CCPC Minutes 11/1/2007 R
November 1, 2007
TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEETING OF THE
COLLIER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
Naples, Florida
November 1, 2007
LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Collier County Planning
Commission, in and for the County of Collier, having conducted
business herein, met on this date at 8:30 a.m. in REGULAR SESSION
in Building "F" of the Government Complex, East Naples, Florida,
with the following members present:
CHAIRMAN: Mark Strain
Lindy Adelstein
Donna Reed-Caron
Tor Kolflat
Paul Midney
Bob Murray
Brad Schiffer
Robert Vigliotti (Absent)
ALSO PRESENT:
Jeffrey Klatzkow, Chief Asst. County Attorney
Marjorie Student-Stirling, Assistant County Attorney
Joseph Schmitt, CDES Administrator
Ray Bellows, Zoning & Land Development Review
Page 1
AGENDA
COLLIER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION WILL MEET AT 8:30 A.M., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER I, 2007, IN
THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING ROOM, ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, COUNTY
GOVERNMENT CENTER, 3301 TAMIAMI TRAIL EAST, NAPLES, FLORIDA:
NOTE: INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS WILL BE LIMITED TO 5 MINUTES ON ANY
ITEM. INDIVIDUALS SELECTED TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF AN
ORGANIZATION OR GROUP ARE ENCOURAGED AND MAY BE ALLOTTED 10
MINUTES TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM IF SO RECOGNIZED BY THE CHAIRMAN.
PERSONS WISHING TO HAVE WRITTEN OR GRAPHIC MATERIALS INCLUDED
IN THE CCPC AGENDA PACKETS MUST SUBMIT SAID MATERIAL A MINIMUM
OF 10 DAYS PRIOR TO THE RESPECTIVE PUBLIC HEARING. IN ANY CASE,
WRITTEN MATERIALS INTENDED TO BE CONSIDERED BY THE CCPC SHALL
BE SUBMITTED TO THE APPROPRIATE COUNTY STAFF A MINIMUM OF
SEVEN DAYS PRIOR TO THE PUBLIC HEARING. ALL MATERIAL USED IN
PRESENTATIONS BEFORE THE CCPC WILL BECOME A PERMANENT PART OF
THE RECORD AND WILL BE A V AILABLE FOR PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD
OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS IF APPLICABLE.
ANY PERSON WHO DECIDES TO APPEAL A DECISION OF THE CCPC 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.
1. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
2. ROLL CALL BY SECRETARY
3. ADDENDA TO THE AGENDA
4. PLANNING COMMISSION ABSENCES
5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - SEPTEMBER 20, 2007, REGULAR MEETING
6. BCC REPORT- RECAPS - SEPTEMBER 25, 2007, REGULAR MEETING; OCTOBER 9, 2007, REGULAR
MEETING
7. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
8. ADVERTISED PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Petition: PUDA-2006-AR-IOI76, Craig T. Bouchard, manager of Tennis Realty LLC, represented by
Michael Fernandez of Planning Development Inc., is requesting an amendment to the Naples Bath and
Tennis Club PUD to revise the process for approval of an accessory use pertaining to transient lodging
facility units within the 20" acre Tract B of the 153.7 acre project. The subject property is located on the
west side of Airport-Pulling Road, between Pine Ridge Road and Golden Gate Parkway in Section 14,
Township 49S, Range 25E, Collier County, Florida. (Coordinator: Kay Deselem)
B. Petition: PE-2007-AR-12164, Keith Basik, Larry Basik, Jeff Basik of Naples Big Cypress Market Place,
represented by Patrick White, Esquire, of Porter, Wright, Morris and Arthur, LLP, is requesting a Parking
Exemption to allow 355 additional overflow parking spaces for Naples Big Cypress Flea Market in an
Agricultural Zone District on a,,9 acre tract of land. The subject property is located at 220 Basik Drive, at
the Northwest corner of US 41 and Trinity Place, Section 17, Township 51 South, Range 27 East, Collier
County, Florida. (Coordinator: Willie Brown)
1
C. Petition: RZ-2006-AR-10422, Myers Enterprises of Naples, LLC, represented by Tim Hancock of
Davidson Engineering., requests a rezone from the Industrial (I) Zoning District to the Commercial (C-4)
Zoning District for a \.8H acre project to be known as Naples Mazda. The property is located at the
Southwest Corner of Airport Road and J & C Boulevard in Section II, Township 49 South, Range 25
East, Collier County, Florida. (Coordinator: Willie Brown) CONTINUED TO 11115/07
D. 2008 Floodolain Manal!ement Plan: To consider and make a recommendation on the adoption of the
Collier County 2008 Floodplain Management Plan.
E. Petition: CPSP-2007-7. Petition creating a new Public School Facilities Element with support document,
and amending the Capital Improvement Element and Intergovernmental Coordination Element of the
Growth Management Plan to establish a public school concurrency program. This is a companion item to
the School Concurrency Inter-local Agreement between the Collier County District School Board and
Collier County Board of County Commissioners and the cities of Marco Island, Everglades and Naples.
(Coordinator: Michele Mosca, AICP, Principal Planner) CONT FROM 10/18/07 AND RE-ADVERTISED
FOR 11101/07.
9. OLD BUSINESS
10. NEW BUSINESS
11. PUBLIC COMMENT ITEM
12. DISCUSSION OF ADDENDA
13. ADJOURN
11/01/07 cepe AgendalRB/sp/mm
2
November 1, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Ray, it's that magical time.
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the November 1st
meeting of the Collier County Planning Commission. If you'll please
rise to pledge allegiance to the flag.
(Pledge of Allegiance was recited in unison.)
Item #2
ROLL CALL BY CLERK
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you. Will the secretary please
do roll call.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. Kolflat?
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Here.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Here.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. Midney?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Here.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Ms. Caron is here. Mr. Strain?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Here.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. Adelstein?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Here.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Here.
COMMISSIONER CARON: And Mr. Vigliotti is absent, and
Mr. Tuff is no longer on the CCPC.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. He's still on this earth, he's just
no longer on the planning commission.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Right. That's why I qualified it.
Item #3
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November 1,2007
ADDENDA TO THE AGENDA
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Addenda to the agenda.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Mark, I --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Just a question I'd like to ask
Ray, new business about the e-mail, county e-mail.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We'll add that to new business, then.
That will be a fun one.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Simple.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm sure Ray will have a very
politically correct statement to make to you. I may not have.
Addenda to the agenda. If anybody is here for the Naples Bath
and Tennis Club, that one will not be heard today. There was an
advertising error. It has to be readvertised, and it will come back to us
in December. So if you're here for that one today, we will not be
hearing it.
Margie, do we need any comment by you on that?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
For the record, Marjorie Student-Stirling, Assistant County
Attorney.
I think we just need a motion. It's not shown as such on the
agenda index, so just we need a motion to continue. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is there a motion to continue Petition
PUDA-2006 --
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: So moved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- AR-10176?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: So moved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion made by Commissioner
Adelstein.
Is there a second?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Second.
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November 1, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Second by Commissioner Caron.
Discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All in favor, signify by saymg aye.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries 7-0.
Okay, we have some other issues. Well, first of all, our next
meeting is a special meeting scheduled for the 14th of November. I
have heard that there's a possibility that may not occur. Can anybody
shed any light on that from staff or from for the county attorney's
office?
MR. SCHMITT: For the record, Joe Schmitt, Community
Development and Environmental Services Division Administrator.
Mr. Chairman, I've heard nothing official, unofficial. I've been
waiting for a letter from the county manager, but I think it's safe to
assume that it will be -- the best way to approach this is to continue
the item indefinitely to a future date to be announced.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, we can't continue it here today,
it's just going to be continued is what you're telling me --
MR. SCHMITT: Yes. It's a special meeting. There was no
advertising requirement per se by code, but we did advertise. And I've
got no direction from the board that the item will be continued. But it
is believed that the board will ask the planning commission either to
continue the item, or possibly the board may deal with the situation
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November 1, 2007
prior to the planning commission hearing it. That is all I know right
now.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MR. SCHMITT: If the meeting is canceled, we will have
someone here basically to announce that the meeting is canceled.
Again, there's no special requirement as far as advertising. It
was a special meeting at the request of the Board of County
Commissioners is what you're aware of. And we can -- how to deal
with that, I'm going to turn to the county attorneys for opinion.
Do we need to meet and then cancel or we just cancel the
meeting between now, and then if we get word that the item -- the
board's going to deal with that?
MR. KLA TZKOW: I'll leave this to the discretion of the
chairman at this point in time. I think it's within your power to simply
continue it right here and right now so that the public is aware that
there's no point showing up November 14th.
You can continue it without setting a date. And we'll have
further direction, as Mr. Schmitt said, on the 13th of November,
perhaps. Or you can simply choose to meet as scheduled November
14th, and then if the board cancels November 13th, we can put a staff
member in front of the door to advise people that it has been canceled.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN : Well, first of all, if we were going -- if
we don't continue it and it stays on the agenda and we don't know
until the 13th, we wouldn't have enough time to adequately review for
the 14th. So I think the decision needs to be made today and
whatever that decision is has to stick in regards to our involvement,
from our perspective. Because if we're going to prepare for that one,
and that's a pretty lengthy preparation, we can't wait until the decision
on the 13th to prepare.
So ifthere is a question at this point, it looks like it's going to
have to be continued, just to be fair for the analysis that we'd have to
do.
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November 1, 2007
By the way, for anybody who's not understanding what issue it
is, it's the Bert Harris claim that was remanded back involving the
Cocohatchee project in North Naples.
I don't know what the reasons are or what's changed with the
board, although I don't know any circumstances that would have
changed other than that the applicant is trying to maybe resolve
things. I don't know what's going on.
MR. KLA TZKOW: I have no independent knowledge of any
issue.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. I think it's in the best interest of
this board, so that in any case we provide a -- we have enough time to
thoroughly understand it. And if the BCC is not making a decision
until the 13th, by all means we need to entertain a motion to continue
until another time that is selected in the future.
Mr. Kolflat?
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: I make a motion that we
continue this issue.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Is there a second?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: I'll second it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Seconded by Commissioner Adelstein.
Is there any discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, the motion's been made to
continue indefinitely --
COMMISSIONER CARON: I just have a question. Are we
certain that the BCC will not take it up until the 13th?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I don't think they have another meeting
till then, do they?
MR. SCHMITT: They have an AUIR meeting on the 5th, which
is the special meeting of the Board of County Commissioners for the
AUIR, 5th and 6th. I would assume that that meeting will only take
one day, but next Monday. So the board, because they meet, could
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November 1, 2007
provide guidance on the 5th at a special meeting.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, Joe, we don't have another
meeting between now and the 14th, so the only meeting we can take
action at is now.
MR. SCHMITT: Correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Jeff, if we continue this now but the
Board agrees that we should continue -- they still want us to hear it
and they make that decision on the 5th or 6th, can we still have the
meeting on the 14th, or do we just have to go to the next -- the week
after or something like that?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: It would have to be
afterwards.
MR. KLA TZKOW: There's no requirement that this be
advertised, but I always think it's a good thing to get the public
involvement. So that I think -- I do think there should be some time
lag. I don't know what the open calendar is like, when you can meet
again for this.
MR. SCHMITT: The planning commission has a meeting on
the 15th, but there certainly is no room on that agenda for that item.
And I would like to advise the planning commissioners that we
do have revised site plans and additional information to hand out that
we were preparing to send -- actually, we were going to send it
yesterday and then I got word that possibly just hold off until 1-- so
there is additional information that was going to be sent to you.
I think it's in the best interest of the planning commission right
now, based on at least what I'm aware, and I probably turn to Margie
because she may have more information -- because there was a
meeting between the respective attorneys. But we would probably
have to find some date in December, if we were -- and I will have to
do that, based on board guidance and tell the board that based on the
direction right now, the uncertainty, that the meeting for the 14th is at
least continued. And if the board directs, we'll try and reschedule a
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November 1, 2007
meeting in December.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: My recommendation would be to
continue indefinitely. There's some other issues on it, I really want to
go through the record on it here, involving a site plan that could take
some additional time. So my recommendation would be to continue
it indefinitely.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Brad, did you have a comment?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Just the concern is that in the
Bert Harris there is a lot of timing triggers. And the last time we were
here we got the attorney for the applicant to state that obviously he
would hold this in abeyance, but does this continuance -- would it in
any way cause us to lose something on the timing threshold?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I don't think so, because we're
trying to work these issues out, and everybody understands that, so --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, there's a motion then to continue
this item indefinitely at the discretion of the BCC and the time tables,
and there was a second.
Any further discussion? Anybody.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All those in favor, signify by saying
aye.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries 7-0.
Page 8
November 1, 2007
Item #4
PLANNING COMMISSION ABSENCES
Okay. Mr. Schmitt touched on something on the 15th. First of
all, on the 15th of the month, it's our regular meeting. I'm assuming
everybody's going to be able to make it--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: No, I may be --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray won't?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- I have jury duty notice, so --
during that week. Don't know if they'll call me.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. The -- we have two -- that's a
pretty lengthy agenda. Actually, I got it the other day as a draft
format. I asked the person sending it to me not to publish it because I
don't agree with the agenda.
We have one, two, three, four, five, six regularly scheduled
hearings involving PUDs and variances. And then we have all -- one,
two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine of the adoption hearing
issues from the GMP. If you recall, we went through transmittal.
Now, I had asked staff to look for a separate date to hear the
GMP things. I never got a response to it. Instead I got an agenda
showing it added to the 15th, which I previously had asked them not
to do.
The adoption items are critical. They're comprehensive plan --
they're Growth Management Plan amendments, and it's important for
this board to have adequate time to review them, and it's also equally
important to have time to air them in the public. It doesn't help to
have staff sitting here all day long waiting for seven or eight agenda
items to go through and at the end of the day start the GMP stuff.
Ray, before the meeting adjourned this morning I asked you to
find alternative dates that this room is available in the month of
November. I would like those items moved to an alternative date m
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November 1, 2007
the month of November, in this room, whether it be morning,
afternoon or evening. I would expect it be three to four hours for us
to get through those items. But it shouldn't be done on the same day
as our 15th.
So unless there's a disagreement from the board members here,
I'd like you to take that as direction to change it, and we just need to
get it done.
The next time if I suggest something like that and you don't
agree with me, if you could let me know ahead of time so we could
have the discussion, it sure would be helpful.
MR. BELLOWS: For the record, I asked compo planning to
respond. I don't know what happened. I'll check on that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Also, on the 15th, we have an
item that's coming up that is in an ST area in Collier County. Two
days ago I asked county staff why it was not -- to give me a valid
reason as to why that was not going to the EAC, because under the
EAC they're supposed to review issues that are in ST areas.
I was told they passed my message on to Bill Lorenz. It's been
two days. I've gotten no response from Mr. Lorenz.
MR. SCHMITT: He responded this morning.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I'm here.
MR. SCHMITT: I realize that.
There are several special treatment designations, and this is a
wellfield ST area. It is not an area that is reviewed by the EAC.
There's no impact into the well fields by this rezoning, and basically
there is no need to send this to the EAC.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, I just now, since you just told
me that information, I will verify what he said myself, and I'll e-mail
you guys back on whether or not this needs to be remanded to the
EAC in regards to that ST issue.
I don't know if Bill's statement is consistent with the way these
areas have been looked at before in the past, but that needs to be
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November 1, 2007
verified. We should be consistent in the way we look at all these
applications. So I'll have get back with you tomorrow after I get time
to read that e-mail.
Item # 5
APPROVAL OF MINUTES SEPTEMBER 20, 2007, REGULAR
MEETING
Okay, with that, the approval of minutes of the September 20th
regular meeting. Has everybody in their packet received them? Is
there a motion to approve?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: So moved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion made by Commissioner
Adelstein.
Is there a second?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Second.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Seconded by Commissioner Murray.
Any discussion? Anybody.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All in favor, signify by saymg aye.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries 7-0.
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November 1,2007
Item #6
BCC REPORT, RECAPS - SEPTEMBER 25,2007, REGULAR
MEETING; OCTOBER 9, 2007, REGULAR MEETING
Ray, the BCC report.
MR. BELLOWS: Yes, the Board of County Commissioners met
on October 23rd. They heard the conditional use for the Fawzy
excavation, earth mining petition. That was denied by the Board of
Zoning Appeals by a vote of 3-2.
The board also heard the variance for the Wendy's Restaurant
off Immokalee Road. That was approved on the summary agenda, as
well as the PUD zone for Habitat W oodcrest. That was also approved
on the summary agenda.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you.
Item #7
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
Chairman's report. I have one item to bring up today, and that is,
for all of you who probably already know it, Russell Tuff had to
resign due to a conflict with his newly promoted position over at the
Naples Daily News.
So I guess congratulations to him on one count for being
promoted, and I don't know if it's congratulations or what on the
second for not being here. But I'm sure there'll be somebody else
coming along.
With that, we'll get into -- oh, as Mr. Schiffer had indicated, he
requested under new business we add a discussion of the county
e-mail involving additional information. That will come up on 10 --
number one under new business.
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November 1,2007
And I will be adding an item for discussion of a joint workshop
with the City of Naples at that time.
And with that, we'll go into the advertised public hearings.
Again, for those in the audience who came in late, the Naples
Bath and Tennis petition has been continued. It will probably be
towards the end of December before we hear that. But it has been
continued. It will not be heard today.
Item #8B
PETITION: PE-2007-AR-12164
The second petition is Petition PE-2007 -AR-12164, the Keith
Basik, Larry Basik, Jeff Basik of Naples Big Cypress Market Place.
It's a parking exemption petition.
All those wishing to testify on behalf of this petition, please rise
to be sworn in by the court reporter.
(Speakers were duly sworn.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you. Are there disclosures on
the part of the planning commission?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I do.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yes. I had a phone conference
call with Patrick White and the developers who are in the room, and
we discussed essentially the access from Trinity.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody else?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: My part, I had a discussion with Mr.
White as well. I informed him that because it was in the notification
area of a project in which I receive income from, I would not be
voting on this under the perception of a conflict, but I will be chairing
the meeting.
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November 1,2007
So with that, I'll -- and if there's no other disclosures, we'll
continue with the applicant's presentation.
MR. WHITE: Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Commission
members. Patrick White with the law firm of Porter, Wright, Morris
& Arthur, representing the Naples Big Cypress Market Place,
Limited Partnership, LLP.
I note for the record that the general partner of that is Basik
Development, LLC, and that its managing members are Jeffrey and
Keith Basik.
In addition to my remarks, we may have -- Mr. Larry Basik
desired to comment on some aspect of the case. But essentially I'm
all yours today.
We've worked closely with staff in this application to address a
number of procedural and substantive aspects, and I just would like at
this time to acknowledge their assistance in that regard. It has been
most helpful in getting us here today in a timely manner.
The request for which we seek your favorable recommendation
is a parking exemption. It has its regulatory root in the LDC in
Section 4.05.02, capital letter K, which is entitled Exemption to
Locational Requirements.
And in Subsection 3.A of that, under (2), a lot such as this
which is proposed for off-site parking qualifies, as it's not zoned
commercial.
Here the subject, approximately 9.8 acres, are zoned
agricultural, which under the LDC of course is not a commercial
designation.
The proposed off-site parking would be interconnected with the
existing roadway and immediately adjacent and abutting
commercially-zoned parcels to the west, the most proximate of which
will have the Naples Big Cypress Market Place structure on it and for
which the maximum of355 parking spaces being sought is intended
to be located.
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November 1,2007
The very same parcel may be familiar to you, as it was the
subject of a recent request for a small-scale comprehensive plan
amendment. In that regard, your staff has found the parking
exemption to not be inconsistent with the comprehensive plan.
And I say it that way because the staff report indicates that there
is no provision directly on point with respect to this type of a request
other than to the extent that it is required to be considered compatible
under the Future Land Use Element Policy 5.4, which I believe the
responses to the criterion for your consideration reflect in the staff
report.
Turning specifically to consideration of those LDC criteria
themselves, I note there are a few minor modifications that, based on
the staffs comments and discussion in what we have in the staff
report, I think are worthy of note in the narrative that was provided as
part of the application package.
First off, this is an irregularly shaped parcel, as you can see on
the viewer. It's intended to allow the construction of some basic
parking facilities. The narrative originally indicated it was for
approximately 372, but it's in fact 355 total additional parking spaces:
338 of them are regular spaces, and approximately 17 are intended
as -- for parking of oversized vehicles.
