BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Starke approved first reading of an ordinance amending its land development code to allow smaller planned unit developments within the city limits.
If approved on final reading, the minimum PUD size would drop from 10 acres to 5 acres, making a mixed-use development more likely within a city Starke’s size.
Sandra Joseph, a planner with the North Florida Regional Planning Council, talked to the commission about PUDs in February.
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.
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.
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.
A second and final reading of the ordinance is required for the amendment to be approved.
