Titusville Residents Push Back Against Proposed Multifamily Project

2–3 minutes

A proposed multifamily development in Titusville, Bristol Windover Way, is facing significant pushback from neighboring residents. Nashville-based Bristol Development has put forth plans for 304 apartments divided among six four-story buildings on 26 acres near the intersection of I-95 and State Road 50.

The project, initially proposed in 2022, sought a zoning change from commercial to a planned development. In December 2023, Bristol submitted a request to consider the application under the Live Local Act, according to Titusville Community Development Director Brad Parrish.

Under the Live Local Act, developments that designate a percentage of units as affordable can build on sites zoned commercial or industrial without needing a zoning change or public hearing. However, Bristol Development later resubmitted the request to change the zoning “to allow for the multifamily apartment development without an affordable housing component”, Parrish told Orlando Business Journal.

The Windover Farms Community Association, representing approximately 350 member homes and nearly 600 in the neighborhood, has opposed the development since its inception. Concerns from residents include the height of the buildings, which they fear will allow renters to see into neighboring houses, and increased traffic on Windover Way, the local access road to State Road 50.

If the zoning change is denied, Bristol Development has three options, according to Parrish: continue to apply under the Live Local Act, sell the property, or develop it commercially.

Kyle Ruperto, a development manager with Orlando’s Unicorp National Developments, not involved with the project, commented on the challenges of development approval. “It’s not always the easiest to propose a development that all the stakeholders are happy with. It’s a lot of trial and error going through the approval process to figure out what works with everybody.”

Brevard County has seen a nearly 30% increase in multifamily projects in the past five years, according to real estate analysts CoStar Group. In 2023, the county added 1,603 units and has 1,925 units currently underway. However, the affordable housing component presents a challenge for developers, with Ruperto noting, “The rents might not track.”

On June 19, more than 30 residents attended a Titusville Planning and Zoning Committee meeting to express concerns about the Bristol project, including issues with parking and environmental impacts. The committee ultimately recommended denying the zoning change, which will go for a final vote with the city on July 23. The first hearing of the proposed zoning change is on Tuesday, July 9th at 6:30pm at City Hall

Talk of Titusville
Author: Talk of Titusville

37 responses to “Titusville Residents Push Back Against Proposed Multifamily Project”

  1. Sean Avatar
    Sean

    Absurd that anyone would oppose this. It’s 304 homes on 26 acres. Those houses next door are on 1-acre plots. Would you prefer developers pave over 300 acres and build houses instead?

    Titusville has great nature, and I’d rather an apartment complex taking up 26 acres than to lose 300 acres of beautiful Titusville green space building more houses. Just look at Port St. John, how they’re building into the marsh. It’s so sad.

    If we oppose this, then we oppose keeping our green spaces. Titusville is going to grow regardless.

    Reply
    1. Brian Blackmore Avatar
      Brian Blackmore

      Why do we need this kind of growth ?
      Titusville is a great retirement community. The city infrastructure can’t support this kind of development. Ultimately all this development will do is give the city council more money to waste. It will not benefit the city enough.

      Reply
      1. Matt L Avatar
        Matt L

        Titusville has never been a retirement community. It is a town that many residents have chosen to retire in. Denying growth opportunities like new housing just hurts the town’s economics and the many families that are coming for work opportunities. I guarantee you won’t miss the 20 acres right off of the highway but younger members of our community are desperate for safe and affordable housing which this is going to provide.

        Reply
      2. Milton Farrow Avatar
        Milton Farrow

        ROBIN FISHER THE “KING OF CARPETBAGGERS’ WHO BROUGHT US “ TITUS LANDING” ( not doing well ) The Condos on Max Brewer River site -That were empty for years , with lots of bank Repos – and huge damage to Indian River-Our infrastructure was never able to carry these extra projects, and the developers charged the impact fees to we, the Homeowners- THANK YOU
        LUNNY AND LARESE!

