Subject:
Title
Ordinance amending the goals, objectives and policies, and the Future Land Use Map Category Descriptions and Rules, of the Future Land Use and Quality Communities Element of the Comprehensive Plan, amending the legend of the Future Land Use Map, and amending the Future Land Use Map.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Conduct a public hearing and adopt the proposed Ordinance amending the goals, objectives and policies, and the Future Land Use Map Category Descriptions and Rules, of the Future Land Use and Quality Communities Element of the Pinellas County Comprehensive Plan, amending the legend of the Future Land Use Map, and amending the Future Land Use Map.
Body
Strategic Plan:
Foster Continual Economic Growth and Vitality
4.1 Proactively attract and retain businesses with targeted jobs to the county and the region
4.3 Catalyze redevelopment through planning and regulatory programs
Summary:
This is the second of two public hearings by the Board on these proposed amendments to the Pinellas County Comprehensive Plan. The first hearing was held on November 24, 2015. The proposed Ordinance is intended to provide the appropriate policy and regulatory framework within the Pinellas County Comprehensive Plan, including the Future Land Use Category Descriptions and Rules, for revisions that will be proposed to the Pinellas County Land Development Code, which includes new zoning districts and changes to existing zoning districts. Additionally, with the recent update to the Countywide Plan, the Future Land Use and Quality Communities Element and the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) would be amended to incorporate selected changes from the Countywide Plan and to retain consistency with this updated plan. Other amendments recognize the creation of a policy framework for the establishment of a mobility management system as a replacement to transportation concurrency. Other minor changes update references and terms. Most of the amendments contained in the proposed Ordinance provide policy and regulatory support for redevelopment in the unincorporated areas of Pinellas County while recognizing that there are stable neighborhoods where minimal change is anticipated during the planning horizon of the Comprehensive Plan.
The attached Staff Report and Recommendation to the Local Planning Agency summarizes the amendments to the Pinellas County Comprehensive Plan contained in the proposed Ordinance. This report includes an evaluation of the potential impact on public services and facilities for each of the seven FLUM categories where the maximum development potential is proposed to be increased. This evaluation concluded that the proposed changes to these FLUM categories are not anticipated to have a significant impact on public services and facilities.
Background Information:
The Board conducted its initial public hearing on the proposed Ordinance on November 24, 2015, at which time the Board authorized transmittal of the proposed amendments to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and other state and regional agencies for review and comment. The comments from the review agencies are attached, and in response to these comments a few changes have been incorporated into the proposed Ordinance. These changes are noted with red text in the attached strike-through and underlined version of the proposed Ordinance. Scrivener errors in Policy 1.15.3 and Objective 4.7 of the Future Land Use and Quality Communities Element have been corrected, and an extraneous word has been removed from the explanation of residential use within the Residential Urban FLUM category description. The definition of Target Employment Center has been revised to reference the applicable local regulatory map where these centers will be designated.
The initial proposed Ordinance considered by the Board in November 2015 included references to new or renamed zoning districts that will be presented to the Board later as part of the update to the Land Development Code. Since these new or renamed zoning districts have yet to be adopted by the Board, any references to these zoning districts have been removed from the proposed Ordinance. The Future Land Use Category Descriptions and Rules will need to be amended, however, after the updated Land Development Code has been adopted in order to include these new or renamed zoning districts in the Zoning Compatibility matrixes within the Rules.
The Residential/Office General (R/OG) and the Residential/Office/Retail (R/O/R) category descriptions have also been slightly modified in response to a comment from the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. It is Board policy not to support increases in density above 5 dwelling units per acre within the Coastal Storm Area, which includes the Coastal High Hazard Area and additional adjacent properties that are subject to development restrictions due to their vulnerability to coastal storms. The proposed amendments would increase the maximum density permitted in the R/OG and the R/O/R Future Land Use Map categories from 10 dwelling units per acre to 15 u/a. Consistent with Board policy, the R/OG and R/O/R category descriptions have been modified so that the proposed density increase would not apply to those few properties in the CSA that are currently designated as R/OG and R/O/R.
In response to one of the comments from the Florida Department of Transportation, more intense development potential is associated with the proposed Activity Center and Mixed Use Corridor land use categories and the existing Transit Oriented Development land use categories. Use of these categories requires preparation and approval of a Specific Area Plan, which provides the opportunity to address the concepts listed in the Department’s letter to reduce impacts on transportation facilities.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District provided a technical assistance comment requesting supporting documentation that there is ongoing coordination between Pinellas County and Tampa Bay Water concerning the County’s increasing potable water supply demands. Information obtained from Pinellas County Utilities reveals that total water demand by the County’s retail and wholesale customers has continued its downward trend. One reason for this is the successful implementation of the County’s Water Conservation Plan. Pinellas County provides annual updates to this plan to Tampa Bay Water. In addition, Pinellas County provides direct input to Tampa Bay Water’s annual update of its Long Term Demand Forecast Model. There are also year round meetings between Tampa Bay Water and its member governments via the Conservation Coordination Consortium Committee regarding potable water supply, water demand management, and conservation efforts.
The Local Planning Agency reviewed the proposed Ordinance at a public hearing on October 8, 2015 and determined that the proposed amendments are consistent with the Pinellas County Comprehensive Plan and recommended approval of the Ordinance by a vote of 6 to 0.
Fiscal Impact:
N/A
Staff Member Responsible:
Gordon Beardslee, Director, Planning Department
Partners:
Pinellas Planning Council
Attachments:
Proposed Ordinance (strike-through/underline format)
Proposed Ordinance (approved as to form)
Staff Report and LPA Recommendation
MPO Analysis of ROR Impact on U.S. Highway 19 North
State and Regional Agency Review Comments
Legal Notice
PowerPoint Summary of Proposed Amendments