BCC Minutes 06/05/2007 S (GMP Amendments - Cycle 5)
June 5, 2007
TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Naples, Florida, June 5, 2007
LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Board of County
Commissioners, in and for the County of Collier, and having
conducted business herein, met on this date at 9:00 a.m., in
SPECIAL SESSION for GMP Cycle 5, in Building "F" of the
Government Complex, East Naples, Florida, with the following
members present:
CHAIRMAN: Jim Coletta
Tom Henning
Frank Halas
Fred W. Coyle
Donna Fiala
ALSO PRESENT:
Joseph Schmitt, Administrator for CDES
David Weeks, Comprehensive Planning Manager
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AGENDA
June 4, 2007
9:00 a.m.
2005 Cycle of Growth Management Plan Amendments
Transmittal Hearing
James Coletta, BCC Chairman, District 5
Tom Henning, BCC Vice-Chairman, District 3
Donna Fiala, BCC Commissioner, District 1
Frank Halas, BCC Commissioner District 2
Fred W. Coyle, BCC Commissioner, District 4
NOTICE: ALL PERSONS WISHING TO SPEAK ON ANY AGENDA ITEM MUST
REGISTER PRIOR TO SPEAKING. SPEAKERS MUST REGISTER WITH THE COUNTY
MANAGER PRIOR TO THE PRESENTATION OF THE AGENDA ITEM TO BE
ADDRESSED.
COLLIER COUNTY ORDINANCE NO. 2003-53, AS AMENDED, REQUIRES THAT All
LOBBYISTS SHALL, BEFORE ENGAGING IN ANY LOBBYING ACTIVITIES
(INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ADDRESSING THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS), REGISTER WITH THE CLERK TO THE BOARD AT THE BOARD
MINUTES AND RECORDS DEPARTMENT.
REQUESTS TO ADDRESS THE BOARD ON SUBJECTS WHICH ARE NOT ON THIS
AGENDA MUST BE SUBMITTED IN WRITING WITH EXPLANATION TO THE COUNTY
MANAGER AT LEAST 13 DAYS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF THE MEETING AND WILL BE
HEARD UNDER "PUBLIC PETITIONS."
ANY PERSON WHO DECIDES TO APPEAL A DECISION OF THIS BOARD WILL NEED
A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS PERTAINING THERETO, AND THEREFORE MAY
NEED TO ENSURE THAT A VERBATIM RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS IS MADE,
WHICH RECORD INCLUDES THE TESTIMONY AND EVIDENCE UPON WHICH THE
APPEAL IS TO BE BASED.
ALL REGISTERED PUBLIC SPEAKERS WILL RECEIVE UP TO FIVE (5) MINUTES
UNLESS THE TIME IS ADJUSTED BY THE CHAIRMAN.
IF YOU ARE A PERSON WITH A DISABiliTY WHO NEEDS ANY ACCOMMODATION IN
ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCEEDING, YOU ARE ENTITLED, AT NO COST
TO YOU, TO THE PROVISION OF CERTAIN ASSISTANCE. PLEASE CONTACT THE
COLLIER COUNTY FACILITIES MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT LOCATED AT 3301
EAST TAMIAMI TRAIL, NAPLES, FLORIDA, 34112, (239) 774-8380; ASSISTED
LISTENING DEVICES FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED ARE AVAILABLE IN THE
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' OFFICE.
June 4, 2007
1
1. Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance
2. Comprehensive Planning, Growth Management Plan Amendments
A. CP-200S-2, Petition requesting amendment to the Golden Gate Area Master Plan
lGGAMPl and Golden Gate Area Master Plan Future Land Use Map
(GGAMP/FLUM) and MaD Series to expand "Wilson Boulevard/Golden Gate
Boulevard Neighborhood Center", 10 allow neighborhood commercial of
approximately an additional 60,ODO square feet, for property located at the SE comer
of Golden Gate Boulevard and I" Street SW, in Section 9. Township 49 South,
Range 27 East, consisting of7:!: acres. [Coordinator: Tom Greenwood, AICP,
Principal Planner]
B. CP.2005.S. Petition requesting amendment to the Golden Gate Area Master Plan
lGGAMP) and GGAMP Future Land Use Map lGGAMP/FLUM) and map series to
amend the Golden Gate Estates Commerciallnfill Subdistrict, to expand the
Subdistrict by 13 acres, allow up to 115,000 square feet of intermediate commercial
and general office uses and allow residential use.s at IS dwelling units per acre, for
property located at the NW corner of Golden Gate Parkway and Santa Barbara
Boulevard. in Section 29, Township 49 South, Range 26 East, consisting of 18:!:
acres. [Coordinator: Michele Mosca, AICP, Principal Planner]
C. CP-200S-6, Petition requesting amendment to the Golden Gate Area Master Plan
fGGAMP) and Golden Gate Area Master Plan Future Land Use Map
(GGAMP/FLUM) and Map Series to create the "Golden Gate Parkway Institutional
Subdistrict", to allow for the expansion and continued operation of the David
Lawrence Center and tbe Church of God, and, to allow additional institutional and
related uses, for property located on the north side of Golden Gate Parkway,
specifically. Tracts 43. SO, 59, and 66, Unit 30, Golden Gate Estates, Section 29,
Township 49 South, Range 26 East, consisting of 16.3:!: acres.
[Coordinator: Michele Mosca, AICP, Principal Planner]
D. CP-2006-4, Petition requesting amendment to the Golden Gate Area Master Plan
(GGAMP) to modify the Conditional Uses Subdistrict, Transitional Conditional
Uses provision, to alluw a church as a Transitional Conditional Use for the subject
site abutting a residential use, for property located on the south side of lmmokalee
Road and :!:300' east of Oakes Boulevard, in Section 29, Township 48 South,
Range 26 East. consisting of 2.6:!: acres.
[Coordinator: Corby Schmidt, Principal Planner]
E. CP-2005-7, Petition requesting amendment to the Future Land Use Element (FLUE)
to modify "LivingstonIPine Ridge Commercial Infill Subdistrict" to add retailuse.~
and increase building square footage from 40,000 to 70,000 feet, for property located
at the NW comer of Pine Ridge Road and Livmgston Road, in Section 12, Township
49 South, Range 25 East, consisting of I 0.47:!: acres. [Coordinator: Marcia
Kendall, Senior Planner]
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June 4, 2007
F. CP-200S-9. Petition requesting amendment to the Future Land Use Element (FLUE)
and Future Land Use Map (FLUM) and Map Series to create the "Corkscrew Island
Neighborhood Commercial Subdistrict" for property designated on the Future Land
Use Map as Rural Fringe Mixed Use District, Neutral Lands, to allow up to 9O,ODO
square feet of retail, office and personal service uses, for property located at the NW
comer of Immokalee Road and Platt Road. in Section 27, Township 47 South, Range
27 East, consisting of 8:!: acres,
[Coordinator: Corby Schmidt, Principal Planner]
G. CP-200S-lO, Petition requesting amendment to the Future Land Use Element
(FLUE) and Future Land Use Map (FLUM) and Map Series to establish the "Naples
Big Cypress Commerce Center Subdistrict", to allow up to 88,110 square feet of
general and heavy commercial uses. consistent with the C.4 and C-5 zoning districts
of the Land Development Code, for property located at the NW comer of US-41 East
and Trinity Place, in Section 17, Township 5 I South, Range 27 East, consisting of
9.79:!: acres. [Coordinator: Michele Mosca, AICP, Principal Planner]
H. CP-200S.ll, Petition requesting amendment to the Future Land Use MaD lFLUM) to
change the designation of the site from Rural Fringe Mixed Use District Receiving
Lands to "Rural-Industrial District", to allow for approximately 500.000 square feet
of building space for warehouse and manufacturing uses, for property located on the
north side of USAI East and I,DOO' west of Trinity Place, in Section 18, Township
51 South, Range 27 East, consisting of 42.5:!: acres,
[Coordinator: Tom Greenwood, AICP, Principal Planner]
I. CP-200S-12, Petition requesting amendment to the Future Land Use Element
(FLUE) and Future Land Use MaD (FLUM) and Map Series to create the "North
Belle Meade Special Use Subdistrict" for property designated on the Future Land
Use Map as Rural Fringe Mixed Use District, Sending Lands and North Belle Meade
Overlay, to allow earth mining, oil extraction and related processing, asphalt and
concrete batch-making plants and their related uses, and all Sending Lands permitted
uses, conditional uses and rights as permitted uses, and requesting an amendment to
the Conservation and Coastal Management Element (CCME) to reduce the
Preservation and Native Vegetation Retention Standards from 80 percent to 40
percent for this Subdistrict, for property located in Sections 29, 31 and 32, Township
49 South, Range 27 East, consisting of 950:!: acres, [Coordinator: Corby Schmidt,
Principal Planner]
J. CP-200S-13, Petition requesting amendment to the Future Land Use Element
(FLUE) and Future Land Use Map (FLUMl and Map Series to create the "Collier
Boulevard Community Services Subdistrict" for property designated on the Future
Land Use Map as Urban Mixed Use District. Urban Residential Fringe Subdistrict, to
allow up to 368,ODO square feet of church-sponsored institutional and residential
uses, and allow non-church sponsored residential uses at 4.5 dwelling units per acre,
up to 296 market rate and Essential Services Personnel Housing units, for property
located on the east side of Collier Blvd. (CR-95 I), one-half mile north of
Rattlesnake-Hammock Road (within the First Assembly of God PUD site), in Section
14, Township 50 South, Range 26 East, consisting of 69:!: acres. [Coordinator:
Corby Schmidt, Principal Planner]
K. CPSP-2005-14, Petition requesting amendment to the Future Land Use Map fFLUM)
to re-designate Rural Fringe Mixed Use District Sending Lands to either Neutral
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June 4, 2007
Lands or Receiving Lands, for 90 properties located within Section 34, Township 47
South, Range 27 East, and Section 3, Township 48 South, Range 27 East, and Section
II, Township 48 South, Range 26 East, and Section 25, Township 49 South, Range
26 East, and Sections 13, 14,22,27,29 and 32, Township 49 South, Range 27 East,
and Sections IS and 21, Township 51 South, Range 27 East, consisting of :t3.606
acres total. [Coordinator: David Weeks, AICP, GMP Planning Manager]
L. CPSP-2005-15, Petition requesting amendment to the Transportation Element (TEl to
add new Policies 3.5, 3.6, 3.7 and 3.8, introducing Thoroughfare Corridor Protection
Plans (TCPPs), Transportation Corridor Preservation Maps (TCPMs), and associated
tables and ordinances, to provide for the protection and acquisition of existing and
future transportation corridors.
[Coordinator: Don Scott, Transportation Planning Director]
3, Adjourn
INQUIRIES CONCERNING CHANGES TO THE BOARD'S AGENDA SHOULD BE MADE
TO THE COUNTY MANAGER'S OFFICE AT 774-8383,
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June 4, 2007
June 5, 2007
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to the continuation of the June 4th Growth Management
Plan amendments BCC hearing.
Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
(The Pledge of Allegiance was recited in unison.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: It's going to be our objective today to
try to cover as much of the people's business as we possibly can in the
time allotted.
Any comments from the commissioners about today's meeting or
agenda?
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Yeah, be brilliant, be brief, be gone.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Wow, I love that.
Any other commissioners got any other comments?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Not me. I'm all set.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Fine. Take it away, Mr. Schmitt.
MR. SCHMITT: I'm going to turn this -- good morning, I'm Joe
Schmitt, your administrator for Community
Development/Environmental Services Division. We're here for
comprehensive plan amendments, actually amendments dealing with
your 2005 and some of the 2006 amendments.
I'm going to turn it over to David Weeks, the comprehensive plan
manager, and he will give an introduction and describe how we're
going to go through today's business and describe what this process
will entail.
David?
MR. WEEKS: Good morning, Commissioners. David Weeks,
Planning Manager in the Comprehensive Planning Department.
As Joe has just indicated, these are the 2005 cycle of Growth
Management Plan amendments, not rezonings, not conditional uses,
not those other land use petitions that you deal with on a much more
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June 5, 2007
frequent basis.
And specifically, this is the first of two sets of public hearings on
these petitions. This is known as the transmittal hearing. For those
petitions which you choose to transmit today, that is, you approve, if
you want to think of it as preliminarily today, they will be sent to the
Florida Department of Community Affairs and other state and regional
agencies for review, and then they will come back to the county for
the second and final hearings, the adoption hearings.
So if you choose to approve a petition today for transmittal, you
will have a second bite at the apple at the adoption hearings.
If you should choose not to transmit a petition today, however,
then it is done. It is denied. You're -- you've concluded your review
of that petition.
As this is a -- the actions today are legislative, not quasijudicial,
it is not a requirement to swear in the speakers nor is it required that
you make your typical public disclosures.
The Planning Commission held hearings on these petitions on
March 5th, 22nd, and 29th, and also April 19th, depending on the
specific petitions. Their recommendations are reflected in the
executive summary. And for those petitions which they recommended
approval of, the language they recommended is reflected in the
Exhibit A's to the resolutions within your binders.
You did vote yesterday, or it was mentioned yesterday, and we
want to mention again today, that there is one time certain item, and
that is petition CP-2005-13. That is for property located on the east
side of Collier Boulevard. It is the site of the First Assembly of God
PUD. And, again, that's at three o'clock today, time certain.
Also at yesterday's hearing, regarding petition CPSP-2005-14,
pertaining to the redesignation of sending lands in the rural fringe
mixed-use district, you continued until your June 22nd hearing one
batch of properties identified as map parcels 3 through 11. These are
located in the northeast quadrant of the North Belle Meade overlay,
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June 5, 2007
and I believe it's in Section 13, Township 49 south, Range 27 east.
Properties are owned by Symphony Real Estate, Limited.
We have one change in recommendation for petition CP-2005-6,
which will be specifically noted when we get to that petition. It is, I'll
say, in the applicant's favor, so they're not particularly concerned
about, at least broadly, the recommendation.
Next to the last item is data and analysis. Commissioners, if
you've looked at the staff reports, you've seen that adequate data and
analysis has been a consistent theme that staff has raised in these
amendments. More particularly, most of these petitions before you,
staff has recommended denial of, and one of the issues raised has to do
with adequate data and analysis. And this is a requirement that has
existed in state law for in the neighborhood of 20 years since the
Growth Management Act of 1985 was adopted.
The burden is on the applicant to submit data and analysis that is
adequate to support the petition. It is not staffs role, it's not county's
role, to tell an applicant what to submit. The burden is on the
applicant to submit the data and analysis that he or she believes
supports the petition, and then, of course, coming before all the
hearing bodies to defend that petition, including defending that data
and analysis, making their case before you and the other hearing
bodies as to why the data and analysis that they have submitted does,
in fact, justify approval of their petition.
Finally, Commissioners, if we meet our ambitious goal of
completing the hearing today, staff would, as usual, ask that you leave
your set of three binders available for staff to pick them up to reuse to
send to the various state agencies.
And Commissioners, with that, we're ready to begin with the first
hearing item.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yes. Commissioner Fiala?
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Do we need a supermajority or
simple majority?
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June 5, 2007
MR. WEEKS: Simple majority, 3-2.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Okay. And one more question.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yes.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: I've written all over my book. It's
okay that you send it up with all of this writing and marks and colors
and everything?
MR. WEEKS: We'll still take it. We do make a cursory review,
and if we find those pages, we'll replace them with clean pages.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Okay. Well, there's lots.
MR. WEEKS: That's fine. Because certainly they're yours for
your using while you have them. And again, we'll make the changes as
we find them.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Thank you.
Item #2A
PETITION: CP-2005-2
MR. WEEKS: And Commissioner, as is your typical protocol,
unless you change it today, the petitioner will go first followed by a,
as brief as possible, staff presentation.
Commissioners, your first item is petition CP-2005-2, petition
requesting amendment to the Golden Gate Area Master Plan and
Golden Gate Area Master Plan Future Land Use Map and Map Series
to expand the Wilson Boulevard/Golden Gate Boulevard
neighborhood center to allow neighborhood commercial of
approximately 60,000 square feet for property located at the southeast
comer of Golden Gate Boulevard and First Street Southwest in
Section 9, Township 49 south, Range 27 east, consisting of
approximately seven acres. And the agent is Michael Fernandez.
MR. FERNANDEZ: Good morning, Commissioners. Michael
Fernandez representing Michael Quarter (phonetic), the applicant for
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June 5, 2007
the project.
This originally was an expansion of the existing commercial
quadrant at Wilson Boulevard and Golden Gate Boulevard. It was an
expansion of approximately seven acres of general commercial, and as
staff has said, an estimated 60,000 square feet.
As we started going through the process, which started in 2005 --
it's been a little over two years now -- we've got -- we received a
significant amount of community input relative to the proposal that we
were making and also an enlightenment that we received about what
the needs were of the community, and specifically the neighborhood
that this land exists on.
The revision that we ultimately made after the Planning
Commissioner meeting was one that would -- would -- converted what
we had proposed as a commercial development to an office
development, the majority of which would be medical use.
This was a finding that we made over a period of time, both in
respect to community interest and input and also relative to end user
input into the process.
To this end, we had a number of meetings, post the neighborhood
information meeting with the civic association, civic association
leadership, meetings with the neighborhood that exists that's in close
proximity to the property. We also went the extra mile in soliciting
input from the neighborhood.
Our client and his family went out to some of the neighborhood
areas, for instance, like the library, and took petitions looking for
support and actually received -- and we have submitted signed
petitions of 227 signatures.
More than that, we sent a letter requesting support to what we
called our service area, which was approximately 2,800 residential
addresses of which we estimate about 50 percent of those actually
have homes on them. So approximately 2,800, about 1,400 acres
actually occupied, the balance of which are landowners that are either
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June 5, 2007
going to use them as a future residence or for sale.
We received a very significant response over a period of time,
and what we received were responses -- we call them response cards.
We had sent, in addition to information with the proposed project, a
card basically allowed the individual or the family to provide us some
input, some guidance, on what they were looking for.
To date, as of a couple days ago, those cards had to be returned to
the chairman's office, and it was approximately 632 post cards had
been received, 95 percent of which supported additional commercial
at this location, 75 percent which supported the proposed project,
specifically medical, medical-related, and office uses, 33, or about 5
percent, elected to tell us that they didn't want anything or they wanted
something else at the site.
So we've had -- we've gone really, I think, the extra mile, and that
was a lot of work our client undertook to get some good feedback.
What I put up here is a quick graphic that shows the relationship
of this property to other properties for commercial. Again, it's located
at Golden Gate Boulevard and Wilson. It's approximately three miles
south ofImmokalee Road where there's no existing commercial.
There's -- it's approximately five miles east of 951, and you'd have to
travel an additional mile either south or north to get to commercial.
It's about three miles to the west of Everglades, and it's five miles
north ofI -75. It's one of the most centrally located -- in fact, this was
arguably the most centrally located neighborhood center that exists for
the Golden Gate Estates area. And, in fact, it's the only commercial
center or node that is identified in the Golden Gate Master Plan within
this area.
Currently, there are -- there's four quadrants at this intersection.
The southeast quadrant is under construction right now, and it's being
developed as a commercial retail center with restaurants. The
southwest comer has been approved for a rezoning. It's now owned
by Walgreen's. They've submitted an SDP and we would assume that
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June 5, 2007
the Walgreen's is going to go forward. They're in the process recently,
as of last week, made a second submittal.
I'm on the northeast comer is G's Store with some accessory uses,
and they have approximately two additional acres that they have
available to them to expand those uses.
So although in your staff report under information about market
analysis it says that there's 16.3 acres, really the only quadrant that has
land available to them is the northwest quadrant, and that's 5.3 acres,
of which one acre of that is right-of-way. So there's about 4.2 acres.
Market conditions would suggest that the highest and best use of
those properties will be expanding the commercial out there and not as
an office or a medical center, which tends to be less intensive.
Probably the most predominant concern that we heard from the
very inception of this submittal to -- as late as last week, is concern
that this was going to be just the first step in expansion of commercial
in the area, and it's a legitimate concern; however, we found a way
that we believe has addressed that.
Specifically, this land, as it exists today, is already designated
with the opportunity for conditional use. So because there's an
adjacent neighborhood center that's zoned commercial already, we're
able to go and seek conditional uses both to the west of that property
and also to the south of the property.
What we've done in revising our text is eliminated that
opportunity and substituted it with the text that we've proposed, and
that text that we've proposed would allow just a limited number of
uses; an urgent care center, medical and medical related, and general
office.
Those uses are approximately 40 percent as intensive as general
commercial as far as transportation. We submitted additional
documentation to staff from our traffic analysis consultants, and you
can see the difference. And 45,000 square feet would have produced a
little over 4,000 trips. The proposed, if it's 100 percent medical,
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June 5, 2007
would be a little over 1,600 trips. So that's a significant reduction.
Now, you also note that that analysis is based on 45,000 to
45,000. If you considered that the original proposal of 60,000, as staff
had indicated, we're about 30 percent of the traffic generation that had
been originally proposed.