Looking to the criteria set forth in the LDC under the
4.05.02.K.3, the application meets the intent of the criteria therein as
evidenced in the staff report and as I'll discuss momentarily.
The staff report also indicates that the application is associated
with an SDP that is approved, that being SDP 2002-AR-2230. That is
presently in for a proposed amendment, an SDP A denoted as
AR-8747.
How that SDP A ultimately shapes up and is considered for
approval by the staff is largely going to depend upon whether we
have the favor of your recommendation and the board's approval. So
it's pending but awaiting some further determination through this
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November 1,2007
process.
All of the parking spaces that are being requested are
essentially, as to the existing SDP, overflow parking in that those
spaces exceed the minimum parking standards required by the
approved SDP and as referenced in the LDC under Sections
4.05.04.G and 4.05.09 for the adjacent commercial uses to the west,
that being the Market Place structure and others. And in fact these
spaces will support those uses.
The off-site parking area is intended solely to further support
those uses but is not itself zoned commercial. As I noted, it is ago
Weare required to demonstrate in order to qualifY for the
requested relief that fact under the provision of the LDC I mentioned
at the beginning of my remarks.
The existing commercial area, which already has existing
required parking provided, is separated from this area by an internal
access roadway that will extend from north to south between them
along their shared boundary line. And that roadway will also serve to
interconnect the commercial uses with both the required and the
access parking.
As designed, the farthest overflow parking spaces from the
facility to be served, Market Place, are in fact closer than some of the
required spaces already provided on-site further to the west, across
Basik Drive.
All of the spaces being provided, both under the existing SDP
and as proposed under this exemption, are within ready walking
distance to the adjacent uses, a criterion for your consideration, and
as a result will not require internal traffic flow to leave the
commercial site in order to reach the proposed off-site parking. Thus
patrons and employees parking in this lot would not be required to
cross Basik Drive, an enhancement to public safety.
Access to the overflow is also provided through to the adjacent
public road, Trinity Place, over a short portion of the road closest to
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November 1, 2007
the East Trail, U.S. 41. Trinity Place is primarily used to access a
local residential neighborhood of 13 or so homes, but it's worth noting
that the LDC does establish that it is essentially a criterion for
consideration that we provide some connection directly to the public
road. And that is what the access to Trinity place is intended to
achieve.
You'll further note that your transportation staff has imposed a
condition we are agreeable to, that access to Trinity will be gated and
used for emergency purposes only.
The primary route of access for overflow parking will be
through the existing roadways on SDP 2330 and will go through to
the north and west to Basik Drive and then out to U.S. 41. This will
further enhance pedestrian and vehicular safety by reducing the
amount of queuing that will take place. We believe that this will
occur because the traffic will essentially have two options as it enters
Basik Drive, both to turn to the east, go around through the internal
drives to the parking exemption lot, if you will, further to the east of
the Market Place facility, and, as already allowed for, the bulk of the
parking to be further to the west. So by allowing the traffic to kind of
divide, we believe it will reduce the queuing, stacking and potentially
any traffic conflicts for vehicles arriving from the west on 41.
We also believe that this will -- the parking exemption, if
granted, will protect the character and the quality of the existing
neighborhood. And we believe that that's true because of the fact
that we're looking to gate the access to Trinity Place and have the rest
of the traffic circulate through to the already existing commercial
designated lands.
Turning a little bit more to the surrounding properties, the only
immediately abutting but unrelated uses are those existing to the north
of the subject lands on what is, as to the immediately adjacent parcel
vacant but also agriculturally zoned property. It may be eventually
developed, but in order to be assured that any potential impacts from
Page 17
November 1, 2007
the parking lot are properly addressed, there will be a Type B buffer
of 15 feet along that side.
The other two sides kind of more to the south are proposed
along 41 to have a Type D 15-foot buffer, and I believe along the
Trinity side a Type D 10-foot buffer. I believe the staff report
indicates they're both, the type D's are 10-foot. But if you look at our
concept plan -- thank you, Ray -- it indicates down there in the fine
print that the one along 41 will be 15 feet wide.
Because there are no abutting residential uses in that ago parcel
to our north, no wall is being proposed as part of the buffers, and that
is consistent with the LDC's requirement. But we also note that any
structures, were they to be on commercial lands, which these are not,
would have to be set back 15 feet.
So I believe with the buffer that we're intending to put in place,
as a matter of fact, no structure could be in the area that would
otherwise be required, even if this were considered to be commercial.
So I think we're meeting what the intent of the LDC is, although not
required to do so.
None of the proposed parking spaces will require motor vehicles
to pack out onto any street, and indeed, that is an LDC requirement
we comply with.
Although the staff report under item 11 -- I'm sorry, it may not
be 11, I think it's maybe 10 -- indicates that no valet parking is
proposed, our narrative indicated that from time to time for certain
types of events valet parking may be offered as a convenience to
some of the patrons. And I believe that that only further enhances the
opportunity for vehicles to move quickly through the parking areas
and to be parked as far as possible away from the Market Place use by
the valet employees so that, again, more spaces nearby are available
for those who choose not to use that service. But as I indicated, it is
not proposed to be provided on a routine basis, only kind of in a
special event.
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November 1, 2007
Number 11 of the criteria on the staff report at the bottom of
Page 5, although not commented on by staff, our narrative made clear
that some employee parking may take place in this lot, and that it's
the intention of the owners that those employees will be directed to
park as far as possible, that would be to the east if they're in this
parking lot, or potentially if the spaces are even further to the west on
the other side ofBasik Drive, to have the employees park there. So
that again, more spaces are as proximate as possible to the actual
entrance of the Market Place.
As a further means to assure that the maximum number of
already existing required spaces will be available for customers
arriving in individual vehicles, all the buses and other similar larger
occupancy vehicles are intended to be parked in the proposed off-site
area for which there are presently 17 spaces or so anticipated.
Given the close proximity of the parking area to the intended
adjacent uses, we don't believe that there is a more viable alternative
that exists or available, and staff concurs in that respect.
And based on the foregoing statements that support the design
itself and the site's operational parameters, we believe that pedestrian
and vehicular safety will be assured, and that the parking exemption
will be compatible with the surrounding uses and thereby
demonstrated to be consistent with FLUE Policy 5.4.
Based on the points I presented and the materials that are on file
in the record, we believe that a recommendation of approval of the
request is warranted. I'm happy to answer any questions you may
have, and would just ask to reserve time to address any staff or public
comments or questions by the planning commission.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, Mr. White. There are
questions.
Mr. Kolflat?
COMMISSIONER KOLFLAT: Yes. Ray, would you put that
overhead on the zoning again, please.
Page 19
November 1, 2007
I just would like you to confirm my understanding of the
number of spaces. What are the number of spaces in C-4?
MR. WHITE: Is that a question for Ray or me?
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: For you.
MR. WHITE: Okay. Under the existing approved site plan,
and I'm not sure that's the exhibit you wanted. Is it, Mr. Kolflat? Is
that the one you wanted, that's on the visualizer?
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Yes.
MR. WHITE: In C-4, I don't know that I can separate out the
number that are in just the C-4, because you'll note that I believe
there's additionally a portion that is C-5. But as to both of those
commercial designated parcels, the amount of parking under the
existing SDP that is required was I believe 300 and -- one second --
what was required was 438, and what was provided on those lands
were 477. We're asking for an additional 355 maximum on these
adjacent more easterly lands that are there.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: I understood in C-4 there were
34 spaces, and C-5, 439. Is that incorrect?
MR. WHITE: I don't have them broken down by the respective
zoning districts, but I'm being told by staff and the owner that that's
correct.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: That is correct?
MR. WHITE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: What constitutes an oversized
vehicle? An SUV, a bus, a semi-trailer or what?
MR. WHITE: We were thinking buses. I'm not certain of how
any other types of large occupancy vehicles will be on the site as far
as semis or not. I really don't know how that will play out as things
move forward.
The reason why, as I mentioned, the pending SDPA isn't
finalized is because in part we're looking to assure that we're going to
properly design it to accommodate those types of vehicles so that
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November 1,2007
they'll have an ease of turnaround.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Would you limit it to buses
and exclude semi-trailers?
MR. WHITE: I have an indication from the owner's
representative that they would be willing to do so.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Thank you.
The material we received had questions relative to valet. Some
said valet parking would be used, another said valet parking would
not be used. I understand from your statement this morning that you
would like to have valet parking as a feature.
MR. WHITE: It will be something I believe that from time to
time is going to be offered to the patrons, and I believe that that
enhances the function of the actual parking exemption itself by, as I
mentioned, allowing for a more quick drop-off of patrons and a
further parking away from the entrance of those vehicles that are
valeted.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: So you would like to have the
valet parking feature retained?
MR. WHITE: Yes. It is not a fundamental aspect of what we're
asking for, it's simply one of the criterion for consideration.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Right. Now, do you concur
that the Trinity Place access is only for emergency?
MR. WHITE: Absolutely. We agree with the staff condition.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Right. Now, looking at the
parking as you come up Trinity Place there where they were going to
have the oversized vehicles stored or parked, it appears that you
would pull in head first coming up Trinity Place.
MR. WHITE: No, sir. As I mentioned, what you have is our
originally proposed concept plan for the site. Based upon the staff
comments we received about their desire to have Trinity Place gated,
which we agreed to, we did not go back and redesign this, because it
is conceptual.
Page 21
November 1, 2007
But my comments I made a few moments ago indicate that we
recognize that there will have to be some redesign under the SDP A
that is presently pending to accommodate the means by which those
vehicles would turn around so that they could enter nose first into the
spaces as they're diagonally oriented.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: So that would be taken care of.
MR. WHITE: Yes, sir --
COMMISSIONER KOLFLAT: Thank you. That's all I had,
Mark.
MR. WHITE: -- I appreciate you noticing it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Patrick, a quick question.
Something confusing on -- there's an SDP that you said was
approved.
MR. WHITE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But there's one section here
where, you know, that situation where if you go over 120 percent of
the requirements of the code, and it appears that that's waiting the
approval of the SDP. It's on Page 2, the paragraph right above
surrounding land use.
MR. WHITE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: What is the status of -- or is
that paragraph confusing me?
MR. WHITE: I can assure you, we had the same initial reaction
to it. As I've indicated, note that this parcel's not zoned commercial.
I'm not sure of the legal applicability of the provision that's cited
there. Regardless, we're willing to go along with the staffs
assessment of that.
It is not directly the subject of to day's consideration for the
parking exemption, but as the staff report indicates, something that
we're being put on notice of and will be addressed as part of the
SOP A.
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November 1,2007
And let me tell you what our anticipated handling of that will
be. We've gone through and done the calculations based on the LDC
requirements, which is what provision 4.05.04.C speaks to, and we
believe that we will be only approximately three or four spaces
overall above the threshold of 120 percent.
So we appreciate the staff pointing it out to us. If we trip that
number of 120 percent, then we're certainly prepared to comply with
whatever procedural steps we need to go through. But our belief is
that factually we will not have to, we will be under that threshold.
Although we're asking for 355, we may only build 351. And
our intention is -- we've talked to our engineer about this -- is to
potentially eliminate the most easterly of those bus diagonal
oversized vehicle parking spaces in an effort to facilitate a turnaround
for those types of vehicles.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay, so the SDP that's
approved would trigger and you'd cure it by removing some parking
places.
MR. WHITE: The SDP that's pending, not the one that's
approved. But essentially, yes is the answer to your question.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. The other question is,
will you be joining these properties via unity of title? And if so,
would it then be considered off-site?
MR. WHITE: Because of the zoning, I believe it is considered
off-site by the LDC. In fact, if -- the ownerships, to answer your
question in part, are the same. But for those ownerships having only
recently gone into essentially the same entity holding title to them, I
believe we may have qualified for administrative relief under
provision one or two of the same section of the LDC that this parking
exemption is found under.
Those are ones that anticipated administrative type of approval.
But because the ownerships are in the same entity at this point, the
only option we have is to come forward for this exemption from the
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November 1,2007
locational requirements that requires us to be designated as a parking
exemption.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other questions of Mr. White?
Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Good morning, Mr. White.
MR. WHITE: Good morning, Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: You speak of -- let's talk about
safety, which is a paramount issue for us. I know that the consortium
plans to do some work, and I can't recall whether or not the U. S. 41
will be two-lane or four-lane as far as that area. Do you happen to
know?
MR. WHITE: I believe it is going to be four-Ianed.
And I note for the record that Mr. Keith Basik has arrived and I
believe he was otherwise at those discussions this morning about the
consortium.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And in the structure of the
laning, will there be a rather long queue for a left-hand turn to allow
people to queue and come into the flea market?
MR. WHITE: My understanding, Mr. Murray, is that that
consideration would be made in conjunction with the FDOT at the
time.
My further understanding is that they are not at that level of
planning development and engineering studies, PDEs. However, my
expectation is that we're going to look to have at least the minimum
that's required for what the functional aspects are of that turn-in, that
left turn-in.
So to answer your question is we will -- we anticipate it, we
expect that it is going it be required, and we're going to make it as
long as it needs to be, if not longer.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's fine.
Then let's go into the interior of your area. Now, I'm really not
Page 24
November 1, 2007
happy with the documents that I received to be able to review
effectively. If you'd like to put your finger on the space where the
entrance is between C-4 and A on that current document before us.
MR. WHITE: I can put one on the visualizer that may make it a
little easier.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That would be wonderful.
MR. WHITE: I believe that the location you're requesting for
me to direct your attention and that of the commission to is here.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, wherever it is that people
come in. I'm talking about off of U.S. 41.
MR. WHITE: They will enter off of Basik Drive.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Please point that out on this
diagram.
MR. WHITE: It is not part of the subject lands for this, but I
can momentarily.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: It really should have been in
order for us to evaluate a common driveway, if there is one.
MR. WHITE: As the staff report and my presentation indicates,
there's already an approved SDP. And I note for the record it is
AR-2330. And I'll demonstrate on the visualizer how the traffic flow
is intended to operate.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you.
(Mr. White indicates.)
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Good. Now, we speak --
MR. WHITE: Can I just make one other comment, Mr.
Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Certainly.
MR. WHITE: As I noted before, this is an additional alternative
for vehicles arriving. Presently the bulk of the vehicles would be
coming in traveling off of U.S. 41 in a northerly direction and only
able to turn essentially left and to the west. So we're providing two
opportunities for those vehicles to disburse.
Page 25
November 1, 2007
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. Using this document
here and talking about two things, queuing, where will your people be
who will be directing vehicles to go to their parking spaces, whether
they be left or right, ultimately?
MR. WHITE: My belief is that as part of the SDPA we may be
committing to either signage and/or, depending upon the size of some
type of an event, providing additional employees to flag vehicles,
depending upon how well the patrons adapt to the increased and new
opportunity for parking.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, that's very vague in terms
of safety requirement. And I'm very much concerned with safety
requirements here.
We have the potential for 800 vehicles. We have -- they're all
going to queue up within a certain time frame and they're going to be
coming from left and right, and you're talking about valet parking,
which I question as to its applicability for moving vehicles. In fact, I
think it's a stop jerk type of thing, people have to get out of their cars,
others have to get in. So ifthere's adequate queuing, it might be
acceptable.
But I would think you would need people there pretty much
from the beginning of the opening, especially -- I haven't been to a
flea market yet that didn't have somebody directing vehicles. Now,
maybe there are cases, and maybe, you know, the Basik family would
be eager to do that. But I'd like to think that there was a plan to do
that.
MR. WHITE: I'm telling you that there is a plan, it is just not
one that is committed to in writing here. It will potentially be
evaluated as part of the SDPA.
We're looking for something that's a bit of a square peg in a
round hole here when it comes to parking exemptions. We're asking
Park to treat it, I think to some degree, like approval of a use, when
in fact it isn't. In some respects it's kind of like a variance, but it's not.
Page 26
November 1, 2007
And so although we share your concerns about safety, and those
have been the paramount decision-making aspects of it, to give you a
specific answer to how we've thought that through as far as valet
goes, you'll note that there are multiple parking aisles down which
patrons will be able to turn further to the east to provide parking, and
that the entrance, which I'll point to now, people will be able to stop
there and essentially queue a few vehicles at a time without
interfering with the rest of the flow to get to these additional parking
spaces.
So I believe that there is a plan. I've discussed that with the
owners as far as how the gate itself would operate, as far as I've
indicated earlier signage and other potential employees being present
at the junctions for turning movements to help facilitate the flow of
traffic. I think it's fair to say part of what our answers are going to
have to be are going to be based upon experience.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, that may be true to some
degree. But I would say to you that in these tight budgeting times, if
we're going to end up because of your development having to put a
sheriffs deputy, one or more, there to control traffic, that's a cost to
the county that shouldn't be borne by the county. And I would offer
that we perhaps put a stipulation in that requires that there be some
form of man control, manned control.
MR. WHITE: My brief discussion confirming our prior
discussions with the owners indicates that if deputies are required,
they would be paid for. If employees are required in order to
facilitate the movement of vehicles, they will be out there on-site. So
I believe that there's a commitment to doing that. I'm just not certain
how it fits into a condition, if you will, for the parking exemption to
be improved.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, for it to be exempted
from whatever constraints there are in the LDC, safety is a big factor,
that's how I believe it fits.
Page 27
November 1,2007
I'm finished, Mr. Chairman.
MR. WHITE: I'm not saying I don't agree with your rationale,
I'm just saying I don't know how we write the condition.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, I think what you've
answered is that you've agreed, you're on record, having said that
whether it be your own employees or the county sheriff's deputies that
you will make payment for those. And I don't know what the
tripping point would be for that. I would imagine the first time that
they have a tremendous backlog and it may be safety and accident.
Hopefully not. Thank you.
MR. WHITE: I'm expecting that that would be a part of the
SDP A review by the staff and that approval. And that seemed to me
more logically as a matter of process where those considerations and
potential conditions would be imposed.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, you may be right, and
I'm sure our professional staff will do a fine job. I just want to make
sure it's on the record that we care.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yes, according to the plan that
you have up there now, the oversized parking spaces are 34. Now,
I've heard you say 17 in this meeting, and I just want to confirm that
it is 17 oversized parking spaces and not 34.
MR. WHITE: That is correct. The narrative is the only place
where I believe 34 is referenced. The actual plan itself, I've counted
them more than once, are 17 of those spaces. And as I'd indicated,
the greater likelihood is that at least four of them may be removed.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Well, I'djust like to correct you
on that fact, because the plan itself does say 34. I can count the
spaces myself, and if you count each dash you're looking at 34. If
you count the space itself, it's 17.
But according to one of the documents I have on here, it states
that there are 34 vehicle spaces here -- on one of these, Patrick, but
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November 1,2007
you need to go back and just correct that.
MR. WHITE: I'm going to correct it now on the record, Ms.
Caron. I appreciate you pointing out that detail. It should indicate on
there that it is 17. I note that this is conceptual. And there are, I
believe -- and my oversight to not have noted that there were, I guess
through the dashed lines the possibility of interpreting it as two
parking bumpers.
But given the size of the vehicles, I believe it's the intent of the
owners that there will be utilization of those as a one-to-one, so that
the 17 will be corrected where it's written, and the graphic indication
of 17 spaces for oversight (sic) is what we're at this point proposing.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Thank you.
MR. WHITE: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER CARON: I'm not through.
Your client -- and this, Patrick, is a yes or no question.
MR. WHITE: Yes, ma'am.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Your clients are a part of the
transportation DCA consortium?
MR. WHITE: Yes, ma'am.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Thank you. Now, next, the
buffers along Trinity Place, it seems to me odd that we would have
15-foot buffers against U.S. 41 and only a IO-foot buffer against
Trinity Place where the residential is located.
MR. WHITE: My understanding is that that flows from the way
the LDC operates in that when you have a more intense transportation
route, an artery or collector, a buffer is required to be wider.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Thank you. And I understand that
because I can read the LDC as well. However, I'm talking about your
clients being good neighbors, and I would think that you would
increase the buffering against the neighborhood as a good neighbor
policy, if nothing else.
MR. WHITE: I would indicate for the record that the owners
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November 1,2007
are agreeable to a 15-foot as well along Trinity Place for a Type D, I
believe that one is. And we will so indicate.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Are you done?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Go ahead.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Brad, did you have another
question?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yeah, I do.
And Patrick, I'm still confused on the parking again. The
original existing approved SDP -- and this building is under
construction, correct?
MR. WHITE: Yes, it is.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Has 477 spaces provided.
What you're requesting today is to add, and forget the oversized for a
second, 338 more spaces, right?
