Titusville planners recommend medium‑density zoning for 1400 Elizabeth Avenue after neighborhood and traffic questions

The Titusville Planning and Zoning Commission voted Jan. 7 to recommend changing the future‑land‑use and zoning designation for 1400 Elizabeth Avenue from single‑family to multifamily medium density, following more than an hour of staff briefing, applicant remarks and neighborhood comment.

Senior planner Christy Anderson told the commission the applicant seeks a small‑scale comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning for roughly 3.61 acres at the northwest corner of Elizabeth Avenue and Queen Street to allow 32 multifamily units in eight quadruplex buildings. Staff recommended an alternative zoning — multifamily medium density (R2) — as a better transition between existing low‑density single‑family to the west and higher‑density parcels to the east.

The recommendation followed technical questions from commissioners about rights‑of‑way, traffic and buffers. Anderson said the property currently contains unimproved paper streets (Zereth Avenue and Yale Street) that, if vacated, could add about 0.85 acres and increase maximum build‑out under R3 zoning. "If the request is approved, the maximum potential build out of the property would increase from 18 single family residential units to a maximum of 54 multifamily residential units," Anderson said, summarizing staff analysis; she added staff’s R2 alternative would permit a maximum of 32 units without a ROW vacation.

The developer’s representative, Joshua Wilson, told the commission utility coordination delays — "we had a very challenging time with the utilities, communicating with FPL specifically" — had split submittals and prompted the applicant not to include a concept plan with the application. "We do have a concept plan," Wilson said, and described a layout placing the eight quadruplexes along Elizabeth with stormwater retention and a tree buffer toward the western property edge.

Several commissioners and residents pushed the applicant for more detail on transitional buffers, collector‑road access and whether the paper streets must be vacated for the project to be feasible. Commissioner Grant and others emphasized the comprehensive plan’s guidance to step densities down across neighborhoods; staff replied that the R2 medium‑density option would provide that transition while allowing the applicant’s stated 32 units.

Neighbors and a professional engineer raised concerns about the order of operations, saying that vacating a ROW first is typical and asking how utilities and internal access would be provided. The applicant’s engineer and co‑owner, Jeremiah Forry, said the retention pond and site layout are designed to meet stormwater requirements and that the team aims to deliver affordable units.

After public comment and discussion, a commissioner moved to recommend the medium‑density future‑land‑use designation and corresponding R2 zoning, noting the applicant agreed that the medium‑density outcome would meet the stated 32‑unit goal. The commission recorded a roll‑call recommendation in favor; the motion passed unanimously.

Next steps: the Planning & Zoning Commission’s recommendation will go to City Council for final action. The staff record and zoning change will note that vacation of unimproved ROWs could change maximum densities in future applications.