Title
Formal Notification from Alachua County for Updates to Municipal Urban Reserve Areas (B)
Explanation
The City of Gainesville Urban Reserve Area was initially adopted by the Alachua County Commission on August 15, 1991and became effective on October 15, 1991. The area was later updated and again formally adopted on October 14, 1996. Under the Alachua County Boundary Adjustment Act, an urban reserve area defines the territory where a municipality is allowed to annex. The reserve area designated for a municipality must meet the following criteria:
(a) be adjacent to the municipality;
(b) be urban in character or likely to become urban in character within the next 10 years;
(c) be an area in which population growth should be directed so as to promote efficient delivery of urban
services, including police, fire protection, solid waste disposal, potable water, sanitary sewer, drainage or
flood control, parks and recreation, housing, street lighting, transportation and other services, and to
encourage more concentrated urban developments;
(d) shall not contain areas outside the county in which the municipality lies, contain areas within the corporate
limits of another municipality, or contain areas within another municipality's urban reserve area;
(e) shall not contain areas which could be provided with urban services more efficiently by the county or
another municipality;
(f) shall not contain areas which cannot reasonably be foreseen to be provided with the urban services
provided by the municipality within the next 10 years; and,
(g) shall not contain areas which the municipality cannot reasonably have the capacity or capital facilities
within the next 10 years to provide or at a minimum, the level of services provided by the county to the
reserve area.
Under the Boundary Adjustment Act, "urban in character" is defined as an area used for residential, urban recreational or conservation parklands, commercial, industrial, institutional, or governmental purposes or an area undergoing development for any of these purposes including any parcels of land retained in their natural state or kept free of development as greenbelt areas.
Currently, there are areas outside of Gainesville's Urban Reserve Area that would be considered conservation, and/or environmentally significant. Including some of these parcels in the Urban Reserve Area for Gainesville would further assist in creating an "emerald necklace" around the future incorporated limits of the City. Several citizens noted this concept as very desirable at the Town Hall meeting held on November 30, 2004 as part of the County-wide Visioning and Planning Process.
In preparation for this forthcoming formal notification, the City Commission held a workshop on January 13, 2005 to discuss any desirable changes to Gainesville's current Urban Reserve Area. The County delivered formal notification requesting modifications on February 28, 2005. The City must submit any final proposed changes by May 26, 2005.
Fiscal Note
None
Recommendation
The City Commission: 1) Hear a brief presentation from staff on the modifications discussed at the January 13th Urban Reserve Area workshop including the impact and responses received from affected neighboring municipalities; and 2) authorize the Interim City Manager to submit the City's final desired changes to the Gainesville Urban Reserve Area to Alachua County.