MR. WHITE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: What's happening to the
building that would -- and you stated that if you figure it out you're
close to the 120 percent. But this looks like it's almost really doubling
the parking.
I know that the calculation for the building is one per 100. I'm
sure you have food and stuff like that that's going to raise that, but --
MR. WHITE: The calculation under the approved SDP 2330
was approved for an alternative parking methodology that, as
indicated on 2330's site plan, is at one to 100. The LDC requirement
is one to 50. And in fact that is part of what is propelling this
request, is to be more consistent with the LDC's requirements.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. But you said the other
SDP was approved, so essentially --
MR. WHITE: It was. But that was a 2002 application. And
we're at this point looking to make some productive use of this
property and to do so in a way that's more consistent with the LDC.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: That makes sense.
Page 30
November 1, 2007
Do you have a copy of the new SDP?
MR. WHITE: I do not have one with me. The only copy I have
is in a plan set. It is essentially though the same bounded area. And
I'm happy to make that available for your review, if you're interested
in seeing it.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And the other question is,
there's a lot of vacant land, open space on the site. Is there any plans
to do any development on that or would that be left open?
MR. WHITE: I'm unaware of any present plans, and believe
thus it would be left open. My understanding is it may be grassed.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. But, I mean, you're not
going to store anything, trailers, nothing like that is going to be driven
on that --
MR. WHITE: No.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: The parking spaces that are going
on this ago property, are they going to be -- and I should have asked
this the first time around, are they going to be grass parking spaces or
paved parking spaces?
MR. WHITE: All of the aisles and access ways will be paved.
All the handicapped will be paved. My belief is that as a matter of
that SDPA review, many of the parking spaces will be gravel over a
stabilized base and they will have each parking bumpers to identify
the appropriate spaces.
We had had an initial discussion with staff about some portion
being grassed, and I believe we will work that out with the staff to the
extent that they're comfortable with it as part of the SDP A.
Our goal was to not increase anymore than necessary the
impervious area. And I believe that our application committed to
providing double trees in the interior islands, notwithstanding the fact
that I don't believe we trip the requirement of 4.05.04.C that talks
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November 1,2007
about for commercial parcels needing either that variance, if you're
over 120 percent, or not. So we're committing to the double trees
that are part of that standard, regardless.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other questions ofMr. White?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, we'll hear the staff report.
MR. WHITE: Thank you. I'd ask to reserve some time to
respond to any additional public or other comments.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes.
MR. WHITE: Thank you.
MR. BROWN: Good morning. Willie Brown, principal
planner with the department of zoning and land development review.
The petitioner's description of the project is consistent with the
application submitted to the department of zoning and land
development review.
The property is within the urban residential fringe district, as
shown on the Future Land Use map of the county's Growth
Management Plan. However, the GMP is silent regarding parking
exemptions.
FLUE Policy 5.4 requires new developments to be compatible
with the surrounding land area. Comprehensive planning leaves this
determination to the zoning and land development review staff, as a
part of their review of this petition in its entirety.
The LDC specifies criteria upon which parking exemptions may
be approved. Section 4.05.02.K.3.A, number two of the LDC, allows
a parking exemption to be sought when a lot proposed for off-site
parking is not zoned commercial.
The subject property is zoned agricultural, as you already heard.
In addition, there are 13 criteria which must be met, upon which staff
elaborates in the staff report. Most importantly is the impact of the
exemption on the character and quality of the neighborhood and
future development of surrounding properties.
Page 32
November 1,2007
Staffs assessment is that this impact would be minimal. The
site was previously cultivated for row crops. It's currently vacant and
undeveloped. Surrounding the site are properties zoned agricultural
with lot sizes of five acres or more, and there are no contiguous
residential zoned districts.
In addition, buffers are proposed along the perimeter of the site,
as required by the LDC.
Also, access is provided, as you've heard, via Basik Drive,
which channels traffic directly into the site and away from local
abutting roadways.
Lastly, no letters of opposition have been received, and staff is
recommending approval of this petition.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any questions?
Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Good morning, sir.
MR. BROWN: Good morning.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Is valet parking a commercial
activity?
MR. BROWN: My manager is nodding no, it is not considered
to be a commercial activity.
MR. BELLOWS: For the record, Ray Bellows.
It would be considered an accessory to the principal use. They
can have valet, such as a restaurant or any other type. A museum can
have valet parking. It's accessory to that particular use.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other questions of staff?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Got off easy this time. Thank you.
Are there any public speakers, Ray?
MR. BELLOWS: Yes, I believe we have four public speakers.
The first one is Paul Rodinsky.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: When you come to the microphone,
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November 1,2007
please state your name for the record. And we ask that you limit your
discussion to five minutes. Thank you.
MR. RODINSKY: My name is Paul Rodinsky. I live at 11231
Trinity Place.
I think that this parking lot that Mr. Basik is -- wants for the
overflow parking, I think that it's definitely going to need it there and
it's probably going to need a lot more there.
He also has a plan for a trailer park in the back of this project.
There's also storage companies. And they all use this Basik Drive,
which is a good road.
But there's been a problem over the years with there's an
easement which Mr. Murray was talking about between the flea
market and this parking lot that also has fire hydrants in place for an
emergency road that they wouldn't need one off of Trinity Place if
they have one coming right off of 41.
But this easement's had problems over the years, because the
Basik Road was built a little bit too close to this easement, and so
they won't allow Mr. Basik to use this easement for this particular
Basik project, which it all should be kept to Basik's project.
And now since Mr. Basik's asked these people back in '89, I
think it was, for the use of this easement for his flea market, he was
denied mainly because this road that Mr. Basik built, Basik Drive, is
too close to this easement coming off 41. And since then Mr. Basik
has purchased the 10 acres of land to the left side of this road.
Now, I can't understand why the state and why the county won't
look at this and let Mr. Basik move this road so it could be a proper
distance between Basik Drive and this easement so this way they can
do the proper changes onto 41, so when he does decide to develop
this land that he's using this parking lot on, he'll never have to use
Trinity Place so it won't end up like the flea market on Davis
Boulevard.
But it's so hard to try to get the state and the county, for them to
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November 1,2007
look at this now that Mr. Basik has purchased this 10 acres of land, to
let him move it to 20 feet so it will be the proper distance from Basik
Road. And then people are telling me, well, it will be to close to
Trinity Place Road. Well, we can't do anything on Trinity Place
Road, because Basik owns that corner property now, and across the
street there's a cypress buff over there that's been dedicated by the
golf course.
So I can't understand why the county won't look at this and the
state won't look at this and let Mr. Basik move this easement to 20
feet so this way he'll have two major lanes coming right off 41.
When he does the improvements they can come in on one side and go
out on the other side.
And plus the fact that they're not showing -- this flow of traffic
is going to have a trailer park in the back with a couple hundred
trailers in the back of it. There's also a storage company coming off
Basik Road.
But this parking lot he's proposed here is great. It's terrific.
This is going to be a slam dunk for Collier County. Collier County
has nothing like this. Matter of fact, Lee County has nothing like
this. An 800-person arena, 350 indoor booths. This is not going to be
a two-day-a-week thing. This is going to be at least a
five-day-a-week thing, you've got an 800-person arena, this is going
to -- hundreds and thousands of cars are going to be there. And this
should be all confined to Basik development.
And they should look at this easement road, which I still have a
right to use, Mr. Basik still has a right to use this road, not for his
development, because it's a little bit too close to Basik Road.
But like I said before, he bought the 10 acres on the other side
of it, which why doesn't the county let him move it. And they're
telling him, well, it would be too close to Trinity Place then. It
doesn't make any difference, he owns the property on Trinity Place
and on the opposite side of the street nobody's ever going to build
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November 1,2007
anything on the other side of Trinity Place because it's a cypress buff
for the golf course.
So, I mean -- but it's so hard for me to get everybody to look at
this. And Mr. Basik, I guess he'd love to do that, because this way he
could just do the improvements on 41 with the turn lanes. Instead the
future is using Trinity Place in the future, putting turn lanes in on the
highway and then using Trinity Place, which is really a residential
area. They can say agricultural but that's changed over the years.
You can't have any more than two horses or two pigs. The law has
changed.
And all I can say is this place is going to be a big thing for
Collier County and a boost in employment. But like the parking here,
you've got to look at the future with the parking. It should be all
confined to the Basik development and not spill out onto any streets
around there. Especially Trinity Place where we only have one house
per five acres, that's all we're allowed there. And mostly all the land
has houses on it now on Trinity Place.
But if they look at that easement road, which the people on
Trinity Place still have a right to, and the people at Trinity Place
would be more than happy to vacate that front part of the easement.
IfMr. Basik put a gate at the end of Garcia's property, which would
be right next to this parking lot, which would give us access to go
onto Basik Road.
But we would be willing to vacate the front portion of this
easement for Mr. Basik, and if the state would look at this and the
county would look at this and maybe we could get a state
representative together and look at this, maybe we can confine this
whole project to just the Basik property, and this way Mr. Basik will
have to do the improvements onto 41 with turn lanes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: When Mr. White comes up here for his
conclusionary remarks, we'll ask him to address that issue.
MR. RODINSKY: Thank you very much.h
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November 1,2007
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Mark, I have a question.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Sir, I don't understand what
you mean by the easement. You don't have a microphone, but could
you just not say anything and point and then come back to the
microphone.
MR. RODINSKY: Mr. White, could you put up that other one
that shows it a little more clearly.
Mr. White, could you show me that between C-4 and C-5 where
that easement is, that other --
MR. WHITE: I'm happy to. If -- may I have your permission,
Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, sir.
MR. WHITE: Thank you.
I believe -- and I don't want to interrupt Mr. Rodinsky's
comments.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: His comments were finished. I was
going to have you provide this in conclusion, but since it's been asked
now, why don't we just get it on the table and get past it.
MR. WHITE: Okay, hopefully we can.
The easement in question -- let me just start with a general area
view.
MR. RODINSKY: You had a really clear map before of it that
really showed it from the beginning.
This is Basik Road. This is the flea market, and this is the
easement road, which is right on the other side of the flea market is in
here. But this is Basik Road that comes down in here.
MR. WHITE: In fact, Basik is a little bit further to the west, I
believe.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I mean, essentially --
MR. WHITE: If I can just point --
MR. RODINSKY: This is the parking lot--
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November 1, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Rodinsky, both people cannot be
speaking at the same time, so you've got to let Mr. White finish, then
you can go forward. This is a little abnormal, but we'll try to get past
the question.
MR. WHITE: As you can see by the pen, this is Basik Drive
shown on the general aerial view. The easement in question, I
believe, that Mr. Rodinsky is referring to aligns along this property
line here.
The reason why the FDOT and the county I think concurs that
an access point is not allowed where the easement is is quite simply
because of intersection spacing requirements. I appreciate the
enthusiasm and support both for the project and the request today, but
I think the regulations as they exist preclude us from being able to do
as Mr. Rodinsky desires. Although we may want to do so ourselves.
As you can well imagine, the decellanes, other access points to
cross the median, are ones of great concern to FDOT. And as
recently as today as to Basik Drive our understanding is as part of the
consortium discussions that we will have at least a left turn into Basik
Drive for the eastbound traffic on U.S. 41.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. White, can you address any
comments that Mr. Rodinsky made concerning the use of that
easement as an emergency entry or exit only for the residents up in
that area or -- he had alluded to that. I'm just wondering if you know
anything about it.
MR. WHITE: I'm unaware of anything that relates to it, other
than to the extent we have agreed to commit to essentially a gate
across our access to Trinity Place. The graphic shows kind of here
where that's anticipated to occur.
And I'll go back to the general view and show that the area
where Mr. Rodinsky and the other 13 or so homes going in a more
northerly direction are all along and get their access from Trinity
Place here on U.S. 41.
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November 1, 2007
So I'm not sure how the easement, which I indicated is here,
plays into the discussion about Trinity Place at all.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is that easement on a section line; do
you know? If it is, it might be the typical section line easements that
occur all over the county, and they're either -- they're not necessarily
for just emergency, they're basically public easements that have been
routinely vacated when other locations have provided relief to those.
So I don't know if it's a section line easement, but if it is that could be
why --
MR. WHITE: My recollection is that it is a private easement.
It may have been --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You'll have to use the microphone if
you're going to speak, sir.
MR. WHITE: Just one moment.
MR. RODINSKY: It's a utility easement.
MR. WHITE: To the best of my recollection, because I have
looked at this, but it was a number of years back, it may have been
possible to be used for a public road, but I think it essentially is
intended to serve the private landowners that abut it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you. Are there any other
questions on that issue for the planning commission?
Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: On that issue, no.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Any other questions ofMr.
Rodinsky before we go to the next speaker?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Just a question. He mentioned
the word arena -- nothing n what do you mean by that?
MR. RODINSKY: Well, an 800-person arena they're going to
have there. Do they call it an arena or is it a -- what do they call it?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I don't know, it's the first time
I've heard of it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Brad, that is -- I think that may be
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November 1, 2007
more better addressed to staff if it's a use issue rather than --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, he used the word. Ijust
wondered --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I know--
MR. RODIN SKY: For parking. You know for -- you've got an
800-person arena, they're going to use that for parking too, along with
the flea market. And that was a part of it.
And the last question is, is with this easement we have a right to
a secondary road on this easement. Can Mr. Basik put up a gate
across this easement?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I think, sir, you ought to ask a legal
counsel of your own or county staff that question. It's not a matter
that this board can decide upon or we have the background of the
easement to give you that answer.
MR. RODINSKY: Okay. Thank you very much.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, sir.
The next speaker, Ray?
MR. BELLOWS: Edward Cassetty.
MR. CASSETTY: Yeah, my name is Edward Cassetty. I live
on Trinity Place. I'm not going to get into the easement thing,
because that's another issue.
But as far as the parking up there, I think it's very, very
important. The only thing that I'm questioning of is to make sure that
this gate is closed at all times, because the issue that I'm thinking
about, if you go over on State 29 over there, where we spent tons of
money, our money, you look at those gates over there sometimes, I go
through there quite often, and those guys leave those gates open and
the panthers that we're supposed to be protecting, they could just walk
right through those things and go right out on the. roads.
Are these gates -- is there a penalty for leaving these gates open
or whatever? Who's responsible for locking them and what kind of
locks are we going to be putting on them?
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November 1, 2007
Because Trinity Place up there, if you leave a gate open, you've
got people coming through there and somebody sees that gate's open
they're going to go through there. Monkey see, monkey do. That's
the way people are. I know. I've worked employees, I know how
people are.
And that's my main issue on the thing. Because Trinity Place,
we don't have a turn lane up there. That's 60 mile an hour speed limit
on that road up through there.
And when they went through there -- I'm hoping that we get the
thing four-Ianed before long, and ifthey do, they hopefully put a turn
lane for us. Because you're taking your life in your hands every time
you turn in and out of there, the way those people drive up through
there. Because if you put a turn lane in, that's a passing lane to those
people out there.
And I don't have any qualms with the flea market, because I
think they're doing a good job putting buildings up. They look nice.
And it's going to be a plus for our neighborhood. Do the thing right,
everybody work together, I think we can have something nice up
there.
We do need to get the issue straightened out as far as the
easement back through there. And we all work together, we can get it
done. There's a lot of things that need to be worked out and we got
to work it out manly and then in a proper fashion.
So that's basically what I've got to say about the whole situation.
Thank you, gentlemen.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, sir. We'll get your
question addressed during Mr. White's conclusions here today.
Next speaker, Ray?
MR. BELLOWS: Frank Morrison.
MR. MORRISON: Good morning, Commissioners. My name
is Frank Morrison. I've been a Collier County resident for 15 years.
And I wanted to put a positive spin on this discussion today, because
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November 1, 2007
it's -- this market and the plan that the Basiks have for the east side of
Naples and the county in general is going to provide the opportunity
for over 200 small independent businessmen to have a business of
their own and have a low overhead.
And in this economy that we're in now, it's really important that
opportunities are given to small business people. And so this is going
to be a fantastic development.
And you've heard even from neighbors that live nearby, they're
in favor of it. And certainly parking is an important issue when
you're going to have the kind of business and opportunities that are
going to be brought into the county. Thousands of people, that's true,
will be coming into Collier County just to go to this market. It's
going to improve the whole economy of Naples and Collier County
and the east side.
And as you know, the east side is really growing. It's a
wonderful thing. I've been living in Lely Country Club for 15 years,
and it's really neat to see that now they're starting to notice the east
side of town, and we're really happy about it.
So I just wanted to put a positive spin on it, because it really is
going to be a major contribution for not only 200-plus new business
people but also for the community in general.
And I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you this
morning. Let's get the parking situation figured out. I think it will be
a big improvement. Thank you very much.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, sir.
Ray, next speaker?
MR. BELLOWS: Chris Tomin.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is he our last speaker?
MR. BELLOWS: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you.
MR. TOM IN : Good morning. My name is Chris Tomin, and I
run the business at 195 Basik since '04. And I've watched this place
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November 1, 2007
develop over the years, and I'd like it to continue to develop. There's
a lot of opportunity for the locals in that area, and I'd like to see the
thing get approved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, sir.
Okay, Mr. White, you had -- first of all, in your discussion I'd
certainly like you to address the nature in which the emergency gates
are controlled onto Trinity Drive.
MR. WHITE: Certainly. In response to the gentleman's
concern, I think it's fair to say that the owners are committed to
providing all the neighbors their phone numbers so that if they see a
problem, they'll address it, the owners will address it.
But the more typical circumstance and the way that this would
work in a regulatory fashion of course is that if a complaint is filed to
code enforcement, this is going to be a condition of approval, I would
assume, for this parking exemption, and it would essentially be a
violation of that condition, and if not remedied in a timely manner
could be prosecuted for code enforcement. And if it repeats,
obviously becomes a very quick turnaround as a repeat violation.
My expectation is we will not have any violations. The gate
will be secured and monitored by the property owners themselves.
I just want to note that I appreciate the support from each of the
speakers as to the requested exemption. If I haven't addressed one of
the concerns in a way that one or more of the commissioners may
feel appropriate, I'm happy to try to do so at this point.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other questions ofMr. White in
regards to that?
Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Patrick, on the site plan we're
given, there's a note under the parking calculation that says all
parking shown is excess parking. Is that true?
MR. WHITE: It is excess in the sense that it is beyond what
was required under SDP 2330.
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November 1,2007
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But the stealth SDP, the one
we don't see, does it require that parking?
MR. WHITE: Under the LDC we believe that the requirement
is greater, because the standard's different, as I'd mentioned, from the
alternative parking methodology that was approved for the 2330
SDP. So it's fair to say that we're getting closer to meeting the LDC
standard, even though when originally approved we had an alternative
methodology. So I'm not sure I understand the concern.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, my concern is that we
have a series of documents, documents -- you know, in this case this
is a pretty black-and-white fact. Yet I'm hearing arenas, I'm hearing
an allusion to something that there's an additional SDP that this is tied
to, but we have no idea what that SDP --
MR. WHITE: Well, that SDP of course does not authorize any
uses, and any uses that are in it that are a legitimate aspect of the
existing zoning are ones that the parking will be provided for. Mr.
Rodinsky may have been referring to the food court, I don't know.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. Could I have Willie
answer that same question?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Sure. Let's make sure we finish with
Mr. White first, and we'll hold that.
Any other questions for Mr. White?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MR. WHITE: I'd just simply note that I believe we've
demonstrated compliance with the LDC criteria and would ask for the
favor of your condition of approval. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you. Mr. Brown?
MR. BROWN: I'm sorry, could you repeat the question?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: The question is that on the
documents we have, on the documents showing the parking layout it
states that all parking shown is excess parking, i.e., not required. Is
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November 1, 2007
that a true statement?
MR. BROWN: That is a true statement. As Mr. White pointed
out, in the original SDP A 2330, in the lot across Basik Drive and the
34 spaces directly in front of the building, with those spaces, those
existing spaces that were approved on the original SDP, they meet the
minimum parking requirement.
So the parking adjacent to the proposed flea market building, for
which we're here today for the parking exemption, these are all, all
355 spaces are excess parking.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Based on the approved
existing SDP. There's an SDP that's been applied for?
MR. BROWN: There's an SDPA.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Is that a true statement with --
I mean, because here we're playing with a technicality on where the
SDP is in the process --
MR. BROWN: The SDPA was not a part of my review. It's a
separate part of the planning division, another planner's reviewing
that one, and it in no way impacts the parking exemption before you
today. That's -- at least that's the way I was told to look at it.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So that if we approve this
today, that statement can't go false, because that's the statement you're
giving us to approve it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Brown, let me ask you something
that might help clarify it. An SDP was submitted for the flea market,
it was approved and under construction.
