Summary The proposed amendment to the City of Alachua Comprehensive Plan is a request by Craig Brashier, AICP, of CHW, Inc., for the consideration of a Large Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment (LSCPA) to the text of the City of Alachua Comprehensive Plan that would limit the density on Tax Parcel Numbers 03974-004-000 and 03974-005-000 to .93 unit per acre. The subject property is approximately 21.64 acres in size, and is located in the 12000 block of NW 157th Street, east of the Savannah Station subdivision. The maximum density proposed as a part of this amendment would result in a maximum of 20 housing units permitted on the subject property. The existing maximum density permitted under the current Future Land Use Designation of Agriculture is .2 unit per acre.
The applicant has submitted a concurrent application for the consideration of a Large Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment (LSCPA) to the City of Alachua Future Land Use Map (FLUM) from Agriculture to Moderate Density Residential. The applicant has also submitted a concurrent rezoning application, which proposes to amend the zoning designation of the subject property from Agricultural (A) to Planned Development – Residential (PD-R). The proposed PD-R would permit a maximum of twenty (20) single family residential dwellings on the subject property.
Policy 1.2.a of the Future Land Use Element establishes the Moderate Density Residential land use category, and states that this category allows residential development at a maximum density of 4 dwelling units per acre. Proposed Policy 1.2.a.1 would further limit this maximum density to .93 dwelling units per acre for tax parcels 03974-004-000 and 03974-005-000. At this density rate, the maximum number of dwelling units that would be permitted on these two parcels would be twenty (20). The following uses are examples of uses permitted within the Moderate Density Residential land use category: single family, conventional dwelling units; accessory dwelling units; residential planned developments; and supporting community services, such as schools, houses of worship, parks, and community centers.
The proposed Policy 1.2.a.1 is as follows (text that is underlined is to be added and text that is shown as strikethrough is to be removed):
Policy 1.2.a.1: The moderate density residential land use designation on Alachua County Tax Parcels 03974-004-000 and 03974-005-000, as recorded in the Official Records of Alachua County Book 3944, Pages 1138 and 1147, shall be limited to a maximum density of 0.93 dwelling unit per acre. The permitted density on the referenced parcels shall be implemented in accordance with the City of Alachua’s Land Development Regulations.
A complete strike through/ underline version can be found in Exhibit A to the Staff Report.
The purpose of the proposed text amendment is to limit the density of these parcels to support compatibility with surrounding properties.
On September 13, 2016, the Planning & Zoning Board (PZB) held a public hearing on the proposed large scale Comprehensive Plan Text Amendment. During the public hearing, four (4) individuals commented on the proposed amendment. Draft minutes of the September 13, 2016, PZB Meeting, summarizing public comment, are included within the materials attached to this item. Comments pertained to: existing traffic along NW 157th Street; existing traffic to the south of the subject property; the existing/proposed densities of the subject property; the character of the surrounding area; programmed improvements to NW 157th Street; the potential for the project's traffic to travel through Pilot Forest; the areas where stormwater management facilities may be located within the project; the required buffering as proposed ; and the intended use of other contiguous parcels owned by the applicant. Following the close of the public hearing, the PZB voted 3-0 to transmit the proposed large scale Comprehensive Plan Text Amendment to the City Commission, with a recommendation to approve the application. |