Therefore, we would suggest to you that this is essentially a very
good transition to the neighborhood. And in fact, what it is is a
recognized transition in that the office uses are consistent with the C-l
zoning district uses, which would essentially be uses that have been
found to be transitionary from more intensive commercial to
residential neighborhood use being an appropriate transition.
As we've met each succeeding meeting with the neighborhood, I
think we've garnered additional support. And as of last week, we had
one last meeting with the immediate neighborhood, and in that
immediate neighborhood that were a few additional items that they
requested or that we discussed and committed to.
And we have provided a copy of that text to staff. And I'll go
over those minor changes to you right now, all of them which are
more restrictive than had been originally proposed.
Essentially, the added additional language was that there was
some concern that although we're saying this is going to be a medical
and office center, there was a concern that there was not a
commitment to that medical, that it could be 100 percent general
office.
The neighborhood has told us, our cards have told us that there's
a need for medical, and so we made a further commitment saying that
the majority of the office space that's approved in the zoning would
have to be medical related or -- medical or medical related, so that
over 50 percent of it will be in that land use.
Second, we were discussing it as a transitionary use. And as
appropriate for transitionary uses, we made a commitment that we
would not use pole lights. In other words, right now the Golden Gate
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June 5, 2007
Master Plan allows for pole lights of 25 feet, which is -- creates a light
cloud. And essentially what we've agreed to is the utilization of
bollards.
Those -- one additional use that they asked us to remove from
that list of uses, and that was surveyors, because of the truck
component, and that was reviewing a list of C-I uses for general
office.
And then finally, we made one additional commitment that's not
in the text, and that is that we would hold an additional non-required
neighborhood information meeting. Because that language has
changed over a period of time, they believe, and we believe -- we
agree with them -- that it would be appropriate to hold another
neighborhood informational meeting.
That neighborhood informational meeting would be held prior to
the adoption hearings that would occur this fall. That would give an
opportunity for them to hear -- the neighborhood to hear and make
sure that they're apprised of these changes that have been proposed.
In addition to that, keep in mind -- and, David, correct me if I'm
wrong, but the Planning Commissioners will also see these petitions
once again. The Planning Commission, of course, did not have the --
didn't have the review of this particular text proposal, which is
significantly transitioned to a less -- more restrictive, less intense use.
And that would -- and then it would come again before you.
A couple other points that I wish to stress. We have in our
submittal, for support to the neighborhood, given them a site plan, a
conceptual site plan, of the proposed uses, and we've shown the
adjacent Walgreen's. We have shown them how that would
interconnect. And we've received additional feedback. And, of
course, we're willing to work with that once we get to the rezoning
stage of the project.
With that, I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have
relative to the proposed project, its intensity, any of the support
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June 5, 2007
documentation that we've provided over a period of time, and address
any questions that staff may have relative to our proposal. We'd also
like to reserve the ability to come back to you here shortly to discuss
any input that comes from either staff or from the general public.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you.
MR. FERNANDEZ: With that, any questions?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you, Mr. Fernandez.
What I'm going to suggest to my fellow commissioners is that we
may want to listen to staffs presentation, outline our questions, and
then come back at one time and ask the questions and have them
bounce back between you and our own staff.
MR. FERNANDEZ: Very good, sir.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay, sir? Thank you very much.
Commissioner Henning, is that all right with you?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: That's absolutely wonderful.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you.
MR. GREENWOOD: Good morning, Commissioners. Tom
Greenwood with Comprehensive Planning, for the record.
I was the staffer who attended the neighborhood information
meeting in January on this particular issue, and the issue had to do
with expanding the neighborhood center, as Mr. Fernandez has stated.
If you look at page 12 of the staff report, it's a summary, bullet
point summary, of the comments that were received. Sorry about that.
The -- this is a capsule or a summary of the Golden Gate Area
Master Plan. The midterm and the long-range plan for Golden Gate
somewhat represents what has happened in the past. The area's platted
out at 2.25-acre lots, which is a very low density.
The decision to create neighborhood centers was established back
in 2004 when the plan was adopted. Neighborhood centers, by
definition, are intended to serve an area within a two-mile radius.
There are basically -- this was not mentioned by the petitioner.
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June 5, 2007
There is a neighborhood center at the comer of Wilson and Golden
Gate. There's also another one at Everglades and Golden Gate. That
center is three miles east of the center in question. The two-mile
service radius of those two centers obviously would overlap, okay.
There is also existing and committed development at Orangetree,
which is approximately three and a half miles to the north in the
Immokalee Road area.
To give you a sense of that two-mile radius, which full buildout
would be -- and this is using the existing density -- it would be
approximately 3,500 dwelling units, and that might be on the high side
because part of that two-mile radius goes south into the lower density
North Belle Meade area. At a 2.39 population per dwelling unit, about
8,500 people.
Again, there is an overlap between the services provided and that
will be provided at Orangetree and services that will be provided some
day at the Everglades and Golden Gate Boulevard center.
This is a very generalized layout of what the center might look
like. And, again, I say it's generalized. It's not to scale.
The -- the area that's in red, the bold line, represents the current
boundary of the center, and as the petitioner's very clearly indicated,
the southeast comer is under construction and it's under construction
within the existing boundary of the existing center. There were no
changes made for that center. And again, as the applicant has
indicated, the southwest quadrant is owned by Walgreen's.
The crosshatched area, which is about seven acres, the other one
crosshatched is the area that is proposed to be expanded.
How the text is changed, if it is changed, the bottom line when
the day is over with, the center will physically be expanded if this
project proceeds.
The executive summary is fairly clear. Quite frankly, I received
personally -- and I think Mr. Weeks did as well -- probably about, I
don't know, maybe 100, 150 pages of unsolicited emails. We made
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June 5, 2007
copies. Many of those pages include signatures of people that are
apparently in support of commercial or office. We're not quite sure
which, what their intent was when they signed the petition, and that
information I have as a matter of public record.
The text amendment that was submitted to you as a part of this
hearing is different than what the Planning Commission heard. And as
the petitioner indicated, staff has received his most recent proposed
text amendment. By most recent I mean I received it at 8:55 this
morning, about five minutes before the meeting started.
I have not had a chance to review it. Obviously the petitioner
would know that. The real issue -- and I'll just very -- touch on a few
points, a few points. One of the things in the executive summary was
the fact that there was an application in the 2006 cycle for some mixed
development on the north side of Golden Gate, again, in an area that is
in the master plan for low density residential.
What is decided eventually to -- whether to expand or not expand
this center will and could have an impact on future decision making is
the boundary that's proposed there, a good permanent boundary. I
guess that's a question we have to ask. If that boundary is changed as
proposed, what impact will it have on future decision making?
The applicant indicated that the northwest comer of this
quadrant's available for development. It is. And it appears there's
some acreage available for development in the northeast quadrant of
this intersection as well.
In closing, staffhas not received anything from the applicant that
would alter its recommendation, and that is not to transmit. I don't
know if the Planning Commission, if it reheard this, if it would change
its mind and vote in favor of this amendment. We have not had any
further discussions with any of the property owners in the area.
In conclusion, basically, our staff report and recommendation
stands and it represents the feelings and wishes of the Planning
Commission when they heard this matter in March. Thank you.
Page 13
June 5, 2007
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Mr. Greenwood?
MR. GREENWOOD: Yes.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: A question, sir. Now, if this is
transmitted and it -- it would still have to come back to the Planning
Commission and it would still have to come back to this commission?
MR. GREENWOOD: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: At that point in time, would -- if it did
go to that particular phase, would staff be able to weigh back in with
the new data that they got?
MR. GREENWOOD: I think we would certainly consider that.
That's new information that was submitted after the application was
filed.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Thank you.
Commissioner Henning?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Thank you. I have some
questions, but mainly for Mr. Fernandez.
But Mr. Greenwood, while you're there, the Golden Gate Master
Plan allows for transitional conditional uses?
MR. GREENWOOD: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: This quadrant of commercial
designation, does that provide for that transitional conditional?
MR. GREENWOOD: The language that's being proposed--
COMMISSIONER HENNING: No.
MR. GREENWOOD: Oh, I'm sorry.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Just in general in the Growth
Management Plan.
MR. GREENWOOD: It does, it does.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: So in the Growth Management
Plan it says adjacent to. This property here, what I would consider
would be adjacent to. That would be the transitional conditional.
Would that be a loss of opportunity for that conditional use? Since it's
-- or would you expand that conditional use application further out?
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June 5, 2007
MR. WEEKS: Commissioner, you're correct that the opportunity
for transitional conditional use, as proposed by the applicant, would be
lost.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. So they can't expand on
the other side of the road then, I think that's -- what's that, First?
Whatever that road it going north and south.
MR. WEEKS: You cannot cross a street.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. All right, all right.
MR. WEEKS: So by expanding the activity center as being
proposed, the subject properties presently would be eligible for
transitional conditional use but would no longer be allowed if this is
approved as proposed.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. One thing that the master
plan committee, I thought, was -- done wisely, was provide a shared
interconnecting road to get away from that -- that interchange, kind of
like a loop around the activity center. What would -- would that be a
requirement under this condition or this proposed amendment?
MR. WEEKS: It is not. That would only be if this commission
requires it.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. What would be the
requirement for buffering? Because you used to have more intensive
uses at the intersection with a conditioning down with less intensive
uses such as churches and day cares and that. What would be -- since
it's such a deviation, what would be the softening effect to the
neighborhood?
MR. WEEKS: The properties adjacent to the south of the subject
site would still be subject to the 75-foot setback and the buffering
requirements that apply to all neighborhood centers. I believe the -- to
the west that would not be the case, I believe, because it's abutting a
street, not abutting an --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
MR. WEEKS: -- Estates property.
Page 15
June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER HENNING: What -- my last question, what
would you consider the access for this -- if the board adopts, what
would be the access for this increase of intensity?
MR. WEEKS: That would be --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Would it be on First or would it
be, where?
MR. WEEKS: That would be determined at the time of zoning
typically.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. But you'd still have to go
by the intent of the Growth Management Plan, correct?
MR. WEEKS: Yes.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Because really you're throwing
everything out the window because -- the language provides that
conditional use transformation, which is now lost, and in that
transformation it was supposed to be a shared interconnection, a
shared parking.
MR. WEEKS: Those requirements would not exist because the
-- the only abutting property, that being the one to the south from this
expanded area, would be limited to single-family residential use.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
MR. WEEKS: Of course, you would not have interconnections
or shared parking, that's true.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: I just had some questions for the
-- Mr. Fernandez.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Go ahead.
MR. FERNANDEZ: Yes, Commissioner.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Mr. Fernandez, you say you
started the process in 2005?
MR. FERNANDEZ: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Was that the application?
MR. FERNANDEZ: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: What month was that?
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June 5, 2007
MR. FERNANDEZ: I believe that's April of2005.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. When did you start
working on this proposal?
MR. FERNANDEZ: We started working on that proposal, I
believe, in the fall of 2004.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: So that was just after the board
adopted the new amendment to the Growth Management Plan?
MR. FERNANDEZ: Yes.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. There was no thought at
that time to go to the -- commit to that whole process, which the board
agreed to reconvened that committee, to ask for the consideration that
you're asking today?
MR. FERNANDEZ: We weren't hired at that time, sir, but we
have since then, of course, gone through a fairly rigorous process of
public involvement relative to both civic association --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
MR. FERNANDEZ: -- and neighborhood.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Your client never participated in
the hearings, the public meetings that the committee, Growth
Management Plan Committee, took place in the -- I believe it was
2002,2001?
MR. FERNANDEZ: No, sir. But I believe some of the
supporters that you'll hear from were a part of that effort.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: That's fine.
MR. FERNANDEZ: Okay.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: So I won't find any -- find any
sign-up sheets during that process of the owner or the previous owner
during that public hearings, public meetings?
MR. FERNANDEZ: Not that I'm aware of, no, sir.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: You're welcome.
Commissioner Halas?
Page 17
June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Yes. This is for staff. I'm reading
the information that was provided to me. Some of the things that came
up was the intensity that's going to take place presently if we don't go
through the rezone, and that is the four quadrants.
How are we going to maintain an impact of this nature in this
particular area without even thinking about the rezone as far as sewer
and water? It presently isn't out there. So how are we going to
maintain -- how are they going to be able to maintain those type of
facilities?
MR. GREENWOOD: Well, the area's not served by potable
water, municipal sewer, and that will stay the same.
I guess the longer term question is, is will this type of change to
the master plan result in other changes? And the same issues will
come up, potable water, sanitary sewer, for that intersection.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Especially now that the petitioner
has changed his venue in regards to what he's going to put there. Now
he's talking about medical. And I'm concerned about medical waste
and putting it into a septic system, and then from there, leaching into
the ground. And, of course, there's a number of wells out in that area.
So I have some concerns of that magnitude. So -- and I'm trying to
figure out what the overall density is going to be just in this quadrant
of neighborhoods.
I think we've got about, what do they say, 16 or 18 acres there
that presently is -- could be possibly developed or is under
development, and now we want to increase that area of development
to impact even -- the area more with commercial, and we don't have
the adequate facilities to take care -- to address the concerns that we
have there?
MR. GREENWOOD: Staff agrees, that is an issue.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Okay.
MR. GREENWOOD: And seven additional acres may lead to
additional acreage in the future at that intersection should this be
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June 5, 2007
transmitted.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Okay. That's my concern is the --
is potable water and sewer lines.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Coyle?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yeah, if you'd leave that map there,
please. I'd like to clarify something with respect to the transitional
conditional uses.
Do I understand you correctly to say if this petition were to be
approved then the transitional conditional opportunities would be lost
to anyone in the property north of Golden Gate Boulevard?
MR. GREENWOOD: The document that you received, it
indicates excluding the southwest quadrant from conditional uses. Is
that your read, David?
MR. WEEKS: Yes.
MR. GREENWOOD: Yes.
MR. WEEKS: Southwest quadrant only--
MR. GREENWOOD: Only.
MR. WEEKS: -- would be prohibitive for transitional
conditional uses. Those properties north of Golden Gate Boulevard or
east of Wilson Boulevard would still be eligible.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Still remain, okay. Then I
misunderstood what you'd said earlier.
I would just like to express a brief concern about some of the
staffs comments here. One, you say that the market study -- the
concern the staff has about the market study is that it apparently fails
to include 16.3 acres within the northwest, southwest, and southeast
quadrants. That's fairly equivocal language. You should be able to
determine whether it does or does not.
The first question is, is that a weakness of the petitioner's
submittal or is it the staffs failure to clearly identify?
And then the staff goes on and says further in this paragraph,
staff suspects the trade area should be larger than the stated two miles.
Page 19
June 5, 2007
I mean, is it -- should it be two miles or should it not be two miles? I
guess I'm looking for a specific statement with some proof or
substantive justification for making those kinds of comments.
It just leaves me with a feeling that either the late submission --
well, no. Let me withdraw that. That can't be the case here because
this is the executive summary that was prepared some time back, so
you had adequate opportunity to review this. I'm just a little
concerned about the equivocal language here. I would like to see
something a little more clear.
But that having been said, I also am concerned that this particular
proposal has not been heard by the CCPC and that there hasn't been a
neighborhood information meeting concerning this. And I understand
that the petitioner would be willing to do that if we forwarded this for
approval.
What rights or opportunities are forfeited if we do forward it to
DCA with the intention of bringing it back through the CCPC later?
MR. WEEKS: Commissioner, as stated earlier, this would come
back for that second bite of the apple. In your case, you'd be seeing
presumably the same petition for the second time. For the Planning
Commission, they would be seeing it for the first time.
I don't think they -- I don't think any rights are lost. Everyone
does get -- I mean, that's the policy decision for this body to make.
Do you wish to say, this is not appropriate to have such substantial
changes made post NIM, post CCPC, or alternatively to say, well,
because there will be that second bite of the apple, nothing is really
lost, everyone will get that second chance, most particularly because a
second NIM will be held and, in fact, is required to be held.
The Land Development Code says if substantial changes are
made to the application after transmittal. Well, this isn't after. These
substantial changes occurred prior. But as a staff member, I would say
that we require that NIM to be held prior to the adoption hearing.
So in short, I don't think any rights are lost, Commissioner.
Page 20
June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay. Then the final question is to
ask you for a general appraisal of the concept. We have always talked
about the shortage or concern about commercial opportunities in the
Golden Gate Estates area. Is it the staffs position that no additional
acreage is necessary in the Golden Gate Estates area beyond those
neighborhood centers that have already been designated?
MR. WEEKS: No, sir. Staffs position is that we believe it may
be premature to be approving additional commercial east of 951 while
we are in the process of conducting the East of 951 Horizon Study.
The end result of that may well be, yes, we need more commercial
within the various areas east of 951, including specifically within
Golden Gate Estates.
Our position is we should wait to find out what the results of that
-- that study are. And if we do, in fact, need more commercial, where
should it be? What magnitude should it be? For example, they're
proposing office type uses only. Should that be the case in certain
areas? Should higher intensity zoning such as all the way up to C-5 be
allowed in some areas? We just don't believe we're there yet, we're
ready to make that decision.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Would that same response apply to
most of the petitions that are in our packet today?
MR. WEEKS: Yes, sir, and you'll see that same comment in the
staff report about the prematurity.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay. Thank you very much.
MR. WEEKS: Commissioner, in may briefly respond to the
first two points you made. First regarding the apparent lack of
inclusion of certain acreages. I think it was 16 or so acres. The reason
for that is because the additional market study information provided to
staff did not include the inventory, did not include the specifics of
what properties were included. It was more of a conclusion, with
some explanation certainly, but we did not have the specific inventory,
that's why staff said it appears that those properties were not included
Page 21
June 5, 2007
based upon certain statements made and what was submitted.
Secondly, staff did not do a detailed analysis of this revised
submittal. That's why we've made -- I personally made that comment.
I suspect that an additional larger trade area should be included.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you. Does that conclude what
you have, Commissioner?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: (No verbal response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yeah, Mr. Greenwood, a couple
questions. It was brought up about the lack of sewer and water,
utilities in the area. At the present time such places as G's, I believe
the school on Golden Gate Boulevard, a couple of other locations out
there that are commercial are using package plants; is that correct?
MR. GREENWOOD: I'm not sure of that.
MR. WEEKS: G's, I believe, is on a septic tank and well. The
school --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yeah, well-- right. But still, they
have a way of processing it. And also too, I know the school system,
which quite surprised me, was the Max Hasse Park, in the back of it, I
looked over at the -- what is that, Big Cypress, the school that's over
there?
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Yes.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Big Cypress. I seen a package plant
back there. I thought for sure they were on the sewer and water. So
obviously there's ways that they do handle this.
One of my concerns is, is if we ever make it a requirement for
any commercial going out in that area that they have sewer and water
hookup to utility, my concern is that that -- if we do that, we're going
to force everyone along that utility line to have to hook up under our
laws and ordinances.
And so, of course, I don't think at any point in time we're ever
going to be supportive of forcing a particular area in the middle of
Golden Gate Estates to have sewer and water and then forcing every
Page 22
June 5, 2007
single residence that's on the transmissionallines to have to hook up.
So I mean, it's not a goal that I ever want to see that we're going
to require sewer and water to these facilities to be able to make that a
criteria for any kind of development. Ifwe did that, we'd be doing
great harm to the people that live out there in Golden Gate Estates.
That's my own take on that.
I do think that there's package plants out there that they put
together that do an adequate job of handling -- it's expensive. I mean,
you have to devote a tremendous amount of land to it, which has a
side benefit, what they -- when they have to do that, that there's going
to be certain green areas that would not be present if you did have
sewer and water, so that's something we have to keep in mind at all
times.
The East of951 Study, Mr. Schmitt, I'm going to address this to
you. You know, we're not talking about a master plan. We're talking
about a survey that's taken place over a period of time. Is this
something like a master plan that's supposed to be put together to be
able to give us guidance as far as growth management rules go?
MR. SCHMITT: Commissioner, it will be basically two phases.
This first phase is nothing more, as I'm sure you're aware, but for the
other commissioners, an assessment of what the residents are looking
for out there and what they believe they want and how they want to
amend the Golden Gate Area Master Plan.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Well, now wait a minute. Be careful,
because this is one of the things that the Horizon Study takes great
offense with, because when we keep referencing to Golden Gate
Estates, the Horizon. It's not. It's east of 951. It's a global effort that
covers the whole area.
MR. SCHMITT: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: So I mean, the rules that we're talking
about with this, if we were to apply it, we, in effect, would say, no
new development till the Horizon Study's done east of951. Would
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June 5, 2007
that be a clear assumption of where we're going with this?
Immokalee should put everything on hold as far as their
particular growth management plans go as far as everything that's
taken place there. They've got a master plan underway. They should
wait also until the East of 951 Study is done?
MR. SCHMITT: That is not our intent, and that's -- our only
concern in this one was explaining that certainly the preponderance of
the issues that they're addressing out there are dealing with the Estates.