MR. BROWN: Correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: They now have come back in and they
want excess parking across the street. They submitted a SDP A then to
amend the original SDP that was for the flea market.
MR. BROWN: You're correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The additional parking across the street
is in excess of what was needed for the original SDP, but it is the
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November 1, 2007
subject of today's meeting. And it only applies -- the A is only
referencing -- the amendment is only referencing the additional
parking they're requesting here today. Is that a fair statement?
MR. BROWN: I hear what you're saying. I did not analyze the
SDPA. But in terms of what's been approved, the parking exemption
is for excess parking only. The SDPA does not come into play for
the parking exemption, because it's not yet been approved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. But what I'm trying to get clear
is that the SDP A that Brad thinks is the elusive SDP A is only to
match the parking request that's here today. And if you don't know
that, I guess you can't answer it. It seemed logical, but I understand.
MR. BROWN: Am I missing something, Ray?
MR. SCHMITT: I believe that's correct, your statement, Mr.
Chairman. I would have to confirm that with either Ross or someone
who is reviewing that. But the scenario you just painted seems to be
the most logical.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. White, are you familiar with the
SDP A that's in the system now?
MR. WHITE: Yes. In fact, the SDP A also is intended to
address other site planning issues. For example, we have a South
Florida permit already, and in fact it is anticipated that the
impervious area that this represented is something that has been
considered as part of that South Florida permit.
So we're looking to align the various levels of review between
the county, South Florida, and as an administrative review all of these
concerns will be addressed.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Understand. Does that get you--
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: No, I still don't -- let me ask
Willie a question and put this in -- let's try to do this yes or no.
When the new SDP is approved, will the statement on the plan,
all parking shown is excess parking, be true?
MR. BROWN: That will be a determination the planner
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November 1, 2007
reviewing the SDP A will have to make. It's not a part of my --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: What ifhe makes the
determination that that's not true, then where do -- I mean, we're here
today to look at excess parking, purely excess parking.
MR. BELLOWS: For the record, Ray Bellows.
It's not excess parking, per se. It's off-site parking. The petition
is a parking exemption and it's for off-site parking in an agricultural
zone. Whether it's in excess or less than or to help the project meet
the minimum parking requirements will be determined as the current
SDP amendment is reviewed and approved.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. I know why we're here,
I'm just taking data off of the thing, and the data has to be true.
MR. WHITE: Ifit would help move us forward today,
Commissioner Schiffer, we'll be happy to strike the word excess and
just indicate, as Mr. Bellows says, that it's off-site.
I don't want to get us hung up on what may be technically
correct and true today that might change based upon the actual
approval being granted for the parking exemption by the board, and
then as part of the review of the SDPA actually have changed.
So in order to be consistent with the facts in both circumstances,
we're happy to change it from excess to off-site.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So the answer to my question
is maybe yes, maybe no. It is a yes or no answer.
MR. BROWN: In an effort to not go into detail about what's in
the SDP A, because it's changing, it's not yet been approved, for
purposes of to day's meeting the adjacent site for the parking
exemption is off-site parking and/or excess parking, however you
want to look at it.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I just think that this package
would have been probably better if it showed us what the intent of the
project really is. And since they have another SDP, they have a
different intent than the one that's given to us.
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November 1, 2007
MR. BROWN: It was the purpose in presenting you that
information without going into any detail about the SDP A. And
perhaps we shouldn't have mentioned the SDP A at all because it has
no bearing on the parking exemption.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I think perhaps you could have
shown us it, but that's -- let's move on.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Are there any other questions on this
issue today?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, with that, we'll close the public
hearing and entertain a motion. Is there a motion?
I have to abstain from the vote so somebody's got to make the
motion.
Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'll make a motion, which I'll
ask my fellows to enhance if they find other things that I may have
missed.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray, would it help if I read
some notes that I made before you made the motion--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: No, I have some -- well, it
certainly would help, but let me cast the motion, because this is a
crafting process.
I would make a motion that the parking exemption be -- do we
have the last word on this, by the way? We do not, do we not, this is
to the BCC?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, recommendation of denial or
approval with stipulations to the BCC.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I recommend approval of the
parking exemption under PE-2007-AR-12164, Naples Big Cypress
Market Place with 15-foot buffer along Trinity Place and notation that
valet parking may be utilized and that signage will be provided. And
in the use of personnel, should they use county staff, meaning
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November 1, 2007
deputies, that payment will be made to the county for those
individuals.
If there are any other additions, I'd be happy to entertain them.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, first, Mr. Murray, we need to get
a second.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: I'll second.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion's been made and seconded by
Commissioner Midney.
Now we can get into discussion. And you had made three
stipulations. So everybody knows what those are, one was for valet
parking being, did you say, allowed?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yes, being permitted.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ray, if that's an accessory use, isn't
that already permitted?
MR. BELLOWS: Correct.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. Then I withdraw that as
-- that piece.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And it's -- also said signage. Isn't
signage already required?
MR. BELLOWS: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Do you want to leave that in, since it's
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, the signage that I was
attempting to reference would have been directly related to the
movement of vehicles.
Now, if that's also in there, that's fine, we can withdraw that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray, here's what I don't want to
happen at this board -- I'm not criticizing your motion.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I hope not.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Stevie Tomatoes, there was some
language there that was not as clear as it should be, that should taught
us all a lesson. So I will ask any member making a motion with
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November 1,2007
stipulations that the stipulations, if they're vague, we define what
signage, what issue in the stipulation we're referring to.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Mr. Chairman, I truly
appreciate that, but this is a crafting process, and not everybody is
able to be very precise in the first instance, so I would appreciate that
if we're going to do this we can help each other to make a more
effective -- and I appreciate your contributions, certainly.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, then let's go back to the signage
stipulation that you asked for. What specific signage do you feel
needs to be added to the project so that the applicant knows if it's
above and beyond the code. If it is the code, we don't need to have it
as --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'll answer you by saying that
Mr. Bellows indicated that that would be taken care of, so I withdrew
that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. And your third stipulation was?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, I remember the 15-foot
buffer along Trinity Place, which Commissioner Caron had indicated,
which I thought was good.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Now, I had written other
stipulations.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And the payment for Sheriffs
deputies to the county.
MR. BELLOWS: For the record, does that include staff
conditions listed on the --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That would include staff
conditions.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The payment for the Sheriffs deputy,
can the Sheriffs deputies be brought out there without payment?
MR. BELLOWS: I'd have to look into that. I'm not aware --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm not aware of it either, since--
MR. SCHMITT: That's not an LDC issue. It really is an issue
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November 1,2007
if they're off duty. And that's certainly a contract between Mr. Basik
and the Sheriffs Department. It's something that he would have to
take care of without any regard -- it's not an issue --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's implausible then. Then I
withdraw that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. So now we have a motion. The
remaining stipulation is the 15- foot buffer along Trinity Place. And I
believe it was supposed to be a type B. Is that an affirmative, or was
it a Type D?
It was to match the one along U.S. 41.
MR. BELLOWS: I believe that would be a Type D along the
roadway.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Type D. Okay.
The other comments I heard mentioned was to limit the
oversized area to non-semis, meaning buses or RV's, but no semis.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Good catch.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That the Trinity access is an
emergency access only, and it's to be gated.
That the correct number of oversized spaces is shown at 17 and
is to be stated as 17, not 34, as the conflict on the plan.
And that they were to strike the language that referred to excess
parking spaces and replace it with off-site parking language that is
referenced.
And that the stipulation also includes staff recommendations.
Mr. Kolflat?
COMMISSIONER KOLFLAT: On the oversized automobiles
__ oversized vehicle issue, didn't we also discuss the possibility of the
egress into the slot as far as parking and a turnaround?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, they wouldn't be able to get
permission to put the slips in there without that issue being addressed.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: So there's no reason to
stipulate it.
Page 51
November 1, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No. It's part of the code. They're going
to have to provide that to begin with.
Those are the stipulations that I wrote down. We also have the
Trinity -- the buffer, which Mr. Murray had stated.
Does the motion maker want to accept those stipulations or
modify them?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY : Yeah, I'll accept them. I
thought that the issue of the gate was included in the staffs
recommendations on Trinity Place. Perhaps I'm in error on that one. I
thought that was -- nevertheless, it's certainly applicable, so that can
remain, even if it were redundant.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Does the second -- so you accept the
stipulations, Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I do.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Does the second accept them?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: (Nods.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Midney, yes. Any others?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All those in favor of the motion--
MR. BELLOWS: Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead.
MR. BELLOWS: I just would like the planner to repeat all the
conditions, just so he's clear on them.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's a good idea.
MR. BROWN: In addition to the conditions of approval
proposed by staff, I have that a IS-foot Type D buffer shall be
installed along Trinity Place.
We struck payment for Sheriffs deputies to the county.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Why don't you tell us what you've got
instead of what's struck.
MR. BROWN: Oversized spaces shall be limited to buses and
not semi trucks. And excess spaces, as shown in the staff report, shall
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November 1,2007
be changed to off-site parking.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, there were a few others.
Go ahead, Ms. Caron.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Well, you missed that they need
to change the plan to reflect that there are only 17 oversized spaces
involved, not 34.
MR. BROWN: Okay, anything else I missed?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, the Trinity exit is emergency
access only.
MR. SCHMITT: That was in the staff --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Was it?
MR. BROWN: It's in the conditions of approval.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Question.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: The intent on the Type D
buffer. Type D buffers are based on the right-of-way width. Is it the
intent that that buffer be built as if it were a right-of-way equal to 41 ?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, that was what my understanding
of what the applicant said. I see them nodding their head yes, so I
think that would be the affirmative.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Then make that clear.
Otherwise it would be the smaller buffer.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Klatzkow?
MR. KLATZKOW: Just for clarity, the oversized parking you
said would be for buses. Does it also include RV's?
MR. BELLOWS: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes. I had said that. I was going to
bring that up before we finished the discussion. Thank you, Mr.
Klatzkow.
So the stipulations have been stated earlier. They were kind of
restated by staff. We just discussed them again.
Is everybody clear? Is the record clear on the stipulations?
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November 1, 2007
MR. WHITE: Patrick White.
Just Mr. Klatzkow's point. I think that the form of the
stipulation, Mr. Strain, that you made was that it was one that was
prohibitory, not what it was going to allow. It was going to prohibit
semi tractor-trailers.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It was. And the way I worded it was
that limit the oversized spaces so that -- limit the oversized spaces not
to be used by semis. That was the statement.
Is that in agreement with everybody else?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yes, that would allow all
others.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
MR. WHITE: Right. I didn't want to try to define the set
including park models and who knows what all else.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yes.
MR. WHITE: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. So now we're limiting
oversized spaces so that semis are not allowed; the emergency access
on Trinity Drive; reducing the oversized space number to 17, or
leaving it at 17; having a buffer along Trinity Place at the Type D
buffer, like there is on U.S. 41; strike the word excess and replace
with oversight (sic); and accept staffs recommendation. That's as
clear as I think I can get it.
Everybody in favor of that motion as stipulated, signify by
saymg aye.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody opposed?
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November 1,2007
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's six in favor, one abstaining. Let
the record show that I abstained from the vote.
Okay, with that we'll conclude that issue. We'll take a break for
15 minutes, be back at 10:20 and resume with floodplain
management.
(Recess. )
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, thank you.
(Mr. Eastman is present, representing the School Board.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We did have a petition that was
previously noted for continuance on our agenda, just so everybody
knows, if they're watching, or anybody in the audience, Petition
RZ-2006-AR-10422 had been continued to 11/15/07.
Item #8D
2008 FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT PLAN
So with that, the next item on the agenda is the 2008 Floodplain
Management Plan. I think staff is here to provide a presentation on
that.
MR. WILEY: Yes, sir. Good morning, Commissioners. For
the record, my name is Robert Wiley, with the engineering and
environmental services department.
We're going to be presenting to you this morning a Power Point
presentation to go over some of the highlights of this thick document
that you received from us. There's a lot of work that has been put
into it.
The current staff you see sitting here, we have Ray Smith, he's
with the pollution control department. He is the chairman that was --
that's part of the floodplain management planning committee. That is
a group of 23 individuals, half of it citizens, public, half of it staff.
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November 1, 2007
And then you have three members of it from each municipality,
which we'll get into that. So he's the chairman heading it up.
Mike DeRuntz is the planner. Underneath the requirements of
FEMA and the community rating system program, we have to have a
planner who actually prepares the document.
And then I'm the staff engineer working as a coordinator to keep
this thing rolling.
So if we could get into our presentation this morning on the
floodplain management plan.
Why are we preparing this floodplain management plan? We
have an existing plan that was produced in 2004. Every so often, a
minimum of every five years we have to go over it, revise it, edit it,
so we took the opportunity to pull together a large community effort
in this one. But it's a requirement of the community rating system.
Now that's a special program that we are in through the flood
insurance program that allows Collier County citizens to receive a
discount on the flood insurance premiums. And basically it's a
program where when you exceed the minimums, the more you exceed
the minimum requirements of the flood insurance program the more
discount they are willing to give you.
It's designed to protect the county residents' safety, health and
welfare from flooding dangers. And when we're talking about
flooding dangers, right now the flood insurance rate maps, when
someone says what flood zone is my house in, that's strictly based
upon coastal surge flooding.
So you'll understand that there is also the issue of
rainfall-induced flooding. Those are not shown on the current flood
maps. That is what is a separate issue that we are working to develop
is a combined rainfall plus coastal surge flooding.
As we look at the flood insurance program, it's federally-backed
flood insurance. Your home owners policy does not cover flooding.
It encourages communities to enact and enforce floodplain
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November 1,2007
regulations.
One of the things about flood insurance is if you have a
federally-backed mortgage and your property is within a flood zone,
designated letters A or V, it's mandatory that you have flood
insurance, unless you're able to show that your house is individually
above the base flood elevation. That means the ground around the
house. And then you can go through a process to exempt your
property out. But that's not a real common thing to have happen for
most properties.
The community rating system is, as we just said, an incentive to
help communities do more than the bare minimum. The idea being to
minimize the amount of damage that a community would receive
from flooding. It doesn't say it prohibits development within a flood
zone, but the development that is coming forth is done so in a manner
to minimize flood damage.
Principally it's used for elevation, is one of the primary uses.
You just raise the structure up. And that's the base flood elevation is
the minimum floor elevation for the house then.
There are 10 rating system classes. We are rated a class seven,
which gives a 15 percent discount on the premium rates for those
people in the flood zones that start with the letter A or V. Now if
you're in an X flood zone, you can still purchase flood insurance, but
you're only getting a five percent discount. But it's already a
discounted rate.
Our goal is to obtain either a class six rating or a class five
rating. And we are very close to achieving those right now. Revising
and rewriting the floodplain management plan is just one tool in this
whole tool box that the flood i~surance program provides through the
CRS program to let you achieve point ratings with them.
So let's go through the four key components that are required to
be in a floodplain management plan. You have a planning process, a
risk assessment process, a mitigation strategy, and a way to maintain
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November 1, 2007
the plan once you develop and adopt it.
So starting in the Phase 1 planning process, we're required to
have a particular section of the plan that shows how it's organized,
how involved the public, and how we coordinate with other agencies.
So this is the committee that we were just talking about,
23-member committee. This was approved by resolution of the
Board of County Commissioners. The resolution authorized the
county manager to appoint the people do it. We advertised, we asked
for people who were interested in serving on the committee to submit
resumes and information about themselves.
Those citizens that you see there, starting with Phillip
Brougham and going through Marlene Wood, are the citizens that
were appointed by the county manager. County staff were positions
that were appointed directly by the county manager to spread out
among the various departments that we are required to at a minimum
include on a planning level effort. And then you see one
representative from each of the three municipalities. And then on the
corner is me. I'm the staff coordinator. I'm not a voting member of
the committee, I just get to keep the things rolling here.
Involving the public was one of the big issues of this planned
development. We spent a lot of evenings out throughout the
community having special meetings. We had 15 regular meetings,
one special meeting for agencies to put information that they had in
their knowledge into the plan, a special interest group meeting. So
there's been a lot of effort done.
This map shows you how we spread out throughout the county
and the dates on which we had the evening meetings.
Now, I will say that the attendance at the evening meetings
varied greatly. We went from an attendance of one up to about 50,
just dependent upon the location, what was else happening that night
and the amount of advertising that the people were able to receive.
Information we received from them was really, really helpful in
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November 1,2007
many situation here. The agencies that we contacted, we made
e-mails, we made telephone calls, through the regular mail, even sent
return receipts, because we weren't getting much response from them.
We wanted to make sure these people got this information.
So you see the agencies that we contacted there, the special
interest groups. There was a big list of people. Here's the bulk of
what you see that we contacted. Again, some people responded,
some did not.
As we get into Phase 2 of this report presentation, one of the
first things that you have to do is go out and tell them exactly what
kind of a flooding problem you do have. So we got staff together.
Staff consisted of engineering department staff, Big Cypress Basin
staff, the storm water management department staff.
We used information that we had in the GIS from known
flooding events, got from the Sheriffs Department, anywhere we
could gather information, emergency management was involved with
it, to begin to locate on the map areas that we knew had had flooding
problems in the recent past and as far back as people could remember.
We did that through the hazard assessment and the problem
assessment phase of the program. That report that you have in front
of you, it's over 800 pages. The bulk of the document is in that
section. Because some people called it boilerplate, but that's really
the documentation behind locations of flooding, proposed objectives,
goals, policies and the action plan of how we want to address
flooding issues in the future for the county.
Now, by the way, this plan, once we put it together, we have to
keep evaluating it. It's sort of like the Growth Management Plan, it's
on a cycle at least every five years. So this becomes basically a
living document that annually will get revised and we have to also
report on it.
For a mitigation strategy, we came up with a set of goals. We're
required to review some activities that we can undertake to begin to
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November 1, 2007
achieve those goals, and we had to draft an action plan. The actual
action statements that we intend to do in this plan to make sure that
we're making the community as safe as we can for the hazard of
flood and protection of flood damage.
The two goals that we have are on the screen before you:
Reduce flood exposure and minimize flood protection efforts.
And then goal two: Minimize the flood hazards, protect water
quality countywide by employing watershed-based approaches that
balance environmental, economic and engineering considerations.
Keep in mind goal two follows right along the requirements of
what's in the flood insurance plan -- or flood insurance program.
We are looking at it not just from a volumetric standpoint but
also FEMA wants us to address water quality conside.ration, and
environmental. One of the big issues they have is making sure you
leave open space in the floodplain open so it can continue to act as a
reservoir to temporarily detain and store the water so that you don't
raise the water levels up onto someone else and pass it on.
Out of the goal one strategies, we had 12 objectives. They're
listed in a shortened form for you here, just sort of like a bulletized
version of them, to show you the various areas we were really
focusing on.
Repetitive loss is the big issue with the flood insurance
program. A repetitive loss structure is one that has filed multiple
flood insurance claims that exceed $1,000. And that has a time
frame to it within any I O-year period.
We currently have 31 structures in Collier County that are
repetitive loss. We had 32 as of May of this year. One of them was
demolished. And that one was our only severe repetitive loss
property, which had, I think, six or seven flood claims against it.
More claims have been filed against the house than the house is even
worth throughout the long-term period. Here we're talking about
over a number of years.
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November 1,2007
And so that one is now demolished. The owner sold, the new
investor bought it just for the property, demolished the house. So we
were able this year to have that one removed.
Our goal ultimately is to get them all removed. You remove
them by mitigation to either raise the house or whatever it takes to get
the house so it doesn't flood again, it's above the base flood elevation.
We'll see how that goes, as we have 31 more to go.
But we are talking about environmentally sensitive lands and
aquifers. Compatibility is a big issue between the Growth
Management Plan, the Land Development Code and the ordinances.
We're talking about addressing flooding issues.
Flooding, evacuation plans, coastal dune issues, protecting the
dunes primarily because of their ability to reduce the amount of
coastal flooding that comes in. A good example most recently would
be what everyone's aware of with Katrina.
Up in Biloxi years ago when Camille came through, they had a
lot of flooding. They put in what they considered would be good
coastal protection, said this will take care of the next hurricane, the
big one that comes in. However, when Katrina came in, it swept
across and just kept on going.
So even though you plan for it, this doesn't mean you're going to
prevent flooding. But they planned the best they knew how at the
time.
So as I said, coastal dunes are very important, and protecting
them helps to protect the inland portion of the county from the surge.
