Wakulla adopts 5% recreation-area rule for new residential subdivisions; residents urge stronger tree protections

The Wakulla County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously adopted an ordinance amending Chapter 5 of the county land development code to require at least 5% of a residential development’s site area to be set aside as recreational space.

The measure, approved after a final public hearing, applies to multiple residential zoning districts and requires that recreation areas be located outside of platted lots and exclude required building setbacks, utility easements and stormwater facilities. Staff recommended the change to standardize and increase minimum open-space requirements for higher-density subdivisions.

The ordinance matters because it sets a clear, enforceable minimum for recreational open space on new residential developments, replacing the previous calculation method with a flat percentage. Supporters said the requirement will ensure more playgrounds, walking trails and other amenities near homes; critics and several residents said it will not substitute for strong tree-preservation standards.

During public comment, resident Miss Leonards said a recently revised commercial tree-and-landscape ordinance that commissioners approved at a prior meeting contains an “internal incompatibility” that will undercut incentives intended to preserve trees. She urged the board to revisit that commercial ordinance and asked that staff correct a survey requirement she described as incompatible with the crediting system the ordinance uses. “Unless you fix this, many of the stronger tree credit incentives are essentially worthless,” Leonards told the commission.

M E Rudin, who said she served on the county’s Charter Review Committee, told commissioners she supports the new recreation requirement but urged them not to stop there: “This is a good first step, and I thank you for that. But I’m also hoping maybe you’re looking on another ordinance that might be more effective in preserving trees and preserving our county’s natural beauty and character,” Rudin said.

Laurie Stork, a resident of a tree-rich neighborhood, said decisions made now will affect the community decades later and asked commissioners to weigh long-term impacts of tree removal when approving development plans.

Planning staff answered questions about how the ordinance threshold and calculations were set. One commissioner asked where a previously referenced threshold of 60 residential units came from; staff said the number was developed through board discussion several years ago when the county first implemented recreational-facilities criteria for higher-density subdivisions. Staff also gave examples of developments that have been affected by the prior requirement, citing Wesley Park, Summerfield, Chadwick and Palmetto as recent projects in which recreational-area calculations applied.

The ordinance does not itself change tree-preservation rules; several public commenters asked the commission to separately revise tree-protection provisions and to ensure that areas counted as natural or vegetated are actively managed to remove invasive species. Staff noted the new recreational-area definition is broad and can include both passive features (open space, trails) and active amenities (playgrounds, pools, courts).

The final vote was unanimous. Staff said the ordinance will increase the minimum recreational open-space requirement compared with many recent developments that met only the prior bare minimum calculation.

Commissioners did not adopt additional tree-preservation amendments at the meeting; several residents asked that the board place revisions to the county’s tree and landscape code on a future agenda so staff can propose concrete fixes to the survey and crediting conflict raised in public comment.