Fort Walton Beach Council minutes — 09-22-09 special minutes — reading text

1 MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING PRESENTATION -MAJOR CHANGES TO 2020 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF THE CITY OF FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 22, 2009 INTRODUCTION A special meeting of the City Council of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, was held on Tuesday, September 22, 2009, at 5: 00 p. m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, with the following members present: Mayor Mike Anderson Councilmen: Mike Holmes, Bill Garvie, Bobby Nabors, and Bill Patterson Absent: Virgil Miller, Dennis Reeves, Dick Rynearson Also Present: Bob Mearns, City Manager; Helen Spencer, City Clerk; Toni Craig, City Attorney; and Department Directors PURPOSE The purpose of the Special Council meeting is to present major changes to the 2020 Comprehensive Plan. CALL TO ORDER/ PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Mayor called the meeting to order and led in the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mr. Holmes moved to approve the agenda as the business of the day. Mr. Garvie seconded motion and it carried unanimously with Holmes, Garvie, Nabors, and Patterson in favor Miller, Reeves, and Rynearson absent). MAJOR CHANGES TO 2020 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Samantha Abell, Senior Planner, presented for Council' s review and discussion the Evaluation and Appraisal Report ( EAR) based amendments to the Comprehensive Plan for the City for the year 2020. Ms. Abell advised the 2008 EAR, which was adopted on May 13, 2008, identifies three major issues: Growth and Development along the waterfront; Housing; and Transportation. She noted that State law requires the EAR to be completed once every seven years. Ms. Abell advised the major changes planned for the 2020 Comprehensive Plan include the addition of a Conservation Element, a Coastal Management Element, a Future Land Use Element ( FLUE), and a Transportation Element. She informed that each of these planned amendments were discussed at workshop meetings and feedback was received from the general public as well as the City's Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board and the Waterfront Committee. Ms. Abell explained that the Conservation Element focuses primarily on coastal management, wetlands, estuaries, and environmentally sensitive zones while the Coastal Management Element focuses primarily on appropriate coastal development activities and restricts development subject to destruction or damage by natural disaster. Ms. Abell continued that major amendments to the FLUE relate to establishing special planning areas; expanding performance standards; expanding the bonus system; implementing the CRA Urban Framework Plan; and military compatibility. She discussed the need for special planning areas including encouraging redevelopment by tailoring land regulations /incentives to the specific needs of an area and to identify areas which are unique by their operation /natural features /built environment. 2 Special Council 9 -22 -09 COMPREHENSIVE PLANT PRESENTATION ( CONT) Ms. Abell explained performance standards categorize development to implement incentives and the levels of performance standards are categorized as grade, staple, and prime. She explained standard grade development equals " by right" standard development criteria; staple development equals added density and /or intensity for building design standards and pedestrian standards; and prime development equals the highest density and /or intensity for attaining a heightened level of amenities beyond staple development levels by providing a specified " public event." Ms. Abell advised the purpose of the Transportation Element is to establish a multi -modal transportation plan for the City to include bikeways, pedestrian ways, mass transit, road improvements, and funding mechanisms. She advised that the entire City is designated as a Transportation Concurrency Exception Area ( TCEA) and that the " Ecoway" is the City's required multi -model plan as a TCE:A. In conclusion, Ms. Abell summarized the EAR -based amendments related to the three major issues of Growth and Development; Housing, and Transportation. The revisions are based on the 2006 Beal Parkway Plan; the 2006 Waterfront Committee' s Charting the Course; the 2007 CRA Plan Update; the 2007 Report for a Sustainable Emerald Coast; and the 2009 Joint Land Use Study. Ms. Abell noted that other revisions are necessary for internal consistency with other elements of the 2020 Comprehensive Plan. ADJOURN Being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:45 p. m. APPROVED: MAYOR: la z ATT ST: CITY CLERK Ive