But as you've just said, this is not only the Estates. It's everything east
of951.
And the other piece that we're also working on is the interactive
growth model, which we hired a consultant to look at land use, land
use activities, and supporting facilities to support population growth
east of 951, and that includes, of course, all the way to Immokalee, the
special districts --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: When would that study be done?
MR. SCHMITT: We -- it's evolving, but certainly the Horizon
Committee, I do not believe you'll see anything until sometime in the
spring when they come back and actually make their first report back
to you. We're looking at the fall, but we've also hired a consultant to
do -- basically to go out and canvass residents for input on what they
believe and to provide that information to the committee as well.
It's moving along and there are meetings, but this is in control
that have Horizon Committee. It's something that staff is not really --
we're pushing it, but we're only pushing it so far.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Sure, I understand. And it's doing --
it's a great --
MR. SCHMITT: They're doing a great job.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: We got out there to be able to come
up with something that interconnects everything together and makes
total sense.
Commissioner Fiala?
Page 24
June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Yes. As everybody's aware my
major concern is always the road system. And it was quite alarming to
me to read here that the growth rate on Golden Gate Boulevard has
exceeded 10 percent in the last three years and is -- and Golden Gate
Boulevard is expected to be deficient in 2008.
It is anticipated that the completion of Vanderbilt Beach Road
extension will possibly, I guess, mitigate some of that. But the
conclusion is that the additional 45,000 square feet of commercial is
not consistent with policy 5.1 of the transportation element of the
GMP. And right now, as I'm fully aware, Golden Gate Boulevard is a
mass of transportation issues mainly because of the congestion on that
road, and I'm concerned about increasing the congestion on that road
by additional commercial. So I'll just put that on the record.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Halas?
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Yeah. You touched briefly on this,
Commissioner, in regards to the East of951 Study. I think we need to
find out what's going on. I think this is way too premature.
The other thing that bothers me is where this was heard by the
Planning Commission, and then what we're hearing here is basically a
change of spots on the leopard. And I have some concerns on that.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: How many speakers do we have?
MS. KENDALL: We have 12 speakers.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Why don't we go to the
speakers at this time.
MS. KENDALL: Okay. We'll begin with Jon Irwin, followed
by Paula Bonar.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Now, do you know how to
work that machine?
MS. KENDALL: Yes.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: We've got a three-minute time for
each person. And when you come up, please, if you'd be so kind to
state your name for the record. You can use either podium.
Page 25
June 5, 2007
MR. SCHMITT: And speakers, I would ask the second speaker
announced, would they be ready to come up and start speaking.
MS. KENDALL: Paula Bonar.
MR. IRWIN: Good morning. My name's Jon Irwin. I have
three acres just -- Immokalee Road and Wilson, 2680 2nd Street
Northwest. Haven't really built out there. We've owned the property
for about four years. We're kind of waiting for more stuff to be
happening out there that's closer to us, retail, medical.
Just more -- we have two small children, and it's out there. It's a
drive. If they need any medical attention, with all the traffic on
Immokalee Road, we were just -- like to see more stuff going on out in
that area, and I think a medical facility closer in that area will benefit a
lot of people. That's it.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you, sir.
MR. IRWIN: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: You can call the next speaker also so
they're ready and on-line.
MS. KENDALL: Okay. That would be Linda Hartman,
followed by Mark Teaters.
MS. BONAR: Hi. I'm Paula Bonar. I live off of Webber, and
part of my concern was the fact that traffic won't be coming so close
to 9511Collier Boulevard, Immokalee, because the more commercial
places that you have out in the Estates, the less traffic it will create for
people having to come into town, this far into town.
My son goes to Big Cypress. And having a medical facility that
close to his school for the next five years would be something I would
-- definitely be positive.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you very much. Ms. Hartman?
MS. HARTMAN: Good morning, Commissioners. Linda
Hartman. I was the vice-chair of the Master Plan Committee, and I'm
also the vice-chair of the Horizon Committee.
Boy, you guys confused me. You threw me for a loop with that
Page 26
June 5, 2007
Horizon, what you think we're responsible for, because we didn't think
we were changing any master plans.
MR. SCHMITT: That will eventually come, but as part of the
process. The first piece is looking at where you want to go, and it
depends -- if it does involve a master plan change, that certainly would
have to take place.
MS. HARTMAN: But we're for the whole east of951, not just
the Estates.
MR. SCHMITT: That's right.
MS. HARTMAN: It's all the growth. What we're trying to do,
we thought, was assess the -- what the growth's going to be out there
and what the needs are going to be --
MR. SCHMITT: That's correct.
MS. HARTMAN: -- is what I come up with. So -- just so, you
know, don't throw more at us than we have said we're going to do out
there.
While I was on the Master Plan Committee, we tried to --
actually we were thinking of putting more neighborhood centers in
because the people out there kept coming to us and saying, we need
more things. You know, we live way out there. We don't want to go
all the way in town. But any -- anything that we plan to make, any
new neighborhood centers, was always put down because, you know,
it's a really beautiful residential area, and they didn't want anything
near their houses. We want it, but not next door to me, issue.
But -- so what we came up with was that on the side of the
commercial -- you know, the neighborhood center, we had this
transitional use which, at the time, I don't know if any of us even
thought of medical. And that is low impact on transitional use.
And everybody I've spoken to has thought, wow, wouldn't it be
great if I could take my kids to the doctor during the day instead of
going out -- all the way out in town. And then they were talking about
-- we thought medical, wow. Medical would be wonderful out there.
Page 27
June 5, 2007
And I find myself, that that seems to be less impact on the
neighborhood than even a church might even have. And I love the
idea that they're talking about -- they've been talking to everybody out
there in the Estates. I've never seen a developer -- and the other ones
have -- some of them have worked with us, but these developers seem
to work with us far more than most of them have. They've really
made an effort to get in touch with the neighbors.
And I've attended many meetings on it, and I like the idea of --
transitional use to me is low impact and it seems to me that that
medical fits in there, and it saves road trips, which -- and -- because
people are going along the Boulevard all the time anyway because
right now it's the only way to go, so they're out there anyway, so it'd
be easy to zoom in there and take care of your medical. And so, to
me, it is low impact.
And, personally, I'm really in favor, and a bunch of people that I
know also, also feel the same way, so--
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you.
MS. HARTMAN: -- that's it.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Mr. Teaters?
MR. TEATERS: Good morning, Commissioners. Thanks for
having me today.
As you know, Golden Gate Estates--
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Your name for the record?
MR. TEATERS: Oh, Mark Teaters.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you.
MR. TEATERS: I, likewise, am on the East of951 Horizon
Study, and I was confused as well, but we'll deal with that later.
As you know, Golden Gate Estates is growing, and many, many
people out there want services in the Estates. My situation is a little
different in that I'm directly impacted by this property, by this project,
proposed project. I live almost right across the street from where the
lot is -- where land is going to be -- there's an L shape. Part of the
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June 5, 2007
land goes between First and Wilson Boulevard, and I can see it from
the front of my house.
There's some benefits to this project for our neighborhood. Now,
we had a neighborhood meeting; a bunch of us that have had a group
in the neighborhood for the last couple years got together last
Wednesday. And I have some information here for you on the
attendees who showed up. We actually had Linda Hartman come to
ask -- answer questions on behalf of the Master Plan Committee. We
had the petitioner and his engineer there, and we had a group of
people from the neighborhood.
It was advertised. We put out fliers to the people that lived there
that were immediately impacted, the folks that live on Wilson and the
folks that live on First because we wanted to know for sure what
everybody's thoughts were. We didn't have 10 residents, 10 actual
residents show up, which is par for the course. Those are the people
that normally show up for those.
The benefits for this is the buffer that's going to go across. The
bottom's going to be 100 feet, the bottom, the L shape between Wilson
and First, that will not be developed. It will be either water retention
or buffer, and it's going to protect us, not only from this project, but
we won't be able to see the back -- as a neighborhood, we won't be
able to see the back of Walgreen's either or what they're doing. So it's
going to protect us all the way across.
Local services for residents. Low impact businesses. Reduce
trips going into town. The one lady said earlier, you know, the people
going into town. I talked to Commissioner Henning many times about
the need for more business to the east so that people would go to the
east instead of the west.
The concerns the folks had were the water issues. We're going to
have three major projects in the area that we're going to have to deal
with the water. You know, we have flooding in our area with our
neighbors. Our houses have been -- look like moats around the house.
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June 5, 2007
Roads, the traffic. Commissioner Fiala, to your point.
Landscaping buffer that's going to be dealt with in the future. The
lighting was addressed by the petitioner, and also getting rid of the
things such as surveyors with truck fleets and things like that.
I think that the uses for this property, it's -- from what I heard
from the neighbors, the uses for this property being a conditional
transitional property, the uses that they're proposing are much, much
better for our community and for our neighborhood than would be a
church who would be open who knows when, and I think that there's a
benefit here for us as a neighborhood.
Thank you very much.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you, Mr. Teaters.
MR. TEATERS: Copy of this?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Leave it right with the court reporter.
MR. TEA TERS: Absolutely.
MS. KENDALL: The next speaker is Pat Humphries, followed
by Winnie Apperson.
MS. HUMPHRIES: My name is Pat Humphries. I'm a resident
of Golden Gate Estates since 1992. I live three miles from the subject
project. I was on the Golden Gate Estates Area Civic Association
board of directors for 10 years and served on all the committees that
addressed shopping centers in the Estates.
The owner of the property has gone to great lengths to make his
project compatible with the neighbors and the Golden Gate Master
Plan, so I do not have an objection to it. A medical facility would be
an appropriate addition to that location. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you.
MS. APPERSON: Good morning, Commissioners. My name is
Winnie Apperson. I'm a resident of Golden Gate Estates and I'm also
a realtor.
Being a resident, my desire to have other services, medical
especially -- I have a grandson with asthma who spends the night with
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June 5, 2007
us all the time because we love him to death, and we have had to take
him to North Collier Hospital which, in the panic of asthma, is very
frightful.
Being a realtor, I sell -- help a lot of residents sell homes or buy
homes out there. And one of -- a lot of my complaints are, I have
people listing their houses to sell because of the inconvenience and the
cost of living so far out for goods and services.
And I find it discouraging because -- the Estates is beautiful and I
love it out there, but I also feel that living out there, we shouldn't be
kind of -- I wouldn't say punished, but neglected from goods and
services that we could really use. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you. Next speaker?
MS. KENDALL: Next speaker is Meghan Bedell followed by
Jeff Polen.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Jeff, if you position yourself to be
ready to go, we'd appreciate it.
MS. BEDELL: Hi. My name's Meghan Bedell and I'm a
homeowner on Wilson Boulevard, and I support this project because I
have two small children and I think it would be a great benefit for us
to have the medical services close by, and I think it's a great
inconvenience to have to drive far out into the city, and I think this
would be great for the area. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Next speaker would be after the
gentleman that's up there now.
MS. KENDALL: Mary Ann Glatt and Scott Barham.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you.
MR. POLEN: Good morning, Commissioners. My name is Jeff
Polen. I'm a resident of the Estates. Everybody that preceded me
pretty much said exactly the same thing I was going to say, so I'm not
going to take time repeating everybody.
I do believe that I can -- I can't understand how it could not be
anything but a positive for our area. Personally, I've had three heart
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June 5, 2007
attacks. I got a defibrillator, and the sooner -- if something happens to
this machine, the soon I get to a doctor, the much more comfortable I
feel. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Thank you.
MS. GLATT: Good morning, Commissioners. For the record,
my name is Mary Ann Glatt. I am here today to support this project
because I believe it is a benefit to this community for the health,
safety, and welfare of the community. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you.
MR. BARHAM: Good morning, Commissioners. My name is
Scott Barham, and I'm a Collier County schoolteacher and long-time
Golden Gate Estates resident. I believe that this project is beneficial
and very much needed by our community. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you.
MS. KENDALL: The last two speakers, Tim Nance and
Christina Farlow.
MR. NANCE: Commissioners, Tim Nance. I'm the current
president of the Golden Gate Estates Area Civic Association.
The petitioner's representative attended and presented a proposal
before the Estates Civic Association. The membership in attendance
there were sharply divided of whether they supported or opposed the
development.
The ones that supported it obviously supported it because --
ostensibly because it's been presented as offering some healthcare
benefits. The ones that had objections had objections because they
thought that it was a portend badly for additional commercial
development in the Estates.
Golden Gate Estates represents about 3.7 percent of the area of
Collier County. And although -- the individual commissioners mayor
may not know it, but in the past year, there have been 12 public
information meetings proposing plan amendments that would have
suggested more commercial in Golden Gate Estates.
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June 5, 2007
So I hope regardless of the way the commissioners vote, please
be aware that the Golden Gate Master Plan was a study over 20
months, many, many meetings, and there are many concerns that
Golden Gate Estates remain rural and residential. Thank you very
much.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Mr. Nance, I'm sorry. I didn't mean
to interrupt you, but I was at that meeting, and you took a count of
what that vote was, and that may be helpful, and also there was
suggestions of where would be what they thought was a more
appropriate location for this.
Would you share that with the commission?
MR. NANCE: Well, there was a little discussion. There was
only about -- I think there was 35 members in attendance at the time.
I think 14 people, including the representative of the petitioner, voted
in favor of it, and 21 members voted against it. And those were the
reasons.
I think one thing that was brought up was that there was a Naples
community healthcare proposal of 40,000 square feet of medical that's
currently being advertised at the corner of Immokalee Road and
Collier Boulevard.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Well, what I was trying to get at is,
one of the proposals was -- is that they thought it might be -- a more
appropriate place would be Belle Meade?
MR. NANCE: A proposal --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Whoever stated that is the fact that
they thought it would be more appropriate, that a medical center
should be in Belle Meade. I just wanted to get that on the record.
MR. NANCE: Well, I don't remember that, Commissioner. But,
I mean, it could have been. Could have been.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yeah, Mr. Smith, who isn't here today
-- Richard Smith, and there was a couple other people that
commented.
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June 5, 2007
MR. NANCE: Yeah, I thought Richard was going to come, but I
don't see him today.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: He might still get here.
MR. NANCE: Yeah, he might.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Once again, we thank you very much
for your time and your service that you give to your community.
MR. NANCE: Thank you.
MS. FARLOW: Good morning. My name is Christina Farlow,
and I'm a resident of Golden Gate Estates. I, unlike most of the other
speakers, live in the northeast section on Randall Boulevard off of
Immokalee.
That neighborhood consists of six gated communities with more
coming, four schools within three miles of my house, and thousands of
homes.
We all clog up your roadways driving into Naples to go to
doctors' appointments, dentists' appointments, and emergency rooms.
Also, we have these schools in our area, and the idea that we
have thousands of homes and schools with no medical area
whatsoever in that area is remarkable.
I would like to see medical care available if a child has an
accident at school, I mean, sports or something like that, or ifthere's a
traffic accident on our streets, which are clogged with dump trucks, or
if there is a heart attack, which my family personally experienced not
long ago.
My second reason for wanting this facility closer to my home--
it's not in my exact neighborhood, but closer -- is that these -- as
Commissioner Fiala mentioned, the roadways are very clogged out
there, and everything that we can stop coming from the far east in
towards Naples will free up your doctors' offices, your dentists'
offices, and unclog your emergency rooms in your hospitals. And
every road trip we can take off will mean we have to build fewer
megaroads out there, and we'd be grateful for that.
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June 5, 2007
And finally, the last reason that I'm in favor of this is because -- a
very personal reason. Not long ago a very dear family (sic) of mine
had a medical emergency, a very severe medical emergency. And I
drove into the hospitals here in Naples. And I will tell you that it may
only be 10 miles, but when your loved one is between life and death, it
might as well be a hundred, because it feels that way. And we would
all like to not be second-class citizens out there and have opportunities
and services that people in here in Naples have. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yeah. And I thank you so much, and
I appreciate the audience participation. I don't know if we're going to
-- probably only one other issue we're going to have come before us
today is going to spark so much interest.
And I feel very strongly about this too. I think it's a facility that
meets the needs of that particular area. I like a lot of things that have
taken place. I'm sorry about the fact that they didn't get on the stick a
little bit sooner with the medical part of the -- portion of it as far as the
Planning Commission goes.
It would have been great to have them weigh in at the beginning.
We had the public information meetings. And I'm going to chastise
you a little bit about that. In the future, make sure when you're going
to bring a product to us it's a final product.
However, with that said, I don't want this delayed a couple of
years more in the process and not be able to go forward with it. I--
the petitioner did everything that you could possibly expect him to do.
In fact, I asked him to write a white paper afterwards whether he's
successful or not explaining the process he went through.
His outreach has been unbelievable. He even incorporated
something that we may see more of in the future where he -- excuse
me one second. And I can't possibly grab them all, but there's 600
some of these cards back there.
What he did was, to try to keep this survey being as non-biased
as possible and nobody'd be able to pre-sort it, he took the liberty of
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June 5, 2007
addressing it to my office, which impressed me, you know. I kind of
thought this might be the thing that would sink the ship because
nobody's ever done an effective survey of Golden Gate Estates at this
point in time as far as the -- their personal feelings as far as
commercial, especially medical.
This has overwhelmingly been in favor by a large majority of the
medical facility. And with that, being in mind the fact that we have
this going back before the Planning Commission and we have it
coming back before us, I'm going to make a motion for transmittal to
also include what the neighborhood information meeting that they had
a couple days ago, the requirements that they put into it be included in
that.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Commissioner, I'll second your
vote, I'll second your motion, because I was impressed with the fact
that the transportation issue was brought out repeatedly and that it will
take pressure off of 951 by people being able to get to medical
facilities closer to home.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: That's correct. This is a case of the
public benefit far outweighing the letter of the suggested directions
that we received in the past. And I think even Joe Schmitt will agree
that it's been a soft rejection based upon what the actual law was itself
and that he -- do you want to comment on that, Mr. Schmitt, just so I
don't go and put words in your mouth?
MR. SCHMITT: Well, again, we -- as -- as directed by this
board, we're looking at every aspect of growth east of 951. We were
concerned about premature plan amendments somewhat derailing
some of that process, but the needs outweigh some of those aspects of
the -- in regards to the planning and some of the work that that
committee is doing in looking at what is needed as far as east of 951.
And, of course, they're looking at all aspects of 951.
So it's a policy decision we throw to the board in regards to -- and
we discussed this in the past in front of this board regarding
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June 5, 2007
commercial activities and these type of facilities in the Estates and the
need for it. And, of course, it does have the potential to reduce, as was
stated by many of the speakers, reduce folks having to transit into
Naples for those same services. So, again, throw the ball, it's in your
court.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Well, thank you. Thank you, sir.
Commissioner Halas?
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Yes. I just hope that if this does
get transmitted that this petitioner isn't going to come back at a later
date and change the color of the leopard so that he can put some other
commercial in there.
I also have some concerns that -- and I think this is a thing that
the people all realize, that I believe that Ave Maria is also building an
infirmary out there, so there will be some medical facilities there.
The other thing I have concerns of is medical waste getting into
-- leaching into the water, but that's something we can address at a
later date.
So I understand the concerns that the citizens have out there, and
things are happening rapidly out there. But as I said, there's an
infirmary that is going to be also out there.
And I would hope that the petitioner understands that we're not
here to play games. When you bring something before the Planning
Commission and then turn everything around, I don't -- I'm not too
happy about that, so -- but I probably will vote in favor of this to have
it transmitted to DCA only because of the fact of the outpouring of
concern by the residents.
And I hope, as I said earlier, that this petitioner better not come
back here and try to change the colors of the stripes again, or the
spots.
MR. FERNANDEZ: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Coyle?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yeah. In support of that, I would
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June 5, 2007
suggest that we include in the motion that it includes specifically
medical uses, because it appears that this is the overwhelming desire,
and if it -- and restrict it to medical uses. And if that is the case, then
the approval will not be effected if there's any other attempted use.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Well, at this point in time -- and I've
been through this particular issue with the petitioner. There's no way
that there's enough of a population there to support 100 percent
medical. And there was tremendous support for other commercial
type of things, especially the -- what do you want to call it? Such
trades that generate -- what do you -- professional buildings, was the --
was 50 percent medical, was it? How were we -- Mr. Fernandez?
MR. FERNANDEZ: Yes, sir. The commitment that the
neighborhood asked us to make was that the majority of the square
footage that gets approved be medical, and we agreed to that. And
also we made an agreement that 100 percent of the parking would be
designed -- for instance, the southeast quadrant right now has 36,000
square feet. Unfortunately it doesn't have the parking that would
support medical. A hundred percent of the site will be developed at a
medical ration so that it can accommodate 100 percent medical in the
future.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I'm sorry. You just lost me on that
statement.
MR. FERNANDEZ: The majority of the square footage would
be medical, and in addition to that, it would be designed so that it
could accommodate 100 percent.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. But what is the percentage of
medical that you're going to absolutely irrevocably --
MR. FERNANDEZ: The majority, which would be 51 percent,
say, or you know -- essentially, if we're 45,000 square feet, we're
talking about 23,000 of it being medical.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I think when you bring it back, you
may want to look at 60 percent as being a more realistic number.
