Transcript Goals Setting Workshop 2012

Growth and Planning
in St. Johns County
June 25, 2013
Board of County Commissioners Workshop
Introduction
 The goal of today’s retreat is to obtain Commission direction on a variety of
planning-related topics.
 Current planning policy has largely been written by previous Commissions
and may not reflect the views of the current commission.
 Many planning policies have not recently been paramount due to the
national recession and the resulting slow rate of development activity.
 The recent increase in development activity is, however, bringing many of
these planning policies to the forefront.
 The outcome of today’s retreat will provide staff with the direction
necessary to better serve the commission.
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Introduction
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Presentation Overview
I. Comprehensive Plan
Future Land Use Amendments, Economic Development, PUDs
II. Land Development Code
III. Concurrency
Transportation, Impact Fees, Schools
IV. Additional Topics/Questions
Environmental, Beautification/Community Appearance,
Agricultural Issues, Aging Population, Sea Level Rise
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Introduction
What are the BCC’s expectations to achieve
growth management and planning goals?
Proactive
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Reactive
I. Comprehensive Plan
Future Land Use Amendments, Economic Development, PUDs
I. Comprehensive Plan
• Future Land Use
Amendments
• Economic
Development
• PUDs
 Comprehensive Plan Goal A.1:
“To effectively manage growth and development by
designating areas of anticipated future development which
satisfies demand where feasible, in a cost-effective and
environmentally acceptable manner.”
 St. Johns County’s 2025 Comprehensive Plan
and the Land Development Code designate
properties in the County with both a land use and
a zoning designation.
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I. Comprehensive Plan
• Future Land Use
Amendments
• Economic
Development
• PUDs
 The Comprehensive Plan has eight elements
required by statute:
• Land Use
• Housing
• Transportation
• Recreation/Open Space
• Infrastructure
• Capital Improvement
• Coastal Conservation
• Intergovernmental
Coordination
 The Comprehensive Plan also includes a series
of maps, including the Future Land Use Map.
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I. Comprehensive Plan
Comprehensive Plan
(GOPs and Map series)
Zoning Atlas
Land Development Code
Construction Plans
(Horizontal Approval)
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Building Permit
(Vertical Approval)
I. Comprehensive Plan
• Future Land Use
Amendments
• Economic
Development
• PUDs
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 The Future Land Use Map assigns properties a land use
designation. The Zoning Atlas assigns properties zoning
designations.
 Incompatibilities between the assigned zoning and the
Future Land Use Map designation occur because the
zoning existed prior to the adoption of the Comprehensive
Plan.
 In those cases, the Future Land Use Map is the legally
controlling document and zoning designations cannot
supersede or override the Comprehensive Plan.
I. Comprehensive Plan
Future Land Use
Map (FLUM)
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I. Comprehensive Plan
Zoning Atlas
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I. Comprehensive Plan
• Future Land Use
Amendments
 Comprehensive Plan Key Policies
 The
• Economic
Development
• PUDs
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County shall control urban sprawl, characterized
by leapfrog development, strip development, and low
density residential over a large area.
 The extent to which population growth and
development trends warrant an amendment, including
an analysis of vested and approved but unbuilt
development.
 The extent to which adequate infrastructure to
accommodate the proposed amendment exists, or is
programmed and funded.
I. Comprehensive Plan
• Future Land Use
Amendments
 Comprehensive Plan Key Policies
 The extent the amendment results in positive market,
• Economic
Development
• PUDs
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economic, and fiscal benefits.
 All Comprehensive Plan amendments … shall provide
justification for the need for the proposed amendment…
 Florida statutes no longer require local government
to consider timing or need in the review of
Comprehensive Plan amendments.
I. Comprehensive Plan
• Future Land Use
Amendments
• Economic
Development
• PUDs
 Recently
the County has experienced an
increased interest from land owners for
Comprehensive Plan amendments to the Future
land Use Map (FLUM).
 Most propose changes from Rural/Silviculture
to Residential.
 Many of these sites are near lands designated
Residential, some are not.
