Board/Committee Agenda Item

MEETING DATE:  7/12/2022

SUBJECT:  Site-Specific Amendment to the Official Zoning Atlas - Peggy Road PD-R: a request by Clay Sweger, AICP, LEED AP, of eda consultants, inc. , applicant and agent for William and Margaret Kirkland, property owners, for the consideration of the rezoning of the subject property from Agricultural (“A”) and Agricultural (“A”) (Alachua County) to Planned Development – Residential (“PD-R”) on a ±51.7 acre subject property. Consisting of Parcel Numbers 03924-000-000, 03865-000-000, 03917-200-002 (Quasi-Judicial Hearing).

PREPARED BY:  Adam Hall, AICP, Principal Planner

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Staff recommends that the Planning & Zoning Board transmit the Site-Specific Amendment to the Official Zoning Atlas for a Planned Development to the City Commission with a recommendation to approve the application, subject to the 26 conditions provided in Exhibit “A” of this Staff Report, upon making the following motion: 

Based upon the competent substantial evidence presented at this hearing, the presentation before this Board, and Staff’s recommendation, this Board finds the application for a Site-Specific Amendment to the Official Zoning Atlas for a Planned Development to be consistent with the City of Alachua Comprehensive Plan and in compliance with the Land Development Regulations and transmits the application to the City Commission, with a recommendation to approve, subject to the 26 conditions provided in Exhibit “A” and located on page 36 of the July 12, 2022 Staff Report to the Planning & Zoning Board.

Summary

The proposed Site-Specific Amendment to the City of Alachua Official Zoning Atlas (Rezoning) is a request by Clay Sweger, AICP, LEED AP, of eda consultants, inc., on behalf of William and Margaret Kirkland, property owners, for the consideration of the rezoning of the subject property from Agricultural (“A”) and Agricultural (“A”) (Alachua County) to Planned Development – Residential (“PD-R”).

The subject property is comprised of Tax Parcel Numbers 03924-000-000, 03865-000-000, 03917-200-002 and is approximately 51.7 acres in size. The subject property is located south of Peggy Road and Legacy Park, north of CSX rail right-of-way, east of Interstate – 75.

The subject property presently has Future Land Use Designations of Agriculture and Rural/Agriculture (Alachua County), which permits up to 1 dwelling unit per 5 acres (10 total units maximum for the subject property). A related application for a Large Scale Amendment to the City’s Future Land Use Map would amend the Future Land Use Designation from the existing designations to Moderate Density Residential, which permits up to 4 units per acre (206 total units maximum for the subject property). The proposed PD-R zoning district would permit a maximum of 155 residential units, which is consistent with the maximum density of the existing FLUM Designations for the subject property.

Development would consist of single family detached structures with associated improvements and minor accessory recreational uses. One ingress/egress to the development is proposed to connect to Peggy Road/CR 2054. Peggy Road/CR 2054 is a County maintained collector therefore Alachua County Public Works is responsible for ultimately permitting the connections to the subject property.   

The proposed development would be constructed in one or more phases. The Planned Development Ordinance and Agreement will be valid for 10 years after date of final approval of the PD Zoning ordinance.

The general purpose of the Planned Development zoning districts is described by Section 3.6.1(A) of the Land Development Regulations (LDRs) as follows:

The Planned Development (PD) districts are established for the purpose of encouraging innovative land planning and site design concepts that conform to community quality of life benchmarks and that achieve a high quality of development, environmental sensitivity, energy efficiency, and other City goals by:

(1)        Increasing Flexibility

Reducing or diminishing the uniform design that results from the strict application of zoning and development standards that are designed primarily for individual lots;

(2)        Greater Freedom to Provide Access, Open Space, and Amenities

Allowing greater freedom in selecting the means to provide access, open space, and design amenities;

(3)        Greater Freedom to Provide Mix of Uses and Housing Types

Allowing greater freedom in providing a mix of land uses in the same development, including a mix of housing types, lot sizes, and densities;

(4)        Providing Greater Opportunity for More Efficient Land Use Patterns

Providing for an efficient use of land resulting in smaller networks of utilities and streets and thereby lowering development and housing costs;

(5)        Promoting Quality Design and Environmentally Sensitive Development Through Site Characteristics

Promoting quality design and environmentally sensitive development by allowing development to take advantage of special site characteristics, locations, and land uses; and

(6)        Quality Design Through Density Increases

In specific instances, encouraging quality design and environmentally sensitive development by allowing increases in base densities or floor area ratios when such increases can be justified by superior design or the provision of additional amenities such as public open space.

The purpose of the PD-R zoning district is described by Section 3.6.1(B)(1) of the LDRs as follows:

The purpose of the Planned Development-Residential (PD-R) District is to provide a mix of residential uses using innovative and creative design elements, while at the same time providing an efficient use of open space.  Commercial uses may be allowed in the PD-R District primarily to serve the needs of the residents in the development.