Agenda Item Name:
Title
Special Area Study Workshop for Hickory Sink Strategic Ecosystem/Lee Property
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Presenter:
Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department Staff
Description:
This is a stakeholder workshop for a Special Area Study for the Lee Property/Hickory Sink Strategic Ecosystem in southwestern Alachua County. The County is required to conduct a minimum of one stakeholder workshop as part of the Special Area Study process in accordance with Section 402.101(a) of the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC). The purpose of this meeting is for staff and the applicant to present the Special Area Study to the Board of County Commissioners and for the Board take public input on the Special Area Study. No action is required by the Board at this meeting. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for October 11th at 5:00 p.m., where the Board may consider whether to accept the Special Area Study and authorize preparation of a Special Area Plan for the subject property as part of the next step in the special area planning process.
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Receive staff and applicant presentations and public input on the Special Area Study.
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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 fiscal impact associated with conducting this workshop on the Special Area Study.
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Strategic Guide:
Strategic Guide
All Other Mandatory and Discretionary Services
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Background:
In May of 2020, FCL Timber, Land & Cattle, LLLP (“FCL”), through its agent, requested that the County initiate a special area planning process for approximately 4,068 acres of land in southwestern Alachua County, and submitted a Scope of Work for a Special Area Study that would be conducted by the applicant in accordance with the Section 402, Article 16 of the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC). The Board of County Commissioners, on June 9, 2020, approved the Scope of Work for the Special Area Study (attached). In April 2022, the applicant submitted the draft Special Area Study report for the County’s review. After receiving initial comments from County staff on the initial Study, the applicant then submitted a supplement to the Special Area Study in July of 2022. The attached staff report provides a review of the applicant’s Special Area Study (including the original Study and the Supplement) in relation to the County’s Comprehensive Plan and ULDC requirements.
The general purpose of Special Area Planning is to provide a process wherein the specific circumstances for a sub-area of the County are analyzed, and planning considerations are addressed, at a detailed level as part of a collaborative effort between the County, the landowner, and the public.
The Alachua County Comprehensive Plan provides that a Special Area Planning process is necessary prior to the approval of a land use change, zoning change, or development plan within areas designated as Strategic Ecosystems. A Special Area Planning process is also required for subdivisions of greater than 100 lots in the “Rural/Agriculture” areas of the County. The subject property contains the majority of the “Hickory Sink” Strategic Ecosystem as designated and mapped generally in the County’s Comprehensive Plan. Given the Strategic Ecosystem designation, the size of the property (~4,068 acres), and information in the Special Area Study report about anticipated land use scenarios for the property, a special area planning process is required for this property as a prerequisite to any proposed land use or zoning change, or development plan approval.
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, and the Special Area Study is step two of that process:
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. Each step of the Special Area Planning process is summarized below.
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.
As noted above, 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 southwestern Alachua County. The Scope of Work was presented to the Board of County Commissioners and approved on June 9, 2020.
Step 2. The Special Area Study (current step) is required to provide 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(a) through (f) of the ULDC (see ULDC special area planning section, attached). For Strategic Ecosystem Special Area Studies such as this, the primary purpose of the Study is to ground-truth the natural resources on the site for purposes of delineating those areas that are required to be permanently protected in accordance with Comprehensive Plan policies and land development regulations. The Strategic Ecosystem resources must be delineated through the Special Area Study regardless of what land use scenario is ultimately proposed for the property.
Pursuant to Section 402.101(f) of the ULDC, a 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.
Step 3. Special Area Plan. 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 Pan is the stage where the recommendations identified as part of Special Area Study are implemented through proposed Comprehensive Plan policies, zoning, and land development regulations for the property.
The Special Area Plan may include proposed 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 Special Area Plan may also include proposed 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.