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I. Comprehensive Plan Amendments
• Future Land Use
Amendments
• Economic
Development
• PUDs
Key criteria for considering
FLUM amendments:
• Location near infrastructure,
other development
• Type of development
(Residential, Office,
Commercial, Industrial)
• Neighborhood compatibility
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• Fiscal impacts
• Adequate roads/schools/fire
services/etc.
• Innovative design
• Existing inventory/timing
I. Comprehensive Plan
 Changes to the Comprehensive Plan
Comprehensive Plan
(GOPs and Map series)
Zoning Atlas
Land
Development Code
Construction Plans
(Horizontal Approval)
Building Permit
(Vertical Approval)
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are legislative actions.
 The BCC has the greatest decisionmaking flexibility on legislative
actions.
 BCC discretion is broad, but must
have a legitimate general welfare
concern.
I. Comprehensive Plan - Questions
• Future Land Use
Amendments
• Economic
Development
 When considering proposed amendments to the
comprehensive plan:
 What is desirable and undesirable?
 What are the most important criteria?
• PUDs
 Does the County wish to retain its standards for
timing and need?
 Should the County prepare its own fiscal impact
analysis for developments?
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I. Comprehensive Plan
Economic Development
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I. Comprehensive Plan
• Future Land Use
Amendments
• Economic
Development
• PUDs
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Residential
Commercial
I. Comprehensive Plan
• Future Land Use
Amendments
 Examples of the market demands include:
 Requests to rezone from OR to PUD for single family
• Economic
Development
• PUDs
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residential lots.
 Requests to rezone properties from commercial PUDs
to residential PUDs.
 Requests to change land use in pocket areas surrounded
by commercial to residential.
I. Comprehensive Plan
• Future Land Use
Amendments
• Economic
Development
• PUDs
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I. Comprehensive Plan Questions
Market vs. Managed Growth Spectrum
Decision-making Process
Market
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Managed Growth
I. Comprehensive Plan - Question
• Future Land Use
Amendments
• Economic
Development
• PUDs
 Is there a collective BCC perspective
regarding the market vs. managed growth
spectrum that can be provided to staff for their
consideration of land use applications and
requests?
 Staff orientation towards applications
 Development incentives/disincentives
 Available infrastructure
 Quality of life
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 Cost of development
I. Comprehensive Plan
Planned Unit Developments
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I. Comprehensive Plan
• Future Land Use
Amendments
• Economic
Development
• PUDs
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 The Comprehensive Plan requires PUDs for
rezonings that are:
 10+ acres in Residential and Mixed Use land use
categories.
 All Northwest sector rezonings.
 Commercial development of any size in Residential
land use categories.
I. Comprehensive Plan
• Future Land Use
Amendments
• Economic
Pros and cons of requiring PUDs:
PROS
• More flexibility for land owner
CONS
• Less flexibility for land owner
• More certainty for community
• Less certainty for community
• County and residents see
• Costly and time consuming for
site plan at time of rezoning
developer to create and change
• Intended to promote
• Difficult for county and developer
innovative design
to administer
Development
• PUDs
• Deviations require changes
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I. Comprehensive Plan - Questions
• Future Land Use
Amendments
• Economic
Development
• PUDs
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 Does the BCC want to rescind, retain, or modify
these PUD requirements?
 Are there alternative techniques or tools to
manage growth?
 If so, are there any particular considerations the
BCC would like staff to evaluate?
II. Land Development Code
II. Land Development Code
Comprehensive Plan
(GOPs and Map series)
Zoning Atlas
Land Development Code
Construction Plans
(Horizontal Approval)
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Building Permit
(Vertical Approval)
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II. Land Development Code
 The LDC has been in use for 14 years and has been revised
numerous times.
 Per the Commission’s direction, staff is currently processing a
series of changes that address overlay districts and other related
issues.
 Many additional revisions that follow have been identified by
the BCC and staff.
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II. Land Development Code Revisions
• Explore incentives or form-based
• Review PUD standards (Phasing,
approaches
sign plans, criteria for changes, etc.)
