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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008 01 28 Public Hearings 500 Evaluation and Appraisal ReportCITY COMMISSION ITEM 500 January 28, 2008 Regular Meeting Consent Information Public Hearin X Re ular / `~'._ Mgr./Dept. REQUEST: The Community Development Department -Planning Division requests that the City Commission hold a Public Hearing on the draft Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) recommendations related to the City's Major Issues, recently discussed at the j oint Local Planning Agency and City Commission Special Meeting held on January 17, 2008. PURPOSE: To provide opportunity for public comment on the draft recommendations, related to the City's List of Major Issues, before they are included in the draft EAR sent to the Department of Community Affairs for a courtesy review on Feb. 1, 2008. APPLICABLE LAW AND PUBLIC POLICY: Florida Statute s. 163.3191 Evaluation and appraisal of the comprehensive plan. Florida Statute 163.3174 (4) (related to responsibilities of the Local Planning Agency regarding the comprehensive plan) BACKGROUND: The Evaluation and Appraisal Report functions as an audit of the successes and shortcomings of the City's Comprehensive Plan and suggests how the plan should be revised to better address community objectives, changing conditions, trends affecting the community, and changes in state requirements. The identification of major planning issues last spring, set the stage for revisions to the City's Comprehensive Plan. CONSIDERATIONS: ^ The City Commission and Local Planning Agency (LPA) generated a List of Major Issues as the focus of the EAR and generated it to the State Dept of Community Affairs (DCA) on Apri124, 2007. ^ On October 8, 2007, the City contracted with the firm, Planning Communities, LLC, for the preparation of the EAR. ^ On October 9, 2007, the DCA responded with their Letter of Understanding, accepting the City's List of Major Issues. ^ A draft of the EAR was circulated to the City Commission and LPA on January 3, 2008. January 28, 2008 City Commission Regular Agenda Item 500 On January 7, 2008, a joint meeting of the City Commission and Local Planning Agency was held. The intent of the meeting was to review the recommendations included in the section tab labeled, "Part II -Local Issues" of the draft Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) through a facilitated discussion by the City's consultant, Planning Communities, LLC. However, the City Commission tabled the item and instead directed the Local Planning Agency to meet and bring back their recommendations tothe Commission. ^ On January 9, 2008, at a special meeting of the LPA, the Board participated in a discussion led by Planning Communities, LLC and voted on their recommendations related to the major issues. ^ On January 17, 2008, a j oint meeting of the City Commission and Local Planning Agency was held to remove the draft Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) from the table, and hear (and discuss) the recommendations of the Local Planning Agency, related to the City's List of Major Issues in the draft EAR. ^ The City will submit the draft EAR to the DCA by February 1, 2008 for a courtesy review to obtain initial feedback prior to the deadline for submittal of the EAR which is due May 1, 2008. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: The Community Development Department -Planning Division requests that the City Commission hold a Public Hearing to give opportunity for public comment regarding the draft recommendations (on the City's Major Issues) to be included in the draft Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR), resulting from the joint Local Planning Agency and City Commission Special Meeting held on January 17, 2008. ATTACHMENTS: A Recommendations on the City's Major Issues resulting from the joint Local Planning Agency and City Commission Special Meeting held on January 17, 2008. CITY COMMISSION ACTION: -2- ATTACHMENT A Major Issue 1 - Poaulation, Housing Density and Greenspace Recommendations The focus of development in Winter Springs is shifting to an infill perspective. While the development recommendations for this issue focus on designated areas or corridors, the City has scattered vacant parcels as well as numerous enclaves with the potential for annexation. Therefore, it is essential for the City to put into place a comprehensive framework or strategy to promote quality infill development and to establish priorities and~or programs that promote targeted infill development. 1. [New text] Add a policy that provides mechanisms which further the preservation of significant areenspace as a part of ayreater network of conservation lands. Add a policy that directs the City to adopt Land Development Reaulations that increase the preservation of preen space within the City. One such technique might be the establishment of a maximum~ercent of impervious surfaces. 2. Add or revise policies under Future Land Use Element, Objective ].4: Discourage Urban Sprawl and Encourage Redevelopment, limiting development of new high density housing to the Town Center and the U.S. 17-92 Community Redevelopment Area (C.R.A.) Corridor. 3. Add a policy that would allow multi-family housing in commercially zoned areas, contingent upon the provision of greenspace mitigation elsewhere (similar to the transfer of development rights program). 4. Add an Objective to the Conservation Element to address the preservation of the rich biological diversity of Winter Springs most significant natural areas and to establish a strategic approach for the preservation of these resources. Policies under this Objective would call for performing an area-wide evaluation to identify environmentally significant pieces of land that would create a network of conservation educational resources to protect; develop additional incentives for natural resource and open space protection; require sound land stewardship management practices to preserve, restore and/or maintain native ecosystems within conservation lands; prioritize properties to acquire; and identify additional funding sources for direct acquisition. 