        Reply
    2. Susan Canada Avatar
      Susan Canada

      What makes you think that the other areas will remain green areas? We’ve seen other areas that were dedicated for one thing and then changed to something totally different. Bea Polk & Joan Wheeler daughter to keep Marina Park from becoming condos & then I joined in when Vectorworks tried going into Marina Park. The land was dedicated by the state to the city for public use or state could take back possession. I fought in Tallahassee as the City of Titusville assumed that a state worker would make sure they’d get a grant where they could change Marina Park to private use.

      Reply
    3. Dee Avatar
      Dee

      It’s absolutely absurd to think anyone WOULDN’T oppose this, Sean!! Sorry, you get a HUGE thumbs down from me, bc you have no clue & don’t know what you are talking about!!!……. 👎

      Reply
    4. Sidd Avatar
      Sidd

      The biggest issue Sean is that the project was approved back when the apartments were being made in the name of affordable housing, now the developer seeks to change the status of their already approved permit to exclude affordable housing. This does nothing but raise the cost of living and it doesn’t solve the issue of people lacking affordable housing. Why the P and Z commission requested a denial of the change is because it originally set forth a good idea that benefits low income residents of Titusville but now they want to build apartments that only wealthy out of state families can move into for the sake of profit. You know why infrastructure is NOT being built as fast as these predatory developments are to keep up with demand? Because roads don’t pay you thousands of dollars a month per unit! $2000×304= $608,000 A MONTH… greed greed greed.

      Reply
    5. Milt Farrow Avatar
      Milt Farrow

      THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS SEEMED TO ALWAYS FAVOR THE DEVELOPER RATHER THAT THE HOMEOWNERS-WE OUGHT TO CHANGE THE CHARTER AND EL,ECT A DECENT COUNCIL THAT IS NOT IN THE DEVELOPERS POCKETS-THEY SEEM TO BE ABLE TO CORRUPT WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE MOST DECENT OF US -THEY WILL NOT BE HAPPY UNTIL THEY HAVE MILKED THE LAST DROP OF BLOOD FROM OUR HOMEOWNERS-I KNOW THEIR POLITICAL HISTORIES BY WROTE–SEAN IS EITHER CLUELESS OR HAS SOME COMMON INTERESTS WITH THE DEVELOPERS- THE CITY MAKES OUR HOMEOWNERS EAT THE IMPACT FEES THAT THEY CEDE TO THE DEVELOPERS FOR LITTLE OR NO MONEY –WHEN ALL THE GREEN IS GONE–WE WILL HAVE NO WATER-

      Reply
  2. Tom Avatar
    Tom

    Titusville’s infrastructure can’t handle another development. Their Water system is inadequare and expensive, roadways are already overcrowded. Enough, focus on the mess Titusville has done to the Lagoon and clean that up first.

    Reply
    1. Sue Avatar
      Sue

      Agree.

      Reply
  3. Brian Blackmore Avatar
    Brian Blackmore

    What will these new people do for jobs ? Titusville doesn’t have the infrastructure for supporting population growth. Titusville is a great place for aquatic recreation and dining. We have 2 developments on US-1 . Our infrastructure will be overwhelmed with them, and adding another is going to cause problems with water, electricity and sewage.

    Reply
  4. El Avatar
    El

    Can we stop with the building Already! Greedy builders! Move away! Live Titusville untouched. Make room for nature and animals. Enough already!

    Reply
    1. Sue Avatar
      Sue

      Agree.

      Reply
  5. Boly Avatar
    Boly

    Titusville can and needs to grow. The infrastructure is no different from any other community in Brevard county. The Space Center, Cape and NASA is growing immensely and CAN support the growth in Titusville. The City of Titusville has been “ruled” by people that don’t want Titusville to grow. They want it to be a retirement community and it’s far from that. Titusville needs to wake up to the fact that that the Cape and NASA are developing and growing the Spaceport of the future and Titusville is right across the river from it all. Families are rapidly moving here and need housing. Young people are moving to Titusville for the immense opportunities that the space center provides. Holding Titusville down is ancient ways of thinking. Growth means jobs, jobs mean opportunities for all. Stop the closed minded way of thinking and think about the future of the community.

