Agenda Item Name:
Title
Special Area Planning Process Discussion for the Hickory Sink Strategic Ecosystem and Lee Property (FCL Timber, Land & Cattle, LLLP Property)
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Presenter:
Ben Chumley, Growth Management
Description:
At its July 12, 2022 special meeting, the Board of County Commissioners requested to schedule a discussion about the special area study and planning process for the FCL Timber, Land & Cattle, LLLP Property in southwestern Alachua County (also known as the Hickory Sink Strategic Ecosystem and Lee Property).
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the Board schedule two dates for consideration of the Special Area Study:
• An initial discussion and public/stakeholder workshop on September 13, 2022 at 5:00 pm
• Follow-up meeting on October 11, 2022 at 5:00 pm to consider acceptance of the Special Area Study.
As part of the potential acceptance of the Special Area Study, the Board would be authorizing the applicant to move forward with a more detailed Special Area Plan for the area, and future topic specific workshops would be appropriate at that stage.
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Prior Board Motions:
June 9, 2020: The BoCC approved the Scope of Work for the Special Area Study.
Fiscal Consideration:
Fiscal Consideration
There is no direct cost to the County associated with this agenda item.
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Strategic Guide:
Strategic Guide
All Other Mandatory and Discretionary Services
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Background:
The general purpose of Special Area Planning within the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan is to address specific planning needs and circumstances at a more detailed level than may be possible through generally applicable policies and regulations. Special area planning may be used to evaluate and protect unique natural resource features, preserve the character of neighborhoods, or plan for public infrastructure and facility needs within a sub-area of the County. Special area planning is intended to be a collaborative planning process based on broad participation by members of the community.
The Alachua County Comprehensive Plan provides that a Special Area Study and Plan are necessary for development within areas designated as Strategic Ecosystems and for subdivisions of greater than 100 lots in the “Rural/Agriculture” areas of the County. The majority of the “Hickory Sink” Strategic Ecosystem as designated and mapped generally in the County’s Comprehensive Plan is comprised of lands owned by FCL Timber, Land & Cattle LLLP. Given the property’s location relative to the mapped Strategic Ecosystem, the size of the property (~4,068 acres), and information in the Special Area Study report about anticipated land uses for the property, a special area planning process is required prior to any development of the site.
Chapter 402 Article 16 of the Alachua County Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) spells out the process for special area planning (see attached ULDC Section). The process includes three steps:
1. Scope of Work
2. Special Area Study (current step)
3. Special Area Plan
Each step in the process must be completed before proceeding to the next step.
1. The Scope of Work is required to identify the geographic areas included in the Special Area Study/Plan and the issues and process to be used for the Study. The Scope of Work must be presented to the Board of County Commissioners, and the Board may approve, deny, or approve with modifications.
On May 1, 2020, FCL Timber, Land & Cattle, LLLP (“FCL”) submitted a letter to the County and a proposed Scope of Work for a special area planning process for its ~4,000 acre property in the southwestern portion of Alachua County. The Scope of Work was presented to the Board of County Commissioners and approved on June 9, 2020.
2. The Special Area Study is required to include an analysis of existing conditions, infrastructure, and natural resources relevant to the issues or circumstances identified in the scope of work, and provide recommendations for potential strategies or actions to be pursued as part of the Special Area Plan in the next step of the process. The detailed requirements for the Special Area Study are provided in Section 402.101 of the ULDC.
In March 2022, FCL held two stakeholder public workshops on the Special Area Study (3/23 in-person and 3/30 virtual). On April 11, 2022, the applicant submitted the full Special Area Study Report to County staff. On May 16, 2022, County staff provided numerous technical comments and suggestions on Study Report to the applicant. Then on July 5, 2022, the applicant submitted a supplement to Special Area Study Report to address County staff’s technical comments and suggestions.
Pursuant to Section 402.101(f) of the ULDC, the draft special area study shall be presented to the Board of County Commissioners. The Board shall consider whether to accept the study and whether to authorize any specific follow-up recommendations or strategies that have been identified as part of the study.
3. If the Special Area Study is accepted by the Board of County Commissioners, then the next step in the process is the Special Area Plan. The Special Area Plan includes specific implementation actions to implement the recommendations identified as part of Special Area Study.
In the Special Area Plan step of the process, the applicant may apply for Comprehensive Plan amendments to establish new or revised goals, objectives, and policies in the Plan and/or revisions to the Future Land Use Map for the property. The applicant may also apply for zoning changes for the property to implement any amendments to the Comprehensive Plan. Both the Comprehensive Plan amendment process and the rezoning process require Neighborhood Workshops, public hearings of the Local Planning Agency/Planning Commission, and BoCC public hearings.