Summary The proposed Site Specific Amendment to the City of Alachua Official Zoning Atlas (Rezoning) is a request by Ryan Thompson, AICP, of CHW, Inc., applicant and agent for Waco of Alabama, Inc., property owner, for the consideration of the rezoning of the subject property from Planned Unit Development (“PUD”) to Planned Development – Residential (“PD-R”).
The subject property is comprised of portions of Tax Parcel Numbers 03980-002-001 and 03905-002-000, and is approximately 45.14 acres in size. The subject property is located to the north of Savannah Station Phase I and Pilot Forest subdivisions, west of the Shady Lane Acres unrecorded survey and Interstate 75, and east of NW County Road 235. The subject property is currently undeveloped.
The subject property presently has a Moderate Density Residential Future Land Use Map (FLUM) Designation. The Moderate Density Residential FLUM Designation would permit a density of 0 – 4 dwellings per acre (a maximum of 180 dwelling units for the subject property). The proposed PD-R zoning district would permit a maximum of 180 single-family residential units on the subject property, which is consistent with the maximum density of the proposed FLUM Designation.
Development of the subject property would place residential areas throughout the site, with common area, open space, and stormwater management facilities located primarily in three areas. Two of these areas would be located at perimeter of development site and one located in the interior. Access to the proposed development would be provided at five locations. Three connections would be made to the existing Savannah Station development (Phase I), one new connection to County Road 235 would be made, and one new, limited access connection would be made to NW 157th Street. The limited access connection to NW 157th Street would be for emergency vehicle access only.
The proposed development would be constructed in one phase. This phase would include associated infrastructure, stormwater management facilities for the entire project, open space, and recreation uses, and would be required to commence construction within one (1) year of the approval of Construction Plans.
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.
While Section 3.6.1(B)(1) permits commercial uses within the PD-R zoning district, the Savannah Station Phase II PD-R does NOT propose any commercial uses. Such areas must be shown on the PD Master Plan for a PD-R, and no such areas are shown/proposed on the PD Master Plan for the Savannah Station Phase II PD-R. |