    Reply
    1. Dee Avatar
      Dee

      Really??!! You sound like you’re a developer…. That’s exactly what a developer would say! 🧐🤔😒🤨

      Reply
    2. Brandon Avatar
      Brandon

      If there are so many employees in nasa and SpaceX than develop on N Courtney Pkwy. That’s right next to both.

      Reply
    3. Sean Avatar
      Sean

      Great explanation Boly! I moved to Titusville to work at Kennedy Space Center too.

      Reply
    4. Jen Avatar
      Jen

      Boly I totally agree. I moved here in 2022 and work at the Space Center. I moved from a small town in another state that was decades behind Titusville. Titusville is on the right track and needs to continue to develop to support its current and future residents needs.

      Reply
    5. Matt Avatar
      Matt

      People keep talking about ” future residents..” They are the problem. Florida, let alone Titusville, does not need any more new residents. Tourists, fine. Come, fish, hunt, enjoy the beach, go to Disney, eat, but PLEASE for the love of god, leave to go back home again. One of the few things that makes it worth living here is the the wild/ natural spaces, and communities like the one proposed are quickly taking them all away. Soon all we will have is Disney. Maybe the locals should start using some more, ” Florida Man” type tactics and make the place undesirable to others not from here. Shouldn’t come to that. But things are getting out of control. If we don’t fight it, we will lose it ALL.

      Reply
    6. Milt Farrow Avatar
      Milt Farrow

      Apparently you have no scientific basis for your remarks as the word sustainability has no meaning to you -that will be until you turn on a tap and no water comes listen SIR a human being being cannot survive more than 3 days without h2o – i suggest you open up an earth science book and stop siding with greedy opportunistic developers that break things then move on-

      Reply
  6. GLENN BACALA Avatar
    GLENN BACALA

    Put it your backyard if you want it. I do NOT want it in mine. I retired here on Windover for the beauty and quiet the neighborhood has.

    Reply
  7. Dee Avatar
    Dee

    NO!!!! All these developers who live in beautiful homes & have “their” space, want to come in & build SARDINE can sized homes, & lots, not caring about anything but MONEY for themselves, they’re not concerned if we have enough water for all these developments, they’re not concerned about the overcrowded traffic we already have, they’re not concerned about the size of Titusville & all the extra people who will take jobs from long time residents who have lived here all their lives, they’re not concerned about the crime in Titusville & how it’s out of control already, they’re only worried about “their families”, “their” BIG paychecks, & “their” greed, go somewhere else, build near YOUR OWN HOMES & leave Titusville alone, you’re cramping us all in & you don’t care bc you’re only about yourselves & your BIG $$$$! 🤮🤮

    Reply
  8. Brandon Koby Medellin Avatar
    Brandon Koby Medellin

    I agree, I do not want all of this extra traffic with 300+ more rooms! Think about it that is at least 300+ more vehicles driving around the area! It’s a small area with enough crime as it is. The last thing we need is more renters and apartments. We do not want to sellout to big company’s, look at the boardwalk at cocoa beach, you used to be able to pull up there and go surfing. Now you gotta pay to park, and they got all these gift shops for foreigners visiting for a short amount of time. The locals are gone. You don’t want to do the same to titusville. Just let us be in peace. Build an apartment in your backyard developer.

    Reply
  9. Larry Avatar
    Larry

    Ya’ll aren’t even gonna be alive by the time more housing gets built in Titusville. Just let it happen so folks can afford shelter. Lol.

    Reply
    1. Jay Avatar
      Jay

      Yeah, that’s the problem. Now that they have the permit, they’re trying to change the “affordable” part.

      Reply
  10. Tiffany Avatar
    Tiffany

    I agree I moved here from Busy Orlando for the peace and quiet now they are trying to turn this small town into Orlando there is no major malls or even enough grocery stores or anything to have developments out here who can afford it where’s the jobs bring more of that before you bring more expensive homes no one can afford unless you are working for Space etc don’t turn this into Orlando because of creed it’s not helping the town it’s full of retirement

    Reply
  11. James Grigson Avatar
    James Grigson

    This isn’t about a “need” for affordable housing. This is about the fact that developers have been licking their chops for some time now, looking to be the first to sink their teeth into that area and work it for all they can get. They could not care less about traffic, the infrastructure, or crowds of people, or the factthat people move here to escape all that. They know ONE thing. “If I don’t get in there first, some one else will.”