5. Add or revise policies under Conservation Element, Objective 1.6: Wildlife Protection to call for the City to coordinate further with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to enhance wildlife protection efforts. 6. Add a policy or policies which support the construction of buildings which are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certified and the use of green roofs to reduce stormwater demands. Major Issue 2 -Redevelopment of West Side Recommendations 1. As a component of redirecting the City's focus of development to that of a redevelopment and infill perspective, add a policy or policies under Future Land Use Element, Objective ].4, Discourage Urban Sprawl and Encourage Redevelopment, and~or Housing Element, Objective 2.4, Infill, for the City to study and proactively identify acceptable locations, priorities and implementation strategies for potential infill development and redevelopment. Updated policies should address residential, commercial and mixed use opportunities. Include a statement that the City will encourage infill and higher density and intensity Maior Issue 2 -Redevelopment of_West Side, continued development within the priority infill development and redevelopment areas identified through these efforts (similar to current statements for the Town Center and Greeneway Interchange District). These efforts may result in updates to the Future Land Use Map, enhancements to the vacant residential parcel map and database or development of an additional map illustrating infill development and redevelopment opportunities. 2. Add a policy or policies under Future Land Use Efemenf, Objective 1.4, Discourage Urban Sprawl and Encourage Redevelopmenf, and/or Housing Element, Objective 2.4, Infi11, that address the creation of redevelopment and small area plans identified through the strategic review of infill development and redevelopment opportunities. 3. Add a policy under Future Land Use Element, Objective 1.4, Discourage Urban Sprawl and Encourage Redevelopmenf, that supports bike and pedestrian connections to the new S.R. 434 Crosstown bus route. 4. Add a sentence at the start of Fufure Land Use Element, Policy 1.4.3, to direct the City Commission to hold a Visioning Workshop to discuss specific issues that impede redevelopment and infill. Participants shall include key City staff (Police, Fire, Code Enforcement, Community Development, Public Works, and Utilities) and the Planning and Zoning Board. The results will create development standards that reflect and support the City's focus on infill development and redevelopment and will generate updates to policies in various areas of the Comprehensive Plan beyond the Future Land Use and Housing Elements including the Transportation, Infrastructure and Capital Improvement Elements. 5. Add or revise policies under Fufure Land Use Element, Objective 1.4, and/or Housing Element, Objective 2.4, to provide for incentives for infill development and redevelopment that support the City's targeted program priorities. 6. Add a policy under Future Land Use Element, Objective 4.2: Mixed Use, that the City will allow and promote vertical integration of uses. Conduct discussions regarding the ten (10) acre minimum requirement to develop a mixed use site. 7. Add a policy under Housing Element, Objective 2.4: Infill, that the City shall consider allowing accessory dwelling units as a conditional use in residential districts to support development/redevelopment that integrates diverse choices of housing. 8. Revise Future Land Use Element, Policy 1.5.8, under Objective 1.5: Land Use Compatibility, to encourage property upgrades which enhance the neighborhood. 9. Add a policy under Future Land Use Element, Objective 1.5: Land Use Compatibility, which addresses the incompatibility of non-conforming uses and structures and calls for their removal. 10. Revise Future Land Use Elemenf, Policy 1.5.3 to support the transition of older residential homes located along arterial roadways to convert to a live-work or commercial use. 1 1. Ensure that policies are in place to address the neighborhood preservation needs of the City, including design standards and review criteria for infill areas and redevelopment areas to ensure compatibility even when greater density or mixed use is considered. 12. Identify infrastructure deficits in existing neighborhoods and identify how to address whether through partnerships, grant funding or as part of capital budgeting. 2 Maior Issue 3 - Greenwav Interchange Employment District Recommendations 1. Add a policy or policies under future Land Use Element, Objective 3.1 to address collaboration in the regional SeminoleWAY initiative. 2. Add a policy prohibiting stand alone residential development in the Greeneway Interchange District, so that residential is allowed only, as part of a vertical mix under Future Land Use Element, Objective 3.2. 3. Add a policy under future Land Use Element, Objective 3.2, that supports building height increases where sensitive lands are protected, as long as the FAR of 1.0 {gross acreage) is maintained. [Consider revising the FAR if the objectives of the Greeneway Interchange District can not be met.] 4.. Revise Future Land Use Element, Policy 3.4.4 as follows: "The City shall develop a Master Plan for the Greeneway Interchange District to ensure compatibility of land uses and compliance with Goal 3." 