City of Gainesville - File #: 100281.

• File #: 100281.
• Version: 0
• Name: Progress Report on Comprehensive Plan Evaluation and Appraisal Report (B)
• Type: Discussion Item
• Status: Filed
• File created: 9/2/2010
• In control: City Plan Board
• Final action: 9/2/2010
• Title: Progress Report on Comprehensive Plan Evaluation and Appraisal Report (B)

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
9/2/2010	0	City Commission	Heard

 Title

Progress Report on Comprehensive Plan Evaluation and Appraisal Report (B)

Explanation

The purpose of this item is to provide the City Commission and the public with a brief update on the progress of the Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) of the Comprehensive Plan.  The Plan Board reviewed the Urban Design and Future Land Use Elements on August 4, 2010 and the Concurrency Management and Transportation Mobility Elements on August 18, 2010.

Staff finds that the goals, objective and policies of these four elements have substantially been met.

Upon review of the Urban Design Element, staff has concluded that a new approach is needed to help the City achieve its urban design goals.  Therefore, staff recommends that this element be deleted, and that its policies be relocated to other elements (primarily Future Land Use and Transportation Mobility) as appropriate.  Policies recommended for retention include those relating to the City's overall design vision and desire to limit sprawl and increase energy efficiency through compact, walkable urban design; those encouraging an interconnected grid of streets; those addressing livability and aesthetics; and those that address selected high-priority areas.

Review of the Future Land Use Element finds that new policies are needed to address several of the Major Issues, including clarification of activity center, mixed use, and urban design policies; greenhouse gas reduction; livable neighborhoods for people of all ages; and redevelopment in central and east Gainesville.  Beyond the Major Issues, a new Goal is recommended to incorporate policies retained from the Urban Design Element.  Other recommended changes include ongoing comprehensive plan amendments related to the 2010 activity centers update; clarification of vaguely-written policies; removal of policies that have been achieved; and removal of policies that are redundant.

Staff is providing an abbreviated EAR for the Concurrency Management Element because there were major changes made in 2009 related to 2009 Senate Bill 360. Therefore, a matrix is not provided for a policy-by-policy analysis.  The major changes recommended to this element are related to three major issues.  These changes are: strengthening the requirements for connectivity between developments; updating the list of TCEA standards in each zone as projects are completed or added or as annexations occur west of I-75; and adding a policy to create a special transportation concurrency trip credit area for the NW 6^th Street corridor as an incentive for redevelopment in that area.  There are several minor changes recommended for clarity or compliance with State law.

The major changes recommended in the EAR for the Transportation Mobility Element are: addition of a transit level of service standard; addition of a pedestrian level of service standard; rewrite/reorganization of the element that combines the SOV Travel, Pedestrians, Transit, and Bicycling sub-sections for clarity and to reduce redundancy; and inclusion of the Complete Streets principles (as defined by the Department of Community Affairs). There are several additional minor changes recommended for clarity, to update dates, and to reduce redundancy.

Fiscal note

None

Recommendation

Staff to City Commission - the Commission hear a presentation by Planning staff on the draft EAR Report chapters on the following Elements: Urban Design, Future Land Use, Concurrency Management, and Transportation Mobility.