Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 11-23-2010 Regular — reading text

There are also numerous instances where no regulations are provided for implementation of the CRA Plan provisions. Specific architectural design regulations have not been adopted. There is considerable difficulty in applying the UM Plan and its design guidelines to meet this objective of the CRA Plan. See the notes in Part IV of this report. 3. Table 4- 10 calls for "expanded home occupations" in mixed residential areas. The LDC does not provide for different home occupations in zoning districts within the CRA. B. Community Design 1. An objective calls for establishment of design standards for architecture and signage to reflect the small-town character of the City. No architectural design standards have been adopted. Building height and FAR standards are not typical for a small town. There is considerable difficulty in applying the UM Plan and its design guidelines to meet this objective of the CRA Plan. See the notes in Part IV of this report. 2. An objective calls for development of regulations and incentives to increase pedestrian and watercraft access to the waterfront. Performance standards are provided as an incentive to dedicate an easement for the shoreline boardwalk in the MUW -12, MUW -18, and MUW 2 -4 zoning districts. 3. Building design standards for mixed residential districts call for: Measuring height by stories rather than feet. Single-family, duplex, and townhome buildings are limited to 2. 5 stories and condominium or apartment buildings are limited to 3. 5 stories. There are no zoning districts with a 2.5 -story height limit. Condominium is a method of ownership; therefore, it is problematic to attempt to limit height for buildings where the units are in condominium ownership. This creates an internal inconsistency. Finally, the LDC does not recognize half stories. Fagade articulation. Only required for townhouse development in R-2A. A minimum of 15% of street facades in windows. There are no standards in the LDC. Specific garage door treatments. There are no standards in the LDC. Hip or gable roofs with a minimum slope of 4: 12 for the main roof and 2: 12 for attachments. Standards for roof pitch are provided in the YC and MUW -12 zoning districts. Specific material and size requirements for railings and porches. There are no standards in the LDC. Specific building materials. Standards in the LDC for building materials are only provided for metal buildings. Buildings oriented to the street. There are no standards in the LDC. Specific entry and porch standards. There are no standards in the LDC. Garage location and design standards. There are no standards in the LDC. Setback standards. Setbacks for front and side yards differ from those provided in the LDC for R -2A and R -2. 4. Building design standards for mixed use districts (MUCC, MUMS, MUW) are as follows: Measuring height by stories rather than feet. Single-family, duplex, and townhome buildings are limited to 3. 5 stories and buildings on major arterial and collector streets Page 129  Fort Walton Beach Evaluation and Diagnosis Preliminary Review of the LDC Land Development Code are limited to 4. 0 to 6. 5 stories. Height varies for the first floor and upper floors. The LDC does not recognize half stories. Fagade articulation and specific facade design treatments. There are no standards in the LDC. Storefronts must have 40 to 80% of street facades in windows. There are no standards in the LDC. Specific entry treatments. There are no standards in the LDC. Awnings. Standards for awnings are provided in Section 16. 13 of the LDC. This section does not encourage awnings. Commercial buildings should have sloped roofs with a minimum slope of 4: 12 for the main roof and 2: 12 for attachments. Rooftop equipment should be screened. There are no standards in the LDC for roof pitch on principle structures. Sections 16. 11. 4 and 16. 11. 5 have roof pitch standards for all accessory buildings. Specific designs for windows, doors, and facade openings. There are no standards in the LDC. Horizontal massing requirements. There are no standards in the LDC. Building frontage that provides a continuous edge and a build-to line. There are no standards in the LDC. Specific building materials. Standards in the LDC for building materials are only provided for metal buildings. Buildings oriented to the street. There are no standards in the LDC. Parking facility location and design requirements. A special parking district is provided for the MUMS zoning district. Street furniture. A density bonus is available for provision of street furniture in the MUMS, MUW -18, and MUW -24 zoning districts. Connecting walkways. Walkways are not specifically required. Some regulation of walkways is in the parking standards section of Chapter 16. Specific standards for civic uses and public facilities. A density bonus is available for provision of a public plaza. C. Provide for a Mix of Housing Types 1. Revise the LDC to reduce street frontage, reduce lot area per unit, and reduce setbacks. This has not been done. 2. Revise the parking standards and allow on- street parking as part of the calculation of parking spaces to meet the standard. There is a special parking district in the MUMS zoning district. 