Summary On January 23, 2012, the City of Alachua Commission approved amendments to the Comprehensive Plan to include an Objective and Policies related to a newly-established Future Land Use Map designation, identified as ‘Corporate Park’ (CP). This FLUM 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 Objective 1.4, the district provides a range of research and development, technology and biotechnology industries, office, supporting retail and residential uses located near major transportation corridors in the City of Alachua. Further, the CP FLUM Designation is intended to provide appropriate locations for mixed use office-oriented development in a campus-like or ‘corporate park’ setting, to promote and foster the growth of established industries within the City, provide for residential uses and provide a variety of employment opportunities to the citizens of Alachua and the North Central Florida Region.
This Comprehensive Plan FLUM Designation was created as a result of a privately-initiated application with the intent of creating a new land use 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 Corporate Park FLUM Designation to promote mixed use infill development on their properties. The growing interest in the CP FLUM Designation is due primarily to its allowance for a mix of uses (both non-residential and residential) and flexibility of development design.
To help facilitate further utilization of this land use category, the City now proposes amendments to the adopted Comprehensive Plan language for Corporate Park (Objective 1.4 and Policies 1.4.a – f). These amendments (identified in the attached Staff Report) are relatively minor in nature, will allow more properties to be eligible for residential opportunities afforded by the CP FLUM Designation, and provide for an allowance of more residential use types and density. These changes will allow for greater flexibility while maintaining the overall intent of the adopted Comprehensive Plan Objective and Policies for Corporate Park.
In summary, the proposed amendments to the Future Land Use Element would:
- Amend Objective 1.4 to replace the word “limited” with “complementary” residential uses.
- Amend Objective 1.4(1) to remove the words “at a low to medium density.”
- Amend Objective 1.4, Policy 1.4.a to add “live work units” as a permitted residential use type.
- Amend Objective 1.4, Policy 1.4.d to decrease the acreage whereby residential development may be provided from 100 acres to 50 acres.
- Amend Objective 1.4, Policy 1.4.d to increase the gross residential density from 0.5 dwelling units per acre to 4 dwelling units per acre.
- Amend Objective 1.4, Policy 1.4.d to remove the word “clustered” as it relates to residential development in the CP FLUM Designation.
- Amend Objective 1.4, Policy 1.4.f.12 to replace the words “Clustering of” with “Complementary.”
Each amendment is identified in the attached Staff Report.
At the May 14, 2019 Planning and Zoning Board hearing, the Board voted 3-0 in favor of transmitting the proposed Comprehensive Plan Text Amendments to the City Commission with a recommendation to approve.
At its June 10, 2019 meeting, the City Commission voted 5-0 to approve Ordinance 19-26 on first reading, and authorized Staff to submit the amendment to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) under the Expedited State Review Process.
In accordance with Chapter 163.3184(3(b)1., Florida Statutes, the City submitted the proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendment to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and the following agencies/jurisdictions: The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Department of Transportation - District 2 Office, the Florida Department of State, the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council, the Department of Economic Opportunity (Bureau of Economic Development), the Suwannee River Water Management District, the Department of Education, the City of Gainesville, the City of High Springs, Alachua County Department of Growth Management, and the School Board of Alachua County.
The City received correspondence from the following agencies: DEO, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council, and the Suwanee River Water Management District, There were no objections raised or comments offered by these agencies regarding this application. | | |