Acquisition of conservation land in the floodplain. We talked
about that. There's an objective to promote development compatible
with sensitive and coastal land resources. It's not saying stop it but
make it compatible.
Adequate emergency procedures for catastrophic floods,
addressing incremental surface water impacts to the county,
minimizing flood impacts within those flood zones, these special
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November 1, 2007
flood hazard areas.
Updating the flood maps is also an objective for us to keep that
effort going. And enforcing construction requirements and avoiding
deliberate variances. That one seemed to be a good one with the
committee. They really thought we should avoid deliberately
producing a variance for our whole purposes of don't let someone
vary just because they want to. Because they'll sell that property one
of these days, and that new owner then faces a potentially serious
situation that they weren't wanting to have.
Implementing strategies. We had 18 policies out of all those
objectives. And you can see how they were basically divided into
groups of six. Three different objectives had the policies attached to
them.
Goal two, implementing strategies. There were 10 objectives
developed for that one. You can see them listed here. We can go
through them individually if you want to, but you can read them
ahead of you here. And we'll get into this a little bit later here.
But the five policies that were coming out of those objectives
for goal two, again, we had groups of two policies underneath one,
groups of three policies underneath another objective.
And the policies, interesting how you look here for goal two,
addressing stormwater runoff on water quality and public health and
then issue open space and natural resources. So you begin to see the
focus of goal two is slightly different than goal one, as far as
addressing the environmental side of the flood insurance program.
Then we started reviewing the possible activities that we could
do. There was a big push throughout the committee's effort and the
citizens to have an increased emphasis and effort on maintenance of
the stormwater facilities that are out there, both public and private.
You can design the best system you want, but if you don't
maintain it on a continual basis, it will begin to fail. And that was
where we noted most of the flooding. It occurs in the older
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November 1,2007
developments as maintenance begins to not occur and they begin to
diminish in their capacity.
There's also an activity to continue the use of development
practices and standards to reduce flooding risks and correct known
problems.
And then the third possible activity dealt with all those public
meetings we had. We had citizens come out and we asked them to
fill out a brochure. And as they did so, we asked them, where have
you seen flooding? Have you seen it get somebody's house? Have
you seen a well go underwater? Give us some address, some
locations, what would you recommend we do.
And some people took the liberty, and we're thankful for it, to
really give us some good comments. It was not a bash your county
staff, bash your county government, this was people with real serious
concerns.
So we looked at that as a possible activity, emphasized
correcting the problems that we had identified for us by the citizens
living out there and experiencing them.
Then we went to draft an action plan. Now, the action plan, you
have a set of guidelines within the CRS coordinators manual. You're
told, address these specific areas. So we used that as a guidebook.
We put together the action plan, also coordinating it with the goals,
objectives and policies within the plan. And here's the action plan
broken up for you in a series of slides.
Under preventive activities, now, keep in mind you'll see where
it says preventive activities, that's the first of six categories we have
to address. So we'll go through these slides here.
Under planning and zoning, we talked about incorporating
smart growth criteria. Smart growth, planning growth so it is
flood-wise is one way to think of it. Amending the Land
Development Code to require a special flood hazard area overlay on
the zoning map. This was thought to be a good thing so people
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November 1,2007
ahead of time know in your zoning maps what area you're getting
into. Instead of having to go to a separate map, just put it all together.
And it can be done through our GIS system.
Stormwater management activities. We're looking to establish a
maximum allowable discharge rate for the Belle Meade area. The
study's already been done. It identified a maximum allowable
discharge rate as a recommendation to be incorporated, which we
have in six other basins throughout the county. So we will be going
forward through the ordinance revision process to do that, to fulfill
the action plan item here.
Also, as said, under storm water management, develop a series
of watershed management plans. That effort has already been started
also through the Growth Management Plan requirements. So we're
working forward on all these.
Open space preservation. We'll talk about that just a little bit
later.
But floodplain regulations, making sure we coordinate the
activities through the county's budgetary process. The committee
thought there was a really strong need to coordinate this whole
concept of floodplain management into the county's budget process,
its capital projects, to make sure things are addressed accordingly and
not tend to be ignored off to the side.
Under the floodplain regulations, also evaluate amending the
flood damage prevention ordinance no less than once every two
years. Now, we're getting ready to come in with revisions in 2008,
but they want us to look at it, what have we learned, to go from year
to year and evaluate it, definitely the committee no less than once
every two years.
Building codes, look for ways to make the county more resistant
to flood damage.
Under the drainage system maintenance, stress having
bi-monthly meetings with the Big Cypress Basin to coordinate
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November 1,2007
maintenance with the county. We've talked about this for a long time
but it never seems to bear fruit. So the committee said put this in the
action plan to make sure you do it.
Also address specific problems that were identified. We already
talked about that.
Dune and beach maintenance. We have a proactive program
already going. They said continue it, keep it up, don't back off.
Because maintenance of that dune and beach is very important to cut
down the amount of coastal surge damage that you have.
Under property protection activities, some of these you'll notice
we say there's no activity. We really did not come up with a plan for
relocating someone's house out of the floodplain, because the
floodplain covers so much of the county. We don't have a small
riverine area where we can simply move up on the side of the hill.
We don't have the hills around here. So that one did not seem to fall
within any parameter that we saw as being viable to have someone
just pick their house up and move it somewhere else.
Where are you going to move it that it will still not be in the
floodplain? So retrofitting did appear to be, though, a very good
concept. Basically elevating the house, whatever it takes to make the
house resistant to flooding.
But to do so quite often requires people to go get a grant
through FEMA to help them with the cost. And to get the grant
through FEMA, you have to have some upfront monies that most
people who have the houses that are the older, lower-lying houses
don't have the money to raise them up in the first place.
So they looked at the concept evaluate a local
government-funded loan assistance program for the repetitive loss
properties. Keep in mind they limit it to repetitive loss. That means
that there's 31 of these structures throughout the county that the
committee wanted us to look at to consider having a loan. It's not a
grant, it's not to be given to them and never recovered, but a loan
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November 1,2007
system offered to people to help them meet that initial upfront monies
they have to have for matching participation with FEMA.
Under the acquisition activity, evaluate the concept of a loan
program to help them even apply for the grant.
Building elevations. The committee really liked the concept of
one foot of freeboard. That means requiring development to have a
minimum of one foot higher than that base flood elevation.
We've already taken that through the planning commission and
the workshop level. We've taken it to the Board of County
Commissioners in a workshop level. Everyone is in agreement that it
is a very good idea.
That also helps us quite a bit on our point score with the CRS
program, just building one foot higher, which, if you talk to many of
the builders, they're doing it anyway. So it's not like it's absolutely
out of this world strange.
Now, sewer backup protection, we didn't see that as being an
activity that we wanted to pursue here, because we don't have the
problem of sewer backups in basements that are in northern
communities. But FEMA's program is nationwide so this is an
activity that we're supposed to show how we're addressing it. We
simply say it's not applicable down here.
Insurance again, because of the requirements they have within
the plan, we did not address any specific issues to change the
msurance program.
Natural resources protection is that third area we had to address.
We're talking about wetland protection, promoting more open space
for floodplain use. Look for lands to buy their open space that are in
the floodplain so we can preserve them in such a fashion.
Erosion and sediment control emphasizes the use of best
management practices, and that's along the lines of also bringing
about better enforcement of best management practices to prevent
erosion at the construction sites and even afterwards.
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November 1, 2007
Improve the efficiency of these BMPs, the best management
practices.
And for coastal barrier protection, we did not have any. Keep in
mind, our coastal barriers are not the same barriers that people would
have in other parts, particularly the Panhandle where you've got the
big, steep dune area. We don't have that. Ours are very shallow.
We already have some coastal barrier islands, they have
regulations on them. We did not see at this particular version of the
floodplain management plan a need to address that topic. Subsequent
years we may, but we did not feel so right now.
Under emergency services, the emphasis there out of the first
two, through emergency services department, emergency
management department is to continue our storm-ready certification.
There's a lot of factors behind that terminology, a lot of requirements
that are met. And we're certified as storm ready. So we're saying
keep that up.
That simple statement carries a lot of weight with FEMA when
you're talking about a flood insurance program.
Under critical facilities protection, discussion has been going
around for a while about what are critical facilities. But basically
we're talking public and private facilities that are identified as
critical, meaning they're hazardous materials areas, they're public
utilities, emergency situations, your EMS, your Sheriffs stations,
things -- substations for power, things that when you have a flood,
you don't want them to fail.
And so the concept there is design them for that 500-year event,
a .2 percent annual chance storm event.
And then under health and safety issues, expand the best
management practices outreach opportunities to get more and more
people starting to look at BMPs.
Under structural projects, we don't have reservoirs, we could not
address that. We don't have levies, floodwalls, seawalls.
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Now, we're talking about seawalls designed to withstand that
one percent annual chance event storm surge, the 100-year event.
We're not talking about the seawall for somebody's dock behind their
house. That will get overtopped. We're talking about the big
massive seawalls, levies such as New Orleans -- let's don't go there.
We don't want to think about that kind of situation here.
Diversions. We talked about how can we incorporate
diversions. We know that there are two diversionary projects in the
thought process right now. One of them, the Picayune Strand, is
more than thought, it's actually in design.
But North Belle Meade rehydration concept of taking a large
volume of water out of the Golden Gate canal, running it south into
the north end of the Belle Meade watershed as it historically used to
go instead ofletting it continue to flow west and into Naples Bay.
That helps from a flooding standpoint, it helps from an environmental
standpoint.
And then the Picayune Strand restoration project, that is
ongoing. That's the building of the canals in south blocks of the
Estates. And so we're working with the District and the Corps on
that issue.
Channel modification. We know we need to make some
channel capacity improvements, so the committee said well, let's put
in here that we're going to try to seek grants to help out as much as
we can on those improvements and also make sure that the
stormwater management departments, capital improvement project
budget is fully funded.
They put lists up there for projects that are needed, then put a
big emphasis out for the Board of County Commissioners to fund
them. And so that's the direction we went with it.
We've already talked about the ongoing beach renourishment
Issues.
Under storm sewers, culverts, swales and ditches, the committee
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wanted us to evaluate the use of slotted pipes. That can be pro, that
can be con, so the effect of it.
The purpose here is to evaluate where the use is appropriate to
try to encourage more groundwater discharge. Actually, you're
perking into the ground. I don't mean that you're draining your
groundwater into the pipe. And that's the situation you have to avoid
because the water will flow both ways through that slot.
And where it is possible to let the water flow out and perk into
the ground, they want us to evaluate that. And it carries some weight
with it. That very concept is what's proposed if they ever wanted to
enclose the swales in Naples Park. That's a permit condition through
the DEP already, and has been for a number of years.
Underneath that same issue, evaluate the benefits of cross-drains
in northern Golden Gate Estates to help restore flowways.
As you know, the Golden Gate Estates is just a patchwork of
roads spread out in a uniform one-mile pattern, so -- or quarter-mile
pattern, I should say. The one-mile long the streets are. But they
produce ditches and dikes to the historical flow of the water.
And so the concept was consider putting cross-drains in to
promote the old flowways again. The more water you keep in the
flowway, the less you have to handle in a ditch or a canal somewhere.
Under public information, which is a big issue with the flood
insurance program, we're trying to get more information out so people
will know where you are, what's out there.
We want us to locate all the existing mobile homes in the
special flood hazard area. That's the A, V, E and VE zones.
And also to put together in the GIS a listing showing the
locations wherever someone has a flood insurance policy, begin to
develop a pattern.
That one's going to be fun to do in GIS, because as ownerships
change you're going to have to constantly keep up with that. But
we'll see how that one turns out.
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November 1, 2007
But it's a good effort because it lets people know this is the
potential area where you are located for flood insurance, and if we
ever have to do any kind of mass mailings to those people, we would
have that information readily available.
For outreach projects, the committee really wanted us to
continue those evening public information meetings as we go into this
wintertime, people are back down. They want us to keep it up. They
felt we got such good information that they want this to be an annual
program. Get out there. But when you get the information from the
public, follow up with it and implement it.
Also to enhance the floodplain management website, get more
information on that. That's a new website and we're still building on
it. It's available, but basically it's still under construction, although it
doesn't say that, so you'll know.
They want us to make sure that under real estate there's
disclosure statements so that we get an all-hazard statement out to
every realtor. They want us to seek grant funding if necessary to
make sure we can pay for it to get the information out to people, let
them know what you're getting ready to buy.
Maintain the current flood information within the library
system. That is now in there. We have it in four of the main libraries
in the county. They want us to keep technical assistance going, and
even beef it up so that we give people lots of information when they
call. They want a single point to address the issues versus saying
well, let me transfer you here, transfer you there.
And then the environmental education, we've already talked
about that one.
Now, as we get into plan maintenance--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Wiley?
MR. WILEY: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I don't mean to interrupt you. We've
been going on about a half an hour, and I know we've all read the
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November 1,2007
document in front of us, and certainly you can continue, but
obviously this is going to take longer just because of your
presentation than I thought it would.
And I can't see the school people having to sit here while we
end up listening to the rest of this, we ask our multitude of comments
and then we still take lunch.
So out of deference to them, I would like to suggest that the
earliest that we would start the school board concurrency is at 1 :00
today. Does anybody on this panel disagree with that?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: No.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: No.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. That's for the benefit of the
school folks.
I am sorry you were here all morning. I could not tell ahead of
time how fast this was going to go. But we will not resume the
school concurrency until no earlier than 1 :00.
Mr. Wiley, go right ahead.
MR. WILEY: And I'm sorry for the lengthy presentation. This
just happened to be a really big document to go through that we have
to cover certain points publicly.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I know. And you have given it to us,
and to be honest with you, we all have read it. Well, I shouldn't say --
I have read it twice.
But that's fine, I understand why you want to get certain things
on record, and I ask that you get to the -- I also met with two
representatives of yours before this meeting and suggested they not
provide a lengthy presentation, because you provided a 900-page
document that we had ample time to go through, if we wanted to, of
the relevance of which was only the first 87 pages anyway.
And out of those, there is only maybe six pages that are relevant
regarding the policies that we're supposed to review, which is the
GMP.
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November 1,2007
Now, having said all that, I ask that you start to consider
winding your presentation down.
MR. WILEY: I am heading down the final stretch right now.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you.
MR. WILEY: Adopting the plan is what will come after this
meeting. We go to the Board of County Commissioners, they will
adopt it through a resolution to include Section 7 of the Hazard
Mitigation Plan. Then they officially adopt the Hazard Mitigation
Plan, which covers a lot more than just flooding.
And then following that up, we have the ongoing effort to
implement it, evaluate it and revise it through the annual process of
giving the Board of County Commissioners an annual progress
report.
Just to let you know what's been going on already, in 2006 we
already took an LDC amendment through that you're aware of about
the 18 inches above the crown of the road for the maximum height
you can put the fill on a property. So this is a process that's been
gomg on.
In the 2007 amendment cycle one, there's a proposed regulation
to limit the amount of impervious area on a property, to begin to
regulate that so we don't have increased amounts of runoff getting
out of hand.
Amendment cycle two, we're bringing before you the interim
watershed management regulations that have a lot of flood plan issues
involved with them.
In 2008 we're going to be coming to you with recommended
amendments to the flood damage prevention ordinance. And we've
already talked to that in a workshop.
So as you can see, this effort is already moving forward, and
this plan that you have is simply an issue that we have to document
and submit to FEMA every so many years. It's that year now.
With that, we have discussion and questions. I'd be glad to help
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November 1,2007
you out through this one.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: For the panel's benefit, I know that you
have read the document. The meat of the issues really gets into --
starts on Page 50, that's the language that is proposed to be changed
in the GMP.
Prior to that is a good history of what's been going on and how
they've processed through to get to that language.
And so if the committee doesn't mind, what I -- I know we take
everything page at a time. But I'd rather just ask that ifthere's any
questions from pages 1 through 49, we'll entertain those and then
we'll start on Page 50.
Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And it's on Page 29. It's a
chart. And the reason I'm asking this question is we review PUDs
and stuff, Robert. What kind of input does this data have? I mean, is
somebody studying this? Is somebody going to look on, for
example, a page like this and discuss how a project is going to be
impacting flowways?
MR. WILEY: Basically as that goes through the review process
with county staff, that's one of the things I get involved with. So we
are reviewing it.
Does it have an exact procedure? No. Because you look at
them differently as to where they're located. Some will get a lot more
serious review because if it's an area that doesn't have that issue, it
doesn't get looked at with near the same level for regional benefits as
if you have someone proposing totally new flowway instructions or
something.
But we're already doing that.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. So if a project is in a
sensitive area, as this map would show, you would be providing that
input.
MR. WILEY : Well, again, this map shows you what is coming
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November 1, 2007
as a result of the interim watershed management regulations, okay?
Now, that's where we have been especially asked to look at
them. But any of these areas that are here, we are already looking at
them. This just sort of helps the people who are going to be coming
with projects to know where we're going to be looking anyway.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: What do those two acronyms
mean, they're not in your list, the ADG and the BAT?
MR. WILEY: I wish I could tell you. This map came to us out
of the Southwest Florida feasibility study. And so it was to try to
coordinate an existing regional project already on, so we just simply
took a draft of their map and brought it in here for consistency
purposes.
I don't know what the letters stand for, though.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: What's the use of it then?
MR. WILEY: We just put the whole map in so everybody can
quickly reference right back to Southwest Florida feasibility study,
and you'll see that same nomenclature there.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Very good. Thank you.
I'm done, Mark.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: On Page 12, just to clarify
something, under 7.5, the first paragraph there, it says approximately
400 to 500 square miles. That's quite a difference. Four hundred
square miles would be, from what I typically hear, is about -- 80
percent of the land is in conservation, et cetera.
But 500, where do you pick up the 500? Seems like an
enormous variance, 100 square miles.
MR. WILEY: That's basically looking at here's the county and
just get back far enough, it's going to take roughly -- we didn't
actually draw the fine line going around it. Just when you looked at it
from FEMA's perspective, how much is land from a broad area do
you figure is even considerable (sic) developable.
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That doesn't mean it's all going to get developed. That's not
looking at all the angel (phonetic) flowways or things like that, just --
when you take that percentage of the county, so many square miles,
you've got 20, 25 percent of it is a max that's ever -- that we can
perceive right now would have a chance for development. That's all
the way up to Immokalee, the coastline, everything. And just a broad
number is all that was.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: All right.
MR. WILEY: It's sort of like signing your name with a can of
spray paint.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay, I'm ready to go to Page
49,50.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody else on the first 49 pages?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Wiley, I want to get something on
the record, starting on Page 50. Your proposed language will have --
or could have, the way it's written, a rather great impact in Collier
County in the form of ad valorem taxes, special taxes or actual
building costs to individual builders and homes. And because of that,
no doubt if some of the things were instituted as written, you could
expect maybe an outcry from people who feel that they didn't have
participation.
So I want to make the record clear about the efforts your group
went through, and I think they were excellent efforts in trying to seek
public participation. And that is on Page 10.
Basically, specific notices were mailed and e-mailed to special
interest groups. Then you got a very poor response to that.
Then you sent out certified letters to these same groups
requesting their collaboration. Again, you got a -- very little response
was received to that.
Then you sent out to special interest organizations more review
on August 17th. And each time you had apparently minimal public
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November 1,2007
input.
And these are from the stakeholders that are required to be
notified by Florida Statutes of GMP amendments. And these are --
could I assume they were engineering firms, development firms,
building companies?
MR. WILEY: That and other areas, too. I mean, we have a list
of people who seemed to be expressing concerns, so we tried to put it
together and make sure they were aware of it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Did you notify the CBIA group on a
regular basis?
MR. WILEY: Ah, CBIA. I know they even have a
representative who is coming to our committee, so that they're aware
of it, but as to notifications, Mike would know how to answer that
one.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: What I'm trying to get--
MR. WILEY: Mike did the notification process, I didn't do that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We have a requirement by statute to
make sure that we notify the stakeholders. I'mjust making it very
clear that we did that. Because the implementation of your language,
as written, if it isn't modified has grave financial impacts to this
county in all sectors. And I want to make sure that the record is
cl ear.
And Mike, if you're the one to answer this as far as stakeholders
go, groups and organizations, Chamber of Commerce, EDC, CBIA,
were they involved or notified to be involved or requested to be
involved?
MR. DeRUNTZ: We had an extensive list that we sent out, and
CBIA was notified.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's what I'm trying to find out.