    Reply
  12. Connie Milton Avatar
    Connie Milton

    This developer is attempting to put the maximum number of apartments on the 20.4 acres of buildable land (15 units per acre) in a sight of hand their application included 5.5 acres of ground truthed wetlands. This 5.5 acres should be zoned OR and conservation land use. But by applying for a PD they are attempting to sneak in over 64 additional units. Also Titusville codes do not allow access onto Windover Way, a subdivision road. All development on this property MUST access onto Hwy 50. Can not access onto Windover Way if Titusville follows their own codes. So there is much more at play here than the public has been made aware of.

    Reply
  13. Samuel Michael Peters Avatar
    Samuel Michael Peters

    Just let them build, it’s their land. If the developers of Windover Farms weren’t permitted to build you wouldn’t be in your home, stop trying to deny others the same rights you have and stop being selfish. By the way, Titusville is know where near becoming Orlando, stop telling those lies. We have our problems but becoming Orlando is definitely not one of them.

    Reply
  14. Sandra Avatar
    Sandra

    This article missed the big issues on noncompliance with this proposed project, many of which were even spelled out in the staff report. The proposed Bristol multifamily project is not in compliance with the City’s Comprehensive plan policies and land development regulations and the applicant has failed to submit required evidence and data to demonstrate compliance. Their supplied traffic study was, supposed to study traffic impacts to surrounding roads and any negative impacts on adjacent residential areas. But the developer specifically excluded from the study portions of Windover Way to the right of the proposed driveway, their traffic study only allowed for zero vehicles turning right out of their driveway onto Windover Way to Windover trail into Windover Farms.

    The City’s LDRs clearly state for the existing high intensity (RC) commercial zoning, the proposed high density multifamily (PD) zoning or other high or medium density multifamily developments direct access driveways to such developments MUST be onto arterial or collector roads, and NOT onto local roads or impact residential areas Windover Way is defined as a local road by the City’s criteria and definition, and likewise by Brevard County, and FDOT definitions. The applicant HAS a legally established 66 Foot wide easement for access to SR50 to an existing and historically used driveway for what was the truck stop for years, but instead is trying to dump the high number of daily trips onto Windover Way, in violation of the LDRs. The developer could use their existing easement for access and resolve a lot of the community objection and compliance issues.

    The six four-story apartments are not consistent with residential or commercial development in the area east of I-95. Titusville already has less than 20% of its landuse allocated for commercial or industrial. And the City has stated that they believe the city has already enough land allocated as multifamily or permits already approved to mor than meet demand beyond 2030. The adjacent residential community has valid objections that what is being proposed by Bristol Development LLC and depicted on their master site plan because it is not in compliance with the City of Titusville adopted Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations. These are only a few examples of the Bristol moncompliance problems but there are many more. The bare minimum residents should expect for any consideration of any application for rezoning or application for development is the City requiring full compliance with their adopted regulations. , These are the community developed and adopted rules intended to guide future growth and development in a way that meets the needs of our community for existing and future residents.

    Reply
  15. Mayhem MarMar Avatar
    Mayhem MarMar

    Hmmm how many times has sewage been leaked into the river because their sewer systems are literally busting at the seams! I’m sick of paying taxes for roads to be maintained yet my car is being literally ripped apart daily from the pot holes, shoddy patch work because they are too cheap to actually repave a street. The roads are despicable! It’s so congested around Titusville that it takes forever to get a few blocks! Oh and how about all the flooding??? You can’t even drive up US 1 between Harrison south to 50 whenever there’s rain for more than a day!! The developers don’t give a crap because they build then move on and residents are left with the aftermath! The commissioners don’t care because it pads their pockets. You want to continue developing, destroying what little habitat is left. Then call 911 when a bear digs in your trash because he is hungry or gators end up in your pool because of development! It’s really disgusting what is being done to this county. Humans are definitely the most invasive species on earth!

