CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
Memo Date: October 30, 2024
Agenda Date: November 12, 2024
Prepared By: Lucilene Ribeiro, Planner
Through: Stockton Whitten, City Manager
Requested Action:
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Consideration of a Zoning Text Amendment to Appendix A, Article XIII, Section 22 of the City of Cocoa Code, amending tree protection and preservation standards and procedures related to waivers of these requirements.
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BACKGROUND:
The applicant, City of Cocoa, requests that the Tree Board/Planning & Zoning Board consider an amendment to the Land Development Code, Appendix A, Zoning, Article XIII, Section 22 of the City's Zoning Ordinance. This amendment aims to update tree preservation and replacement requirements, particularly for palm trees, and to clarify that the appropriate boards and the City Council will oversee waiver-related decisions. The goal is to support tree assessment and equitably balance tree preservation with the encouragement of beneficial development within the City.
Ordinance No. 20-2023, approved on October 24, 2023, introduced a new tree preservation credit system and clarified tree replacement standards. It established guidelines for tree replacement, adjusted standards related to Arbor Mitigation Fund contributions when on-site replacement is impractical, and specified credits for preserved trees, as well as penalties for unauthorized tree removal.
The 2024 ordinance amendment builds on these protections established by Ordinance No. 20-2023, aiming to further enhance tree protection and preservation regulations by:
1.Tree Definition Expansion and Tree Replacement Standards
Palm trees will be recognized as "trees" requiring replacement in the event of removal only if they meet a minimum trunk diameter of 12 inches and grow or are capable of growing to at least 15 feet in height. The amendment provides that should a palm tree meeting the definition of a "tree" be removed, it need only be replaced by one 3" replacement tree, regardless...
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