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June 5, 2007
MR. FERNANDEZ: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Well, I think if you're going to
impose a percentage on it, we should do it at the time of approval now
rather than -- rather than telling him to come back with some change
in the future. I'd like to get as specific as we can about this.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Would you agree to 60 percent, sir?
MR. FERNANDEZ: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay.
Anything else, Commissioner?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: No, I'm fine.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Henning?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Thank you. Just the overall --
these petitions on the agenda to change the Growth Management Plan,
I just have a concern about --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I'm sorry, Commissioner Henning.
Could you -- just a little bit closer to your mike.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: I just have a concern about
relying on government. Just a short process, a few years ago, that
went through the process of changing the Golden Gate Master Plan
because there were concerns of commercials in certain areas, and so
the board adopted it. And now the East of951 Horizon Committee
will be dealing with similar issues again.
I personally think that government should be relied on, on what
it's saying, or just don't do any more of these committees and let the
landowners come petition the board.
But we have spent some money and the citizens spent the time,
and I just can't support it for that reason. But I understand the
comments of the constituents in Golden Gate Estates, the need for
that. Don't disagree with that. Should have did that three years ago.
Don't know what the Horizon Committee's going to bring. And I just
can't support the motion because of that reason, and others, on here.
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June 5, 2007
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Well, you have to vote your
conscience, Commissioner Henning. Of course, when this comes back
to us, I think if you see an approval from the Planning Commission
and other neighborhood meetings, you might be more receptive at that
point in time?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: I'm always open. Try to stay
open.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: You do a good job at that, sir.
Any other comments?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Hearing none, all those in -- okay,
Marjorie.
MS. STUDENT -STIRLING: Just a quick point of order. I
believe there was a change from a majority of medical to 60 percent,
and it's implied that the motion maker agrees, and does the second
agree? And that's all. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Motion maker agrees. Does
the second?
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Second does.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Second agrees.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Thank you, Margie.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Any other comments?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Hearing none, all those in favor of a
transmittal with the additions that we added to that, indicate by saying
aye.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Opposed?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Aye.
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June 5, 2007
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: And let the record show
Commissioner Henning voted in the opposition. Also, too, in the back
of the room we have Mr. Mudd who's one year older today. I want
everybody to turn around and recognize him and say Happy Birthday,
Jim Mudd.
(Applause.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: And with that, you've been such good
boys and girls recognizing Jim Mudd, I'm going to give you a
10-minute break.
(A brief recess was had.)
MR. WEEKS: You have a live mike, Mr. Chairman.
Item #2B
PETITION: CP-2005-5
Commissioners, the next petition is CP-2005-5, petition
requesting amendment to the Golden Gate Area Master Plan and
Golden Gate Area Master Plan Future Land Use Map and Map Series,
to amend the Golden Gate Estates commercial infill subdistrict, to
expand the subdistrict by 13 acres, allow up to 115,000 square feet of
intermediate commercial and general office uses, and allow residential
uses at 15 dwelling units per acre for property located at the northwest
comer of Golden Gate Parkway and Santa Barbara Boulevard, in
Section 29, Township 49 south, Range 26 east, consisting of
approximately 18 acres.
MS. MOSCA: Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Commissioners.
For the record, my name is Michelle Mosca with your Comprehensive
Planning Staff.
The petitioner/agent/owner is not here today. Staff has had
several communications with the agent or representative in the past,
and they were questioning whether or not to continue with this
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June 5, 2007
petItIOn. I asked for a formal withdrawal if, in fact, that's what they
were going to do, and I have not yet heard from them.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: I'd like to make a motion to deny.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Second.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Do we have any speakers on
this item?
MS. KENDALL: No.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. We have a motion for denial
by Commissioner Fiala and a second by Commissioner Halas.
Discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Hearing none, all those in
favor of the motion for denial, indicate by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: And the ayes have it unanimously.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: That was quick.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Good presentation, Michelle.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yeah.
Item #2C
PETITION: CP-2005-6
MR. WEEKS: Commissioners, next on the agenda is petition
CP-2005-6, petition requesting amendment to the Golden Gate Area
Master Plan and Golden Gate Area Master Plan Future Land Use Map
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June 5, 2007
and Map Series, to create the Golden Gate Parkway institutional
subdistrict, to allow for the expansion and continued operation of the
David Lawrence Center and the Church of God, and to allow
additional institutional and related uses for property located on the
north side of Golden Gate Parkway, specifically tracts 43,50,59, and
66, unit 30, Golden Gate Estates, Section 29, Township 49 south,
Range 46 east, consisting of approximately 16.3 acres.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Good morning. For the record, Rich
Y ovanovich on behalf of the petitioners. With me today are David
Shimmel with the David Lawrence Center, Margaret Perry, Jeff Perry,
Tom Tradis (phonetic), and Jared Brown with WilsonMiller if you
have any questions related to the petition.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: In may, I've been following this with
the greatest of interest for some time. It's a needed facility out there.
It's got the support of just about everyone and his brother from one
end of the community to the other. I make a motion for approval.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Second.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Do we have any speakers?
MS. KENDALL: No.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Comments from anyone?
MR. WEEKS: Mr. Chairman, do you like to hear something
from staff, even if for brief?
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Yes.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: A very brief presentation, please.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: The less the better.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I'm sorry? Yes.
MS. MOSCA: Again, for the record, Michelle Mosca. I'll be
very brief.
Mr. Chairman, I just want to ask if the motion is for transmittal as
recommended by the petitioner or the alternative recommendation by
staff. I just need some clarification, and then if you have any
questions.
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June 5, 2007
What the petitioner has presented, I'll put that on the visualizer.
The petitioner has removed all of the uses, as you can see on the
bottom of the Exhibit A. And the uses will be limited to those
identified in the top portion numbers -- I'm sorry, A through F.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Eliminating C, right?
MS. MOSCA: The strikethrough portion in green will be
eliminated, and that was as presented by the petitioner in their
resubmittal.
Staff also -- in red you can see the elimination of nursing home
facilities. The uses that staff had proposed were those uses associated
or affiliated with the church or the David Lawrence Center. Staff
could not see the connection with the nursing home facility, and the
petitioner may want to address that and include that.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Before we do --
MS. MOSCA: Yes.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: -- Commissioner Henning may have
some comments or questions.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Yeah. The David Lawrence
Center, in my opinion, has been housing -- or overnight stays, if you
might say, some recommended by the law enforcement officers. Are
you saying by strikethrough, that that will not be able to take place?
MS. MOSCA: No, sir. What I'm saying -- under the group care
facilities, one and two -- categories one and two, those would
accommodate the inpatient care, I believe, unless the petitioner says
otherwise. The nursing home facilities would be for eldercare and so
forth.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Nursing facilities, wouldn't they
call that adult living facilities also, would that --
MS. MOSCA: Yes.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. Is there any other
category covered by nursing homes that is not covered under adult
living facilities?
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June 5, 2007
MS. MOSCA: I may have to -- I believe categories one and two,
was that --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Maybe Mr. Y ovanovich can just
address the question. We definitely -- I mean, David Lawrence Center
is an asset to the community.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Yeah, and we put that in there
specifically because we do deal with some older clients who will need
those types of service-related and operated under the David Lawrence
Center. So we would like to have the nursing center -- I mean, the
nursing home and the assisted living facility stay in. We agree it
needs to be related to the David Lawrence Center, but we would like
that use to stay in. And I think maybe there might have been a
misunderstanding of what we agreed to.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: I would ask the motion maker to
allow C. And now, is it your understanding that you'll have to come
through a conditional use to actually restore the uses and the facility
due to taking of government for the roadway expansion? Do you have
to come back through a conditional use?
MS. MOSCA: Yes. Under the present text that's being
proposed, they would have to come in for another conditional use.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: That's the time that those issues
should be addressed with C. In my opinion, we just want to keep
David Lawrence whole.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Stay with the David C. Lawrence
Center's recommendations and that we address it later.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Correct.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. And I include that in my
motion.
MS. MOSCA: Okay.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: And in my second.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Any other comments that you
need to add for the record?
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June 5, 2007
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Henning, you just --
did you have something else you want to add?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: That's it.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Commissioner Coyle?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yeah. Would it be clearer if we
included item C and just added, in relation to David Lawrence Center?
That's the problem here. This is property that's used for two different
purposes.
MS. MOSCA: That's correct.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay. And it would not be our
intent, I believe, that a separate nursing home or assisted living facility
be established on this property, but we certainly want the David
Lawrence Center to be able to provide those kinds of services. So I
would suggest for better clarity that we say that nursing home and
assisted living facilities associated with the David Lawrence be an
approved use; would that be okay?
MS. MOSCA: Excuse me, if I may. As would all of the other
uses that are listed. In the lead-in paragraph it talks about related uses.
So staff would request that all of those uses be affiliated, associated
with either the church or David Lawrence Center.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay, but that doesn't get where
I'm going to. I don't think I would -- if I had my preference, I would
rather see David Lawrence Center operating a nursing home and
assisted living facility than to have the church operating the nursing
home and assisting living.
MS. MOSCA: Yes, I agree.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay. So it would be really good
if we were to specify that in these uses so that David Lawrence Center
has the maximum range of flexibility with respect to providing the
medical care they provide.
MS. MOSCA: Okay.
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June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER COYLE: And restrict it with respect to any
other organization's use for that purpose. Does that make sense?
MS. MOSCA: Yes.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: David Lawrence Center is fine with that.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. That won't in any way impede
your mission?
MR. YOV ANOVICH: No.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Then I include that in the motion.
Commissioner Fiala -- we'll have to wait until she gets back to include
that in her second. Okay.
Now, while we have the floor here and no lights on, does
somebody want to say something or --
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Tell a joke?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yeah. How about -- oh, there we go.
We just included the language in the motion that the David C.
Lawrence Center would be the one to offer the assisted living --
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Yeah, I heard that.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay, good. And you agree?
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Yes.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Any other comments?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: No -- any speakers?
MS. KENDALL: No speakers.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I'm sorry?
MS. KENDALL: No speakers.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yes or no?
MS. KENDALL: No.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. All those in favor of the
motion, indicate by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Aye.
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June 5, 2007
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: And the ayes have it unanimously.
Wonderful presentation.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Boy, Michelle, you're doing good.
Item #2D
PETITION: CP-2006-4
MR. WEEKS: Commissioners, the next petition is the last one
pertaining to the Golden Gate Master Plan. That is petition
CP-2006-4, that is correct, a 2006 petition which this board had
previously directed staff to move forward into the 2005 cycle.
It is a petition requesting amendment to the Golden Gate Area
Master Plan to modify the conditional uses subdistrict transitional
conditional uses provision to allow a church as a transitional
conditional use for the subject site abutting a residential use for
property located on the south side of Immokalee Road, approximately
300 feet east of Oakes Boulevard in Section 29, Township 48 south,
Range 26 east, consisting of approximately 2.6 acres.
MR. ARNOLD: Good morning, Commissioners. I'm Wayne
Arnold, for the record, representing First Congressional Church. And
with me today are Roland Pandazi and Reverend Wicker associated
with the church and Dean Smith from our office, who's a civil
engmeer.
You all had moved us into the 2005 cycle from the 2006
submittal that we've made because we've been working with the
county trying to establish a north/south road corridor to alleviate some
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June 5, 2007
of the issues associated with Oakes Boulevard.
We've been out there working with the county staff, we've been
working with our neighborhoods. Staff ultimately changed its
recommendation to support the transmittal of this because I think we
demonstrated through the data and analysis that there aren't an
unlimited number of sites located in the urbanized portion of Golden
Gate Estates that would support a church, and this one, clearly with
the support of the neighbors and the Oakes community and our
immediate neighbors, staff was comfortable in recommending that we
could come back through the conditional use process on this specific
tract for a church and church related facilities.
I don't want to belabor the point. I think we've got good
community support, staff support, Planning Commission support. I'll
be happy to answer any questions that you may have related to it.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Motion to approve for a transmittal.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Second.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: We have a motion by Commissioner
Fiala and a second by Commissioner Henning?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Yes.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Let's go with Commissioner
Halas, then Commissioner Henning.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Yeah. I guess this would be under
conditional use, and I was just wondering if this would fall under the
guidelines of spot zoning. Can staff answer that for me?
MR. WEEKS: Commissioners -- Commissioner, I would say no,
though I will acknowledge this is a specific provision applicable only
to this property. Spot zoning usually is in reference to a rezoning of
property to be totally unrelated to the surrounding area and very small
in size. But in a broad sense, perhaps one could view it that way.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Okay.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Commissioner Henning?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: The staff supports it, but with
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June 5, 2007
the double strikethroughs, referring to tract 122, unit 97, and I'm not
sure exactly what we're seeing through the strikethroughs.
MR. SCHMIDT: Thank you. I can address that, Commissioners.
For the record, Corby Schmidt. The strikethroughs simply indicate
the staffs revisions to remove this as a transitional conditional use and
place it as an exception to conditional use requirements. In a previous
iteration, the specific conditions couldn't be met as transitional
location. So it simply fit better at another location in the document.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Any other questions?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: We have a motion, we have a second.
Do we have any speakers on this?
MS. KENDALL: No speakers.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. We have a motion by
Commissioner Fiala and a second by Commissioner Henning to
transmit. With that, any other comments?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Hearing none all those in favor,
indicate by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: And the ayes have it unanimously.
Thank you very much.
MR. ARNOLD: Thank you, Commissioners.
Item #2E
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June 5, 2007
PETITION: CP-2005-7
MR. WEEKS: Commissioners, next is petition CP-2005-7,
petition requesting amendment to the future land use element to
modify the Livingston/Pine Ridge commercial infill subdistrict, to add
retail uses, and increase building square footage from 40,000 square
feet to 70,000 square feet for property located at the northwest comer
of Pine Ridge Road and Livingston Road in Section 12, Township 49
south, Range 25 east, consisting of approximately 10.47 acres.
Bob Mulhere is the agent for this petition. I don't see him in the
room, Commissioners.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: He was here earlier.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: We'll wait just a second.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: I think he's standing right outside
the door there.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Tall fellow with the mustache. There
he is.
MR. MULHERE: You're so efficient.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Yes, we are. Thank you.
MR. MULHERE: I apologize. I didn't think you'd get to me this
quickly.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Motion to deny.
MR. MULHERE: I kind of thought that was coming. Good
morning. For the record, Bob Mulhere with RW A, here this morning
on behalf of the property owner, Paul Heffke and R&H Properties,
LLC.
Now, this is a relatively minor comprehensive plan amendment.
The property presently is permitted to develop up to 40,000 square
feet of office, medical and general office, and that was approved in
2001.
At the time Livingston Road was not improved north of Pine
Ridge, and there were also several changes relative to properties
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June 5, 2007
surrounding the subject property that have occurred in the ensuing
years.
The property owner came to us and asked us to take a look at the
property and ascertain whether or not more than 40,000 square feet
could reasonably be developed there.
And we met with staff early on in the process. We were looking
at early on coming in and requesting about a 100,000 square feet.
Staff suggested that we do some conceptual site planning, which we
did do. We went back and conducted several site planning exercises.
And there are some significant constraints on the property which
is located at the northwest comer of Livingston and Pine Ridge. There
is an FP&L easement that runs through the western portion of the
property for the length of the property and consumes about six acres
of the slightly larger than 10-acre parcel, leaving just four acres of
developable land.
Even with that constraint under an office scenario, we were able
to develop two concept plans that would yield about 65- to 70,000
square feet of office.
Now, presently no retail is permitted, and our request is to
increase the 40,000 to 70,000 square feet, of which 20,000 may be
retail. And if the site is developed with any retail, as the amount of
retail developed in the site increases, the total yield on the site is
reduced because of the parking requirements associated with retail.
So if some retail was developed on the site, then you wouldn't be
able to achieve the 70,000. It would be 60- or 50-, depending on the
amount of retail that would be developed.
The access is also fairly well constrained on this site. There is
presently -- and I'm sure you're familiar with it. It has a nursery on it
right now, kind of a blue painted nursery. There is an access point on
Pine Ridge Road that we have talked with Nick Casalanguida in
transportation services, and there is, in fact, a notation in the staff
report that that access point at the time of rezone would need to be
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June 5, 2007
modified or eliminated, and we do understand that.
In fact, I talked with Nick yesterday and also this morning, and
it's likely that Pine Ridge would be limited only to an egress. There
would be no ingress on Pine Ridge Road.
Now, we do have the opportunity to attempt to negotiate with the
property owner immediately to our left, which is a ballet dance studio
-- thank you -- and they do have access on Pine Ridge Road, and so if
we're able to negotiate leading up to the rezone petition, which would
be in the future, then we would be able to access this property from
Pine Ridge through the adjacent property.
It's kind of long and narrow, but we have worked with FP&L on
several other projects and been able to utilize a portion of the
easement property on these other projects for stormwater management
as well as landscaping. They have some restrictions, but those
restrictions are not insurmountable, and that would allow us to utilize
the balance of the property for development purposes.
And staff recommendation was not to transmit, and in inquiring
as to, you know, why that was, I think staff felt that the board had
already acted on this in 2001, had established a 40,000 square foot
maximum, and I think our position is that a lot of things have changed
since 2001, and there's really no reason to sort of artificially limit that
to 40,000 if reasonably 60- to 70,000 square feet of office could be
achieved on this site.
The Planning Commission heard this petition and did support the
petition by a vote of 6-3 for recommendation to transmit. We had a
neighborhood information meeting, which no one showed up except
staff and ourselves. We did wait the requisite period of time before
concluding that meeting. And I'm happy to answer any questions that
you have.
It would be sometime down the road. Presumably about a year
before we could come in for a rezone. Maybe a little bit longer.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: We'll start with Commissioner
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June 5, 2007
Henning and go to Commissioner Halas.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Yeah. The reason it didn't
happen in 2001, the requested -- for changing it to a mix of -- I think
medical and retail.
MR. MULHERE: Correct. General office, medical office, and
retail.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Yeah. The owner of the
property called me up during the transmittal and the adoption and just
chewed me out. And he is no longer the property --
MR. MULHERE: I was just going to say, that's not the present
applicant.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Yeah. He's no longer the
property owner. And in fact, the property owner's a local gentleman,
couple.
I told the agent, if your client shows up after that tongue lashing
that I received, he'd be lucky if he gets agricultural. So I just thought
it needed some respect of the seat. And my colleagues supported me
at that, just kind of a refresher of the ones that were here at that time.
And I'm glad we're talking about interconnection of the ballet. I
mean, that's going to be an enhancement to that comer intersection, so
I'm glad you addressed that. Thank you.
MR. MULHERE: I think it will be mutually beneficial. We do
have to work with them on that, and we would bring that forward at
the time of rezone.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: That's it.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Commissioner Halas, before--
do we have any speakers, just out of curiosity?
MS. KENDALL: No speakers.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Halas?
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Yeah. I have some concerns
increasing -- I think it would -- we should just leave this where it was
in 2001, the reason being, I've got a multitude of concerns.
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June 5, 2007
We're in the -- presently we just recently increased the
commercial density in the Naples Boulevard area, which is
commercial. We have got some commercial that's coming on-line
down the road at Goodlette-Frank and Pine Ridge, and here we want
to put more additional commercial on Pine Ridge. We just got done
recently filling in all of the commercial along Pine Ridge where it's --
I think it's called the Mission where the church used to be.
And I realize that people are saying, well, we're going to lighten
the load of traffic on Pine Ridge with the opening of the new
interchange, but if we keep throwing commercial on this thing, I've
got some real concerns.
And I don't think that at this point in time we really know
whether we're going to have an interconnect onto Pine Ridge, and I
have some concerns. I just as soon see this left with what was
approved in 2001. I believe that was 40,000 square feet.
So I'd like to make a motion that we not transmit this, that it be
left the way it is at the present time.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: I'll second it.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. I've got a motion by
Commissioner Halas to trans -- not to transmit, and a second by
Commissioner Coyle.
Commissioner Coyle, you're next.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: No. Commissioner Halas covered
my Issue.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Commissioner Fiala?
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Yes. I'm in pretty much agreement
with them except I had some concerns, and I wanted to know what
other commercial is approved in that area. I want to know what kind
of a traffic impact is already happening in that area.
And then from our transportation department, I'd like to get some
kind of information, because everything they can see here just does
not support -- as far as I'm concerned, does not alleviate my traffic
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June 5, 2007
congestion concerns.
MR. MULHERE: Well, if! could -- and I'm sure Nick will come
up and speak the specifics on the traffic. The Baldridge PUD, which
is across the street, across Pine Ridge on the southeast comer, is
approved for 125,000 square feet, and on the northeast comer is
Cambridge Square PUD, which is approved for 115,000 square feet.
