Okaloosa County BOCC — April 7, 2015 — 2015 BCC Strategic Priorities - Update — reading text

Infrastructure A. Develop a Road paving and improvement matrix with quantifiable criteria for the ranking of road pavement and improvement priorities. a. Staff has developed the first draft of a matrix for dirt-to-pave roadway improvement projects. This draft is being reviewed with the County Administrator and Chairman of the Board in preparation for being presented to the Board of County Commissioners. It is anticipated that this matrix will be available for presentation in the month of April. B. Develop a list of Restore Act eligible projects for submittal to ORAC for funding consideration and direct the completion of funding applications. a. The County Administrator has approved project proposals focusing on economic development, stormwater, infrastructure, and promotion of tourism. These proposals will be submitted to the ORAC for scoring via the required submittal forms. C. Create a functional Transit Cooperative to revitalize and redefine the role of public transit in Okaloosa County. a. The ad hoc transit co-op committee is meeting March 31st; the signed interlocal agreements from Crestview, Destin, Ft Walton Beach, and Cinco Bayou are going to the BCC for approval on April 7. D. Develop a matrix with criteria for the ranking of real property assets for the County & Constitutional Officers. a. Facility Maintenance staff has met with the Assistant County Administrator and risk management in order to identify all county owned properties. In order to develop the Real Property Matrix staff is assembling a complete property list (of both developed and undeveloped parcels) and identifying particular characteristics that will be beneficial as matrix criteria. Economic Development A. Adopt a Master Economic Development Ordinance to better coordinate economic development activity in Okaloosa County. New position to coordinate with Economic Development Ombudsman. a. Okaloosa County already has an expedited permitting process (see below) adopted by ordinance that is currently being used by Bay Cable Ties for its expansion at Bob Sikes Airport. The ordinance was written with assistance from the Economic Development Council (EDC), Public Works, and Water and Sewer departments. It is tied to the state’s statutory programs, but also provides local flexibility. It has been provided via the EDC to interested companies considering expanding or locating in Okaloosa County. The ordinance is codified as Section 1A.06.00 of the Land Development Code, inserted below. As stated by Nathan Sparks during the workshop, the ordinance and system are in place and working well. What needs to happen is coordination of economic development priorities with the County’s capital improvements and land use authority to deliver industry-supporting infrastructure and services to appropriate areas that can be used for intensive uses without conflict with the surrounding area or military missions. This might be better addressed not through an “ordinance” but rather an economic development element to be included in the Comprehensive Plan. Such an element would provide policy guidance and serve as the road map for the County’s efforts. 1A.06.00 EXPEDITED PERMITTING FOR CERTIFIED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. 1A.06.01 Purpose and Intent: The purpose and intent of this section is to provide an expedited permitting process for the development of projects that substantially contribute to the economy of Okaloosa County through the creation of high-wage, long term jobs The expedited permitting process for certified Economic Development Projects (EDPs) contains incentives available to developers of a certified EDP. The review processes for the approval of EDPs are included in this section, as well as appropriate references to other provisions within the Code of Ordinance of Okaloosa County, Florida affecting the development of EDPs. The review team for the expedited permitting process will be composed of representatives from the Growth Management Department, Public Works Department, the jurisdictional Fire Prevention/Life Safety authority, the jurisdictional potable water and sanitary sewer utility providers, and any other County department(s) designated by the County Administrator (reference to the County Administrator throughout this section shall be construed to include his/her designee). 1A.06.02 Certification of Economic Development Projects (EDPs): The Okaloosa County Economic Development Council (EDC) is hereby designated as the agency responsible for certifying that a proposed development project qualifies as a Certified Economic Development Project (EDP). In making this determination, the EDC shall use the criteria provided in the applicable sections Chapters 288 and 403 of the Florida Statutes, as well as any additional criteria which may be set by policy of the Board of County Commissioners which shall be applied in a manner that provides the greatest possibility that an applicant will benefit from application of this part. The EDC shall notify the County Administrator in writing within twenty-four (24) hours of any certification pursuant to this part. 1A.06.03 Rapid Response Processing: The County Administrator shall serve as the single point of contact (SPC) between the developer of an EDC-certified EDP and the Okaloosa County review agencies. The SPC shall coordinate an expedited review process that gives EDPs priority in the review of development order, site plan  review, zoning, and building permit applications. All Okaloosa County review agencies shall give priority review to all EDP applications and shall report items that may result in delay of approval to the SPC, including citations of specific code requirements in order to facilitate swift resolution. The SPC shall review any item that may result in a delay with the applicant within two (2) business days of being notified of the action necessary to facilitate application approval. 