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Council asks staff to draft demolition-delay ordinance after board flags recent losses
Summary
The Historic Preservation Board asked the council to consider an ordinance to strengthen demolition procedures, including brief delay windows and documentation requirements; council directed staff to draft an ordinance and to notify about 150 property owners identified in city surveys.
Council members and staff debated a proposed amendment to Titusville’s historic preservation ordinance on Jan. 13 after the Historic Preservation Board recommended measures to reduce loss of unprotected historic resources.
Community Development Director Brad Parish summarized the board’s request: staff and the board want authority to delay demolition permits for identified historic resources to allow documentation, salvage or discussions with owners. Parish said recent state legislation (referred to in the discussion as SB 582) gives local governments the option to adopt additional fines and procedures for certain demolitions.
"If they are identified as historic... we would ask them to potentially delay that permit a little longer than we normally would issue a permit," Parish said, explaining that in many cases staff review would clear non-significant properties quickly but that more significant resources would receive time for documentation or salvage.
Historic Preservation Board chair Al Kiesel (introduced) and Tony Cefalo, speaking during public comment for the Norwood House, urged protections after about five River Drive houses were demolished to make way for larger homes.
Council members asked for numbers (staff said three surveys identified roughly 150 resources) and for owner outreach. Member Stockel moved, and Member Moscoso seconded, a motion to pursue advisability and drafting of an ordinance and to notify the 150 survey-identified property owners; the motion passed unanimously.
Next steps: staff will draft ordinance language and return with a published draft for council input and a proposed public-notice plan to reach identified property owners.