5. Add policies under Future Land Use Element, Objective 3.4, to address future transit service including heliport, future transit circulator, trail connections, and bicycle facilities (such as bicycle racks and/or lockers) as they relate to the Greeneway Interchange District. 6. Revise Future Land Use Element, Policy 1.4.1., to encourage higher intensity within the Greeneway Interchange District. Major Issue 4 -State Road 434 Corridor Recommendations 1. [New text] Add a policy addressing coordination with FDOT to a~.propriately re-classif~S.R. 434 within the Winter Springs Town Center corridor as a Class II or Class III arterial based on the increased density of traffic signals along S.R. 434. 2. Strengthen policies requiring interconnection of new development to existing facilities. Ensure that new development has more than one access point. Adopt pay-as-you go as part of the comprehensive plan transportation element update to address connectivity as well as capacity enhancements. 3. Add policies under Transportation Element, Objective 1.3, supporting an interconnected trail and bike route system, trail and bike route identification and utilization. 4. Revise Policy 1.5.12 of the Transportation Element, to read: "The City shall amend the City Code to require that interconnected sidewalks be constructed concurrently with new development, by the developer:' 5. Add a policy to Objective 1.5 of the Transportation Element regarding feasibility of a route along S.R. 434 connecting the Town Center and the Greeneway Interchange District, with the proposed facility to be limited to transit, bicycle, and~or pedestrian access. Environmental feasibility and traffic circulation would be the primary effort of the first phase. If permitting issues are not found to be insurmountable, astudy would address issues such as potential routes and potential funding sources for capital and operating costs, and for a transit component, additional factors such as operating agency, headways, hours of operation, projected ridership, and pricing. 3 Maior Issue 4 -State Road 434 Corridor, continued 6. Add a policy to Objective 1.9 of the Transportation Element addressing coordination with the Florida Department of Transportation regarding a reduction in the speed limit on S.R. 434 in the Town Center to better reflect the pedestrian-friendly environment being created in the Town Center. 7. Add a policy to Objective ].9 of the Transportation Element adopting a policy constraint for S.R. 434 west of Vistawilla to ensure that the highway will not be considered for widening by METROPLAN ORLANDO. 8. Add a policy or policies to the Comprehensive Plan where appropriate to lay the groundwork for meeting statutory and rule requirements for comprehensive plans regarding any concurrency management alternatives being considered by the City and which support the Town Center's Urban Central Business District overlay designation. These policies may include the concurrency alternatives: 8a. Add a policy or policies to the Comprehensive Plan establishing guidelines for granting exceptions to transportation concurrency for urban infill development, urban redevelopment, downtown revitalization, or a similar purpose allowed under the Florida Statutes. Ensure any such policies are consistent with and support a comprehensive strategy adopted in the Plan to promote the purpose of the exceptions (such as Goals 2, 3, and 5 of the Future Land Use Element). 8b. Add a policy or policies to the Comprehensive Plan designating one or more areas as urban infill development, urban redevelopment, downtown revitalization, or a similar designation to allow for the creation of one or more transportation concurrency exception areas within the City. 8c. Adopt into the Comprehensive Plan long-term strategies to support and fund mobility within any designated transportation exception areas (including alternative modes of transportation) and demonstrate how the strategies will support the purpose of the exception and how mobility within any designated exception areas will be provided. The strategies should also address urban design, appropriate land use mixes (including density and intensity} and network connectivity plans. Data and analysis justifying the size of the area must also be included. 8d. Consider Transportation concurrency Management Area (TCMA}, a Multimodal Transportation District (MMTD), or a Long Term concurrency Transportation Management System (LTTCMS). 9. Add a policy to Transportation Element, Objective ].5, which supports the S.R. 434 Crosstown bus route and linkage to the planned Central Florida Commuter Rail. 10. Add a policy encouraging widening of S.R. 434 (within the extent of the Greeneway Interchange District) to 4-lanes east of S.R. 417. 4 Mayor Issue 5 -Elderly Housing & Medical Care Recommendations 1. Add policies to the Comprehensive Plan under Housing Element, Objective 1.4, calling for the City to require and/or implement incentives for a certain percentage of townhouses and condominiums to conform to "Communities for a Lifetime" standards; to provide incentives for incorporating universal design principles in rehabilitation projects that incorporate universal design principles; and to work with programs that provide technical assistance on elderly housing policies to educate private and non-profit developers on these standards and universal design principles. 2. Add a policy to the Comprehensive Plan under Housing Element, Objective 1.4, for the City to explore attracting an Assisted Living Facility (ALF) including studying potential locations, size requirements, market demand, and timing. Discuss partnerships and identify funding sources and programs such as the Elderly Housing Community Loan program, which provides loans of up to $750,000 to developers that are making substantial improvements to elderly housing. http_f /www floridahousing org~Home~Develo~ers~SpecialPrograms f EHCLProgram.htm 3. Update Housing Element, Policy 1.4.6, regarding the City's investigation of adaptive construction techniques, "Granny Cottages", and accessory apartments. Add a policy to the Comprehensive Plan under Housing Element, Objective 1.4, and~or in the Future Land Use Element to allow Accessory Dwelling Units as a conditional use in single family zoning districts subject to strict design compatibility guidelines to protect the neighborhood character (similar to Future Land Use Element, Policy I.5.3: Conversions). 