Thank you very much.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Mark, can I add something--
MR. SCHMITT: Could I ask to put on the record also that the
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November 1, 2007
DSAC was thoroughly briefed on this as well, the development
services advisory committee.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Were they seeing the document we're
seeing today?
MR. SCHMITT: Robert?
MR. WILEY: Yes, they have.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Did they comment on the goals and
objectives section for the DMP?
MR. WILEY: They're still doing so.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Pardon me?
MR. WILEY: They're still doing so. We have met with them
twice and we're still going to be with them one more time.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I would have expected to see the
benefit of their results. That obviously won't happen from what I
understand then because they're now still reviewing it; is that right?
MR. WILEY: They are still waiting to finish the review and
vote on it officially. We've met with their sub-committee, so --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That would be like us reviewing some
new fire codes without going through Brad's fire group, and I'm a
little concerned about that.
Mr. Schiffer, you had a comment?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Just that the list of people is
Exhibit 8 in your report. Exhibit 8 is chopping off the names of
everybody, so you may want to recompile that.
MR. WILEY: Thank you, sir.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: That was it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Why is this procedure out of
sequence? Normally we see things after the subordinate boards have
time to review them, and then we get the benefit of their comments,
because they are more specialized boards.
Why is that happening?
MR. WILEY: In the case with DSAC, we have gone to them,
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November 1, 2007
they have met with us, they have some comments about it. They've
asked us to come back.
Primarily they're holding off because they're still waiting for us,
which we're still trying to prepare a map that would show the location
of all these interim watershed management regulation issues, where
there's that one point in there that says, and other areas known to be
susceptible to inundation and flooding.
They said, well, where is that? We're still trying to put that map
together.
The other issues, we've gone through with them and you get
some support and they keep holding off on voting until we get this
map to them. We don't have the map finalized yet, which is not even
in your plan yet, unfortunately.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Klatzkow, this is a GMP Issue,
and I think maybe we're the LP A in regards to this. If
recommendations come out of DSAC, and they are viable
recommendations, ones that should be considered, concerned and
possibly implemented, would they -- how do they get implemented if
we've already been done with the issue?
MR. KLA TZKOW: Well, you can ask staff to bring it back to
you.
MR. SCHMITT: Let me clear it for the record. These are not
GMP amendments yet. You're looking at a plan that sets policies that
go to the next step, which is GMP amendments, LDC amendments
and other things. You're not actually looking at a GMP amendment
here.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. So this GMP language as
proposed is something that you're trying to put together to implement
in another GMP round, a cycle that will occur next year?
MR. WILEY: That's correct. These themselves do not change
the GMPs that we have. But these are setting direction for putting it
into motion the next cycle.
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November 1,2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But then you're taking it from us to the
BCC, and that means you'd be taking DSAC's comments directly to
the BCC as well.
MR. WILEY: Well, we take everybody's comments, yes, sir.
Including yours, yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We just wouldn't have the benefit of
DSAC, but we will prior to the next round of true GMP
implementation.
MR. WILEY: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, that's good to know.
With that, we'll move on. And I guess we're on Page 50. We're
going to have to take it page at a time through the proposed GMP
language. There may be a lot of comments. And let's just start
actually with Page 50, and it's 7.8, Setting Goals. And we'll just go on
through the entire page at one time.
Are there any comments, questions, on Page 50?
Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: On Policy 1.1.5, it says conduct
site investigations, research exposure and hazard data. Could you just
give me an example of what you mean by researching exposure?
MR. WILEY: Where that comes into play is, as you look at it,
repetitive loss. We know that there are 31 of these in the county. So
when someone comes to us with -- let's just use an example--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I got it with that.
MR. WILEY: -- a building modification requires a building
permit.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I got it with that. You satisfied
that question.
Under Objective 1.2, pollution control is the lead agency there.
And I wondered, is that a sub of the transportation department?
MR. WILEY: No, sir, that is in the public utilities division.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So--
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November 1, 2007
MR. WILEY: Now, let's explain this. These lead agencies,
these were the recommendations given to us and assigned to us by the
county manager.
And basically he's looking for people to oversee other people to
make sure they get the job done. It doesn't mean that they're the ones
out there doing it, but the county manager tried to set up a structure
so that different departments begin to work with each other. And so
you have the lead agency who's helping to make sure the others
follow up and comply with these things.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. And I appreciate what
the county manager would like to achieve. That's fine.
Under Objective 1.5, we're talking about prohibiting private and
commercial development and we're talking about restored dunes. We
would be -- then when we go with a GMP amendment, they would be
looking to qualify -- require the dunes restoration or qualify it or
enhance the dunes structurally or whatever. Is that the intent there?
MR. WILEY: There will be a lot more refinement before it gets
to that level, yes, sir.
This is the recommendation for direction for us to take, is
basically what this document is. It's a planning document.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Got you. Thank you. That was
all for that page.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody else on Page 50?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Bob, Policy 1.1.1. It's talking about
repetitive loss in -- does that -- let's see. Reduce repetitive loss in
FEMA designated flood zones through land acquisition and/or
engineering stormwater solutions when appropriate.
I would like you to consider adding the words and financially
feasible.
MR. WILEY: You mean after the word appropriate, add
financially feasible?
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November 1, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes.
MR. WILEY: We can do that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Only because I'd hate to see us locked
into something just because it's appropriate, but we can't afford it. In
the future that could happen an awful lot.
I will have that repeated philosophy through quite a few of your
paragraphs.
MR. WILEY: That's a very good comment, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Objective 1.2, you're talking about
protect environmentally sensitive lands and aquifers to maximize
their survivability from known flood hazards.
Again, I have to ask for a caveat on there, where appropriate
and financially feasible.
1.3 would be the same thing.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Mark?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, Mr. Midney?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: How do you determine
financially feasible? What -- you know, you sort of have to have
some sort of laws or regulations to determine that, don't you?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: County Commissioners would have to
have a budget that can do it. If their budget can't do it and they can't
raise ad valorem taxes, or they have no other sources, it may not be
financially feasible.
But I would hate to have to see this take precedent over other
items because the language in this is stronger than the other items are,
and all of a sudden we have to divert funds we need vitally
somewhere else for this issue.
So that's my purpose, is to give that flexibility. It's there if we
want to use it. The public pressure will determine how they use it.
And I think that's the appropriate mechanism that we really need in
dealing with this kind of issue.
Objective lA, it says develop an efficient coastal storm surge
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November 1, 2007
and inland flooding evacuation plans. That's like saying what we
currently have is not efficient.
So I'm just wondering if you need the word efficient or you
need another word. Because efficiency, I think what we have right
now for our times may be considered efficient, and for liability
purposes I certainly would argue it is.
I don't know if putting a word in here that we need efficient
systems is connotating a negative to what we currently have.
MR. WILEY: So your preference is to strike --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Either strike that word or come in with
a word that doesn't negate what we currently have.
MR. WILEY: I'm open to suggestion.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I'd just as soon strike it then, it
makes it simpler.
Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Or just say develop additional
coastal storm surge and inland flooding evacuation plans.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's fine, too. Is that --
COMMISSIONER CARON: I think that we are talking about
additional regulations, correct, Robert?
MR. WILEY: Well, when we were meeting with the committee
that the governor set up on coastal issues, the state department of
emergency management was trying to get all coastal communities to
be able to evacuate within less than 12 hours. And we don't meet
that. Most coastal communities don't meet that. And we may never
meet that.
So just to say that ours is absolutely the greatest plan, no. It
works, but it still doesn't quite get to the point that the state would
like to see us. So that's where the concept of efficient came in. But
additional, I have no problem with that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I was thinking of -- or we could say
develop comprehensive coastal storm surge and inland flooding
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November 1, 2007
evacuation plans. That might be even a better word.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yeah.
MR. WILEY: Yes, that's better than conditional. Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: On 1.5 I read that, and I thought great
idea. But why is it here? Why isn't that in the CCME? Why are we
putting this in this document?
Because now what we're going to have, just like we discovered
on the review of improvements in the coastal high hazard area, and I
think it came up on the Cocanelia project, that there's a conflict in
various segments of the GMP that have redundancy. Some stuff in
the FLUE doesn't coincide with the CCME.
And I'm wondering, is this necessary in your floodplain
management section or would this go in the CCME?
MR. WILEY: Well, this concept is already in the CCME --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, then--
MR. WILEY: -- but in our floodplain plan FEMA doesn't
review our CCME, and they want us to address coastal dunes, so
that's why we have the topic discussed in here.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is it verbatim?
MR. WILEY: I couldn't quote that one, sir. I don't know. The
concept is there, but I don't know if it's verbatim.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Would you check to make sure there's
no conflict? Because the last thing we need is different parts of the
GMP conflicting with newer parts.
MR. WILEY: Okay.
COMMISSIONER CARON: I don't think it's necessarily
conflicting, but it is not verbatim.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, we ought to take a look at that,
just to make sure.
MR. WILEY: Let me just interject here, you may tend to find
things that appear to be repetitive with other parts of the government's
document that we have, but again, we had to repeat because this has
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November 1, 2007
to be a complete plan for FEMA to review.
We've already been told that we have a lot of stuff we don't
need in here by other people, but we say it's got to stand alone. And
then when you incorporate it, you've already got that portion of it.
So just to help you understand that one.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, I'm glad you said that
because it does resolve some other questions. Thank you.
Okay, any questions on -- let's go to Page 51. Questions on Page
-- Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Objective 1.9. Robert, what
does the word incremental really mean? Is that -- it's the same thing
as rising or movement laterally, or damage growing or --
MR. WILEY: Basically that deals with the situation from
different levels of storms. So you're not going to design everything to
this one huge storm event, but the practical side of it is you're willing
to accept certain levels of risk for different features here. So the
incremental deals with that.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Brad, anything else?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, I think other people
could ask that -- I mean, your answer is good. Is there a way we
could work some of your answer into the objective?
MR. WILEY: Help me. I'm willing. That's the trouble, when I
know what I mean, to me it means it already. So I'm very willing to
edit this thing.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, you're using incremental
.surface water impacts. Maybe you should use incremental storm
impacts. I mean, is it just the surface water you're focused on or the
flood --
MR. WILEY: Well, you have a quantity and you have a quality
issue that are involved here. So for instance a developer, he'll design
a project to handle the one inch of water quality. But then
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November 1, 2007
quantity-wise he's going for the 25-year, three-day storm event, but
then he has to put his house at the 100-year elevation.
So even in different parts of the county the canal system can
only take so much. There's lots of factors back and forth that all get
played here.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, leave it then.
MR. WILEY: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We're still on Page 51. Are there any
other questions?
Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: On Policy 1.10.3, provide
technical information, and also on Policy 1.10.1 where you say
assistance to, they pretty much establish the same thing.
Who authors that technical information that we're going to
provide? Is that something from within the county or we have
expertise from elsewhere, or is it a conglomeration of things? What is
it that it is?
MR. WILEY: Primarily what we're doing is we're showing the
people the publications produced by FEMA. We give them the
information, we show them how to access it on the website, we'll
print them off copies.
But then sometimes people say well, I don't understand this. So
you sit and you explain to them how to do it. And we're not trying to
generate information ourselves as much as show them what's out
there already available to comply with the flood insurance program.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That -- do you anticipate much
staff time associated with that? I'm trying to relate that to cost, again,
financially feasible how much we're opening ourselves up to.
MR. WILEY: Generally speaking, it's not a lot of staff time.
Most of the people, their concern deals with what can I do to get my
property out of the flood zone. And they want to know what that
means. So within five, six minutes on the telephone you explain to
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November 1,2007
them what they have to do, the procedures to apply to FEMA for an
exemption from the flood insurance requirements. That's the biggest
one.
Very few people have actually come to us asking for
recommendations on what they can do. But it does happen. Just
within the past two weeks I've helped a gentleman on that even, so --
it's very rare, though.
MR. DeRUNTZ: For the record, Mike DeRuntz, principal
planner with comprehensive planning.
Along those policies, I met with the real estate board, and
they're very interested in participating with county staff and having
workshops to educate that profession. And also with the CBIA, the
same way, getting their members more knowledgeable of floodplain
regulations and ways to address reducing the flood impacts on
properties. So I see us in the future developing workshops with those
different groups.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Will there be a fee associated
with attendance, or is that a public service to them?
MR. DeRUNTZ: A public service.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: In Policy 1.10.5, protect critical
facilities, are we speaking only of government facilities here?
MR. WILEY: No, we're talking private also.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Hospitals, things of that nature?
MR. WILEY: Hospitals, places with hazardous material
storage, generators, things of that nature, yes, sir. Things you don't
want to fail in time of a flood.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And on Policy 1.10.6, I just
thought it odd that the lead agency was facilities management, not
emergency management.
Of course you folks know best, I guess, but I just thought that
was a little strange.
MR. WILEY: The background for that is our facilities
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November 1, 2007
management department handles the public facilities that are the
government-owned facilities, and that is why we set them in the lead
of it. Since they're doing it for their own facilities, they would tend to
be able to address it with other people asking for assistance too.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. And lastly on 1.11 it
says, based on the best available. How about the latest and authorized
technical data and analysis? Best available, I've seen where
brochures are still in locations where they're a year and a half old, et
cetera.
Maybe some means of making sure that we have the latest and
authorized by the right persons. Some verbiage like that perhaps.
MR. WILEY: Let me explain why it says best available, and
then we'll be glad to modify it. But we have certain portions of the
county that are approximate A zones, that would be basically for rule
of thumb east of State Route 29. And there's a little bit north of
Immokalee.
In approximate A zones, there is no base elevation defined, base
flood elevation. It's not defined. And so FEMA says use best
available information. That's why this wording is in here.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: When the UDAR is concluded,
I don't know if that's still in effect, I assume that they're still using the
LIDAR to do the mapping --
MR. WILEY: What that is useful for is your ground elevation,
but that doesn't establish your flood elevation for that --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay, so that's a different
criterion.
MR. WILEY: A little bit different, yes, sir. But if you want to
modify it, I just wanted you to understand why it says best available.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: No, I don't want to modify
anything unnecessarily, I just -- you've explained it to me and I
appreciate what it is. And if the FEMA is satisfied to use that phrase,
I'm not going to argue with FEMA at this point.
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CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other questions on Page 51?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I've got some, Bob. Objective 1.6,
continue acquisition of Conservation Lands, and that's capitalized,
within the floodplain to assist with mitigation of flood events.
The fact that it's capitalized leads me to believe when you say
conservation lands, are you referring to lands that are purchased by
Conservation Collier?
MR. WILEY: Yes, sir. It may not need to be capitalized here,
but that's why.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, Conservation Collier was put
forth to the public as an additional tax voluntarily through referendum
to purchase open space and conservation lands above and beyond
what was already necessary for various facilities and operations in
Collier County.
Now I see Conservation Collier lands being utilized by count,
like for the parks and rec. department, we heard through the AUIR.
The Pepper Ranch discussion occurred partly, they--
transportation staff wanted to use some of that land if they ever got it
for mitigation purposes. And now you're talking about using it,
continue the acquisition for floodplain assistance.
I don't believe that was the intention of the referendum or the
voters. Now, I could be dead wrong, but before you include this
Objective 1.6, I would ask that you take this to the Conservation
Collier committee and let them know you're thinking of adding this
here and get their opinion on it.
They are meeting in the middle of November. It would be an
easy thing to do. And I would suggest that you do that so we don't
have any intentional conflict between what we told the voters and
what's actually -- how the lands are being possibly utilized.
MR. WILEY: Yes, sir. We have had quite a bit of discussion
with Alex Sulecki on this, and her concern is can she even utilize
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November 1, 2007
Conservation Collier lands for floodplain.
The background of this one basically says if you're buying lands
that are in the floodplain anyway, let them go ahead and be used for
open space for floodplain storage.
We're not proposing to go in there and use Collier lands to
modify them to make them floodplain storage. And so that also has
been part of the discussion within our committee, a desire to do just
that. And we're saying you can't do that.
But if they happen to be there and there's opportunity, I guess
the concept is as a part of their criteria for Conservation Collier, use
the issue of it is in the floodplain and give us open space storage but
a criteria for evaluation.
But we need to take this to that committee to make sure they're
in agreement with that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I think the purpose for that is twofold.
I don't think you ever want to let anybody make the assumption
you're trying to do something that may have been told in a different
way during the referendum. You certainly wouldn't want any
misconception that we're trying to capitalize on additional taxes that
are out there.
It would be a very good thing to do, and if you don't do it now,
we'd probably ask that you do it before the GMP round, if it came in
anyway. So why don't we just cross that threshold and get it done.
And that way everybody can say, hey, we took it to all the right
authorities and everything is fine.
MR. WILEY: Good idea.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Objective 1.8, you use the word ensure
the adequacy and completeness of emergency procedures that address
catastrophic flood events.
I don't think anybody can ensure things. In fact, Louisiana
knows that with the dikes around their town. So why don't we use the
word review instead of ensure.
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November 1, 2007
MR. WILEY: Good word.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Objective 1.9, develop a policy that --
and you use a word, I'm not sure how I would read it, it says deals
with. And I'm just -- is there a better word than deals with?
I mean, I know there is. You guys have always used them. And
that's the first time I heard you use that kind of connotation. I can't
suggest one sitting here today but I made a note that there's got to be
a better word for that. And I would suggest that you -- you might -- if
you have an idea.
Ms. Caron?
MR. WILEY: Should we just simply say that addresses--
COMMISSIONER CARON: How about the word addresses--
MR. WILEY: -- or evaluates, or something along that line?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Develop a policy that addresses
incremental surface water impacts throughout the county.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That works. How does that sound to
you?
MR. WILEY: Got it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Number -- Objective 1.10, you're
talking about minimizing impacts from flooding in FEMA. I agree
we should be doing that, but I certainly would like to add the words
where financially feasible.
Policy 1.10.2, review existing development regulations to
ensure that they minimize to the extent feasible flooding impacts to
other properties.
Now, in this case I would suggest you drop the language to the
extent feasible. That provides a level that we may not be able to
reach in all cases. Where if you're just reviewing it and you're
making recommendations, that provides a more adaptable level.
MR. WILEY: Let me just ask a question. As I'm looking at
remove (sic) that feasible, if the development itself shows that they're
not causing any increase, do you say that they would have to reduce
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November 1,2007
the existing flooding impacts on the neighboring property? Just want
to get your thought train going here.
When you remove that to the extent feasible, if they haven't
caused it in the first place, it's already flooding, does that mean they
have to go the other way?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Let me tell you where I was going with
the suggestion on that language. If you say you've got to do
something to the extent feasible in this connotation, and there is a
way to do it, they're almost obligated then to do it at any cost.
That's where my concern was. I'm always looking for the
extreme. Not saying that you'd go there, but somebody that may
replace you someday might go there.
MR. WILEY: I hadn't even thought of your direction.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So that was my concern. If you can
figure out or suggest an alternative, or maybe leaving that language in
and adding to the -- as financially feasible or something like that, but
MR. WILEY: I can even strike it.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And Mark, wouldn't you have
to eliminate the word ensure as well?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That was my -- yeah, once I got past
step one I was going to go to step two.
MR. WILEY: Okay, Ray Smith has suggested maybe it says to
the extent practical, or even just to strike it out might work just as
well, though.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's what I was suggesting is just to
strike it. Because it still reads you're going to have the review there,
and the review's going to develop into LDRs that are going to then --
the LDRs get down to the meat of this. But I don't want the LDRs to
be so limited by the tight language here that they can't be flexible
enough to give us some latitude if we need it.
So that's what I was looking for.
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And then the word ensure becomes into play agam.
Ms. Caron, do you have a --
COMMISSIONER CARON: Well, I just want to make sure
that we are not mixing insure with ensure, so --
MR. WILEY: We're not using the I-N-S-U-R-E.
COMMISSIONER CARON: They're not trying to msure
anything.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Let's talk about definitions. Mr.
Murray, this is just up your bag. You love words, so --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Ensure in the context he used it
was appropriate. He didn't introduce financial matters about
insurance. I think it's often, though, that those words are used
interchangeably, and in the context it can be construed. The
grammarian, though, I'm not.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I need someone to define Mr. Murray's
statement.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Try the gentleman from the
legal department.
MR. KLA TZKOW: Well, I know the difference between
ensure with an E and insure with an I. I generally don't use either
word in my documents, because it is one that is confusing to a lot of
people. And two, quite frankly, it's a very hard thing to do, to ensure
anything.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's why I've been concerned about
it in my reading of this text.
So with that in mind, what's another word we could use there,
Mr. Wiley, that would work and still not be so definitive?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Just strike it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Just strike it?
