap deal was unanimously approved, putting the final deal in the hands of the county commission. Alfrey said the land will also be used for a new fire training facility.

Renaissance Fair fights to maintain Wickham Park as a stopgap

Although the land swap could secure a future home for the Renaissance Fair, its founder, Peter Moolhuizen, said it may not come in time for next year's event.

He appealed to the commissioners Tuesday to change their decision about instituting rules that would preclude the festival from using its longtime home at Wickham Park until a new venue is fully secured."The attorney knows that we're gong to end up in court on this one. I said we're going to fight it all the way to the end and we'll fight it all the way to the end," Moolhuizen told commissioners Tuesday.

The basis of Moolhuizen's appeal is that his company and the county have had a longstanding agreement to allow the Renaissance Fair to use Wickham Park and they have always abided by the county's rules for the park's use. "You can deny that it is, but we have understood that it was."

He added that in addition to the Sarno Road parcel, his group is looking at another 77-acre venue that could provide a future venue for the fair. But if neither location can be ready in time, the Renaissance Fair can't afford not to hold an event next year. "What I'm asking for today is stability. In case these two avenues don't come to fruition by January that we have a fallback and can use Wickham Park for one year. We've wanted our own land for several years and we can get that done," he asked the Board.

No fallback deal was approved at Tuesday's meeting and as of now the Renaissance Fair will not take place at Wickham Park next year.

Tyler Vazquez is the Brevard County Government Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard-Melbourne land trade signals future of Renaissance Fair