Planning staff propose CDO changes on street trees, impervious cover and use‑table corrections

Monroe County planning staff outlined a package of Comprehensive Development Ordinance (CDO) text amendments at the Planning Commission’s April administrative meeting that would revise street‑tree requirements, add a separate impervious‑cover amendment, and correct inconsistencies between the ordinance use table and two‑page “2‑pager” summaries.

The amendments, presented by Tammy (planning staff), would: (1) restore and clarify references so the county’s primary use table controls in any conflict with smaller “2‑pager” summaries; (2) propose a text change on impervious cover that would alter how features such as driveways are counted; and (3) revise subdivision street‑tree standards to exempt some rural lots or allow a supplemental tree‑preservation area in lieu of street trees. Tammy said, “This is the text that we’re proposing. It is basically sweeping driveways,” and explained staff would not count driveways “if they’re going through non buildable areas, so right of way, setbacks, flagpole lots” when calculating impervious cover.

Why it matters: the changes would reduce the number of variances applicants must seek for impervious cover and alter when subdividers must plant street trees in rural settings. Planning staff framed the edits as cleanup and alignment: consultants’ links and numbering drifted in the CDO, producing inconsistencies between the authoritative use table and the shorter 2‑page summaries the public reads.

Commission discussion focused on the street‑tree policy’s practical effect in rural areas. Several commissioners asked whether the county could allow preservation of a forested area or dedicate acreage under a conservation easement instead of planting an exact number of street trees along a rural roadside. A commissioner said an acreage‑based alternative “would be easier than … going out and finding those particular trees,” and another noted enforcement limits, saying the county largely relies on aerial imagery to check compliance. Tammy acknowledged those implementation questions and said staff would try to draft a clear, easy‑to‑apply conversion for the packet's next iteration.

The commission also discussed spacing standards. The draft aligns subdivision street‑tree spacing at 40 feet (one tree every 40 feet) in subdivision plats; separate commercial site‑plan rules would retain a 35‑foot spacing standard. A commissioner noted the difference and requested clarity in the redlines.

Other technical changes included lowering documentation requirements for accessory structures—staff proposed that many accessory structures require a plot plan rather than a certified plot plan—and correcting several definition and section renumbering errors across Chapter 18 and other CDO chapters.

Staff clarified how aerial imagery is used for existing‑driveway determination: the packet references aerials from 03/11/2014 as the last known validated set for some approvals; staff also said the county received a 2024 flight and is awaiting final published 2025 imagery quality and availability. That date is used in the staff review to identify existing driveway locations and to adjudicate whether features should be counted against impervious cover.

Tammy told commissioners the impervious‑cover item was intentionally separated into its own text amendment to allow additional review by the drainage board and the stormwater program manager. She said staff will return a redline and a consolidated part‑2 packet in the next meeting packet and try to align CDO numbering to the packet’s PDF page numbers to reduce confusion.

Next steps: staff will prepare redline language and a clarified conversion method for rural alternatives (acreage/conservation in lieu of planted street trees) for the next packet, and will track outstanding comments from the drainage board and engineering reviewers.

Ending: The commission did not take formal action on the amendments at this administrative meeting; staff signaled the items will appear again in a later packet with updated redlines and clearer cross‑references.