Titusville Planning and Zoning Commission Item 9.B: Food Pantry Ordinance for Residential and Downtown Zoning Districts on November 18

The City of Titusville Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, on a draft Food Pantry Ordinance. The draft would add food pantries to the City's definition of "community service." It would also make community service a permitted use with limitations in nine residential zoning districts and in the Downtown Mixed Use district. The Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council. The agenda says the Council will hold public hearings on the ordinance on December 8, 2026 and January 12, 2027. No final decision has been made.

When and Where

The ordinance is item 9.B under New Business on the Commission's agenda. The meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18, 2026. It will be held in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 555 South Washington Avenue, Titusville, FL 32796. The agenda lists the ordinance as a legislative item.

Background From the Staff Report

The staff report comes from Bradley Parrish, Community Development Director. It states that on June 10, 2025 and August 12, 2025, the City Council gave direction to the City Manager and staff "to expand food pantries in various zoning districts and reduce regulatory requirements." The draft ordinance is attached to the report. It is labeled Ordinance No. X-2026, and each page carries a "DRAFT" watermark.

The report lists three alternatives for the Commission.

• Approve the ordinance as written.

• Approve the ordinance with changes.

• Do not approve the ordinance.

Reasons Stated in the Draft Ordinance

The "whereas" clauses of the draft state the following.

• The City Council adopted the Sustainability Action Plan in 2023. The plan includes target metrics and action items aimed at increasing access to healthy food.

• Food pantries are local community based facilities that provide free healthy food to families in financial need within the City of Titusville.

• The City Council wants to allow food pantries in locations that are convenient to the community being served, while reducing impacts to nearby businesses and residences.

• The City Council wants to allow community services, including food pantries, as a permitted use with limitations in areas zoned single family, multifamily and residential manufactured housing.

Code Sections the Draft Would Amend

The draft amends three parts of the Titusville Code of Ordinances. Section 2 changes Section 28-54, the use table for civic, public and institutional uses. Section 3 changes Section 28-239, which sets the rules for community service uses. Section 4 adds definitions to Section 37-1, the City's general definitions section.

The use table explains the letters. "P" means permitted. "L" means permitted subject to limitations. "C" means a conditional use. A blank cell means the use is prohibited.

New and Revised Definitions

The draft revises the definition of community service. The definition covers uses of a public, nonprofit or charitable nature that provide ongoing education, training and counseling to the general public on a regular basis, without a residential component. It also covers facilities open to the public for recreational, social, education, library, meeting or cultural activities. The draft adds food pantries to the list of example activities, next to museums, gallery exhibits and library collections.

The draft also adds two new terms to Section 37-1.

• A food pantry is any nonprofit program that gets food through donations, canned food drives, food banks or direct purchases and then gives food to individuals. A food pantry does not provide prepared food to clients to eat on or off site.

• A food bank is a not-for-profit clearinghouse that collects, stores and gives out usable donated surplus food to food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other nonprofit groups, not to individuals. A food bank may include a warehouse with dry and cold storage, fleet vehicles and staff offices.

Zoning Districts Covered

In the marked draft, the use table strikes the "C" for community service in nine residential districts and replaces it with "L." Those districts are listed below.

• Residential Estate (RE)

• Rural Residential (RR)

• Single-Family Low Density (R-1A)

• Single-Family Medium Density (R-1B)

• Single-Family High Density (R-1C)

• Multifamily Medium Density Residential (R-2)

• Multifamily High Density (R-3)

• Residential Manufactured Housing (RMH-1)

• Residential Manufactured Housing Park (RMH-2)

The draft also adds an "L" for community service in the four Downtown Mixed Use (DMU) sub-districts. The table names them Downtown, Uptown, Midtown and Civic Waterfront. In the marked draft, those cells were blank before the change.

Limits in the Covered Districts

The draft adds a new standard to Section 28-239. In the nine residential districts and the DMU district, a public hearing would be required for any facility with a capacity above 400 persons in which community services are conducted.

The draft also changes the conditional use standards. It strikes the nine residential districts from the list of districts where community service needs a conditional use permit. Under the draft, the Office Professional (OP), Shoreline Mixed-Use (SMU) and Urban Village (UV) districts stay on that list.

Existing setback standards for several other districts stay in place, with new numbering. In the Community Commercial (CC) and Regional Commercial (RC) districts, for example, no structure may be closer than 25 feet to any residentially zoned property or residential use.

Who May Be Affected

The draft applies to community service uses, which under the revised definition include food pantries. It names the zoning districts where the rules would change. The recitals say the City Council wants food pantries to be convenient to the community being served while reducing impacts to nearby businesses and residences.

Hearing Process and Next Steps

The agenda describes how public hearings run. Those speaking in favor of a request are heard first. Those opposed are heard second. Those who wish to make a public comment speak third. Anyone who speaks is considered a witness. Exhibits for the Commission go to the Recording Secretary and are kept by the City.

The Commission's role on this item is to make a recommendation. The agenda says the City Council will hold public hearings on December 8, 2026 and January 12, 2027. Under Section 9 of the draft, the ordinance would take effect upon adoption by the City Council.

The agenda also states that anyone who decides to appeal a Commission decision will need a record of the proceedings and may need to make sure a verbatim record is made. Under the agenda, a person with a physical disability who wants to attend should submit a written request to the chairperson at least 48 hours before the meeting.

The Titusville Planning and Zoning Commission meets Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 555 South Washington Avenue, Titusville. Under the agenda, anyone who plans to speak on item 9.B must fill out an Oath Card and sign the oath on it. The cards are on the table near the entrance to the Council Chamber or may be obtained from the Recording Secretary.