3. Allow accessory dwellings. Accessory dwellings are not provided in the LDC. 4. Provide a density bonus for provision of attainable housing. Density bonuses are available for design features but not for attainable housing. 5. Require a portion of housing to meet attainable housing needs. There are no standards for attainable housing in the LDC. D. Amendments to the LDC (in addition to those already identified) 1. Create a new MUCC- 3 zoning district. This has not been done. 2. Create a new MUMS- 2 zoning district. This has not been done. Page 130 Fort Walton Beach Evaluation and Diagnosis Preliminary Review of the LDC Land Development Code IV. Urban Master Plan / Urban Desi n Plan A. Subzone Land Use and Development Standards —General Issue The design guidelines in the UM Plan are provided in subzones for four neighborhoods. Each subzone is labeled with terminology that is similar to the land use the categories in Comprehensive Plan and the zoning districts in the LDC. Each subzone has a specific list of permissible uses, which do not match the detailed list of uses in the LDC. Further, subzones with the same label do not allow the same specific uses. For example, Subzone F, Mixed-Use Waterfront, in the West Miracle Strip Parkway Neighborhood does not permit the same uses as Subzone G, Mixed-Use Waterfront, in the East Miracle Strip Parkway Neighborhood. Further, the dimensional and development standards are not the same for subzones with the same label. B. Mixed Use Community Commercial The UM Plan contains several subzones labeled Mixed-Use Community Commercial, but the uses are not the same from neighborhood to neighborhood, and these subzones are not consistent with the two zoning districts by the same name (MUCC- 1 and MUCC-2). C. Highway Commercial The Highway Commercial land use category in the Comprehensive Plan requires adherence to the Urban Design Guidelines. However, within the UM Plan, two subzones are designated for Highway Commercial. These subzones are not coterminous with HC zoning district boundaries, do not have the same development standards as the HC zoning district, and do not allow the same uses as the HC zoning district. There is no effective means of implementing the Comprehensive Plan through the UM Plan for Highway Commercial development within the CRA. D. Implementing the Urban Master Plan through the LDC The UM Plan contains a recommendation that the Zoning Code and the LDC be revised to address permitted and conditional uses and numerous other provisions of the UM Plan. However, the only means to accomplish this would be the creation of numerous additional zoning districts. The City already has 21 zoning districts ( not including districts being phased out), many with only minor distinctions in uses or development standards from each other. It is confusing to the user when there are a large number of districts with only minor distinctions. Having a large number of districts may lead to additional rezoning. For example, one Mixed - Use Waterfront Subzone allows home occupations, while another subzone with the same name does not allow home occupations. If this distinction is reflected through two new zoning districts and a land owner wishes to establish permissible residential development in the zone without home occupations, a rezoning is required. This may be an unintended consequence, but highlights the need for an in-depth analysis of subzones in the UM Plan and zoning districts in the LDC. Page 131  Fort Walton Beach Evaluation and Diagnosis Preliminary Review of the LDC Land Development Code V. Vision Plan The Vision Plan contains requirements to be implemented through the LDC: Adoption of CPTED standards. There are no regulations in the LDC. Adoption of a street design plan and manual. There is no street design plan or manual in the LDC. Adoption of requirements that assure only compatible retail andfamily-oriented businesses, with no definition of what constitutes a family-oriented business. This provision also requires discouraging non- family-oriented businesses, which implies that some such businesses may be permissible, contrary to the first part of the provision. There are no regulations on this matter in the LDC. Other requirements appear to be implemented through the LDC, wholly or in part: water conservation regulations, regulation of wastewater and stormwater disposal, easements for a soundfront boardwalk, and adoption of a historic preservation ordinance. VI.EA.RBased