MELBOURNE, Fla. -- The search is on to find a potential new home for Daily Bread's soup kitchen within the next two months.

Throughout a marathon 6½-hour meeting Monday night, Mayor Harry Goode hinted that the city might find a more-suitable site for Daily Bread's polarizing expansion plan -- possibly to the northwest, near the Melbourne International Airport. He also serves as chairman of the airport authority.

"We think there's an avenue there," Goode told Local 6 News partner Florida Today. He did not supply additional details.

Roughly 450 people attended the Daily Bread meeting, filling row after row of seats at the Melbourne Auditorium. In the end -- after dozens of speakers gave conflicting testimonies -- the Melbourne City Council voted 4-3 to deny rezoning of a vacant lot at Fee Avenue and Waverly Place for a future soup kitchen.

Goode -- who cast the decisive vote shortly after 1 a.m. -- Vice Mayor Kathy Meehan, John Thomas and Joanne Corby voted to deny the rezoning. Richard Contreras, Mark LaRusso and Cheryl Palmer dissented with that decision.

Immediately after the vote, Goode led his colleagues to "reconsider and leave pending" the rezoning matter until July 22. Council members may change their votes at that time, if they so choose.

The proposed, Key West-style soup kitchen clocks in at 9,193 square feet -- triple the size of today's dilapidated building at 815 E. Fee Ave. Included in the site plan is a 96-seat dining room, a 41-seat, library-style "day room," showers, laundry facilities and office space.

Daily Bread supporters argue that the facility serves more than 80,000 free meals per year, serving vital nourishment to struggling families, disabled people and the working poor. But dozens of downtown shopkeepers and residents argue that the facility attracts hoodlums, hookers, drug dealers and dangerous derelicts.

Monday marked the first time that council members publicly discussed the polarizing plan, which has generated controversy since surfacing in January 2005. Minutes after the zoning denial, Paul Kantz, president of the Daily Bread board of directors, expressed displeasure.

"Disappointed," Kantz said of his reaction. "We expected better tonight, and to have this put off again for another two months is disappointing. My question is, why weren't these offers of help made before tonight?"

City Manager Jack Schluckebier mentioned a possible answer during council members' post-midnight discussion.

Schluckebier said Daily Bread officials previously insisted on building a new soup kitchen within a "magic radius" of 1 mile to 1.5 miles from the current facility. But when asked Monday if a 3.5-mile distance was acceptable, Kantz said that would be a decision for the Daily Bread board of directors.

"It seems as though the radius could shift some. And I think that's a major difference," Schluckebier said.

Contreras called for a two-month delay on a Daily Bread decision, citing the fact that only three soup kitchens serve Brevard County's population of roughly 550,000. He lobbied for talks with officials with neighboring Palm Bay and West Melbourne to designate potential sites on a regional basis.

He also called for creation of a consortium of government leaders, nonprofit groups and others to identify additional facilities to help the needy.

"This is a broader issue than just the city of Melbourne," Contreras said.

Daily Bread Executive Director John Farrell gave council members two red three-ring binders. One contained more than 150 letters of support. The other had 8,354 signatures of support for the expansion, he said.

When Goode initially asked Farrell if Daily Bread would consider moving to a new site -- say 3.5 miles away from Fee Avenue -- Farrell replied no. But he softened his stance as the meeting progressed.

"If I could go out tonight and find you a site, I could be a hero," Goode said.

"Well, I could help you," Farrell replied, drawing laughter and applause from the crowd.

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