Summary
On January 23, 2012, the City of Alachua Commission approved amendments to Article 3 of the Land Development Regulations (LDRs) to establish the Corporate Park (CP) zoning district and to amend Articles 4, 5 and 6 to establish implementing regulations for the Corporate Park (CP) zoning district. This zoning designation was intended to help facilitate mixed use development, primarily along the US 441 corporate corridor and other urbanized portions of the City.
As stated in Section 3.5.2 of the LDRs, the CP district is established and intended to accommodate a range of research and development, technology and life sciences/biotechnology industries, office, supporting retail, and residential uses. By allowing a range of permitted uses, the CP district is intended to accommodate the development of flex space arrangements as well.
This CP zoning category was initially the result of a privately-initiated application with the intent of creating a zoning category that allowed additional flexibility in developing mixed use projects in the City. As the City continues to experience steady growth and development in urban areas, there has recently been increased interest by multiple landowners/developers to utilize the CP zoning category to promote mixed use infill development on their properties. The growing interest in CP zoning is due primarily to its allowance of a mix of uses (both non-residential and residential) and flexibility of development design.
To help facilitate the greater utilization of the CP zoning category, the City now proposes amendments and updates to the adopted Land Development Regulations related to the CP zoning district. These text amendments (identified below) will allow more properties within the City to implement the CP designation and provide for greater flexibility while maintaining the overall intent of the adopted LDR language and the Comprehensive Plan Objective and Policies for the CP future land use designation. Specific proposed amendments include expanded opportunities to integrate residential development with the CP designation, addition of permitted uses and modifications to dimensional requirements / development standards.
A new use, “microbrewery” is proposed for addition in the Central Business District (CBD), Commercial Intensive (CI), Corporate Park (CP), Light and Warehouse Industrial (ILW), Planned Development – Commercial (PD-COMM), and Planned Development – Traditional Neighborhood Development (PD-TND) zoning districts. The microbrewery use is part of the new craft beer industry in the U.S. These facilities are small-scale, independent brewers of malt beverages that include on premises consumption and sales of sealed containers for off premises consumption. This proposed new use offers new small-business and employment opportunities for the City of Alachua.
These amendments will result in increased opportunities for economic development activity benefitting the City and its residents, including increases in property values, housing options and employment opportunities.
In summary, the proposed amendments to the City’s Land Development Regulations would:
- Amend Article 2, Section 2.4.4(B) and (D) to add references to the special exception for the CI and CP zoning districts related to height in Table 5.1-3 (Note 8) and the new requirements for height in Section 5.2.3(B).
- Amend Article 2, Section 2.4.7(B) and (C) to clarify that there is a special exception process for height in the CI and CP zoning district.
- Amend Article 2, Section 2.4.10(B)(3) to add a new exemption (i) for the CP zoning district to subdivision requirements.
- Amend Article 3, Section 3.1.1 and Table 3.1-1 to increase maximum gross residential density in the CP zoning district from 0.5 units per acre to 4 units per acre.
- Amend Article 3, Section 3.5.1(F)(1) CP, Corporate Park District, to replace the word ‘limited’ with ‘complementary,’ and reference Table 4.1-1.
- Amend Article 3, Section 3.5.1(F)(2) CP, Corporate Park District, to clarify permitted residential use types, decrease the acreage whereby residential development may be provided from 100 acres to 50 acres, remove the residential clustering requirement, and clarify the gross residential density requirement.
- Amend Article 4, Section 4.1.1 and Table 4.1.1, Table of allowed uses, to include ‘microbrewery’ as a permitted use in the CBD, CI, CP, and ILW districts and an allowed use in the PD-COMM and PD-TND zoning districts.
- Amend Article 4, Table 4.1.1, Table of allowed uses, to include ‘commercial recreation, outdoor’ as a permitted use in the CP zoning district.
Create Article 4, Section 4.3.4(G)(11) to include use specific standards for Microbreweries.
- Amend Article 5, Section 5.1.3 and Table 5.1.3 to increase maximum gross residential density in the CP zoning district from 0.5 units per acre to 4 units per acre.
- Amend Article 5, Section 5.1.3 and Table 5.1.3 to reduce the required minimum lot size for ‘Dwelling, single-family detached’ from 5,000 sq. ft. to 3,500 sq. ft. in the CP zoning district.
- Amend Article 5, Section 5.1.3 and Table 5.1.3 to add Note 8 for additional maximum height through a Special Exception Permit process in the CI and CP zoning districts.
- Create Article 5, Section 5.2.3(B) to reference the review procedures for height increases within the Commercial Intensive and Corporate Park zoning districts and to require minimum setbacks from residential uses and residentially-zoned lands.
- Amend Article 10 to amend the definition of ‘dwelling, live/work’ and add a definition of ‘microbrewery.’
Each proposed amendment is identified in the the Staff Report (attached to this agenda item).
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