You know, this request is for an additional 30,000 square feet and
to allow for some retail, up to 25,000 square feet. It's a pretty small
amount of additional square footage from the existing 40,000. The
fact is, the site can handle that. And we understand that we're going to
have limited access and that we may not have any access on Pine
Ridge Road, and if we do, it will only be an egress unless we can use
the existing ingress and egress adjacent to our west.
So, I mean, we do understand that. But this development could
actually have a beneficial impact depending on the uses. I don't know
what those are right now.
We'll know at the time of rezone, but this comprehensive land
use designation is intended to provide for services for the residents in
the area and the passing motorists, and I think that office employment
opportunities as well as some retail could actually have a beneficial
impact.
You're not going to be able to easily get from those other
commercial activities at that intersection if you're heading southbound
on Livingston, but if it's an office use, I really don't see that as having
a major impact at the requested additional 30,000 square feet.
Now, retail could, and at the original hearing, there were some
concerns expressed relative to service station use and fast food uses,
and we have no objection -- I assumed that that could be handled at
the time of rezone, but we would have no objection to limiting those
uses if it was a concern at this period of time.
I really don't see this as having, in any way, a significant impact.
I think that concern was that that access point is simply too close to
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June 5, 2007
the intersection, the existing access point, and we understand that. I
don't know if Nick wants to speak to that.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Yeah, I'd like to hear from Nick,
please.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: For the record, Nick Casalanguida
with Transportation.
I want to be consistent with the analysis I put forward here.
There are concerns about access. We have met with the applicant,
discussed things that we could do with shared access. The impacts to
the northeast comer are not on-line yet. The impacts to the southeast
comer are not on-line yet. You've got a reduction in traffic from the
interchange opening up of roughly 6 percent, maybe closer to 10. I'm
getting more current numbers as time moves on.
We have a concern about the access restriction. Obviously
having only one driveway on Livingston can be a problem as well,
too.
Having them interconnect would be critical to making that
driveway a more functional driveway. So consistent with my -- you
know, my review that's in front of you, we have concerns. It is
consistent with 5.1, but there are operational issues at that intersection
we would be concerned about.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Commissioner Fiala? Any
other questions?
COMMISSIONER FIALA: No. That's what I wanted to hear.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: And in could, my question is, Pine
Ridge and Livingston. I guess this would be for staff. Wouldn't we
want to be -- if we're going to ever put development in anyplace,
commercial development, wouldn't we want to locate it at some major
intersection? I mean, what kind of -- what other use would be there?
It certainly wouldn't be residential. I'm sure that wouldn't be an
appropriate use for the --
MR. CASALANGUIDA: No, that's true. And -- but your
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June 5, 2007
problem always with being located at an intersection is access, the
amount of turns and what's involved. I mean, if you could -- when
you saw earlier today the petitions in Golden Gate Estates, I believe it
was either Commissioner Henning or Commissioner Coyle that
pointed out, what would your access be like? You want to see those
things but you want that access to be away from the intersection.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: So you're saying that the biggest
problem that we have with this is the access --
MR. CASALANGUIDA: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: -- as far as transportation goes.
And Mr. Mulhere, is there any way you could address our
concerns on that?
MR. MULHERE: Well, we certainly can -- we've put on the
record that we understand that we would have limited or no access on
Pine Ridge. In fact, we'll have no access to the property on Pine
Ridge. There's a possibility of an egress.
We're going to work with the adjacent property owner to see if
we can get interconnection. I can't tell you that we definitely will
have that, but I suppose when we come back for rezone, if we don't
have interconnection, that would have a bearing on the Planning
Commission or the board's position as to whether to approve that
rezone.
Right now we're just at the compo plan stage. And I think the
second thing is, there's also an opportunity for interconnection at the
northernmost portion of the property, in this vicinity right here. And,
you know, we'll explore that feasibility, and it's feasible to have
actually one or two right-in, right-outs on Livingston based on the
length of the property.
But certainly there's an opportunity for interconnection at this
point as well. So we understand. I mean, I think we hear very clearly
that your concerns are, and the staffs concerns are related to access,
and we will work diligently to provide for interconnection.
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June 5, 2007
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: To work and to agree are two
different things. In other words, you want to be able to keep your
option open for the access to Pine Ridge regardless?
MR. MULHERE: No, no. We're not asking for that.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay.
MR. MULHERE: We understand that's going to be closed.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: But would that make sense to have an
access all the way to the north end? I mean, that's quite an area you
have to transgress before you get into the project.
MR. MULHERE: I'm talking about potentially an access right
here you could actually go into the project just through here for the
northern terminus of the project. There is an access there. We don't
control that. I think it goes into The Community School.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Nick, I'd like to hear ifthat was the
premise where Pine Ridge was not on the table and if it was just that
access to the far north end, would transportation still have those
concerns?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: We'd still have concerns. It would
help alleviate that, but we still have concerns with access.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: That's what my question was. Let's
see. I'm trying to remember the order, I guess it's Commissioner
Halas and then Commissioner Henning.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Yeah. As I said, my motion was
that we retain what's already been approved there, 40,000, and I think
that should be adequate.
I'm very concerned about all the other commercial that's already
been approved on Pine Ridge. And as Nick said, that we may have a
traffic drop of about 10 percent. But I'm sure with the added
commercial that's going to be not only in these two quadrants, but all
along the roadway of Pine Ridge that hasn't been fully developed yet,
I think we're going to impact that road immensely so I'm still --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Henning?
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June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Bob, slide that sheet to the
north. I want to see the -- no, the other way, the other north. Let's see.
What's the Baldridge property designation? How many square feet?
MR. MULHERE: I'm sorry, did you say Baldridge?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Baldridge.
MR. MULHERE: On the acreage in the square footage?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Right. Well, I mean, how many
square feet?
MR. MULHERE: Well, Baldridge is -- got 10.8 acres of
commercial and 125,000 square feet.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Hundred and twenty-five, okay.
And the one to the north.
MR. MULHERE: Cambridge has 115,000 square feet.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay, yeah. And you know, I
think it's -- in my opinion it's about being fair. The adjacent properties
enjoy the designation of having quite a bit of retail, and you're asking
far less. And I just don't think the motion is fair to the property owner,
myself. So I mean, I can't support it. You always want -- my
understanding, whether right or wrong, is activity centers of retail,
commercial, office.
MR. MULHERE: Well, I mean, the idea was, if we had a little
bit of retail, that would provide for a mixture of uses --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Right.
MR. MULHERE: -- which actually would have a beneficial use.
But I mean, ifthere's a concern about the request for up to 20,000
square feet -- no one really has objected to the rezone.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: So if you had a medical-- I
mean, you had a doctor there and you also had a drugstore, you can
actually enhance?
MR. MULHERE: Or perhaps a sit-down restaurant that doesn't
compete with the office use, you know --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Right.
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June 5, 2007
MR. MULHERE: -- in terms of the timing of the uses. I don't
know if it helps, but if there was a concern about the amount of retail
that we've asked, we could certainly reduce that. I think if -- even
10,000 would help the ability to provide flexibility on the site, I think
that would help. So rather than 20,000, then we could reduce the
request to 10,000 if -- we know we're not getting access on Pine
Ridge, so we won't be directly impacting Pine Ridge. I don't know if
that has any bearing on the board's position.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: You'd have to ask the motion
maker. But I just see it as -- I mean, the application is being fair,
myself.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Commissioner Coyle?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yeah. Let me pursue that a little
bit better. If you take the Baldridge PUD, you've got 125,000 square
feet on almost 17 acres. That's -- you know, that's roughly 8,000
square feet per acre.
On this particular project, they're looking for 20,000 square feet
per acre because they only have 3.8 acres of usable land. So it's -- and
I've rounded off there, but that's -- those are approximate figures. So
there's a huge additional density in square footage in this particular
property as opposed to the others.
And I also am concerned about the small acreage. Because of the
FP&L easement, there's only 3.8 acres of usable property there. I
would much prefer to see these arrangements and coordinations made
with the adjoining properties so that we could have a more cohesive
development or redevelopment process here; otherwise, we're going to
wind up with probably two or three strip-type developments that are
not going to be in the community's best interest.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. And the whole thing is, you're
hearing the concerns of the commissioners, and I kind of agree with
Commissioner Henning, you know, that this is only the first part of a
long process.
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June 5, 2007
And Commissioner Coyle, the objections that he brought up and
suggestions that he brought up, if you ever did get approval to be
transmitted, when you came back, would you be able to consider --
would you be able to make those kind of changes? Would it have --
would it raise problems with the process after it's been transmitted
once more?
MR. MULHERE: I think we could certainly work with that
adjacent property owner and hopefully to come back with a more
formal position for you to consider relative to that interconnection,
both north and west.
And Commissioner Coyle, the one thing that's unique about this
property and the reason that you can get some more square footage is
you can uti -- that FP&L easement is under their ownership, but
restricted.
We can use some of that FP&L easement for some of the
infrastructure, which allows us to develop a little bit more. But the
other thing is, in terms of office, this allows 50-foot in height, so you
can get three floors of office in here. The other projects are all retail
and they're spread out across the site, which actually reduces the
amount of square footage.
So because you can go three floors, you really can. And we've
done a site plan, and we did get about 65- or 68,000 square feet of
office in there, and I'm not -- I'm not suggesting -- I thought maybe the
retail might have been more of a concern for the board here, and that's
why I suggested reducing that.
But, yes, I think we could come back at the time of adoption if
we were transmitted, and understanding the board's concern, maybe
even provide a site plan that's more specific, which would go to
Commissioner Coyle's concern that we work with those property
owners. And then, you know, there's really no harm or foul because
you haven't adopted yet. You're only transmitting, and I think that
gives us the direction to work with those adjacent property owners.
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June 5, 2007
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Halas?
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Yeah. I'm somewhat confused,
Bob. We have petitioners that come before this board and tell us that
commercial generates less traffic than offices, that office creates more
traffic. So I'm really kind of befuddled here. I guess it's all in who the
petitioner is and what he's trying to -- who they're trying to pull the
wool over their eyes. One day they're telling me that commercial isn't
as intense as office space, that you get more trips with office space,
and yet you tell me that office space is going to generate less and --
less than the commercial, so --
MR. MULHERE: Yes. Well, Commissioner Halas, I mean,
perhaps you want to ask your own staff, because I wouldn't want to
make a statement here that was subject to some sort of disbelief. But
my professional experience is that, in general, office uses generate
lower trips.
Now, they do generate some higher trips -- they do generate
higher trips in the peak hours because people are traveling to work and
leaving work and traveling from work. But -- and retail generates
higher trips throughout the day. But overall, generally retail is a
higher trip generation. And I have Reed Jarvi here from --
COMMISSIONER HALAS: I just made a comment, and all I
did is want to make sure --
MR. MULHERE: Yeah, no. I understand. Maybe some people
make an argument that favors them. I'm trying to suggest that, from a
professional perspective, using the ITE trip generation manual, retail
generates higher traffic. But you're right, somebody could stand here
and say, during peak hours, office is heavier.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Meanwhile, we've got a motion on
the floor by Commissioner Halas, second by Commissioner Coyle.
Any other comments?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: The motion is not to transmit. All in
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June 5, 2007
favor of the motion, indicate by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER FIALA: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Opposed?
Aye.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Aye.
Let the record show, Commissioner Henning and Commissioner
Coletta were in the opposition. And the motion passed. It won't be
transmitted.
MR. MULHERE: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you.
Item #2F
PETITION: CP-2005-9
MR. WEEKS: Commissioners, the next petition is CP-2005-9,
petition requesting amendment to the Future Land Use Element and
Future Land Use Map and Map Series to create the Corkscrew Island
Neighborhood Commercial Subdistrict for property designated on the
Future Land Use Map as rural fringe mixed-use district neutral lands,
to allow up to 90,000 square feet of retail, office, and personal service
uses for property located at the northwest comer of Immokalee Road
and Plat Road, in Section 27, Township 47 south, Range 27 east,
consisting of approximately eight-acres.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Henning?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Yes. I'd like some clarification
from an environmental staff on all these petitions in the fringe, which I
think the balance of it is.
Mr. Y ovanovich, is this in the fringe?
MR. YOV ANOVICH: This is actually designated neutral land
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right now, so yes, sir, it is in the fringe.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: But we don't have any
environmental staff here, I guess.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: There's always something
environmental, everything you deal with.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Well, I mean, the whole basis
upon the governor's order and the challenges was, we wasn't
protecting natural resources. But I guess I'll have to wait for my
questions later.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Actually, your environmental staff didn't
raise any objections to this particular petition, if that helps, which --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: It doesn't matter. I'm not going
to get an answer right now.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Okay.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Halas, did you want to
go now or did you want to wait?
COMMISSIONER HALAS: I got some concerns about houses
and retail being developed in neutral lands.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Well, let me -- ifI can--
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Especially the density that you got
here.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Okay. IfI can, just briefly, for the
record, Richard Y ovanovich --
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Is this going to be commercial or is
this --
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Let me put a zoning map up, if that will
help you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yeah, let's go ahead and make the
presentation, and then we'll come back with questions.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: I'll do that. What there -- the first aerial
was the location map. And as can you see, the property is an
eight-acre parcel. It's located on the west side ofImmokalee Road,
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June 5, 2007
just before the bend as you're going towards Immokalee.
Half of the property, as you can see from this exhibit, is already
zoned C-2. Thanks, David. And that's the portion of the property that
fronts Immokalee Road. The rear portion of the property is currently
zoned mobile home. So it's in the neutral lands, but it's already
authorized for half the property to be commercially developed, and the
rear portion of the property could have up to 19 mobile homes on it.
What we're proposing is an eight-acre subdistrict that would
allow retail uses up to the C-2 type category.
We went to the neighborhood association to talk about our
proposal when we first submitted it. We requested 90,000 square feet
because it was our understanding that there is a need for retail uses out
in this area, and when we requested the 90,000 square feet, there was
-- there was a vote, and the vote was 22-4 that the association not
oppose what we were requesting.
If you look at your staff report, I think staff agrees, there is a
need for more retail out there, the question is, where should it be? We
thought, common sense says, since half the property can already be
developed as commercial, you might want to develop the rear portion
of that property as commercial as well. We can do a better job of
providing a mixture of uses on that property, thus that's where the
request came from.
When we got to the -- when we finally got a staff report and got
to the Planning Commission, there were a couple of Planning
Commissioners who reacted the same way you did, Mr. Halas, was,
perhaps 90,000 square feet on eight acres might be too intense.
At that time we went back and did a site plan in a couple
different scenarios. One site plan with a restaurant, one site plan
without a restaurant. The range of square footages we're coming up
with because we have to do septic tank systems on this property
ranges from 50,000 square feet if we do a restaurant to 70,00 square
feet if we don't.
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June 5, 2007
So we -- we had told the Planning Commission we were -- we
would reduce the request from 90,000 square feet to 70,000 square
feet. The specifics would be addressed obviously when we do the
rezone. We did not -- again, we didn't have any neighborhood
opposition to what we were proposing.
There was one woman who lived-out -- lives near the Corkscrew
Swamp, and she had raised concerns about noise. And I believe if we
were to develop this as a mobile home park back behind the
commercial, you probably would receive more noise if -- than if we
were to do a retail use that essentially wouldn't be open late at night.
So that is the genesis of that. That's a quick and dirty overview
in response to your question. I have both the property owner, Bobby
Williams, here to address any questions, and Mr. Arnold, who is the
planner on the project, to address any specific questions, but that tells
you, you know, the brief history of where the property is, the existing
zoning on the property that is allowed today by zoning. Even though
it's in neutral lands, we could do those uses on the property already.
I don't think there's any question that you need some more retail
out in that area. Your staff report agrees to that.
And with that, you know, I'm available to answer any more
questions you may have regarding the petition.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: If! may, I'm going to weigh in on this
a little bit. First, do we have any speakers?
MS. KENDALL: No speakers. Or actually there's one
gentleman that -- Bill McDaniel, that had to leave, and he asked that
what he wrote on the back be read into the record.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Could you read that into the record,
please, because Bill McDaniel's an important part of that community.
MS. KENDALL: Yes. He says, as chair of the East of951
Committee, this item is not being specifically determined by this
committee. As president of CINA, we voted in favor of not opposing
said expansion of commercial area. As property owner next door, I
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think it's a good idea. W.F. McDaniel.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: And if! may, Bill McDaniels (sic) is
-- that organization he's referring to that he's president is the
Corkscrew association. Very, very outspoken.
I've been to a number of their meetings, and this has been a
project they've been totally supporting for the last four years or so, and
it was -- they were just trying to get it off first base. It seems to take
forever. They recognize the need for an improvement like this. They
would rather see this improvement than a -- the original intended use
of mobile home. It still has a commercial component to it. With that
-- and I would like to have Commissioner Fiala here before we take a
vote -- I'd make a motion for approval for transmittal.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: I think a second is most
appropriate.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Thank you. I have a motion from
myself, Commissioner Coletta, and second from Commissioner
Henning. Commissioner Coyle -- Commissioner Halas, excuse me.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Yes. Some of my concerns, again,
is the -- how far away is this from Ave Maria, roughly, in miles?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: About seven or eight, I believe.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: I was going to say seven to 10 miles. It's
a long way.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Okay. Because I know there's a
huge amount of commercial that's going in there.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: We're three miles away from the
commercial that's even in the Orangetree development.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Okay. The other thing that I have
some concerns about -- and again, that is, we don't have the public
utilities out in that neck of the woods. So staffs report says that
development would use a private water well on-site treatment system,
and an on-site system with the capacity exceeding 5,000 gallons per
day required by Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
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June 5, 2007
The fine sand soils underlying the property are described in the
petition environmental assessment as poorly drained and nearly level.
The soil characteristics will make finding a suitable site for septic
system here difficult, particularly one designed to serve 90,000 square
feet of gross leasable building area accompanying an array of
commercial uses. So I have some concerns there, and maybe staff can
enlighten me a little bit on what was written in here as public facilities
impact.
MR. SCHMIDT: Thank you, Commissioner. That was one of
the concerns that staff had with this request. For the record, Corby
Schmidt.
And the observation about the underlying soil types was made
and the comment given about a difficulty of siting a septic system here
based on the square footage proposed was to give you a heads-up that
it would be problematic. Here's a situation that, I think, characterized
by the Planning Commission comments or their comments, septic
system of this size would be like burying a house.
I'm not so sure I can concur with the characterization of that
because you have a number of locations in the county where the soil
types are restrictive and the mound systems, the engineered systems,
whatever the style of the septic system is that's required to be on site is
somewhat problematic, and those difficulties could be overcome with
design.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Okay. Do you think that when
they put in a well system, do you think that's going to have a large
effect in regards to the surrounding water table in the amount of water
they may use?
MR. SCHMIDT: Oh, I think it may.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Okay.
MR. SCHMIDT: You're looking at a general request for
commercial land uses and the intensity of90,000 square feet could
have quite a bit of impact and could draw down that water table, yes.
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June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Okay.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Mr. Y ovanovich, what's permitted
now versus what's going to be permitted? I mean, you already have an
approved use for this land.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Right. We already have C-2 use on 3.25
acres and we have a mobile home use on basically 4.75 acres.
With all due respect to Corby, these are engineering questions
that will have to be addressed when we do our Site Development Plan.
We're comfortable from our engineering analysis that we can design
an appropriate waste treatment system as well as addressing the
freshwater issues. Those will all be addressed through that permitting
process.
If we can't get adequate freshwater, we won't be able to build the
project. I think we're jumping out into speculation into some of those
questions. But we have an engineer here if you want to ask those
questions of an engineer to confirm what I just said to you, but --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yeah, I can. Let me cut to the short
of it. I'm going to ask staff, have we ever had a case in recent history
where we have gone through the whole process, approved it, and the
wellfield has failed or the septic system is proved to be inadequate and
public health has served notice on them or whatever process takes
place?
MR. SCHMITT: I'll answer that question, no. And in fact, just
for the record, Mr. Y ovanovich is correct, any type of septic system
would have to be approved by -- of course, by the health department
and go subject through any ofthe other permitting criteria. So it
would have to meet the standards in order to proceed through
construction.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. And the other thing was
mentioned, the fact that there isn't utilities out there and there probably
never will be if! have my way. The sewer and water, the nearest one
would be what, would be probably Orangetree, which is how many
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June 5, 2007
miles removed?
MR. SCHMITT: Yes. Boy, I don't know how many miles.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: At least three miles, at least three miles.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: At least three.
MR. SCHMITT: At least three.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: And in order to run the pipes out to
this one thing, you would have to service everybody in between, much
to their displeasure, because of the hookup for systems they do not
need.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: And our engineer calculates that the uses
that are already permitted are more intense uses as far as water and
septic than what we're requesting. So to answer the question, is, it's a
less of an intensification on the water and sewer issue, based on what
we're requesting versus what's already allowed under the existing
zonmg.
MR. SCHMITT: And given the -- what's going on right now,
Orangetree would not be able to deal with at least a sewer portion of --
because of the demands on the Orangetree facility right now with the
growth in that area, they would never be able to support this
regardless.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Mr. Weeks?
