BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Starke will consider allowing smaller, 5-acre planned unit developments inside the city limits.
City Manager Drew Mullins said the current land development code requires the developments, or PUDs, be a minimum of 10 acres in size. Lowering that standard has its advantages, he said.
Sandra Joseph, a planner with the North Florida Regional Planning Council, talked to the commission about PUDs and the possibility of updating the city’s PUD requirements, with attorney Scott Walker helping to answer questions.
Joseph said there has been recent and past interest in doing a “tiny unit development” in the city. They fell short of the minimum 10-acre requirement, and so Starke has never approved one.
“I’m not saying for sure that one is going to be submitted, but if one were to be submitted, it’ll be the first time that you’ll be seeing a planned unit development,” Joseph said.
A planned unit development is a separate zoning district with its own development plan determining the restrictions and regulations of the proposed development. According to Joseph, PUDs encourage creativity and innovation in planning, such as flexibility in building design and placement. They blend a variety of land uses, property densities and dwelling types, resulting in “a more desirable environment” than would be possible through the strict application of the existing land development regulations.
Among the advantages Joseph listed, PUDs:
—provide for efficient use of land and the location and use of utility and transportation infrastructure.
—allow smaller networks of streets and utilities result in lower development and housing costs.
—incorporate undeveloped, functional open spaces that preserve natural resources and scenic vistas.
A proposed development plan for a PUD includes details like subdivision plats and covenants, required easements, building sizes and locations, development density, plans for open spaces and use of public facilities. The application would contain, among other things, a vicinity map, topographic survey and site analysis containing flood prone areas, soil and vegetation types, and stormwater drainage patterns.
The preliminary plan would also include details about land uses, lot sizes, building setbacks and maximum heights, function of open spaces, arterial and collector streets, screening and buffering, signage requirements, and setbacks from environmentally sensitive areas like wetlands or water bodies.
Proposed uses within the development must be compatible with the existing and planned land uses around the development. A landscape buffer is required around the perimeter of the PUD.
Once staff has determined the application is complete, the application follows the same process as any other zoning application. The plan is presented to the Starke Zoning Board, which then makes a recommendation to the commission. The commission approves the request, denies it or approves it with conditions.
This is just a preliminary approval. The applicant would then have 12 months to present a final development plan, with the possibility of an extension if appropriate notice is given. If the final plan is not submitted in time, the prior zoning categories are reinstated.
“It’s a very common and very much used tool in a lot of cities and reducing it for a small development — to a five-acre parcel or something of that nature — allows even more flexibility. So, it’s a highly beneficial tool in the toolbox of planning,” Walker said.
Commissioner Danny Nugent said allowing smaller planned unit developments in residential areas could cause even more traffic congestion. Joseph said it’s up to local governments to decide which developments to allow, from the smaller infill developments the proposed change would allow to much larger developments. One difference, for example, would be in the cost of extending utilities throughout a smaller development compared to extending them to a larger more conventional development. Another advantage is the preservation of usable open space as an amenity, which isn’t typically considered as part of a traditional subdivision plat.
“What I like in this, and what I see, is that it’s planned, it’s scaled, it’s managed, and you actually have something that you can hold the developers to,” Commissioner Andy Redding said. “It can be done in phases. It’s not overly labor intensive for the planners and everybody. Once we get the wheels set in motion, you set those standards, you have the rules to play by, and we manage it.”
Mayor Scott Roberts acknowledged Nugent’s concern, but said it was true of any development. He agreed with Redding that a PUD is good way to manage development. As for the current 10-acre requirement, he said that was not magic number. They could change the standard, understanding that each application would come to the commission for approval.
The consensus of the commission was to bring a text amendment of the land development regulations back to the board for consideration. Nothing will be finalized until an ordinance is brought back before the board for the required public hearings.
Prepare your taxes for free
United Way of North Central Florida is hosting VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) at the Bradford Community Resource Hub, 1080 N. Pine St. in Starke, on Thursday, March 21, from 10 a.m. to noon.