    Reply
  16. P Avatar
    P

    As soon as the developers slide enough under the table cash to the right people ‘name is on the local hospital’ all obstacles will grow wings and fly away as if an imaginary gawd came and saved the developers day.
    Same thing happened on the river, there was never supposed to be any buildings taller than 5 stories allowed along the river, a certain developer broke every rule, lied to everyone but pushed enough money to the last community development manager and suddenly you could hear the chorus of angels singing for them, they got there prayer answered regardless of the community screaming NO, they can build as high as they wish now. Wait it will happen here too.
    THATS HOW WE ENDED UP WITH SO MANY CUMBERLAND FARMS, ONE ON ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE LANDS, SHE RETIRED IN THAT DEAL, BENEFITS OF BEING FRIENDS WITH THE CEO I GUESS!
    The space center jobs excuse, BS its an outright lie, remember in 2007-08 economic crash? Bush administration, remember when they rolled up the sidewalks when the money dried up, well we still haven’t recovered! I see more and more private sewage trucks pumping sewage out of manhole covers in the streets than ever before! If our sewers are working why are we pumping sewage out of the streets? Our infrastructure is abysmal, it took them 30+ years to repave a few miles of Hopkins!
    Have you been to Cumberland on US1 and Garden?
    GAWD DAM, WHAT THE ACTUAL PHUK! THE JUNKIES AND HOMELESS PROBLEM IS UNDENIABLE, YOU CAN’T UNSEE IT! Titusville is no longer a safe quiet town I wanted to be in and moved to 20 years ago!
    City of Titusville HATES SMALL BIZ, small biz drives the economy, but small biz doesn’t have palm greasing money, DEVELOPERS DO, well unless you are a thrift store then you are more than welcome to show we are an oppressed, poor city with nothing to do for the youth, no entertainment other than drinking and illegal drugs, the parks and the library are over run with homeless and child predators, hooker run along Main street and Park ave!
    So fewer green spaces, more flooding, more traffic, no jobs here to speak of (few living wage jobs) more environmental impact, heck even our water is tainted with PFAS and other FOREVER CHEMICALS!
    (Thanks NASA, 3M and the US government for slowly killing us)
    GROWTH IS NOT WHAT WE NEED

    Reply
  17. FEDRICKA SAMMS Avatar
    FEDRICKA SAMMS

    What we need is more job opportunities. Many homes are on the market right now and they are not moving. I moved for the quite away from the traffic night mares. Developers will Make the money and leave the county to do the best they can with joblessness and traffic nightmare. Why can’t they do commercial portion and some apartments. Yes the renters will come but where are the jobs? Developers are in for the money
    When there be a coneren for people over MONEY. My opinion may not count but I suggest there be a waiting period to see where this ecenomy stands. Use the empty space we have and revitalize the existing ones into affordable housing. There is a lot of abondoned apparements on DeLeon St which could be revatialitize
    and be helpfull for families who need affordable living apartments or homes.
    Thanks

    Reply
  18. El Avatar
    El

    My Heart is broken with this excessive building around everything! Why can’t North Brevard do the same as Seminole County FOREVER ORDINANCE!? There is no Life without Light! The importance of nature to builders and greedy individuals are beyond their understanding!

    Reply
  19. Matt Avatar
    Matt

    I have lived in Titusville in Windover for 40 years the traffic has increased to the point that you need to allow extra time in your drive just to go across town. Driving on 95 or 50 coming into Titusville you would be met by apartments and heavy traffic instead of a small Welcome to Titusville sign! We need to rethink this!!!!

    Reply
  20. Jim Avatar
    Jim

    At the other end of Windover Way you have a down tree about to take out someones mirror. Plus at least 3 attempts to fill a pot hole. You’re tell me adding 300 more units the town can maintain services. What a joke.

    Reply
  21. Steve Avatar
    Steve

    This intersection of a merge lane from I-95, traffic moving east on HWY 50, Windover Way, 2 gas stations, a waffle house, and a entrance to McDonalds, Home depot, left turns across traffic back

    Reply

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