• Consider additional zoning districts • Consider places of large assembly
• Revisit Vilano Design standards
• Review use categories
• Revisit Affordable Housing
• Consider crime prevention designs
standards
• Update Uses and Definitions
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• Update vehicle stacking and other
technical design issues
II. Land Development Code Revisions
• Consider commercial design
• Examine Home office/Home
standards
Occupation standards
• Review subdivision approval process
• Review Sign Regulations: electronic
for non-PUDs
signs, sunset provisions, size and height
• Review accessory family units, guest
• Consider urban chicken standards
houses, and caretaker unit standards
• Review Temporary Use Permit
Standards
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• Review setbacks
• Require second access points for large
subdivisions
II. Land Development Code - Questions
 Should the County undertake a comprehensive review of the
Land Development Code?
 If yes, staff will present a full work plan for BCC consideration.
 If no, staff could continue amendments on an “as identified” basis as
resources permit.
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III. Concurrency
Transportation, Impact Fees, Schools
III. Concurrency
• Transportation
• Impact Fees
• Schools
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• County adopted amendments in 2009 and 2010:
• Eliminated excessive “Ghost Trips.”
• Reserved ten years of road capacity.
• Increased Minor and Small project thresholds.
• Reduced the radius of the study areas where project
impacts are assessed for commercial projects.
• Deferred concurrency requirement from rezoning
through construction plans.
• Allowed Proportionate Fair Share in lieu of full road
projects.
III. Concurrency
• Road network is assessed annually in
July based on most current road counts.
• This map illustrates:
• Roads at capacity in green
• Deficient roads in orange
• Constrained roads in yellow
• Following slides show enlarged views.
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Deficient links based on
actual traffic counts
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III. Concurrency
• Transportation
 Concurrency workshop suggestions:
 Increase other transportation revenue sources (sales
• Impact Fees
• Schools
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tax, impact fees, gas tax, tolls, TIF, ad valorem taxes).
 Encourage higher densities in specific areas and
exempt these areas from concurrency.
 Reassess road classifications for model capacity.
 Reduce the radius of study areas where project
impacts are assessed.
III. Concurrency
• Transportation
 Concurrency workshop suggestions:
 Consider a Vehicle Miles Traveled methodology.
• Impact Fees
• Schools
 Assess inequities for projects located on or near
deficient roads.
 Modify Proportionate Fair Share:
 Allow more than one year to make payments.
 Allow minor thresholds of development to proceed in
major projects.
 Identify incentives for large planned developments.
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III. Concurrency - Questions
• Transportation
• Impact Fees
• Schools
 The BCC endorsed an effort on June 4th to
convene a committee to discuss these issues.
• Commissioner Bennett is the BCC liaison.
• The first meeting is scheduled for July 26.
• Is there any direction the BCC would like to provide
staff prior to the workshop?
• Increase
transportation revenue sources
• Encourage higher densities
• Modify transportation models
• Address proportionate fair-share standards
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III. Concurrency
• Transportation
• Impact Fees
• Schools
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 In
addition, several developers have
approached the County to discuss changing
their mitigation obligations.
 Many have described changing financial
conditions and lack of CDD financing as
limiting factors.
 In several scenarios developers have sought a
change to shift road construction obligations to
the County to be funded through various impact
fee proposals.
III. Concurrency - Questions
• Transportation
• Impact Fees
• Schools
 Is the Board open and willing to consider the
shift of construction obligations and timing from
the developer to the County?
 Any decision will impact:
 Project Funding
 Project Timing
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III. Concurrency - Questions
• Transportation
• Impact Fees
• Schools
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 Does the BCC want to promote efficient use of
infrastructure by incentivizing development
within existing development areas?
 How would the BCC envision further
incentivizing growth in these areas?
III. Concurrency - Questions
• Transportation
• Impact Fees
• Schools
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 Should
the Board continue to accept
local/subdivision roads for maintenance?
 If yes, is there a financially sustainable funding
mechanism the Board is willing to implement to
offset the increasing costs of infrastructure
maintenance.