How about --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: How about just simply reVIew
existing --
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COMMISSIONER CARON: Review existing development
regulations to minimize flooding impacts to other properties.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's fine. I like that. Thank you, Ms.
Caron.
Okay, under 1.10.3, provide technical information regarding
flood proofing and retrofitting of property, structures in
FEMA-designated special flood hazard areas in other areas of the
county. And I would suggest that we add language that would
minimize substantial flood damage instead of prevent, because it's
very hard to prevent.
MR. WILEY: Good.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ten -- 1.10.4, and here we go with the
ensured again. I think it should be review proposed construction
development projects. And after the word projects, I'd suggest you
add the word to minimize or eliminate flood risk where financially
feasible, without introducing additional flood impacts to other
properties.
MR. WILEY: So you start off with the word evaluate, you say?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Review.
MR. WILEY: Review.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Or evaluate, that's a good word, too. I
think that does the same thing, but you--
MR. WILEY: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And we're looking to minimize or
eliminate flood risks where financially feasible without introducing
additional flooding impacts to other properties.
Policy 1.10.6, now, this one is interesting. I understand you
want to target harden various buildings, public facilities, but don't you
want to do it in just certain zones?
So if they occur in certain FEMA zones, those are the ones
you'd have to do it. Because the way this reads, it would be all public
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November 1,2007
facilities. And you've got them in places that may need not to be
hardened, places like Immokalee, places elsewhere in the county.
MR. WILEY: What we're finding is that wind damage doesn't
necessarily match up with flood zones, so that's why we didn't want to
limit it just quite to that region. Your wind can have far reaching
effects beyond an area that floods.
The -- I say that because through the emergency management
department we have what is called a local mitigation strategy work
group. And they've come up with target hardening projects on our
approved mitigation list that once it gets on that list makes it eligible
to apply for FEMA grant funding and other federal grant funding, and
those are not limited just to the flood zone areas.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, that's what I was trying to
understand.
Okay, that's all the questions I had on Page 51. Anybody have
any others?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: If not, we'll move on to Page 52. Are
there any questions on Page 52?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Robert--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer, then Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Robert, we have areas of the
county that have not been determined for flood zones, essentially
Policy 1.11.3. Why is that?
In other words, we have areas that are undeterminable but
possible. What does that exactly mean and is that what you mean by
this policy?
MR. WILEY: In 1.11.3 where we talk about continue active
participation in the flood insurance community rating system, that
doesn't really deal with establishing flood zones, though. If!
understood, you said 1.11.3?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Correct.
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November 1, 2007
MR. WILEY: Our active participation in the CRS program
basically deals with the program the county is involved in, how we
use that to provide discounts on flood insurance policies that the
current owners have.
But let's address your area that you're speaking of, would be the
flood zone 0, an area of -- undetermined. Currently that would be
almost all of Golden Gate Estates north ofI-75, and then it swings up
and incorporates even a good portion of the Immokalee area and all of
urban Immokalee area.
The current flood insurance rate maps, as I said, are based
strictly upon a coastal surge evaluation. Now, when they came with
the maps in 1998, we did not agree with those maps. That's when
they -- basically they took the coastal area, they evaluated changing
the location and the elevations in the VE zones and the AE zones.
The X zone is still located landward of that.
But then FEMA came up and they said well, you've got all this
interior area that we just think is susceptible to flooding, so they were
going to declare all of that an approximate A zone, which mandates
flood insurance. But it's very expensive. And since there's no base
flood elevation, it would throw the county in a big quandary as to we
are supposed to establish an elevation before we could ever approve a
building permit.
We negotiated with them for a number of years. By the time we
got around to the maps that are currently implemented with an
effective date of November 2005, FEMA had agreed, we had shown
them enough information that they had no justification to base a large
portion of the county on to put in an approximate A zone. But they
didn't know what to do with it otherwise, so they agreed to put it into
a 0 zone.
Now, they still left a good portion of the eastern county in the
approximate A zone, but that, the boundary they carved out, that was
the best we could get them to agree to. So we have this block of 0
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November 1, 2007
zone area that doesn't have an evaluation for it.
At the same time we did that, though, we went into an
agreement with them that we are developing those flood maps that
will cover that area.
So we're doing the coastal analysis as well as the rainfall
analysis for seven interior basins, of which that area is totally
encumbered in our basins we're analyzing. So when all is said and
done we won't have the 0 zones, but that's still going to be a little bit
under two years from now.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Back just in time. Okay, policy
__ on Page 52, Policy 1.11.4. You spoke earlier about -- I thought I
heard you say review about every five years, at least every five
years. Is that your plan, to review at least every five years?
MR. WILEY: We at a minimum have to review and revise this
document here every five years. But the other thing is we can initiate
that at any time we so desire.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So in other words, under Policy
1.11.4 you would be reviewing the stormwater system for
deficiencies on what, an annual basis?
MR. WILEY: Actually, it's a daily basis for the applications
that come in. In new developments when there's proposals to modify
developments, that's an ongoing system.
The county storm water management department every year
analyzes its system through the AUIR program, and so it's just a
continual process that's going on.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Do you want to employ the
word continuing on ongoing in some fashion there to make it clear?
MR. WILEY: We can very gladly do that here.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I think it's important. Because
inasmuch as you've indicated five years, it's a long time between
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November 1,2007
document modifications. That's fine.
MR. WILEY: Should we say review on a continual basis or an
annual basis? How do you want it worded there?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Continuing basis.
And then under policy -- you finished there?
MR. WILEY: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Under Policy 1.11.6, when
appropriate. I was wondering in the context of that sentence provide
property owners with information on removing property from FEMA
designated -- when appropriate. In other words, it goes back to that
31 units again.
MR. WILEY: No, no, in this particular case here this would be
anybody who has a property within a designated flood zone starting
with the letter A or V. That's a special flood hazard area.
I get a phone call and they say, what do I need to do to get my
property exempted? So you provide them that information. And
basically that's where they go through the process with FEMA, to--
they get an elevation certificate for their property and they fill out the
correct application, submit it.
They can essentially get their building surrounded by a little
miniature X zone if it gets approved through FEMA. But it's strictly
FEMA's call. I just provide the information how they can apply for
it.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay, so that's the criterion for
when appropriate.
Under Objective 1.12, not allowed deliberate variances that are
feasibly avoidable. I think you touched on that earlier.
I didn't know that we allowed any deliberate variances. Would
you explain what that really means to me?
MR. WILEY: What that means is you've got a situation that has
a base flood elevation, you can't build below that, or you have a
building restriction based upon -- in a VE zone. You have to have
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November 1, 2007
everything above the base flood elevation, and then the open
foundation lets the velocity wave travel through.
So along comes a landowner that says well, I want a variance
because it's going to be a special thing for me out here, and I just --
I'm willing to take the risk. Well, that means the county would go
through the variance process. We're saying let's don't do that--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Let me stop you--
MR. WILEY: -- deliberately.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- because I remember Stan
Chrzanowski suggesting that we have stem walls over building up the
property. Is what we're referencing?
MR. WILEY: No. No, no, that's a different issue--
MR. SCHMITT: Can I clarify --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I thought I had it.
MR. SCHMITT: There's only been one variance since 1976,
and that was for a property that was built, and it was an after-the-fact
vanance.
So, no, basically the policy is no variances.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Good.
MR. SCHMITT: And that's then the policy that was -- what
was proffered when we were proposing even for the restroom out in
Vanderbilt Beach. So -- short and sweet --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, you might want to
modify that --
MR. SCHMITT: -- it has to go to the board. Our
recommendation is no variances.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: You might want to -- if you're
going to leave that in there, you might want to leave it in and not
allow intended deliberate variances.
MR. SCHMITT: Well, they still have a right to petition their
government, and the Board of County Commissioners is the agent
that approves the floodplain variance, and we still have to send those
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forward.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you.
MR. WILEY: But this was also coming from the committee,
they felt real strong about it, don't deliberately create a variance issue
here.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: All right. Under Goal 2 -- and
I don't wish to take all the questions, you may have some. Is it okay
ifI continue?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray, that's what we're here for.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Under Goal 2 -- I didn't hear
you, what?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I said that's what we're here for.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Oh. Under Goal 2, I wrote a
note here, master plan, because it says minimize flood hazards and
protect water quality. Do we have a master plan or is this the master
plan?
I know it said it's the floodplain management plan, but is there a
master plan associated with this or is this the master plan?
MR. WILEY: That's a tough question to answer because of the
way it's addressed here. This is addressing evaluating
watershed-based approaches. We are just starting that process. Over
the course of the next two years we will be developing all these
watershed plans that will effectively implement what this is giving
direction to do.
So we don't per se have it now. We have a water management
master plan which back in 1988, '89 we went through and identified
where are the public canals, the crossings, things of that nature. But
nothing really to address overall analyzing from a watershed the
impacts of anything that takes place in that watershed. So we're
heading that way out of this one, though.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I thought I remembered in the
EAR that this body spoke about the fact that it seemed to be that it
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was addressed so -- the distance apart was five, 10 years or whatever.
And it seemed extraordinary. I guess this is a movement forward.
Let's see. Again, watershed under Objective 2.3. Again, where
feasible. Do we want a financially feasible associated with this one?
MR. WILEY: Financially feasible, is that what you're--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I think so. I think because
what it does provide is a publicly maintained storm water conveyance
system, that can be quite expensive, and --
MR. WILEY: I just want to -- I do want to caution you here
about using the word limited to financially feasible here, because
there are some issues that may not be environmentally permittable
either. So that's why we left just feasible. It's a little bit more
involved.
I give you an example is within the Gordon River, it's a very
constrained watershed. I don't think we would ever stand a chance of
getting an Army Corps permit to open that thing up to a big, huge
canal and let it just quickly flush the water down into Naples Bay. It
would provide the 25-year storm level for developments that are in
there, but you're never going to get through that permitting process.
So I don't want to limit us just to financial feasible here, but if
you want to add it and some other caveats, be glad to explain it better.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'm not going to argue on that
point. But then where based on what you just responded, I just
wonder where feasible applies even.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, if you add the words where
practical and financially feasible, that takes care of it, I think.
MR. WILEY: There you go, that's what I'm looking for.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's what I was attempting to
get at. Maybe I should have waited for you on that one.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Doesn't matter, as long as they get
there.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And on Objective 2.4,
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November 1, 2007
including the use of Board of County Commissioners' initiated
multiple services taxing units to correct the affecting -- I recall
Commissioner Coyle at a meeting indicating that the county doesn't
institute or doesn't compel municipal services taxing units.
This kind of suggests that the county would initiate its own
taxing units, which doesn't seem logical. So I'm wondering what this
really says.
MR. WILEY: You're right on what it says. When you establish
an MSTU or an MSBU, you have two ways of doing it: You can get
50 percent plus one of the property owners to petition the board and
they will do so; or the board has the right to, on a majority of their
vote, establish one and establish the boundary for it.
What we have seen in the past is the board's indicating through
many times in their budgeting process that we'll use MSTUs, use the
MSTUs, but you can really not in a practical sense get the board to
ever receive 50 percent plus one of the property owners within a
drainage basin area that will come forward and say yes, please do
this.
The committee felt real strong that there needs to be a proactive
action take place, and so they're suggesting a policy that clearly
indicates we want the Board of County Commissioners to evaluate
the need and proactively establish the MSTU.
I know that has been done in Naples Park a number of years ago
is the only one I personally am aware of. And that's what we used to
come up with the design and the construction for the improvements
along 8th Street, because I oversaw that project. That's why I
personally happen to know about that one. Whether it's been used
elsewhere, I do not know.
It made tremendous improvements in those portions of Naples
Park, but we never got 50 percent of the people to come to the board
with a petition to say yes, do it. We had a minority, a very vocal
minority, who had come, so the board on its own opted to establish
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November 1,2007
that.
I'm not aware of them doing it since then. But the committee
wanted the board to see that there is a desire for the board to be
willing to take that step. Hence this policy.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay--
MR. WILEY: Essentially this is going to be an eye opener
when it gets to the board also.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I would think.
And lastly, under Objective 2.5, I've marked out here, to
eliminate or reduce deficiencies to the maximum extent practicable
and within a time frame. I suppose the chairman's statement is also
financially feasible is appropriate here too, do you not agree?
Says maintain the stormwater conveyance system. I mean, I'd
love to think that we could have a budget suddenly that would take
care of what is a horrendous problem for many people. I don't think
that that's going to be possible. So the question then comes up.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray, your financially feasible
point, you're right. And your reference, Mike, if I was thinking of the
same comment, I didn't there because the AUIR is really a financially
feasible document and it couldn't be in there unless it was. So that's
why I didn't bring it up, I wouldn't have brought it up on that one.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah, okay, I can appreciate
where you're coming from.
My last go-around with the AUIR didn't prove to me that we did
really impact much in terms of change. But okay.
That's my questions for those. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other questions on Page 52?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Bob, if we go back and start Objective
1.12, I'm going to read some ideas you might want to insert in the
paragraph.
Objective 1.12. It's on Page 52. We're on the same page. I
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didn't get to my questions yet. Middle of the page.
MR. WILEY: Okay. I was thinking 1.1.2. I was looking.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm sorry, 1.12 then.
MR. WILEY: There you go.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Enforce the building
requirements. And I would suggest inserting words that are adopted
by Collier County of the national flood insurance program. And not
allow -- and I would consider striking the word deliberate. Just say
not allow variances that are feasibly avoidable. That puts a heavier
onus on it whether it's deliberate or not.
So does any -- you have a problem with that?
MR. WILEY: No problem.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. I think that would clean it up a
little bit better.
Objective 2.1, protect and restore, and I would insert the words
where financially feasible, wetland ecological functions to ensure
long-term environmental, economic and recreational values.
MR. SCHMITT: My only question on that is in some cases this
is laying out strategy that we're going to require developers to comply
with as well. And certainly that is the basis of a lot of what we
require for protecting of wetlands and protecting of -- or creating
preservation -- or preserves. And we don't care if it's economically
feasible or not, you have to do it according to state statute. Section
404 of the --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, then the word ensure, protect
and restore wetland ecological functions to, instead of ensure is there
another word that we can use? The only reason is there might be
some point where it can't practically be done.
MR. SCHMITT: Right, understand.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And we recognize that in the way
we've reviewed things.
MR. SCHMITT: That would be done through the permitting
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process, through the Corps or the District's permitting process.
Because they're the ones that would -- they're the ones that permit the
impact of wetlands.
I don't know ifI'm helping you.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: How about just from ecological
functions for long-term environmental, economic.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yeah, that would be -- take out the
words to ensure and just put the word for in there. Does that work? I
think that's a lot better.
Under Objective 2.4, I would -- there are different types of
special taxing districts. And the MSTU reference will raise eyebrows
because that means we have to reduce ad valorem impacts based on
MSTU impacts.
So why don't we just strike MSTUs and just say initiate special
taxing districts. And that way if there's a variety of those
methodologies out there, some of which don't attach ad valorem, they
have the option of going there instead of only this particular one.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Good catch, good catch.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MR. WILEY: You're saying MSTU happens to be one of them.
That's -- just so I understand the special taxing districts --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Just take out the reference to MSTUs
and just say special taxing districts. That way the board can come up
with any kind of district they want to. And some may have less of an
impact on the ad valorem overall base and provide other
opportunities, so --
MR. WILEY: Good point.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's it on 52 for me.
You want to go to 53. By the way, 53 is the last section of
GMP objections and policies -- objectives and policies.
Any questions on Page 53?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I do.
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November 1,2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I just want to make a comment
on Objective 2.6. It's -- my little notation to myself was how long to
get involved. I mean, evaluate possible mitigation of coastal storm
surge and/or time surge. But you indicated that we wouldn't really be
able to do much about that in your power point.
MR. WILEY: The thought behind this situation here is if we
know we have areas that have a high tide situation that creates a
flooding, and that high tide is created because of a funneling effect,
you evaluate the ways to begin to interconnect so you eliminate the
funneling concept, is really what this is going for.
This was a specific objective that was put in by one of our
committee members because of a situation where he lives, he felt that
we needed to address it. Bay of Fundy effect is what I want to call it,
where the tide comes up, funnels down, drastic difference.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Like 40 feet.
MR. WILEY: But just a short distance away you don't have 40
feet of tide. It's that funneling effect. And that's what he's looking at
here. And it affected the neighborhood where he lives in particular.
He felt that that was one of the things he was observing there.
So we put the policy in. Again, we're using the citizens' input
here. Or the objective, I should say.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I think it's highly laudable. But
then we get back into that question about financially feasible. And I
suppose at the minimum that we'd want to relate to that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN : Well, this one is -- Objective 2.6 is just
an evaluation.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And evaluation. Okay, well,
sure.
Well, I had essentially the same kinds of comments going down.
On Objective 2.10, open space and natural resources areas will
be managed to minimize flood hazards. What does that really mean?
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November 1, 2007
How do you manage the open space in that sense? Dikes or what,
weirs?
MR. WILEY: In the situation of where you have open space, if
someone wanted to, as a part of an open space, berm it off, but it's
part of an area that could be used for floodplain storage.
There are some projects, for instance, that water comes more
onto than what they generate to flow off. And so we're saying
manage them in such a way that you don't have things separated and
cut up that they don't operate as a floodplain.
So it's going to be --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: These open space -- I'm sorry.
MR. WILEY: It's going to be sort ofa unique situation for that
to happen, but I can see it happening in some situations.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: These open spaces that you're
referring to, are they buildable, these -- we're all talking about
buildable spaces here, right? Developable?
MR. WILEY: In some situations they are buildable, except that
there is a requirement within the development regs you have to have
so much open space. And so you can come into situations with your
conflict being the open space is for what use.
And it's not a -- I don't say it's going to be happening a lot. But
the thought was out of the committee looking at those things, just
look at it so that you don't want that open space issue to be one that
would create a flood hazard or increase a flooding potential either to
that property or some neighboring property. And so that's really
where that comes from.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, what occurred to me was
the Bert Harris issues that might eventuate from something like that
as a constraint. I don't know. May have been reaching on that one,
but that's what came into my mind.
MR. WILEY: I'll give you the example of a small site. I won't
give you the exact property location but within the urban area of the
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county there is a flowway. The property itself is entirely within that
flowway. And they wanted to come in and property line to property
line berm it, fill it up and build on it because they had the
development units that they wanted to put on it.
And we worked with them and worked with them and we just
told them, we says, folks, you can't do that because you're in a
flowway. And you've got -- they were an importer, meaning they
brought more water on their site than what they generated.
So effectively what we worked out with them to do was to pull
back and that left us open space to even scrape down a portion of it to
provide additional storage volume between the wet season water
table and that 100-year flood elevation. Provided a way for water to
flow into it, through their property and out. And so they managed
their open space, not just walk off and leave it, but they actually
improved that use of floodplain storage.
That's just one small example I can think of off the top of my
head right now.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's clear to me.
Under Policy 2.10.2, identify, protect and where necessary
restore major. Should that also be financially feasible issue?
When you use the term where necessary, that suggests an
immediacy of need. And then we get into the conflict of financially
available.
MR. WILEY: Yeah, that's fine.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So you don't mind that?
MR. WILEY: I do not mind that at all, that's correct. That's a
good one.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. Then I found under
Policy 2.10.3, identify, acquire, and where feasible construct
improvements on lands. What do you mean by the word acquire
there?
MR. WILEY: Give an example would be where you have
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development that has restricted flow through a flowway from years
ago. But right next to the flowway you've got some upland areas that
if could be purchased, could be scraped down, could provide
additional room for the storage of that water on a temporary basis to
surge in and out. Those are the issues we're talking about here,
should that situation arise.
And it does have some locations where it would be very
possible to see that happen.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And of course that then
represents a question of how much you achieve by against what you
expend. And so it becomes again another financially feasible issue,
right?
MR. WILEY : Yes, sir, it does.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's it for me, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other questions on Page 53?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Wiley, up on Objective 2.7, that is
a difficult paragraph in regards to what you're asking professional
engineers to do, especially ones that didn't design the system that
they're now requesting to be certifying as to their maximizing their
effectiveness of water quality and quality (sic) design.
I would suggest that we change some of the wording, and let me
read it to you.
Ensure that stormwater -- well, the word ensure is going to be
changed for sure. Review all stormwater system facilities are
properly constructed, operated and properly maintained.
And instead of periodically I suggest we put a time frame in,
whether it be two years, five years, whatever. And we need your
input on that.
