| | | | | | | | | TO: | Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee Members |
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| FROM:
| Alina T. Hudak, City Manager
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| | DATE: | September 21, 2022
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| | SUBJECT: | DISCUSS AMENDING THE CITY’S LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS TO REQUIRE, PRIOR TO THE ADOPTION OF ANY RESOLUTION CALLING FOR A VOTER REFERENDUM TO CONSIDER A PROPOSED INCREASE IN FAR, THAT THE CITY COMMISSION BE PROVIDED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RELATED TO THE IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ADDITIONAL PROPOSED FAR, INCLUDING A TRAFFIC ANALYSIS, A WATER AND SEWER AND STORMWATER CAPACITY ANALYSIS, AND INFORMATION CONCERNING THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL UNITS THAT COULD BE DEVELOPED IF THE PROPOSED FAR INCREASE IS APPROVED BY THE CITY’S VOTERS AND THE CITY COMMISSION. |
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| | | | | | | | HISTORY:
| HISTORY
On June 22, 2022, at the request of Commissioner Alex Fernandez, the City Commission referred the subject discussion item to the Land Use and Sustainability Committee and the Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee (C4 U).
BACKGROUND
As noted in the attached referral memo, the item sponsor would like to discuss a potential amendment to the LDR’s to require that the city provide voters with basic information concerning traffic and the ability of the City’s public infrastructure to withstand the stress of additional building intensity when considering proposals for F.A.R. increases. |
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| | | | | | | | ANALYSIS
| The impacts of an FAR increase can vary, depending upon the actual increase in intensity proposed, the types of uses and whether there would be a corresponding increase, or decrease, in allowable density. For instance, the ballot question approved in 2020 that created additional exceptions to FAR (stairs above the roof, bike parking and FPL vaults) has no impact on existing infrastructure. However, the FAR increase approved in 2017 for the town center area had a much more significant impact, as the maximum FAR for a much larger, defined area, was increased to 3.5.
A development impact analysis is typically performed when there is a defined program, including a breakdown of the uses proposed, with square footage and density calculations, developed circulation plans and the availability of capacity within the existing infrastructure of the City. In most instances, this information is not available at the time an FAR increase is proposed to be placed on a ballot and occurs at the time of submittal of a development application.
Rather than adopting a Code amendment that would mandate an infrastructure analysis across the board, the Administration would recommend that future proposals for an FAR increase be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. This would give the City Commission the flexibility to decide which FAR increases may need to have an infrastructure analysis prior to being placed on a ballot.
Also, with State Law limiting voter guides and other methods of voter education for ballot measures, the City will need to be creative in terms of the timing of these types of analysis.
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| | | | | | | | CONCLUSION:
The Administration recommends that the Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee discuss the item and provide any applicable recommendations to the City Commission.
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| | | | | | | | | Is this a "Residents Right to Know" item, pursuant to City Code Section 2-14? | | Does this item utilize G.O. Bond Funds? | | | Yes | | No | |
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