Titusville commission asks staff to close wetlands ‘‘conservation easement’’ loophole in comp plan

The Titusville Technical/Environmental Commission voted Tuesday to ask city staff to review and propose revised language for Future Land Use Policy 1.16.0.2 and related strategies after members and outside experts said the existing wording creates a loophole that could let developers remove conservation land‑use protections for wetlands 5 acres or greater.

The commission—s action, approved by voice vote with no recorded dissents, follows an extended discussion during new business led by Mary (resident/consultant) and planning staff member Lily (city planning staff). Mary outlined a decades‑old mismatch between the comprehensive plan—s future land‑use element and the conservation element and said the mismatch stems from a 2010 set of proposed amendments that the state found partly noncompliant. "The heart of the wetlands policies is conservation element strategy 1.16.0.3.0.2," Mary said, noting that strategy establishes a 5‑acre threshold and a density limit of "one residential unit per five acres." She warned that the provision in 1.16.0.2 that currently allows…