MR. WEEKS: Yeah, Mr. Chairman, specifically when the rural
fringe amendments were adopted, this neutral area that encompasses
the subject property was not included in the water/sewer service area.
So it's not eligible for county service. They would be limited to well
and septic or to a package plant.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: And that would be addressed in the--
in the final PUD stage?
MR. WEEKS: Or even after that.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay.
MR. SCHMITT: Permitting.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I'm sorry, Commissioner Halas.
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June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER HALAS: No, that's okay.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Do you have anything else?
COMMISSIONER HALAS: No.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Coyle, then
Commissioner Henning.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yeah. I would like the staff to
expand upon their finding that certain land uses are not authorized in
the rural fringe mixed-use district neutral lands, particularly
commercial development. Could you please explain that to me in a
little more detail?
MR. SCHMIDT: Certainly.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: There's commercial zoning there
already.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Page 9.
MR. SCHMIDT: That's correct. There are commercial uses in
the neutral areas and the rural fringe mixed-use district, and where
those commercial uses are planned and accommodated for, they would
be conforming when gone through the process.
There are locations, however, that during that process and before,
because of their existing zoning, here the mobile home district and the
commercial district, have that right to continue as a nonconforming
zoning on the land and have that right to continue through that
process.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: And your conclusion also is that if
we were to permit an expansion of development on this neutral land,
that it would likely lead to other requests for increased density or
non-residential uses on new properties?
MR. SCHMIDT: That's correct.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: I presume that also means neutral
lands.
MR. SCHMIDT: That's correct.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Neutral land property.
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June 5, 2007
MR. SCHMIDT: The observation was made, and I think
correctly so.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay, okay.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I'd like to expound upon that
question, if I may. Do you think that if this was denied, that you will
not get any more requests for commercial zoning on the land around
there? Do you think this would be a deterrent for anything taking
place in the area?
MR. SCHMIDT: No to the first part of your question. I don't
think it will stop requests from being brought in front of you, but as a
deterrent, perhaps, because there's a number of planned locations on
these areas, whether it's in the Estates almost adjacent to this, the
neighborhood commercial centers, the mixed use activity centers, the
yet to be developed nodes of commercial already planned, that you'll
see and you'll have requests to continue the development in them.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Commissioner Henning?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Yeah, but the limitation of
commercial in Golden Gate Estates is vast. And you know, we keep
on saying we need more commercial out there. This was always
planned as part of -- what community is this out there? What
community is it?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Corkscrew.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Corkscrew. It was already
planned for that. I don't know why we're designing it. I would ask
that the board transmit this and address our questions at the adoption
hearing.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: In can just briefly respond to the last
comment from Corby. Up there on the visualizer is the aerial. There
are no proposed commercial developments near this property. The
closest one is three miles away, which is at Waterways at Orangetree.
There was a reference to the villages that are encouraged under
the rural fringe mixed-use district serving this purpose. The closest
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June 5, 2007
village to us or eligible village to us is the one that Bonita Bay's
talking about doing. That's seven miles away.
So there really is -- there is no commercial in the area to provide
these services. The whole purpose of a comprehensive plan
amendment is to point out deficiencies in the comprehensive plan and
address these situations. There's no question your staff has said there
is a need to provide this retail. The question is where. And since we
already have commercial, it would seem to make sense on this small
acre parcel to allow retail there.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I can appreciate that, meanwhile we
do have a little bit of a problem here. Commissioner Fiala got called
away on a medical emergency. I have no idea what it is or how long
she may be gone. That leaves four commissioners up here to make a
decision that could sway one way or the other with the other
commissioner being here.
With that, I'd like to have due consideration that we take an early
lunch hour so we might be able to get Commissioner Fiala back here
to be able to take this vote.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: I'll second that.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Does that sound all right? We'll
continue this item after lunch.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: That's fine. Just out of curiosity, if she
doesn't come back, are we going to continue the other items --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I have no idea--
MR. YOV ANOVICH: -- for a full board?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: -- what we're going to do. I'd like to
try to appraise the situation first.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Okay.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: When we're dealing with something
that's been in the works for so many years --
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Right.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: -- to try to make a decision with only
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June 5, 2007
four-fifths of our commission here, it's troublesome.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: I agree. We have no objection to that
continuance.
MR. WEEKS: Mr. Chairman, just to briefly remind you that
your concern obviously is, I believe, warranted, but it takes a 3-2 vote,
just so you know.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: No, I understand that. But the whole
thing is is that everyone that came here today is under the assumption
there's going to be five commissioners and that it will be determined
by three of those five rather than three of four, and that's a concern.
So we'll take a lunch now. We'll plan on being back here at
12:30 or 1 :00. What do you want to do?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: One o'clock.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Want to go to one, make sure--
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Let's -- no.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: 12:30?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: 12:30's okay with me.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: 12:30 we'll be back here.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Get started early.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Thank you.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: That only gives me 55 minutes.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay, 12:35.
(A luncheon recess was had, and Commissioner Fiala is still
absent from the hearing room.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. We'll continue with where we
left off. Before we go on, point of order I'd like to bring up. We have
four commissioners here. Obviously we don't have Commissioner
Fiala with us at this time. We don't know what point she mayor may
not join us.
What I'm going to suggest -- and we'll take it at the value that it is
in order to keep the people's business going forward. When you have
a commission seated of five people, you need three votes. When you
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June 5, 2007
have a commission of four people seated, you still need three votes to
be able to continue or deny.
My suggestion would be, is that we go ahead, we hear the
petitioners, we take a straw poll to see if we have a consensus on any
one item to be able to vote it up or vote it down. If we don't, then we
can have a motion made by one of the commissioners to have that
item continued to the 22nd so we can get a full review, okay?
How about you, Commissioner Coyle, you want to weigh in on
this?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yeah, yeah. I don't like that idea at
all.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. What's your idea?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: It essentially means we're going to
hear the arguments twice. So if we're going to hear them twice, why
not just postpone it all till the next meeting.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Well, we could do that, but I wanted
to give you another alternative.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Well, that just means we're going
to go through the same thing twice, and we'll do it the second time for
Commissioner Fiala's benefit. She certainly should be entitled to the
entire presentation. So I don't see the point in doing it. I don't know
that it saves anybody any time.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: I have the same -- I have the same
concerns that we're going to be hearing this twice, and I feel that we
need to have Commissioner Fiala here, so I think we need to do --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay, fine. I'm just offering you an
alternative to try to keep it moving forward.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: And by the way, I should -- in
could, I should add that you're absolutely right. We should not try to
make these decisions with four people on the board. I think it's unfair
for the petitioners, and I would -- my preference would be just to
postpone it until the next meeting, and I think we can get through it all
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June 5, 2007
in that one day.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Commissioner Henning?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Thank you. May I make an
alternative suggestion?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yes, please. We're open.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Thank you. Since it is petition
by either the public or the landowner, why don't we leave it up to them
whether we hear their petition and move on it? You understand what
I'm saying.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yeah, I hear, but then it gets a little
more complicated in that I don't think there's one of them here that's
going to -- well, I don't know why they wouldn't agree to it one way or
the other. Let's go ahead. How do you feel about that?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: I think that's fine. That's a little
dicey for the person who doesn't have a good feel for what the
commission's looking for as to whether or not they want to postpone
it, but I think that --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: With the idea that the straw poll
could kick in at the beginning, if we got a split one, we could continue
it?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Well, you're going to have to hear
some portion of it before you can even take a straw poll; otherwise,
we're being unfair. We can't have our minds made up before we hear
the argument.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: No, no. I'm talking about the end of
the argument. We're right back to where I was with my original
position on that.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yeah. I think Commissioner
Henning's idea's a good one, it's just a little dicey for the petitioner,
but I don't mind proceeding under those circumstances.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Commissioner Henning,
clarify that. Your suggestion would not allow for a straw poll for the
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option to be able to -- continuing?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Basically ask the petitioners,
starting with this man up there, and ask him ifhe'd like for to us hear it
today or postpone it until the 22nd.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: And just go down the line,
because there may be something here that is simple that we could get
out of the way. I don't think so. And -- but at least we get through the
process.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Let's start with you, Mr.
y ovanovich. You're sitting there as an innocent bystander. What
would you like to us do?
MR. YOV ANOVICH: We would like to have the full five
members present for this particular petition, so we would request that
this be moved to -- here's an issue though for two petitions that I'm
involved in. We had blocked yesterday and today to be here. We
have all our consultants available for yesterday and today. Due to
circumstances beyond our control, there was a problem with the
advertising. Unfortunately a continuance to January (sic) 22nd means
a couple of my experts can't be here on January (sic) 22nd.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: June.
MR. yaV ANOVICH: June 22nd, I'm sorry. It's one of those J
months -- to June 22nd. We would -- we would like, if it's possible --
I believe you have a regularly scheduled board meeting for July 26th.
We would like to see if we can move those petitions to a regularly
scheduled board day because, frankly, it really wasn't our fault about
the advertising snafu, and it's -- and we all-- you know,
Commissioner Fiala, you know, sure didn't plan this, so it would be --
it wouldn't be fair to us to say we're going to force you to go to June
22nd when -- or you have to have a hearing in front of four.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Mr. Mudd, would you come up here,
please?
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June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER HENNING: I got an alternative. Why don't
you just ask David Weeks for a discount.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: A discount?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: A discount. I mean, your
argument is you're paying staff to be here and it's costing you money.
Just ask him for a discount.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: No. It's not staff that I'm worried about
being here. I'm worried about my professional consultants.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: You're paying your professional
consultants money, right, and you're concerned about, cha-ching,
cha-ching, cha-ching, it's costing more and more money.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: No, no. I'm worried that I can't get them
here for June 22nd. It's not--
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Oh, I see.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: I can't get them here. They've got
conflicts those days.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Let's go to Mr. Mudd. The 26th, I
assume that we've got a pretty dam full schedule to be trying to be put
anything on for --
MR. MUDD: Yes, sir. If you're going to do as Mr. Yovanovich
suggested, then you're going -- the meeting will be the 26th and the
27th.
MR. SCHMITT: Jim, can I correct, the 24th and 25th.
MR. MUDD: 24th and 25th, thanks, Joe.
MR. SCHMITT: Just to correct the record.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: No, July.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: You were talking July, weren't
you?
MR. YOV ANOVICH: July.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: In July.
MR. SCHMITT: 24th and 25th.
MR. MUDD: No, hang on. The next meeting of the board is on
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the 12th, okay. Fourteen days is 26th and 27th of June.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: No, I understand.
MR. MUDD: Okay. Are you talking about July?
MR. YOV ANOVICH: I was talking -- the July meeting, which I
understand is the 26th, but I could be wrong on the date.
MR. SCHMITT: The July meeting is the 24th and 25th. 25th is
Tuesday, Wednesday's -- 24th is Tuesday, 25th is Wednesday. We do
have a June 26th meeting.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: He said specifically July.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: The July meeting is what I was talking
about, whatever day that happens to be.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Of course, if we do this, we're going
to have to allow the same for every other petitioner here, which means
that we may get into serious trouble come those two days trying to fit
everything in.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: You don't have to do that. The
other petitioners can possibly be here on the 26th of June.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Twenty-second of June.
MR. MUDD: Twenty-second.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Twenty-second of June.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Sorry.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: So this is the only petitioner that's
asking to go to July. So we don't necessarily have to do all of them in
July, but it's entirely possible that some others will make the same
request.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: It would be -- it would be this petition
and I'll get up again on a later number when you keep going through
the cycle of asking the questions.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Well-- go ahead, Mr. Weeks.
MR. WEEKS: I just want to interject, Commissioners, that if any
consideration's given to continuing meetings to July, please don't do
that today, rather continue the meeting to June 22nd, and then on that
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June 5, 2007
day, continue to July. The reason is, we will exceed the five weeks
allowed for continuance. We would have to readvertise. These are
very expensive legal advertising?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Then we'd mess that up and it
would be sometime in September or October, right?
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Considering we started this in 2005. I
mean, we're not going --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Let's get this moving forward. Do I
hear a motion on this particular one for continuance to the June 22nd
meeting with the idea at that point we'll weigh what we have and --
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Motion to --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Hold it, hold it, hold it. We got a --
MR. STUDENT -STIRLING: I believe -- is the 22nd that you're
doing on this one, or is it the 26th? The 22nd, the Friday one?
MR. WEEKS: Yes, June 22nd.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Go ahead, Commissioner
Coyle.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Motion to approve the petitioner's
request for a continuance.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Second.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. We have a--
COMMISSIONER HALAS: To June 22nd.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: June 22nd.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: And that's in my second.
MR. SCHMITT: Which on the 22nd, it will be continued again,
just for clarification.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: If need be.
MR. WEEKS: Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. We have a motion by
Commissioner Coyle and a second by Commissioner Halas for a
continuance to the 22nd of June.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Correct.
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June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER HENNING: For this petition?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: For this petition.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: At your suggestion, we're going to
take each one of them.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: All right. Great.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: And by the way, Mr. Chairman,
maybe it might help you somewhat if I give you at least my
philosophical position on a number of these. Whenever the staff
and/or the Planning Commission recommend that it not be forwarded,
I am generally going to support their recommendations unless there is
a very clear reason not to do so.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Now you got me. In other words, you
want the staff to make a decision whether to even --
COMMISSIONER COYLE: No, no, no, no, no. I'm just saying
that for your guidance and the guidance of the petitioners who are here
who expect to be heard today, that my philosophy essentially is that
whenever the Planning Commission and the staff are recommending
that something not be forwarded, then that is the position I'm likely to
accept unless there is a very, very strong argument--
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yeah, I hear you.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: -- to the contrary, okay. So if that is
helpful in any way at all to the petitioners who are here to decide
whether or not they want to postpone things.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I don't agree with that. I think that we
give everybody equal consideration on that. Commissioner Henning?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: No. He's just saying his
personal view.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: So that they'll know --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Oh, personal view.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yeah, so they'll know what their
options are.
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June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER HALAS: What they're up against, yep.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: You know, I don't want them to
walk into a trap and find out that they get something disapproved here
and then they have to wait until when, next year?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Well, I understand. In other words, if
they do want to be heard and they get denied, they can't bring it back.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yeah.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I understand.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yeah, I don't want them to walk
into a trap, so I just want to be honest with them.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Well, we have one motion before us
at this point in time. Let's -- go ahead, Mr. Weeks.
MR. WEEKS: I apologize, Commissioners. But unless I'm
mistaken, prior to the break there was already an active motion on the
floor. I believe a commissioner made a motion for approval, and that
was seconded. That, I believe, should be withdrawn as a point of
order.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Who made the motion; do you
remember?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Commissioner Coyle,
Commissioner Halas.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: No.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: You made a motion to deny.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Deny.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Deny, yes.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: So you need to remove that.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: You withdraw that?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: I withdraw the motion.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: And I withdraw my second.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay, fine. Now that's put to bed,
and we've still got the active motion on the floor for the continuance to
the 22nd of this month. Any other discussion?
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June 5, 2007
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Seeing none, all those in favor,
indicate by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: The ayes have it, 4-0.
Next -- call the next one and we'll see if they want to go with a
continuance.
Item #2G
PETITION: CP-2005-10
MR. WEEKS: That's petition CP-2005-10, and I believe the
agents are -- there we go.
MR. WHITE: Thank you, Mr. Weeks. Mr. Chairman,
Commissioners, Patrick White, Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur for
the petitioners on this item. And, in fact, we would, as the preceding,
request -- also like to be continued, if you would please, to the June
22nd meeting.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Do I hear a motion on the
floor?
COMMISSIONER HALAS: So moved.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Do I have a second?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Second.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Second to continue.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I have a motion by Commissioner
Halas and a second by Commissioner Henning for a continuance to
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June 5, 2007
the June 22nd.
Any other discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Seeing none, all those in favor,
indicate by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Aye.
MR. WHITE: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: The ayes have it, 4-0.
Item #2H
PETITION: CP-2005-11
MR. WEEKS: Next petition, CP-2005-11, Tim Ferguson.
MR. FERGUSON: For purposes of the record, Tim Ferguson.
Thank you very much for your continuance.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Motion to approve to continue --
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Second.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Second.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: -- to the 22nd of June.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Motion for a continuance to
the 22nd of June by Commissioner Henning, a second by
Commissioner Halas.
Any discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Seeing none, all those in favor,
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June 5, 2007
indicate by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: The ayes have it, 4-0.
Item #2I
PETITION: CP-2005-12
MR. WEEKS: Petition CP-2005-12. This is the Hussey petition,
and I believe Rich Y ovanovich.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Like the previous petition that I was up
here before, my consultants cannot be here on the 22nd, so I'm
requesting that you continue to the 22nd with the understanding that it
will be further continued on the 22nd to a meeting in, I guess, July.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I can't guarantee you that, but I can --
consideration on the 22nd will be given to continue it to July. We
would have to bring it up at a point of order at that time. I don't think
we can make a motion to go from one meeting to another with a
motion from here. Am I correct?
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Just out of curiosity? How much are we
talking about on the ad? Because it's really -- you know, are we
talking about that much money that you're going to say to a petitioner
that you've got to run the risk of being here on the 22nd?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: I'm going to vote for your
continuance on the 22nd. If you can't have your people here --
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Okay.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: -- it's only fair that you -- okay.
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June 5, 2007
MR. YOV ANOVICH: I understand. I just wanted to make -- I
get a little nervous when I hear those comments.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: You might want to poll some of
these others here.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I wouldn't object to it being moved at
that time to the next meeting, to be honest with you, Mr. Y ovanovich.
Okay. Do we have a motion?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Motion to approve the request for a
continuance.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: To the 22nd.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: To the 22nd.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Second?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Second.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Motion by Commissioner
Coyle, second by Commissioner Henning for a continuance to the
22nd of June.
All those -- any discussion?
(N 0 response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Seeing none, all those in favor,
indicate by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: And the ayes have it, 4-0.
Item #2J
PETITION: CP-2005-13
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June 5, 2007
MR. WEEKS: Commissioners, next on the agenda, CP-2005-13.
This was your time certain for three o'clock today, and I do not --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Oh, my. Oh, dear.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: No. We have to come back at
three.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Do we have to -- someone from the
County Attorney's Office please inform us.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: We announced that it will be
heard at three.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Can I ask a question about this one,
Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yes, please do.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Do -- both the staff and the CCPC
have recommended approval for transmission of this particular item,
5-13.
MR. WEEKS: That's correct.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: I don't see any opposition here.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I don't think there is.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: There's no opposition from me.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: We could probably --
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Can we -- can we just approve it?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I'm sorry? Disapprove it?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: No. Can we just approve it?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Yeah. Make a motion.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Well, my question is, it's advertised
for time certain. Can we -- can we support the recommendations of
the CCPC and the staff without violating any laws here?
MS. STUDENT -STIRLING: I think -- for the record, Marjorie
Student-Stirling, Assistant County Attorney. I think the safest thing to
do is to move not to hear it at three o'clock anymore, but now, and
then do your motion to approve after you do that.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay. Then I'd like to move that
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June 5, 2007
we hear this petition at the present time.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Okay. Do you need a second on
that?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Yes.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: All in favor?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: No, no. I got a question.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I got a motion.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yep, got a motion.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: It's seconded.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Second by Commissioner Halas.
Commissioner Henning, question.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: You know, I got on a due
process issue with this. We don't know who was in the audience this
morning when we said that we were going to hear this at three, and it
may be somebody that wants to speak in opposition or in favor, but
we're not giving the public due process to speak before their elected
officials.
You know, three o'clock is only two hours away. What's the
problem with adjourning this meeting? And I have several questions,
maybe I can bum that up until three o'clock.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Go for it, Commissioner Henning.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Well, I mean, I just have a
problem --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: The floor is yours at this point in
time.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: -- a problem with due process
and supporting the motion, though I have no problem with the petition
to move it forward to the DCA.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: We're going to have this place at
three clock with about probably 60 people that are going to be coming
from distances all over, and every one of them I know of is speaking
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June 5, 2007
in favor of it. It would save them a tremendous amount of time and
effort if we could expediate the process. I'm sure they don't want to
have to travel here just to hear themselves talk.
I don't know. How do you commissioners feel about it?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Well, that's my point. I have to
believe that the people who are coming here are coming here because
they've been asked to support the petition. You have a better feel for
that than I do.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yes, I do.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay. Now, if you tell me that
these people are coming from a long distance to support this petition
and the Planning Commission says they approve the petition and the
staff recommendation is to approve the petition, then I'm certainly not
going to vote against it.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: That's right.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: So if you want to save those people
a lot of inconvenience to drive in here and take their time when
everybody seems to be in agreement that it's something we should do,
I'm happy to go along with it right now.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Well, the motion on the floor right
now is just to hear it at this point in time?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yeah.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. And with that, is there any
other comments to the motion at hand by Commissioner Coyle and
seconded by Commissioner Halas?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Hearing none, all those in favor of the
motion, indicate by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Opposed?
