Commission Agenda Item

MEETING DATE:  12/9/2019

SUBJECT:  Tara Village Final Plat: A request by Stacy Hall, PSM, of George F. Young, Inc., applicant and agent for Tara Village, Inc., property owner, for consideration of the final plat of Tara Village, which proposes to subdivide the ±21.83 acre subject property into a total of 20 lots, with associated common areas and right-of-way, consisting of Tax Parcel Numbers 03974-004-000 and 03974-005-000 (Quasi-Judicial Hearing).

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Based upon the competent substantial evidence presented at this hearing, the presentation before this Commission, and Staff’s recommendation, this Commission finds the application for the Final Plat of Tara Village to be consistent with the City of Alachua Comprehensive Plan and in compliance with the Land Development Regulations and: 

1. Approves the Final Plat of Tara Village; 
2.  Approves the “Subdividers Agreement for Tara Village”;  
3.  Authorizes the Mayor and City Attorney to sign the final plat and Subdividers Agreement; and, 
4.  Accepts the cash deposit from Tara Village, Inc. in the amount of $63,184.79 as the maintenance surety instrument for infrastructure improvements.

Summary

This application is a request by Stacy Hall, PSM, of George F. Young, Inc., applicant and agent for Tara Village, Inc., property owner, for the approval of a final plat to subdivide the ±21.83 acre subject property into a total of 20 lots, with associated right-of-way and common areas.

The subject property consists of Tax Parcel Numbers 03974-004-000 and 03974-005-000, and is located east of NW 157^th Street, northeast of the intersection of NW 157^th Street and NW 120^th Place. The subject property is east of the Savannah Station Subdivision, northeast of the Pilot Forest Subdivision, south of Shady Lane Acres, an unrecorded survey, and west of Interstate 75. In spring 2017, NW 157^th Street was improved from an unpaved, limerock surface to a paved, asphaltic surface.

The property is comprised of the Tara Village Planned Development – Residential (PD-R), which was approved in February 2017 by the adoption of Ordinance 17-03. The Tara Village PD-R permits maximum of 20 dwellings on the subject property. The subject property has a Moderate Density Residential Future Land Use Map Designation, and is also subject to Policy 1.2.a.1. of the City of Alachua Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Element, which limits the maximum density of the subject property to 0.93 dwelling units per acre (20 dwellings).

The Tara Village PD-R requires the development to provide a minimum 25 foot natural buffer along the project’s property boundary lines. The natural buffer is required to remain undisturbed in all areas and in its natural state, except where necessary to provide ingress/egress, stormwater management facilities (in certain areas only), and utility service to the project. The natural buffer is intended to address compatibility with the densities of contiguous and nearby properties, which range in size from 1.98 acres to 6.35 acres in areas along the east side of NW 157^th Street and north of NW 118^th Avenue (located south of the subject property). The final plat identifies the location of the required 25 foot buffer around the perimeter of the subject property.

Development within the Tara Village subdivision will connect to potable water and wastewater facilities. Stormwater for the subdivision will be conveyed to a retention basin located in the southwestern portion of the subject property. An analysis of the development’s impact on public facilities, including transportation, potable water, sanitary sewer, solid waste, and public schools, is provided within this report.

The preliminary plat of Tara Village was approved by the City Commission on October 9, 2017. The construction plans for the project were administratively approved [as per Section 2.4.10(G)(3) of the City’s Land Development Regulations (LDRs)] on October 15, 2018.

Section 2.4.10(G)(5) of the City’s LDRs establishes the requirements for a final plat. An analysis of the application’s compliance with the applicable standards of this section are provided within the staff report attached to this agenda item.