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Commission backs tree-canopy requirement for multifamily development, narrows exclusion to properties 2 acres or smaller
Summary
After public comment and staff briefing, the commission voted to recommend the city proceed with a multifamily tree-canopy amendment but to limit the ordinance’s exclusion so that only single duplexes and multifamily projects on properties 2 acres or less (meeting comp-plan infill criteria) are exempt.
The Titusville Environmental Commission voted to recommend changes to the city’s tree-preservation/canopy ordinance that would extend minimum canopy requirements to multifamily and townhouse projects while carving an explicit exclusion for small infill parcels.
Staff presented the draft canopy and multifamily ordinance language and reported that City Council had directed staff to identify barriers to infill and to propose remedies. The draft applied minimum canopy requirements to residential subdivisions, townhomes and multifamily projects but included a parenthetical exclusion for single duplex units and properties meeting characteristics listed in Comprehensive Plan policy 1.77.
Public commenters urged the commission to make the exclusion explicit by adding a maximum parcel size for the exemption. A commenter identified in the record as a resident on Maryland Avenue recommended adding a 2-acre cap for the exemption — pointing to policy 1.77’s references to 2-acre thresholds — so that “single duplex units on properties 2 acres or less and multifamily projects on properties 2 acres or less” could be excluded while larger parcels would remain subject to canopy rules.
Commissioners debated the language and the staff position that including duplexes in canopy requirements could discourage small infill development. Commissioners concluded clarifying the exemption by referencing a 2-acre size limit would align the ordinance with the comprehensive-plan intent and reduce ambiguity about what qualifies as an infill exception.
A motion to forward the canopy ordinance to City Council with the recommended clarification (limiting the exemption to parcels two acres or less that meet Comprehensive Plan policy 1.77 infill characteristics) passed by roll call. Commissioners were unanimous in the recorded vote.
The ordinance will next be presented to City Council for consideration at a public hearing; staff said the item will be scheduled for council input or formal advertisement depending on council’s procedural preference.
Why it matters: Extending canopy requirements to multifamily construction will affect how developers design site plans and may reduce large-scale tree canopy loss associated with recent multifamily and townhome proposals in Titusville.