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June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Let the record show
Commissioner Henning was opposed to it.
Now, the actual hearing begins. Did you have a motion to make?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: I do, but I have a question first.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yes, go ahead.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: With respect to the church
sponsored residential uses -- well, as a matter of fact, for both church
sponsored residential and non-church sponsored residential uses,
which are affordable housing, how is the property going to be
managed to retain its affordable housing status?
In other words, how do we keep -- how do we make sure this
property isn't purchased and then flipped and sold at the market value?
MR. SCHMIDT: The staff has offered you three options. The
one which was written specific for the board was to enter into an
agreement to make those guarantees at a later point in time.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Well, wait a minute, not to a later
point in time. We need to do that before we approve this.
MR. SCHMIDT: Well, your agreement to enter into an
agreement to make those -- or to have those guarantees in place --
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay, for both the --
MR. SCHMIDT: -- happens now.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: -- church sponsored and the
non-church sponsored residential units. It would apply to both
categories?
MR. SCHMIDT: It does not. It does not apply to the church
sponsored housing.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay. Now is the church going to
build market rate housing and sell it to make a profit, or what is the
intent there?
MR. SCHMIDT: The intent is that there is housing being
provided by the church and by the service facility operators for those
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June 5, 2007
participating in it. There's no sales involved.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: No, it's sale property. It's just -- I
guess it could be considered rental property perhaps. Maybe they
don't charge a fee for it at all, but they're providing lodging for
someone and they're not expecting that the properties be purchased by
the person residing in them. Is that essentially right?
MR. SCHMIDT: I think it is.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay, all right. Then you
answered my question.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Henning?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Yeah. Now that Brad Cornell
left, can we hear the Hussey property.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yeah, let's do that. Has he gone
already?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Yeah.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Good one.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: So I have a motion to approve with
the staff recommendation that the appropriate agreements be put in
place to assure that the essential services personnel housing units, will
be managed and remain in the affordable housing inventory.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Second, yes.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: A motion by Commissioner Coyle, a
second by Commissioner Halas, to transmit with the notes that's stated
by Commissioner Coyle.
Any discussion?
Commissioner Henning? Or is that the light from before?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: From before.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. All those in favor -- I'm sorry,
did have you something, sir?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: I'm just clearing my throat.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. You know, I'm very
responsive to anything that comes up. I never miss a point to make
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June 5, 2007
sure you get a chance to talk.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: You're right on. I appreciate
that.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Don't forget that, someday when
you're sitting here, okay?
With that, everyone in favor, indicate by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: And the ayes have it, 4-0.
Forgive me. Someone on staff, if you'd be so kind as to go into
my office and make sure that they notify Jessica from the Chamber of
Commerce so she can get out to everyone that was planning to come
to this meeting by phone, email or whatever, to save them the trouble
of --
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Traveling.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: -- of showing here. I would
appreciate it very much. Would you see to that, Mr. Mudd. Thank
you.
Please continue.
Item #2K
PETITION: CPSP-2005-14
MR. WEEKS: Commissioners, the next petition is
CPSP-2005-14. That's a staff petition or county petition requesting
amendment to the Future Land Use Map to redesignate rural fringe
mixed-use district sending lands to either neutral lands or receiving
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June 5, 2007
lands for 90 properties located within Section 34, Township 47 south,
Range 27 east; and Section 3, Township 48 south, Range 27 east; and
Section 11, Township 48 south, Range 36 east; and Section 25,
Township 49 south, Range 26 east; and Sections 13, 14,22,27,29,
and 32, Township 49 south, Range 27 east; and Sections 15 and 22
(sic), Township 51 south, Range 27 east, consisting of approximately
3,606 acres total, with the exception of map parcels 3 through 11,
which, as previously noted, have been continued to June 22nd.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Just a correction, if you don't mind,
Mr. Chairman.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Please do.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Mr. Weeks, you misread Sections
15 and 21. I think you said 15 and 27. So I'd just like to make that--
of Township 51 south, it's the second line from the bottom of the
petition description.
MR. WEEKS: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Just wanted to make sure it was
read into the record correctly, okay.
MR. WEEKS: Thank you for that correction.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay.
MR. WEEKS: Commissioners, very briefly, the history of this,
why we're here. As you'll recall, when the rural fringe mixed-use
district was created in 2002, June of that year, the rural fringe
amendments, you had many property owners appear before you telling
you that the county was about to make a mistake, that their property
did not warrant sending lands designation, that it had been cleared or
otherwise not appropriate for that designation.
In response to that, at least in part addressing some of those
property owners, you included a provision that allowed for properties
that are right along the fringe or border of the sending lands such that
either abuts receiving or neutral lands could have the opportunity to
submit environmental data to the county to back up what they were
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June 5, 2007
telling you, to demonstrate that, in fact, their property did not warrant
that sending land designation.
The provision also gave a particular time window in which the
property owners could submit that data. That has occurred. That
information is in your packets.
Staff has reviewed that information. We have also reviewed the
same information that the county used back in 2002 to evaluate
properties and make our recommendations for sending land
designation. And as a result of those reviews, we have made the
recommendations that are reflected on the spreadsheet of these
properties that's included in your binders.
And you will see that the majority of these properties we have
not recommended approval of, but a -- executive summary tells how
much -- but for a dozen or 15 or 16 or so that we did recommend
approval, that the data did show that the property warrants a change
from sending lands to either neutral or receiving and, therefore, our
recommendation is as such.
Also, the Planning Commission, when they reviewed the
properties, their recommendation was to concur with staff with the
exception of five parcels which were listed as recommended for
approval by staff and that were listed as being represented by Don
Lester/15 Coalition.
The total acreage is reflected on the spreadsheet that staff is
recommending approval of, and that correlates -- the spreadsheet
shows approximately 307 acres recommended for redesignation out of
approximately 1,867 acres that were requesting the redesignation.
And there are maps accompanying the application that shows those
properties.
And with that I'll ask for questions.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Henning, please.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Are we suggesting to hear this
now; is that why you're giving us a lot of information?
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June 5, 2007
MR. WEEKS: Yes, it is.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. See, I have a concern
about that. But let me ask you a question. It was my understanding
what the board was told in 2002, that the staff really was going by
mapping. That's what their -- the reason of recommendations for -- for
that. And we want to give the -- the property owner the -- the chance
to provide the analysis and data to show whether their property was
properly designated.
MR. WEEKS: I would -- I would agree with that.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. So in reality, most of the
property owners in this case, especially this case, they didn't ask for
you to designate. In fact, if I remember right, most of the property
owners say, well, wait a minute, we don't like the whole program at
all.
So it's whether it's properly designated, period, sending,
receiving, agricultural, whatever, that was the premise that I
understood. It's not from misdesignation from sending.
MR. WEEKS: The specific provision that was adopted was only
for the sending lands themselves. That's what you had property
owners standing before you saying, I don't want my property
designated as sending lands. Subsequently there were amendments to
the comprehensive plan that allowed the -- for the same provision, if
your property's designated neutral and you don't think that's
appropriate.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Right.
MR. WEEKS: And also if it's designated receiving and you don't
think that's appropriate based on the data.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: It was my understanding, again,
that it was -- because we didn't do the data and analysis, we might --
we might have missed something, whether it be neutral sending or
receiving or whatever. So why can't it be fair to -- to somebody to
say, well, I think my property's worth -- it is sending. It was
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______M'._____.._.....______~...__.__
June 5, 2007
designated as it. Here's the data and analysis that that's wrong, and I
want receiving? Why can't it be receiving? Why can't the board
consider receiving?
MR. WEEKS: Because under the specific provision that this
board adopted into the comprehensive plan, it only allows the
property, subject to the data to show that it's warranted, change the
land from sending to either neutral or receiving, whichever it's
abutting. If it's not abutting, for example, neutral, it's only abutting
receiving, it could not be changed to neutral. It could only be changed
to what it is abutting. That's the specific provision that was adopted by
the board.
Now, a property owner always has the right to file their own
comprehensive plan amendment, pay the fee, go through the process.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: And this is the process.
MR. WEEKS: No, sir. That's through a separate, privately
initiated amendment. This was the county initiated amendment that
this board specifically allowed for the property owner not to have to
pay the fee. All they had to do was submit to the county the
environmental data that showed that the sending lands designation was
not warranted, and we have to, of course, demonstrate that the
property was abutting either neutral or receiving.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
MR. WEEKS: So let me give you an example again --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Well, I mean, that's fine if that's
what we did. I just don't agree with it. If the government changed
somebody's property based upon what they can see in the aerial-- but,
you know, we don't know ifthere's any listed species on there. We're
just -- we're just assuming.
MR. WEEKS: If! may. It's more than just looking at aerials.
There's a significant amount of data. The point I was agreeing with
earlier, Commissioner, was that staff did not go out and do on-site
visits. We did not evaluate personally these properties, but we did
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June 5, 2007
look at aerial maps, we did look at forested habitat maps, we looked at
panther telemetry points, Red-cockaded woodpecker data, et cetera, et
cetera. I want to impress that we did a lot of work. What we did not
do is the ground truthing.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. Well, let me ask some
questions that was asked of me, and I couldn't answer, and I thought
they were very good questions.
In 2002, what was the source of the criteria for the evaluation?
MR. LORENZ: Yes. For the record, Bill Lorenz, Environmental
Services Director. The question, Commissioner Henning, was in
2002, what was the criteria?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: No. What was the source of the
criteria for the evaluation.
MR. LORENZ: The source of the criteria.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Yeah. What sources did you
use?
MR. LORENZ: The information and data sources that we used
in 2000 -- for the 2002 amendments included the 1994/1995 South
Florida Water Management District land cover data, the -- for listed
species information, it was the -- at that point it was the Game and
Freshwater Fish Commission's listed species information, the
biodiversity hot spots data.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Was that the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Commission?
MR. LORENZ: Correct.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: For the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Commission?
MR. LORENZ: Correct.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Go ahead.
MR. LORENZ: We used soils maps. I think, as David indicated,
some panther telemetry point information. I'm not sure whether that
came from the state or the federal agencies, but we -- but that was
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information that was utilized.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
MR. LORENZ: We had -- I'd have to look back at the report in
terms of the full documentation, but those were the types of data
sources that we used.
And as David Weeks had indicated, those were -- those were map
data points, and those were -- those were used to try to determine
where the environmental sensitivity of the lands were located.
When it eventually came down to actually establishing the lines
for sending, for receiving, for neutral, that was part of a public hearing
process utilizing the committee, utilizing the Board of County
Commissioners' public hearing process, to make various changes to
look at where it would be appropriate to cluster rural villages --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
MR. LORENZ: -- to provide for sufficient data --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: I appreciate it, but I have some
more questions, and --
MR. LORENZ: Okay.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: -- I appreciate the board's
indulgence.
So was that source of criteria adopted by the Board of
Commissioners for using -- for the designation?
MR. LORENZ: It was -- it was data and information that the
board accepted through the data and analysis report that the
recommendations were based on. If you -- your question was, did the
board establish criteria and then have staff to go -- go forward
evaluating against the criteria, no, that's not the case, but we --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
MR. LORENZ: But we generated the criteria utilizing, along
with the advisory committee, to come up with the information that we
then presented to the board.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. What was the standard --
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June 5, 2007
what were the standards for the designation?
MR. LORENZ: Well, the standards--
COMMISSIONER HENNING: And you were about to answer
that when I interrupted.
MR. LORENZ: Well, the information was pulled together, both
environmental information, I'm going to call it planning land use type
of information in terms of where it's appropriate to have rural villages
or cluster development. A variety of information such as that was all
pooled together and then assessments made through advisory
committee recommendations, obviously the EAC and the Planning
Commission, to then fashion a final recommendation that the Board of
County Commissioners, of course, eventually transmitted and adopted
as being the land use designations for the Growth Management Plan.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. What was the specific
criteria for each of the standards? You gave me -- you just gave us the
standards in my first question. What was the specific criterias --
MR. LORENZ: Well--
COMMISSIONER HENNING: -- for each of the standards?
MR. LORENZ: There was not a quantitative criteria, if you will.
The information was taken together and looked at as a total body of
information to then make recommendations -- develop a consensus,
make recommendations, and the board eventually adopted those
designations based upon the data and information presented.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: All right. What was the
evidence -- once the evidence was set for the criteria or the evaluation
for the criteria, what was then the ranking of it? Then you go through
the ranking of the designations? Is that what it was?
MR. LORENZ: No. I think it -- I think it's essentially looking at
layered information, environmental information, planning
considerations, taking that information, putting lines on a map as to
what would be the most environmentally sensitive areas, the least
environmentally sensitive areas, those in between would be the neutral
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June 5, 2007
areas, that a consensus was emerged through the public hearing
process as to where the land use designations should be.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. For these petitions that
we have in our agenda today, what was the sources of criteria for the
evaluation?
MR. LORENZ: For the petitions that you are looking at today,
you are looking at essentially whether the boundary line is drawn
properly.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
MR. LORENZ: The information --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Well, let me ask you, since you
answered that, what listed species travels on boundary lines?
MR. LORENZ: Well, no listed species travels on a boundary
line.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: No Cypress trees either, right?
MR. LORENZ: Well, you could demark a boundary line with
vegetation.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: What other sources for the
criteria in the valuation for these petitions were used?
MR. LORENZ: Okay. Well, I'm going to have -- the staff
member who actually performed these evaluations is here, and he can
provide you that kind of information at the detailed level.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
MR. HATCHER: For the record, Mac Hatcher, environmental
services.
In addition to the data that was provided by the applicants, which
kind of ran the gamut from no data at all to aerial photographs to
essentially environmental impact statements, we also looked at
whether or not there were buildings on the property, residences or
commercial buildings, and we also accessed the property appraiser's
aerial photography to see whether or not the property had been
cleared.
Page 10 1
June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. Did you use any federal
data to make your evaluation?
MR. HATCHER: Yes. We have data from U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service for listed species --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
MR. HATCHER: -- and for panther habitat.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Mr. Lorenz said in 2002 they
used the state Fish and Wildlife. So you're saying in this one you used
the federal?
MR. HATCHER: There was new data that became available in
about March of 2002, and that was considered in this go-round.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. What else -- what other
criteria -- what other sources for your criteria for evaluating these
properties?
MR. HATCHER: Some of the same data that was used in the
rural fringe assessments, the strategic habitat conservation areas from
the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Did you use that in 2002?
MR. HATCHER: Yes.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. I'm sorry.
MR. HATCHER: You want me to list all of them?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Yes. I do. I really do.
MR. HATCHER: Okay.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Because what I just heard is,
one of the evaluations we didn't use in 2002. So the question is, did
the board really adopt receiving or lands in this wide sweeping
amendment; did we use correct data in 2002?
MR. HATCHER: We used the data that was available. Whether
or not the Fish and Wildlife Service data was presented to the board, I
don't remember right off the top of my head.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
MR. HATCHER: There was listed species data for Florida scrub
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June 5, 2007
jays, panthers, for bears, for Red-cockaded woodpeckers. I don't
recall any other particular listed species data that was available.
There was the strategic habitat conservation area, which are
basically species models that were prepared by the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission to try and identify gaps in
conservation land that was used -- utilized by listed species that
needed to be acquired.
There was land use and land cover data from the South Florida
Water Management District from 1994 to '95 time frame. We also
used the national wetland inventory from U.S. EP A and Fish and
Wildlife Service.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Did you use any criteria for
vegetation clearing? Did you look --
MR. HATCHER: Only as it was registered in the land cover -- in
the rural fringe assessment.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. There was -- one of the
things that we adopted, if you cleared your land, you cannot petition
the government for changing of the designation for 25 years. That
was part of the adoption for the fringe, correct?
MR. HATCHER: I'm not sure about that.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: That's not true?
MR. LORENZ: There was two standards regarding utilization of
the land and clearing and the 25-year value. One was, if you were in
sending lands and you were to come in with a -- with clearing your
land for agriculture, there was a 25-year --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Prohibition.
MR. LORENZ: -- prohibition for coming in and utilizing TDRs.
So you'd have to wait 25 years for the TDRs for clearing within the
sending lands.
There is also a requirement that if you clear your -- if you clear--
if you clear your lands, you have to wait 25 years -- a 25-year period
must elapse before you would have to -- when you come in to have a
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June 5, 2007
development of those lands, you would have to retain the native
vegetation that was on your property and apply the standards that was
on your property at the time you cleared them within 25 years.
Once you pass 25 years, then whatever native vegetation that is
on your property -- let's say in the 26th year we would apply the
percentages on that property at that time.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
MR. LORENZ: So it's not a prohibition of use. It's a way of
accounting for how much vegetation is on your property for
preservation requirements.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Does that standard apply to any
of the applicants here today before us? In other words, did anybody
receive a clearing permit prior to the adoption in 2002 after the
provisions that the board adopted in 2002? Did you take a look at
that?
MR. HATCHER: I did not review the clearing permits. I did
look at the aerials to see if the property was cleared, but I didn't review
the permits.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. So if somebody had a
permit prior to 2002 but didn't exercise that permit till after that,
shouldn't that -- part of that criteria be evaluated?
MR. HATCHER: If it had been brought to our attention, we
would have evaluated it. We would have --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Because there's 90 properties
here.
MR. HATCHER: Correct. They submitted data. If anybody had
submitted data like that, it would have been considered.
MR. WEEKS: Commissioners, if! may interject. I just want to
impress one point. The critical date was June 19,2002. That was the
date the rural fringe amendments were adopted. When the landowners
were before this commission and Planning Commission, so forth,
speaking and objecting to their property being designated sending,
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June 5, 2007
they were asserting that their property did not warrant the sending land
designation, and in doing so, they were talking about then. They
weren't talking about sometime in the future. They were talking about
at this point in time, you're about to change the designation on my
property. You're making a mistake.
And that's why when staff received the information and when we
reevaluated the county's own information, we only looked at that same
time period, June 19th of2002. We did not look at subsequent years,
because our regulations do allow, even in sending lands, for
agricultural uses that are consistent with the Right to Farm Act, which
means that a landowner, after June I 9th of2002, could, in fact, obtain
permits to clear their property for an agricultural use consistent with
the Right to Farm Act. And, of course, if they went through that
process and obtained the permit and, in fact, cleared their property,
then unquestionably the habitat value of that property would have
been altered.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Well, that's correct, but let me
tell what you I'm told, but is not verified, that some landowners did
receive permits prior to the adoption of these amendments and then
subsequently after that cleared their property.
MR. WEEKS: And my response would be, is that the decision
that -- staffs recommendation and ultimately the decision of the
Planning Commission and then this board was based upon the habitat
value at that time, not the fact that there was a -- while there was not a
clearing permit in hand, it was, what is the habitat value today, and a
decision was made that it should be sending lands.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: But if you had a permit prior to
and you exercised that right, shouldn't that be reevaluated as the
vegetation that now exists? I'm not talking about the ones that
cheated.
MR. WEEKS: Right.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Even in 2002 I'm not talking
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June 5, 2007
about the ones that didn't get a permit to clear their lands. I'm talking
about the landowner that did the right thing and got a permit and
exercised their right. That's what I'm talking about.
MR. WEEKS: It sounds like, Commissioner, that you're -- that
you're, I don't want to say suggesting, you're asking about, should a
landowner have -- that obtained the appropriate and required permits
to clear their land, should not they have -- then as a result of that,
should their land use designation have been different?
And I could only say that that's a policy decision that this board
either was not aware of to make at that time or chose not to make.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Right. I don't think the board
was aware of it.
MR. WEEKS: Because the question would be, how many other
property owners -- properties might be similarly situated that lawfully
cleared their property -- excuse me -- lawfully had the permits in hand
to clear their property as of the date that this board adopted the rural
fringe amendments.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Right.
MR. WEEKS: And then again, to me it's very much a policy
decision. Do you want to view those properties that have the same
habitat value, theoretically, the same habitat value as X number of
other properties, yet treat them differently because that landowner
obtained the necessary permits to clear their land.
I would ask you, is that different from the landowner that came in
one day after June 19th of 2002 and obtained the same permits?
Because either way they're lawfully allowed to clear their property,
but the overall objective of the county was not to see those lands
cleared. We wanted to protect those lands. But as you'll recall, based
on counsel from out -- counsel from -- the outside legal counsel --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Right. They have the right to
farm their land.
MR. WEEKS: Correct.
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June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER HENNING: The -- but the legislation spoke.
The legislation made law on that day, and you must have a starting
and an ending point. You know, my concern about these -- these
petitions was, Commissioners, does not set the same criteria as we
adopted in 2002 where some of the landowners in the rural fringe
received a substantial benefit.
And I don't know much about the criteria, but what I heard today
is, we didn't use the exact criteria as we did in 2002, and I just have a
problem with that. I don't know what the effects will be. But why --
if it was fair then, why isn't it fair now?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yeah. Commissioner Henning, I
know what you're coming. There's always a question of property
rights and how you keep everything balanced, and I know that there's
been a sincere effort on the part of staff and the committees working
on it and the commission in past rulings to try to come up with an
element of fairness.