4. Add a policy in an appropriately identified section of the Comprehensive Plan for the City to explore attracting an Urgent Care Facility. 5. Revise Transportation Element, Policy 1.6.6, and add policies in the Transportation Element addressing elderly mobility and access to community facilities (public transportation, private transportation providers, access to services, circulators). Discuss coordination opportunities with private/non-profit service providers. Senior housing and services should be located with good access to transit, goods and services as well as workforce housing for caregivers, and the pedestrian network and Cross Seminole Trail. 6. Add a policy or policies under the Recreation and Open Space Element and~or Transportation Element addressing exercise and health opportunities for elderly residents, based on the changing demographics of retirees. 7. Add a policy encouraging state licensed group homes for the elderly (as allowed under Chapter 419, Florida Statutes) for six or fewer clients to locate in existing neighborhoods in Winter Springs. 8. Revise Housing Element, Policies 1.4.7 and 1.4.8 and~or adding a policy to the Comprehensive Plan under Housing Element, Objective 1.4, calling for additional coordination with the identified groups and programs on elderly housing policies and identifying additional programs or groups. The City may be able to link with non-profit groups and community organizations to provide for education to seniors, not only on senior housing, but also on issues such as medical, health, and community resources. 5 Major Issue 6 -Affordable and Work-Force Housin Recommendations 1. Add a policy to the Comprehensive Plan under Housing Objective 1.3, to discuss programs and the City's partnership with private/non-profit developers on additional programs such as SHIP, HOME and CWHIP (similar to Housing Element, Policy 2.1.6 for CDBG and Florida Neighborhood Housing Services Grants, which focus on rehabilitation and existing housing stock). 2. Add a policy to the Comprehensive Plan Intergovernmental Coordination Elemenf, Objective 1.2: Land Use and Housing Coordination, calling for the City to work with Seminole County to address affordable housing in the region, as well as to potentially develop a workforce housing program for the County. 3. Add a policy to the Comprehensive Plan under Housing Element, Objective 1.3, calling for the City to cooperate with non-profit groups and community organizations to provide for education on affordable housing topics such as available grant programs, rehabilitation and maintenance to further engage low and moderate income homeowners in the entire process from purchase and rehabilitation of housing to maintenance, upkeep and care of housing. Involvement of local youth through the school system may also be applicable. 4. Consider a revision to Housing Element, Policy 1.3.4, calling for the establishment of a program of density/development bonuses in return for developer contributions to affordable housing (currently calls for examination of a program). 5. Consider adding a policy to the Comprehensive Plan under Housing Element, Objective 1.3, or further revising Policy 1.3.4 to call for examination of a program that provides developers with a reduced traffic level of service (LOS) for development applications to encourage geographic dispersal and expansion of affordable housing opportunities (i.e. a slight reduction in required traffic performance, see Traffic Performance Standards Affordable Housing Exception used in Palm Beach County). 6. [Revised] Consider a~olicy that requires residentia~rojects to include a certain number of workforce housing units and encourages developers of large projects in the Town Center to provide a certain number of workforce housing units for workers to be interspersed into the development. In addition to these policy recommendations, as illustrated by the Assessment of Comprehensive Plan Goals, Objectives and Policies, the City has numerous policies in the current Comprehensive plan that support affordable and workforce housing goals. The implementation of these policies through specific programs, projects and funding actions would advance affordable and workforce housing goals. Previous text removed: Major Issue 1-1. Revise Land Use Element Policies 2.2.6 and 2.2.7 to limit building height to 4 stories; however, development credits for the preservation of significant greenspace as a part of a greater network of conservation lands would allow building heights to be increased up to 6 stories in the Town Center. Major Issue 4-1. Consider dropping Level of Service (LOS) standard (reclassifying from a Class I to a Class II arterial) to allow for a reduction in the speed limit on SR 434 for a segment of at least 1 mile segment (FDOT guideline for arterial analysis) centered around a 0.6 mile segment through the center of Town from Doran Drive to the Cross Seminole Trail Bridge and adding policies To support maintenance of this new LOS standard. Major Issue 6-6. Consider a policy that requires residential projects with more than 200 units to include a certain number (10%?) of workforce housing units and requires developers of large commercial projects in the Town Center (over 100,000 SF ?) to provide a certain number of workforce housing units (10% of SF ?) for workers to be interspersed into The development. 6