III. Concurrency
Impact Fees
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III. Concurrency - Questions
• Transportation
 Does the BCC intend to retain Impact Fees?
 If the program is maintained, staff recommends that
• Impact Fees
• Schools
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we update/consolidate the ordinances. This could be
done as part of the general countywide effort to review
ordinances.
III. Concurrency - Questions
• Transportation
• Impact Fees
 Developers have asked for changes to policy
regarding impact fee credits.
 They
• Schools
have requested that the value of their credits
not fluctuate with changes in the impact fee schedule.
 They have also requested the ability to sell impact
fee credits to other developments.
 Would the BCC like to revisit the policy
regarding the value and private sales of impact
fee credits?
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III. Concurrency
Schools
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III. Concurrency
• Transportation
• Impact Fees
• Schools
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 The joint meeting with the School Board
includes four areas of discussion:
 Pacetti
Bay Middle School
 Continued coordination on planning issues
 School site/land use coordination
 Review of local revenue sources
III. Concurrency - Questions
 How
• Transportation
• Impact Fees
• Schools
would the Board envision further
incentivizing non-residential growth in areas of
constrained school capacity?
 Enterprise Zones – incentives/disincentives
 Invest in infrastructure in identified areas
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III. Concurrency - Questions
 Are there new sources of revenue the BCC
• Transportation
• Impact Fees
• Schools
would like to explore to facilitate these
initiatives?
 Enact real estate recording fees
 Collect impact fees at building permit issuance
 Explore potential new revenue sources
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IV. Additional Topics/Questions
Environmental, Beautification/Community Appearance, Agricultural Issues,
Aging Population, Sea Level Rise
IV. Additional Topics/Questions
• Environmental
• Beautification /
Community
Appearance
• Agricultural
Issues
• Aging
Population
• Sea Level Rise
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 Environmental
 Is the County doing enough to protect its environmental,
archaeological, and historical resources?
 If not, are there specific initiatives that should be
undertaken to enhance the current level of protection?
IV. Additional Topics/Questions
• Environmental
• Beautification /
Community
Appearance
• Agricultural
Issues
• Aging
Population
• Sea Level Rise
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 Beautification/Community Appearance
 No architectural design standards exist, except in the
Overlays and some PUDs.
 The Comprehensive Plan calls for design standards for
developments adjacent to major roads.
 Do we wish to have design standards for commercial
development along major road corridors?
 If yes, are there specific design standards the BCC
would like to consider?
IV. Additional Topics/Questions
• Environmental
• Beautification /
Community
Appearance
• Agricultural
Issues
• Aging
Population
• Sea Level Rise
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 Agriculture Issues
 The Comprehensive Plan calls for the County to
explore options for the transfer/purchase of
Development Rights to create sustainable agriculture.
 Does the BCC wish to pursue this initiative?
 Does the BCC want to consider increased buffers
between proposed development and agricultural lands?
IV. Additional Topics/Questions
• Environmental
• Beautification /
Community
Appearance
• Agricultural
 In Florida, an increasing senior demographic (65+)
is an emerging issue.
 Florida’s population is growing 2.7% annually.
Issues
 The senior demographic is growing 7.7% annually.
• Aging
 Current senior population is approximately 35,000.
Population
• Sea Level Rise
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 Aging Population
IV. Additional Topics/Questions
• Environmental
• Beautification /
Community
Appearance
• Agricultural
 Aging Population
 Should the County begin exploring senior issues
from a land use policy perspective, such as transit and
walkability?
Issues
 Special Care housing, such as assisted living
• Aging
facilities, is not subject to density provisions in the
OR zoning district.
Population
 Does the Board wish to address this policy?
• Sea Level Rise
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IV. Additional Topics/Questions
• Environmental
• Beautification /
Community
Appearance
• Agricultural
 The University of Florida, the GTMNERR, and the
Regional Community Institute are conducting research
regarding sea level rise in our region.
Issues
 Should the County participate in regional community
• Aging
assessments and planning-related activities pertaining
to sea level rise?
Population
• Sea Level Rise
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 Sea Level Rise
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