Now, whether we're there or not is open to question. I don't
disagree on that. You know, whenever you separate people from
certain rights of their properties without adequate compensation, or in
this case here, you got compensation they may not feel that it's
adequate in some cases. It's always going to be left to question.
That's one of the reasons we're going through this process today.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Right. But the concern -- the
concern that I have is in 2002, you know, maybe it was a best data to
use. And I think it was -- it's fair today to use that same data. And
besides, I mean, in 2002, we -- you and I were fairly young in this
process, and it's something that we said that we had to do. But I'm not
sure -- I mean, we had landowners that had square property that
received designation of receiving and, I mean, I just -- you know,
thinking back, we should give the fair -- same treatment to these
petitions today.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Let me ask a question, if! may.
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June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Sure.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Do we have anyone here today to be
speaking on these particular petitions?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Mr. Y ovanovich, I think, has
one in the hopper. On this one?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yeah. I'm just curious. All together,
there's how many? I see you, sir. Yeah, one, two, three, four -- four
people. We have how many items here all together? We've got --
MR. WEEKS: There's a total of 12 groupings of properties.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: It's 90 properties, right?
MR. WEEKS: Correct.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: And so obviously the people that are
here are here either in support or to oppose. Probably either four
different things or all the one thing. And so possibly we might be able
to get down to identifying where there might be some elements of
contention that have arisen to be able to clear the slate of the other
ones where everyone's in agreement. Would that be a fair assumption
or no?
MR. HATCHER: I think that would be a good place to start.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: My whole issue is about
fairness.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Well, I can understand,
Commissioner Henning. It's always a concern, too. And the only way
we can get to the fairness is through the process itself.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Well, I appreciate your
indulgence of my questions.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: That's fine, and that's what we're here
for.
Okay. Is there any other commissioner -- Commissioner Halas,
you want to weigh in on this?
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Well, I've heard the arguments but
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June 5, 2007
__ and I'm -- but I think we did due process. We studied this very
thoroughly. We had outside people -- excuse me -- that were involved
in this process in 2002, and I was on the board, I think, at this point in
time. No, I wasn't either, excuse me.
But I believe that this was transmitted up to DCA. They studied
it. And I believe they approved what our -- what we wanted to do
here. This went through the process with the CCPC, and they came up
with some recommendations, and I would just like to say that I think
that we've researched this property. I think we did due diligence on
this, and I'd like to make a motion to approve this with the CCP (sic)
recommendations that was passed down to us.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: I would second it, but I need to
hear from the speakers first.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Of course, but you want to -- why
don't you second it, then we'll go from there.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay. Second it for discussion
purposes only, but I really want to hear from the speakers.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: I do, too. So we have a motion by
Commissioner Halas, a second by Commissioner Coyle, to approve
this for transmission; however, we have to hear from the speakers first,
and then we'll make our final decision on which direction we're going
to go.
Am I getting in front of you, sir? Is there something else that you
left unsaid that needed to be covered at this time?
MR. HATCHER: No.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Would you be so kind as to
call the first speaker?
MS. KENDALL: Yes. The first speaker is Nancy Payton,
followed by John Vega.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: You know, I'm surprised no one
requested this one to be moved forward. Of course, it would have to
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June 5, 2007
be a staff action. But we'll come to you in a minute, sir. I'm sure
you're signed up to speak, right?
MR. VEGA: (Nods head.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Good.
MS. PAYTON: Good afternoon. Nancy Payton, representing
the Florida Wildlife Federation, and I'm here to support the Planning
Commission's recommendations, specifically the ones that pertain to
the petitions that were put in by Don Lester without proof that they
were -- that he was doing it on behalf of the landowners. And I also
wanted to speak briefly about section 25, the Hideout Golf Course,
which is one that the Planning Commission said shouldn't be
transmitted, should be denied, and that is the golf course in section 25,
abuts the golf course in section 24, they're seeking neutral designation
for the part of the golf course that is on -- in section 25.
When that golf course was approved, we were on a
comprehensive plan that was one house on five acres, so you put a
golf course in, you can't put a house on the same land that the golf
course is on. So I viewed that request, which I think was invalid
because Don Lester submitted it and not the owners of the Hideout
Golf Course, that is gifting density. They knew that they lost that
density when they had that golf course approved way back before
June of 1999. So we shouldn't be gifting density back into a -- onto a
golf course.
And also section 24, the whole issue of what the proper
designation is is under debate, so I hope that you stand strong on the
Planning Commission's recommendation.
This is kind of deja vu listening to about -- the data and analysis.
All that was debated in great detail over days and days and days at a
hearing that the county successfully defended how the original
designations were done. And my recollection was that the judge
agreed that you've got to draw the line someplace.
And so the judge recommended that what the county had done
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June 5, 2007
was proper and that stood. It's data and analysis that drives this. And
the issue today is those lands that abut receiving lands, as to whether
they -- or sending -- receiving or neutral, that they should be
redesignation. it's not lands anywhere throughout the sending
designation.
And I think my time is about up, so I will say, thank you very
much, and I urge you to approve the Planning Commission's
recommendation.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Coyle's got a question
for you.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yeah. Nancy, when you made
reference to section 24, you understand section 24 isn't in here right
. .?
now, IS It.
MS. PAYTON: Well, I'm referring to -- there is a request in
there to designate --
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Section 25.
MS. PAYTON: Section 25 neutral that abuts section 24. Well,
we don't know what section 24 is. Furthermore, I don't think you
should deal with that one anyways because it's a golf course.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay. Yeah, I just wanted to make
sure that there wasn't something about section 24 embedded in here
that I hadn't seen. We're going to be taking up 24 next week, ifl
remember correctly.
MS. PAYTON: Yes.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay.
MS. PAYTON: Hopefully we'll get it resolved next week.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay, good. So your position is
that you're supporting the CCPC's recommendation?
MS. PAYTON: Absolutely yes.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay. As it's stated here in the
executive summary?
MS. PAYTON: Yes.
Page 1 11
June 5, 2007
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay. Thank you.
MS. PAYTON: Good.
MS. KENDALL: Next speaker's --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Next speaker?
MS. KENDALL: -- John Vega.
MR. VEGA: Good afternoon, Commission. John Vega on
behalf of Francis D. Hussey, Jr., and Mary Pat Hussey. I have
requests. The first is to continue this item to the June 22nd agenda
and the second is to consider -- and I know this is a staff petition, but
the reality is, is it's my petition. I filed it years ago. I have over an
inch worth of supporting data. I cannot possibly address it in two
minutes allotted to a public speaker.
So I am requesting -- I don't think I need more than eight to 10,
but when we do hear this, may I please have more than two minutes?
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Commissioner Henning,
comment?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Yeah. I -- I mean, we afforded
the opportunity to everybody else. You're representing a property
owner in this petition. I don't see why we shouldn't support the
recommendations -- or the request to continue, just like we did
everybody.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Wait, now continue this item or all
the items in this package? We have a motion on the floor though, but
go ahead.
MR. WEEKS: Mr. Vega specifically represents map parcels 25
to 31. That's on pages 2 and 3 of your spreadsheet.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: If nobody else is going to make the
motion, I'll make the motion that we approve the petitioner's request.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: I'll remove my second.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Oh, I'm sorry.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: I'll retract my motion.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay. And I'll make a motion --
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June 5, 2007
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: You've got to retract the second.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Then I'll make a motion to approve
the petitioner's request for postponement until June the 22nd for those
parcels. And Mr. Weeks, if you'd please name those parcels again.
MR. WEEKS: Map parcels 25 through 31, the owners' listed as
Hussey.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay. Then my motion would
include those parcels only, okay.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. So we have a motion by
Commissioner Coyle, and I'll second it to keep it moving forward.
And second by myself, Commissioner Coletta, to move these items
forward as so noted.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Continue them to the --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Discussion?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Continue them to the 22nd.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Continue to the 22nd. Thank you,
Commissioner Henning.
Any other discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Hearing none, all those in favor,
indicate by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: The ayes have it. Thank you, sir.
MR. VEGA: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Next speaker?
MS. KENDALL: Next speaker is Tim Hancock, followed by
Rich Y ovanovich.
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June 5, 2007
MR. HANCOCK: Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, members of
the county commission. My name is Tim Hancock with Davidson
Engineering, here today representing parcels one and two,
respectively, under the ownership of West Florida Agro, Limited,
more commonly known as 6 L Farms out on the east trail.
We do support the staff and CCPC recommendation with regard
to our two parcels. And I wanted to offer for the record just a visual
clarification. The two areas of these two sections that are being
redesignated to receiving are impoundment areas. They have six- to
eight-foot berms and steel pipes that shoot water into them during the
extreme wet seasons.
And so upon site visit and further information, staff has agreed
that those areas do not warrant a sending designation.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: I'm sorry. What was it -- it was
sending areas? Was it designated in 2002 as sending?
MR. HANCOCK: 1t was designated as sending, yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Which properties?
MR. HANCOCK: Well, on this particular aerial, it's the area
outlined in red that you see on the monitor. From an aerial
perspective, it appears to be vegetated; however, four, when you drive
out there and you drive your four-wheel-drive vehicle up on top of the
six-foot berm --
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
MR. HANCOCK: -- around it, you see that it's willow and it's --
there's actually furrows from past agricultural activities. So I can see
how the mistake was made.
The one exception to this is, this whole piece is not being
redesignated as receiving. The small triangle to the south and east as
you look at your monitor, the bottom right, that area has not been
impacted by farming, and we take no exception with staff
recommendation to leave that as sending.
I just wanted to offer for clarification -- because we really don't
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June 5, 2007
have metes and bounds descriptions of these areas, that it is the
southeast triangle that is below Tomato Road and is inside the existing
drainage ditches. I don't want the drainage ditches that are used for
farm conveyance to be confused as being part of that sending area.
I would hate to see those encumbered in the future. But the
actual vegetated area in the southeast corner will remain as sending.
And I just wanted to make sure the ditches themselves are free to
continue to operate as necessary for farm operations.
Beyond that we support staff recommendation. I thank you very
much for your time today.
MR. WEEKS: Commissioner, staff has no objection to that
change. What Mr. Hancock was referring to is, on his exhibit, he
showed Tomato Road, the northern boundary of that triangle, and
there's a drainage ditch immediately on the south side of that roadway.
Staff has no objection to his clarification.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Was this brought up in the -- with
the Planning Commission also?
MR. WEEKS: No, sir, it was not.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Oh, okay. That's interesting.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Mr. Y ovanovich?
MR. YOV ANOVICH: For the record, Rich Yovanovich. I just
wanted -- I didn't hear the introduction of the item. I just wanted to
make sure that the Symphony parcels have been continued until the
22nd and that -- that's correct?
MR. WEEKS: That is correct.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Okay. And then I do have a -- I represent
the owner of Hideout Golf Club, and obviously we prefer staffs
recommendation, which is to redesignate the property. The -- I
disagree with Ms. Payton that the golf course automatically loses its
density just because it develops a golf course. You don't lose the
density. Twin Eagles is a perfect example that you don't lose the
density when you develop a golf course.
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June 5, 2007
And I did provide Mr. Weeks the letter verifying that Mr. Lester
was authorized to make the application and that I have taken over that
application. So I would, again, request that you follow staffs
recommendation and not the CCPC's.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: I have a question.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yes.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Mr. Yovanovich, are you saying
that you're representing Don Lester?
MR. YOV ANOVICH: No. Hideout Golf Club. Mr. Lester
applied on behalf of Hideout Golf Club. What Ms. Payton said was he
authorized, and I said I verified to Mr. Weeks that, yes, he was.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Oh, okay.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: I have taken over since then, but be that
as it may, we would like you to follow staffs recommendation and not
the Planning Commission's.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. I have another question.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yes, go ahead.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: What page is Planning
Commission's recommendation on?
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Page 7.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Seven?
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Bottom of page 7.
MR. SCHMITT: it's part of the executive summary under--
behind the executive summary tab.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. I go up to page 4, and
then I have a draft.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Excuse me. it's page 7 in the very
beginning of the book under petition 2005-14.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Fourteen. Yeah, I go to page 4.
One, two, three, four, and then I have a draft which is a --
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Beginning of the book.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: it's at the very beginning,
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June 5, 2007
Commissioner Henning. Go to the front of the book. Page 7 there.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Is there any other comments,
questions, or -- Commissioner Henning, I'm jumping ahead of you.
You go ahead and read it, then you can ask questions.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: No, that's fine. Go ahead.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Let's go ahead. We've got a--
still have a motion on the floor, don't we?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: No.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: No, we don't. Okay, gentlemen.
Where do we proceed from here?
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Well, I make a -- I'll re -- I'll make
__ redo the motion, and the motion is that we pass this forward with
the -- again, with the CCPC recommendations less the two properties
that were brought to our attention that were not discussed on the -- by
the CCP (sic), to take those two properties out of the -- out of the
equation.
MR. SCHMITT: For the record, correct, the two series of
properties.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Two series.
MR. WEEKS: They were continued.
MR. SCHMITT: That were continued to the 22nd.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Second.
MR. SCHMITT: Then for the record, that's properties 3 through
11, and then properties --
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. We have a--
MR. SCHMITT: -- 25 through 31.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: So we have the motion by
Commissioner Halas, a second by Commissioner Coyle.
With that, is there any other discussion?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Yes.
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June 5, 2007
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Henning?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. The Planning
Commission's recommendations is the same as staff except for parcel
43, 56, and goes up to 79. What's -- where can I -- how can I follow
that? Is that the map properties? Maybe we should have a brief
description of what they're saying.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: I believe it was in our material that
was given to us, Commissioner.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Can I get a brief description of
what the Planning Commission is saying to make a determination?
MR. WEEKS: They're -- the Planning Commission's concern as
expressed at the hearing was related to whether or not Mr. Lester had
the authority to be representing any of the properties that were listed
under his name. The reason, I believe, that only five of them were
specifically mentioned by Planning Commission is because those are
the only five listed as represented by Don Lester/15,000 Coalition,
that had a staff recommendation of approval. The others were
recommended for denial, so they didn't take issue with that.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. Well, yeah. I mean, it's
all about the data and analysis. So why aren't we supporting that?
That's what you went by, right?
MR. WEEKS: The staff recommended approval based on the
data and analysis submitted, correct.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Right.
MR. WEEKS: In recommending approval.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: But the motion doesn't support
that.
MR. WEEKS: The present motion on the floor mirrors the
Planning Commission's recommendation.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Yes.
MR. WEEKS: And that is to disagree with staff on those five
properties represented by 15,000 Coalition, Don Lester.
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June 5, 2007
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Any other comments?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Yeah. I mean, it just doesn't
support the data and analysis, but I'm -- so I'm not going to support the
motion.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay, fair enough. Any other
comments?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Hearing none, all those in
favor of the motion, indicate by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Opposed?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Let the record show Commissioner
Henning is in the opposition.
Does that conclude our business? What have we got, one more?
Item #2L
PETITION: CPSP-2005-15
MR. WEEKS: We have one more, Mr. Chairman, and that's
CPSP-2005 n
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay.
MR. WEEKS: -- 15, petition n that's another staff petition.
Petition requesting amendment to the transportation element to add
new policies, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8, introducing thoroughfare corridor
protection plans, the acronym, TCPP; transportation corridor
preservation maps, acronym TCPM; and associated tables and
ordinances to provide for the protection and acquisition of existing and
future transportation corridors.
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June 5, 2007
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Good afternoon, Commissioners.
Nick Casalanguida, for the record. We worked with the County
Attorney Office, and they were truncated a little bit to 3.5 and 3.6
within your packet, and also in the Planning Commission.
I've been here approximately three years, and about a year ago
we worked with Mr. Schmitt's shop to do an increased setback
ordinance to protect some of the roadways we were going to be
widening, and I was told at the time, you must do the what first, which
is the GMP, not the how. And what I'm bringing you forward right
now is the what, which is protect the right-of-way, allow for property
acquisition in such a way that it's consistent with the GMP, but allow
for reductions consistent with the board's review of those reductions
and improvements.
Bringing this forward, your Productivity Committee reviewed
this and was very much in favor. Your Environmental Advisory
Committee supported the project as well, too, the initiative.
When we went to the Planning Commission, we got hung up on
the how again. They wanted to see the details and I expressed at the
Planning Commission that the details were done through the ordinance
and there'll be plenty of time to work out how we're going to do this,
but it was important to get the what we're going to do.
What we're going to do is define roadway corridors in the future
so we don't have as many issues similar to what we've had with the
Vanderbilt Beach Road extension. We are going to define those
corridors, and if those corridors are in a way -- in a manner such that
they impact a whole parcel, we'll have to put that in the ordinance that
it will either have to be paid for at that time or compensate the
landowner. But those are the how things that we'll deal with later, and
we'll make sure we do that correct.
What we're doing with this GMP amendment is to say that we
are, within one year, going to come back and tell you how we're going
to do it, and at that point in time we'll get into the details. But it's very
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June 5, 2007
important that we get this established first.
In policy 3.6 that's in front of you, we've also identified a way
that if we can work with a landowner, if they're in the process of
developing their land and then we identified that they're at, say, a
corner and we need a corner clip of their property, that they can work
with us to do a reduction in, say, parking or a buffer or landscape, but
we take it to the board, and we stress that throughout this whole
process. it's not a staff decision. it's a board decision, that we'd come
to you and explain to you what we're doing, how we're doing it, and
ask for such reduction. And if you felt it was appropriate, you would
allow that to happen.
All of this takes into consideration that it's not staff making
decisions, but the board. We fully intend that when we bring a
corridor forward that you get to review the corridor, determine the
merits of that corridor in the detailed time we spent on it, and you can
make that decision as if it should be protected or not.
So with that, I'll answer any questions you have.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Commissioner Coyle?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Yeah. Nick, I'd just like to make
sure that I understand how this is going to work. You're not -- you're
not talking about the how at the present point in time, but does this
particularly -- particular amendment have any affect until such time as
you have presented to us the how?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: All of this would have to be brought
back to you either through the ordinance or through -- if there was a
reduction of buffer brought back to you for decision and discussion.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: So this is probably nothing more
than a statement of intent?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: That's correct.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: And it should not effect anyone in
any meaningful way until we develop the how part of what you intend
to do. Is that --
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June 5, 2007
MR. CASALANGUIDA: That's exactly correct.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Okay. All right, thank you.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Commission Henning?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: I'm sorry. Were you through,
Commissioner Coyle?
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Well, I -- do we have any speakers
on this one?
MS. KENDALL: No, we do not.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Then I make a motion for approval
of the staffs recommendation.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Second.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Motion by Commissioner
Coyle for approval of staff recommendations, second by
Commissioner Halas.
Commissioner Henning?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: I have a legal question. Once
you have a policy set in the growth plan, you must follow that policy;
is that correct?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Generally speaking, but it's not
always correct, because if you need additional information to flesh it
out, such as the ordinance that Mr. Casalanguida alluded to, then it's
not self -- what the lawyers call self-executing because something
further needs to be done, so it couldn't be done until the ordinance that
was adopted in furtherance of the plan amendment.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay. But really what you're
saying is, if you're in a roadway corridor, you have limited rights once
the board adopts an ordinance?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: You would have to identify in that
ordinance what those rights would be, and that would be the public
debate discussion. We envision it similarly to look at increasing the
setback. You now have a 75-foot setback in the Estates.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Do you know of any community
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June 5, 2007
that has adopted any language like this?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Pasco County has one, and I believe
several other counties are in the process of or working on them as
well, too, in various stages. Some of them are more stringent than
others, but I would imagine Collier County will have its own nuances
as we go forward that we'll work out.
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Okay.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. We have a motion, we have a
second. Any other discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Hearing none, all those in favor of the
motion, indicate by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALAS: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Opposed?
COMMISSIONER HENNING: Aye.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: And let the record show
Commissioner Henning was in opposition.
COMMISSIONER COYLE: Move for adjournment.
MR. WEEKS: Mr. Chairman, that concludes our business today.
All of the petitions or components thereof have been continue to June
22nd.
CHAIRMAN COLETTA: Okay. Now, before we adjourn, just a
brief note. Commissioner Fiala said to tell everyone that she is -- she
was taken ill, but she's feeling better and that she appreciates
everybody's concern. Thank you.
And with that we're adjourned.
*****
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June 5, 2007
There being no further business for the good of the County, the
meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair at 1:56 p.m.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS/EX
OFFICIO GOVERNING BOARD(S) OF
SPECIAL DISTRICTS UNDER ITS CONTROL
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ATTEST:
DW!GHT E. eRpCK, CLERK
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These minutes approved by the Board on l.41~ r)l , as
presented ..........- or as corrected
TRANSCRIPT PREPARED ON BEHALF OF GREGORY COURT
REPORTING SERVICES, INe., BY TERRI LEWIS.
Page 124