BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Agenda Item #21
Title
CPA 13-08: Eastside Activity Center Master Plan (Amended)
Amount
N/A
Description
Request Approval of CPA 13-08 a proposed large-scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment for the Eastside Activity Center Master Plan.
Recommendation
Approve CPA 13-08 (Eastside Activity Center Master Plan) for transmittal to the Florida Department of Community Affairs for review.
Alternative(s)
Do not approve CPA 13-08 for transmittal to the Florida Department of Community Affairs, and provide staff with direction.
Requested By
Ben Chumley, Senior Planner, 374-5249 x. 2419
Originating Department
Growth Management
Attachment(s) Description
Staff Report for 13-08 with Local Planning Agency Recommendation; Exhibit 1, Data and Analysis including Appendices "A" through "J"; Exhibit 2, Text Amendments in Strike-Through Underline Format; Exhibit 3, Current Future Land Use Map; Exhibit 4, Proposed Future Land Use Map; Exhibit 5, Proposed Community Facilities Map
Documents Requiring Action
Text amendment to the Future Land Use Element; Map amendment to the Future Land Use Map, including addition of new Community Facilities Map.
Executive Summary
CPA 13-08 is a proposed text and map amendment to the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan for the new Eastside Activity Center Master Plan. The Alachua County Comprehensive Plan calls for updates of existing activity center plans, to provide Master Plans that are consistent with the County’s general policies which support compact, mixed-use activity centers in the unincorporated area. The Eastside Activity Center is the first to be updated under this Master Plan process. The Plan East Gainesville vision, which is adopted as part of the Comprehensive Plan, identifies the update of the Eastside Activity Center Plan as one implementation tool in the overall framework of Plan East Gainesville. On September 12, 2006, the Board of County Commissioners approved Resolution 06-99 to initiate the Eastside Activity Center Master Plan and provide a Scope of Work. In accordance with the Scope of Work, there has been an extensive community involvement process, including input from the public, property owners, the City of Gainesville, and the School Board. Detailed information on the community involvement process is included in the Data and Analysis document (Exhibit 1 of Staff Report). The community involvement process resulted in a report which was presented to the County Commission on January 22, 2008 outlining recommended land use concepts for the Eastside Activity Center Master Plan. At the conclusion of the discussion on January 22, 2008, the County Commission directed staff to initiate a Comprehensive Plan amendment to implement the Eastside Activity Center Master Plan. The proposed Comprehensive Amendment, CPA 13-08, responds to the County Commission’s direction from the January 22 meeting, including the inclusion of more residentially-designated areas in the Master Plan.
Background
The Eastside Activity Center was established in the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan in 1994 as a medium-intensity employment-based activity center. Interim Guidelines for the Eastside Activity Center were also adopted in 1994, which emphasize employment-based land uses, promotion of economic development, job creation, public and private investment, and integration a mixture of land uses in the activity center. The proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendment, CPA 13-08, replaces the 1994 Interim Guidelines and Future Land Use Map with a Master Plan in accordance with Policy 2.1.7 of the Future Land Use Element. The proposed amendment includes new Future Land Use Map designations for the Eastside Activity Center area, including “Mixed Use”; “Mixed Use, Residential (1 to 4 units per acre)”; “Mixed Use Residential (4 to 8 units per acre)”; “Mixed Use, Residential (8 to 14 units per acre); “Mixed Use, Employment”; and “Mixed Use, Neighborhood Convenience Center”. The proposed amendment includes associated text changes to Policy 2.5.10 of the Future Land Use Element, to replace the existing Eastside Activity Center Interim Guidelines with a new Master Plan. The proposed amendment also modifies Policy 2.1.1.2 of the Future Land Use Element to add a new general type of Activity Center, known as “Mixed Use”, which is applied to the Eastside Activity Center. The “Mixed Use” designation would replace the existing “Employment” designation for the Eastside Activity Center. As required by Policy 2.1.7 of the Future Land Use Element, the Eastside Activity Center Master Plan addresses site and building design, parking, automobile access, community green space, and surface stormwater management facilities. The Master Plan incorporates opportunities for a mix of land uses in the Activity Center including: a mixed-use transit-oriented designation near the intersection of Hawthorne Road and SE 43rd Street; residentially-designated areas throughout the Activity Center with a variety of densities and options for non-residential mix; employment-based land uses behind Eastside High School; and neighborhood-oriented retail and services. The Master Plan also includes provisions for multi-modal transportation access, protection of the Eastside Greenway Strategic Ecosystem, residential unit bonuses for developments which provide public civic uses, coordination with the School Board on issues relating to potential Eastside High School expansion, and coordination with the Gainesville Regional Transit System (RTS) on issues relating to bus rapid transit.
Issues
Whether to approve CPA 13-08 for transmittal to the Florida Department of Community Affairs.
Fiscal Recommendation
NA
Fiscal Alternative(s)
NA
Funding Sources
NA
Account Code(s)
NA
Attachment: Exhibit 3 Adopted Future Land Use Map.pdf
Attachment: Presentation CPA 1308.ppt
Attachment: Exhibit 5 Proposed Community Facilities Map.pdf
Attachment: Presentation CPA 1308.pdf
Attachment: Exhibit 4 Proposed Future Land Use Map.pdf
Attachment: Exhibit 1 Data and Analysis.pdf
Attachment: Staff Report CPA 1308.pdf
Attachment: Exhibit 2 Proposed Text Amendments.pdf
Attachment: ADV 051308 legislative items.pdf