1. The SPC shall assist the developer of an EDP and the review team in the processing of EDP applications according to the following timelines: a. Prior to the submittal of site plans, construction drawings, or other application materials, the SPC shall coordinate a pre-application meeting at which the developer and all members of the County review team shall attend in order for the developer to become familiar with permitting requirements and Review Team staff to become familiar with the project in order to provide guidance to the developer on how applications, plans, drawings, and other necessary information may be best presented to ensure a smooth and expeditious review. The developer shall not submit and applications or other materials for review, nor shall the review clock start running, prior to the pre-application meeting. b. The completeness review of applications for EDP proposals that meet or exceed the thresholds of section 1A.03.03.2 shall be completed within three (3) business days of receipt. The completeness review shall verify that all plans, drawings, surveys, and technical requirements necessary for review are included with the application. A determination that an application is complete for purposes of review does not constitute a finding of sufficiency for any part of the application and/or its accompanying documents. The review team shall complete its review and provide comments regarding complete EDP applications within fifteen (15) working days of the date the application was determined to be complete for purposes of review. c. EDP applications that require action by the Board of Adjustment (BOA) shall be placed on the agenda of the next regularly scheduled BOA meeting that allows adequate time for legal advertising and notification requirements following the determination of completeness, unless the applicant requests a delay. d. The provisions of Section 1A.01.05.6 notwithstanding, EDP application for projects that meet or exceed the thresholds of Section 1A.01.05.6 shall only require approval by the Board of County Commissioners. e. The Building Inspections Division shall complete its review of building permit applications for certified EDPs within fifteen (15) days of receipt. 2. Any proposed amendment, deviation, or change to a certified EDP that has received development order approval pursuant to Section 1A.03.03 shall be reviewed by the Planning Official to determine whether the proposed change constitutes a minor or major modification to the approved EDP site plan. If it is determined that the proposed change is a major modification, the SPC is responsible to provide any proposed revision to an approved EDP site plan with the same expedited process applied to the original application. B. Complete the site certification process at Bob Sikes Airport and begin recruitment of qualified tenants. a. Economic Development – Plan and organize an Airports workshop to develop a strategic plan with emphasis on the competiveness of Okaloosa County’s Airports in inducing economic growth while ensuring that the proposed strategic plan will not adversely impact the economic significance of the military presence in the County, so that the plan does not interfere with military airspace or degrade the mission of the Unites States Air Force at Eglin Air Force Base, Hurlburt and Duke Fields and any other installations.  b. Economic Development – Develop and present a Commercial Air-Service competiveness analysis for Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) which competes for airline service in an extremely competitive market to enable crucial decisions on providing incentives to airlines including reduced rates and charges through conveyance, revenue diversification, guarantees through tourist and restore funding sources. C. Inventory and evaluate future economic development sites and industrial parks within Okaloosa County to include infrastructure analysis, etc. Use results of analysis to prioritize locations and develop long-term marketing and management plans. a. The Planning Division has developed and maintains “Planning Area Profiles” for all of Okaloosa County that provide detailed information regarding roads, water and sewer, population, zoning, electric power availability, and other information that is useful for site selection consultants, developers, and economic development professionals. There are 10 profiles corresponding to the 10 zip code areas in the County. The Table of Contents for Planning Area 32539 is inserted below; it shows the type of information available. It is a large document (80+MB) which can be viewed through the following link: http://webgis.co.okaloosa.fl.us/website/okaloosagis/gm/2013%20PLANNING%20AREA%2 032539.pdf . The Planning Area profiles are ideal for serving as the basic data and analysis needed to support an economic development element as referenced in a., above. Refocus on the Customer A. Complete a comprehensive review of the Code of Ordinances and Land Development Code and adopt changes to simplify and modernize the Code and LDC. a. The Growth Management Department has completed a review of the Land Development Code (LDC), and has prepared modifications to address a number of areas for improvement, including revising the