Inspected and certified by a Florida professional engineer to
verify the systems are operating as designed. They cannot after the
fact in these older communities certify that they're functioning at
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their maximum effectiveness of the water quality and quantity design
because standards have changed so rapidly.
I don't know any engineer you'd get to do that in this county.
MR. WILEY: No, I agree with what you're saying. Verify the
systems are operating as designed.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: As designed, right. That's all they can
do at that point. And I think periodically I certainly think -- see, this
is going to be an HOA's cost. They're going to have to pay to have
an engineer come out every so much time and say yep, everything is
working okay.
Some engineering firms will get into, you're going to have to
inspect pipes, underwater facilities, catch basins, grading. You have
all kinds of issues you're going to get into, and it could be rather
expenSIve.
And I don't think it needs to be done on a basis that's short lived.
I think it's something that you may want to want look at every two,
four, three years, something like that.
MR. WILEY: Okay. Let me show you where we're going with
this. And Joe's talking to me at the same time so I got a little bit
divided attention here, sorry.
We have within the interim watershed regulations that are
actually heading in through the second LDC amendment cycle for
this year. It requires at least every three years that inspection take
place.
Now, we let this one be a little bit looser so that it doesn't
establish the actual detail of the implementation policy, it just says
have it done.
Also, where we're coming in with the proposed amendments to
our flood damage prevention ordinance in 2008, we're going to
tighten it up even a little bit tighter than that, if we're able to, so that
to better comply with FEMA's requirements it would be that any
development which is approved after that particular ordinance
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amendment is adopted, they would have to do it annually. It's the
existing ones that would have the spread of years out from there.
Now, that is to -- FEMA says they want everyone inspected
every year. We're saying folks, that's not practical. There's no
justification for it. So we're trying to work that one through. But
right now the interim regulations are saying at least every three years.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Then if we leave the word periodically
in we can work it out in the LDRs.
MR. WILEY: Yes, sir, that's what we're working on.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Does the rest of the language I think I
suggested work okay for you?
MR. WILEY: Just want to make sure I got the wording at the
very start. You said review, and then I got lost there as to --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, the last -- where the word
maximize starts, strike the rest of that sentence.
MR. WILEY : Yeah, I got that stricken --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, no, the rest of it stays. I mean,
basically review all stormwater facilities for their -- to assure they are
properly constructed -- actually, the construction isn't an issue. The
construction is going to have already occurred. It's going to be
certified and going to be compliant, otherwise you guys won't issue
COs and acceptability of the system.
So I don't think construction is an issue here as much as
operation and maintenance is.
MR. WILEY: That is true. We already require it for the
construction. However, we come into a situation here that if you have
a maintenance issue that requires them to reconstruct it, well, that's
considered a construction too with what new stuff they would put in.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. But if they had a maintenance
issue that requires reconstruction, wouldn't you require a permit?
MR. WILEY: It would be considered -- as long as they replace
it like kind to like kind it would still be original so it would not
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require a permit, as far as I understand.
If they proposed to upsize or something, that would be different.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, here's what I -- here's what I
think you're going to have a hard time having an engineer certify, that
something that's buried underground for 15,20,30 years, that the
pipes and everything else were constructed properly. He's not going
to know that without digging the whole system up.
So how do we build what you're looking for in here without
putting that liability on an engineer who could basically end up
getting sued by a HOA for something he had nothing to do with just
because he had to certify this because you required it?
MR. WILEY: The issue here also deals with -- how do I say
this without pointing fingers. But I guess I have to point fingers. A
developer comes in for development. He gets done with
construction, it's built, and then the record drawings are submitted to
the county.
Now, the records drawings submitted to the county that come to
us, the engineer signs and seals them, but he clearly says he's just
doing this because that's the information he received from the
contractor.
Now, I know of a particular situation, the plans were certified in
the ground and then we never had any problems for a couple years
until it started to rain, because we'd had a couple dry years. As it
turned out, there never were any connections made between the lakes
because the contractor in building the things, connecting lake to lake,
well, he just happened to brick them up so he could dewater between
lakes. He never took the bricks out. But he didn't tell the engineer
this, he just simply gives the engineer the plans.
So the engineer certifies, thinks everything is all ducky since he
never looked through every foot of the pipe.
And so those are the kind of situations, well, if in his inspection
he sees that this is blocked off, he knows it wasn't constructed right.
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So you begin to see that it really gets some wild situations out
there that we start inspecting things and we don't find what we're
supposed to.
Also you find it was supposed to have been a certain size pipe.
Well, the contractor just didn't happen to tell you he didn't have that
pipe so he stuck something else in.
And we're trying to make them, if we find through the
maintenance issue we find a deficiency, we want them to go back and
reconstruct it to what it was supposed to be.
Now, perhaps you can give me some better wording here, but
these are why we're addressing it this way.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm working on some here. Review all
stormwater system facilities for proper operation and maintenance,
and where repairs are necessary for proper construction, and
periodically inspect and then certify by a proper professional Florida
engineer to verify that the systems are operating as designed.
Now, it's a little choppy but that's kind of the direction --
MR. WILEY: But it got the message across. Now ifI can just
get that. I'm lost on it, so --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Review all stormwater system
facilities for proper operation and maintenance and where repairs are
necessary for proper construction, and periodically inspect and
certify by a professional engineer that all systems are operating as
designed.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Mark?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Donna just had something, too. So let
me get her first, then you, Bob.
Donna, did you?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Well, I'm thinking if you read
that back again, you just need to break that up into more than one
sentence. It sounds like there's a period missing and --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Bob, did you want to--
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November 1, 2007
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I was just going to suggest that
we add -- now I've almost lost where it belongs, but the word
reconstruct, I think your maintenance and reconstruction.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And where reconstructed, for proper
construct --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And reconstruction.
COMMISSIONER CARON: You need to put a period just
before you get to where, I think. And again, I don't --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Let's try this. Review all stormwater
system facilities for proper operation and maintenance, period. Is
everybody -- that sounds good.
Where repairs are -- where reconstruction is necessary--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Oh, no, where repairs and/or
reconstruction, that's what I was trying to interpolate.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Where repairs and
reconstruction are warranted. Well, then, how do we fit in -- Bob, I'm
-- we're kind of doing this as we go along.
MR. WILEY : Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But maybe we should start out with the
words properly inspect and certify by a professional engineer all
stormwater system facilities for operation and maintenance. And
where reconstructed or repaired for construction -- for construction.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: No, where reconstruction or
repair is required.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, you wouldn't do it if it wasn't
required, though, right?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: If that determination is made,
right?
MR. WILEY: Let's look at it this way. Ifwe want just to strike
out the concern over construction. If you think about it, the engineer,
when he's out there he's looking at the system, seeing that it meets
what it's supposed to be and it's operating.
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CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It can't operate unless it's constructed
properly --
MR. WILEY: It can't, that's right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- so that takes care of it. Okay.
MR. WILEY: I think that's the way to go with it then.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, then let's go back to
where we had, because I want to make sure we get in there that the
verifying the system's operation as designed, not to standards today.
That's important. Because you won't get anybody to certify it any
other way.
Review all stormwater system facilities for proper operation and
maintenance, and provide periodic inspection and certification by a
Florida professional engineer to verify systems are operating as
designed.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I mean --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Brad?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I've got a simpler way to do it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, we're looking -- we got -- this
one's got to be rewritten, so --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Here's what I would do. I
would get rid of the words ensure that, and I would say, all
stormwater systems are to be properly constructed, operated and
maintained and periodically inspected -- just go through the rest of
the sentence.
I mean, your concern is the maintenance of the thing that the
inspector would be looking at to make sure there's no problems there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Why don't you say that again.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: What it is, get rid of the words
ensure that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Start with the word all.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: All stormwater system
facilities, and then get rid of are and put to be. And then keep it the
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way it is.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: To be constructed.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: To be properly constructed,
operated, maintained and periodically inspected by a certified Florida
engineer to maximize effectiveness of the water quality and quality
design.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. But after, I would strike from
the word maximize to the end and replace it to verify systems are
operating as designed.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I mean, I read that last part as
that if the guy could look at and do something to make it better, I
mean, as we get smarter with these systems.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You can't obligate old establishments
to do that, Brad. That would be like going into, for example, Donna's
place up there and deciding -- a new engineer says, well, you know,
this system could have been designed better, rip it all out by this
ordinance and redo it. And you've got millions of dollars of damages.
MR. WILEY: And that would also go through the permitting
process and everything again, as soon as you change something.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. Thank you.
MR. WILEY: I'm not trying to force that issue on them.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. So I like Brad's suggestion, it's
cleaner. Then after take out the words from maximize on and replace
with what I had earlier said, verify systems are operating as designed.
MR. WILEY: So I make sure I've got it, it says all stormwater
system facilities are properly--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: To be -- to be properly constructed,
operated, maintained and periodically inspected and certified by a
Florida professional engineer to verify the systems are operating as
designed.
MR. WILEY: Got it.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's good.
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CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That works. Thank you, Brad, that
works real well.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: We're going to have a meeting
at 1 :00. It's 12:06.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, no, we said we wouldn't start
before I :00. So it doesn't mean it starts at I :00, we just don't start
before 1 :00.
So we can either have a choice, we can break for lunch and
come back at 1: 10 or we can finish up this document, which I
probably have three or more items on that page and then a general
comment on the last item on the page and that's it for me.
Bob, do you have much more?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, I have a few questions,
but I think they probably will go quick.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Then we could be another halfhour. I
think probably we should take lunch now, then. How's that seem?
Then we'll come back and we'll finish a half an hour of this up.
When the school board gets back here, they'll have to sit through it.
And then we'll go into the school board concurrency.
Is that okay with everyone?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aren't we really close?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I don't -- it's hard to say.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I have only one comment and
it's not even on the objective.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. I've still got several to go
through, plus some general language.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, I just -- would you take
note on Page 54 as it relates to 53, if you've read it, you see that on
Page 53 it says I, then there's A. And then on Page 54 it says four at
the top. So it doesn't even seem to be in sequence. It seems
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something might be missing. So that's one piece alone that has to be
brought out, qualified.
And I think the people here would like some time to be able to
do that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Let's take a one-hour break and come
back at 1: 10 and finish this up. And then we'll go into the school
board after that.
So everybody, we'll take a break, be back here at 1: 10.
(Luncheon recess.)
(Commissioner Caron is absent.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Welcome back to the planning
commission meeting. Before we broke for lunch, we were in the
middle of Page 53 on discussing items regarding the floodplain
management. I know the school people have come back from their
elongated break. We'll hopefully wrap this up within 20 or 30
minutes and we'll go right into school concurrency.
So Mr. Wiley, I think I left off on my questions on Page 53.
And my next point after we laboriously went through Objective 2.7,
we are now in Policy 2.9.1. And it talks about BMPs.
Implement best management practices as required under the
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System. And I was
wondering if we might want to add the language, where such BMPs
are adopted by Collier County.
I'm not sure what the National Pollution Discharge Elimination
System provides for their BMPs, and I'd be hesitant to accept
something without knowing that. And since I don't know what those
are, if we just say as adopted by Collier County then in the LDRs we
formally include those in and have an opportunity to debate them,
that might be helpful.
MR. WILEY: I'm not even certain that we have officially
adopted any BMPs. The BMPs are a program of recommendations
through the NPDES permitting that we know we have certain
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requirements to limit turbidity discharges, things of that nature. But
exactly what you do to limit that, I'm not certain that we have adopted
anything. I can inquire about that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Are you certain that everything that is
in the BMPs under the NPDES are acceptable to practices currently
done in Collier County?
MR. WILEY: Well, they just showed me that Steve Preston is
here. He can probably address this quite well from the stormwater
management department.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Sure.
MR. PRESTON: Steve Preston, project manager for
stormwater management for the county. I'm the NPDES coordinator.
The NPDES program that's talked about in here, is a -- it's a
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for the
stormwater collection system. And that type ofNPDES permit is
called a MS-4 permit, which is a municipal separate storm sewer
system.
That program has a lot of BMPs that are required by federal
regulation, and they are part of this floodplain management report.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Are we currently operating under those
BMPs?
MR. PRESTON: Yes, we were, since 2001. That's in Exhibit
29 of this floodplain management plan. That outlines the BMPs of
the NPDES program.
And just to keep it short and address what you've brought up,
there are no structural or engineering BMPs. The BMPs for our
NPDES program are things like education, outreach, maintenance
and operation issues. But nothing structural or of a nature that would
cause, you know, large expense.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I know silt fence placement and
maintenance is part of your NPDES rulings, aren't they?
MR. PRESTON: Well, that is another type of NPDES permit
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for construction. And yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Are there any BMPs that apply to that
portion of the NPDES system?
See, I don't want us -- what I'm worried about is this is a very
broad statement, and I'm not sure what it could take in. And I wanted
to make sure that as long as it stays -- if it has to be written broadly,
it only takes in what we accept.
And that's all I was trying to do is get to a point that we weren't
unknowingly accepting something by the broadness of the statement.
Do you have a suggestion that -- how we -- that's why -- and
you said that you've been doing this, we've been using the BMPs that
are currently being utilized since 2001. In 200 I did we take some
action that made that happen?
MR. PRESTON: Well, in 2001 we submitted an application to
DEP, who is the administrator of that program for the EP A in Florida.
And they approved our outline. And Appendix 29 is a copy of that
outline that was approved by DEP.
As far as the sediment and erosion control portion of that plan,
we're not doing anything more than we have already. In other words,
this county already had sediment and erosion control inspection
budgeted within, you know, their engineering services plan of action
before NPDES came. So we're able to utilize an existing county
program for that.
And there are no additional sediment and erosion control
requirements of the county really or of contractors that are above
what was in place before NPDES came along, except a matter of
paperwork, filling out an application and paying a fee.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ifwe added a line to the end of this
after the last -- before the period to the fact that say where such BMPs
have been accepted and practiced by Collier County, is that -- would
that get everything we need to? Again, I -- I don't like the blanket
statement. I think that blanket statement requiring us to accept any
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BMP that's developed, I'm not sure. Ifwe haven't got to do that now,
I don't know why we would want to put ourselves in that position,
unless we had the opportunity to review those BMPs and accept the
fact that we may want to use them and currently utilize them.
That's my only concern. This is an unknown and I don't like
unknowns in our code because it always got -- many times it can get
us in trouble.
MR. PRESTON: I agree with your reasoning. And I don't think
there will be anything lost here by making it general.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Then, Robert, does that sound
acceptable then to you?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Could I ask a question?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Sure, go ahead, Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: What if we in 2001, Mr.
Preston, in 2001 if the county sought to have permit MS-4, what was
the compelling reason?
MR. PRESTON: It was a federal regulation that communities
that operate a stormwater management collection system that have a
particular population size and density are required to have the NPDES
permit.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And the permit has certain--
sets out certain requirements?
MR. PRESTON: It does.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And those requirements are to
your knowledge not in conflict with any of the current adopted county
requirements?
MR. PRESTON: That's correct.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And in furtherance of the
chairman's question, are there any requirements to your knowledge in
that permit that exceed the current county requirements?
MR. PRESTON: No. There were in the beginning in 2001, but
we have worked with existing county programs, changed them where
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needed to -- and they were minimal changes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And do permit changes come
down -- do the various requirements come down as modifications in
some form from time to time from that organization?
MR. PRESTON: Yes, they do. This is a new permit. The one
that we received in 2001 is a five-year permit. You may be familiar
with the TMDL program, total maximum daily load program, which
is another water quality regulation program in Florida. This
particular NPDES permit will be reopened. We'll reapply for it in
fact this year for another five-year period. And the TMDL program
will affect rules of the new permit.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So ifthere were changes that
this county thought were onerous or even potentially dangerous
financially to us, we would -- would we exceed, we would just simply
request the permit to be modified? Well, they'd modify the permit.
Would we request to have another permit?
In other words, what I'm trying to find out is that are we being
subordinated to it or are we willingly accepting everything because
we believe their best management practices entirely fit our situation?
MR. PRESTON: Well, the structure of the permit is such that
the regulations allow a customizing of the permit regulations for a
community. So there is room for negotiation, as long as a baseline
amount of BMPs are applied.
But, for instance, Collier County may have a different list of
BMPs that we implement that are different than Sarasota County or
Hillsborough County. They do allow us to customize.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And that's stipulated in the
permit itself?
MR. PRESTON: Yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Then that sounds to me like
that we're going after what we want to go after.
My thought was as well, I think the chairman was concerned
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that we were going to become subordinated and excessive costs
would be placed upon us to comply with requirements that are really
effectively not of import to us.
MR. PRESTON: Well, so far we haven't met that circumstance.
But with the changes coming up possibly in 2008 and '09 with the
TMDL program, there could be some costs. But we haven't seen any
of the regulations or changes yet, so there's nothing to react to at this
point.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Mr. Wiley, would we have the
opportunity to review any of that? Or once these are made into GMP
amendments or GMPs, would that -- we would no longer be able to
see that, be aware of that?
MR. WILEY: Well, no, you can always -- when we get to the
implementation stage, such as what Steve is talking about here,
negotiating out and working with the permit, this just sets the
direction for resolving issues, floodplain management-wise of where
you're trying to go. This is not the final result anyway as we've
already talked about earlier today.
But I do want to incorporate the language, if you could repeat it,
so I can get it written down here.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Oh, yeah, I do. Let me get back to
where we started.
Add the language at the end of the sentence, where such BMPs
have been accepted or are in practice in Collier County. And that
covers it.
MR. WILEY: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay?
MR. WILEY : Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: 2.9.2. We're back to that word ensure
again. And I guess we want to review BMPs for stormwater pollution
abatement against flood -- increased flood risk or something to that
effect.
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November 1, 2007
MR. WILEY: Review them to not increase flood risk, maybe?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yeah, that would work. I just want to
get away from the word ensure. I think that's dangerous.
Policy 2.10.1. This one I think needs some words omitted and
added. Manage, restore and/or enhance habitat areas, linkages in
quarter segments where practical and financially feasible. And drop
the words to the greatest extent.
MR. WILEY: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Then 2.10.3, after the word -- it says
identify, acquire and where -- after the word where, I would go where
practical and financially feasible.
MR. WILEY: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And then at the end of that Policy
2.10.3, you start with a paragraph about a 10-year strategic plan. And
it goes on to the following page. And it's all nice and fluffy stuff, but
it doesn't mean much of anything. So I'm wondering why did you
have it here?
Is it a requirement of somebody to put it there?
MR. DeRUNTZ: Mike DeRuntz, principal planner with the
department of comprehensive planning.
As it states there, this is statements of policy and direction of the
Board of County Commissioners. And I was just reflecting those
particular sections that I felt were applicable from this 10-year
strategy plan that are -- you know, coincide with the direction of this
floodplain management plan.
So that's why the numbers are out of sequence, like you say. It
should go A, B, C or D. It should be A-I. Well, actually the one that
I was citing here that -- you know, that was a particular. There's like
B-3 or -- and as it goes further on under growth management, under
2-C, number two wasn't included because I didn't think it was
relative to the floodplain management plan.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mike, the policies and objectives I
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understand will eventually go into GMP language and we'll be
reviewing that again.
What happens with that paragraph that starts discussing this
IO-year strategic plan with all that, as I call it, fluff? What happens
with all that?
Is your positioning of it here under the premise it's going to go
into the GMP, or what were you putting it in here for?
MR. DeRUNTZ: That these goals and objectives and policies
were meeting the IO-year strategy of the Board of County
Commissioners.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. But I mean, is it going to be
part of any kind of format for adopted language?
MR. DeRUNTZ: No.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So it's just like the rest of the preamble
to this whole discussion. Pages 1 through 49 are really a history or
background of how you got there and this is just more of a way of
how you got there.
Okay. So the meat of to day's issue really began on Page 50,
took us to the next to the last paragraph on Page 53.
MR. WILEY : Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, that's the work product.
MR. WILEY: And then if you wanted to look at the actual
action plan statements, they show some efforts that will be used to
begin to implement the work product you have here, the goals,
objectives, policies statements.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: See, those action plans will be now
subjective to the language that we just worked on.
MR. WILEY : Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And that language we just worked on
in my opinion will redirect those action plans to a more feasible
manner.
We could spend another two hours reviewing the action plans,
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November 1, 2007
but actually, when you try to implement them based on the language
we just got done working up, you might have a whole different way
of presenting it to us than is being presented here by the time we get
to that point in time.
MR. WILEY: It's possible, yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Myself, I don't have any questions for
the rest of this booklet.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Couple, Mark.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Page 57, property protection
activities. You make a statement in the first paragraph of that down
probably three-quarters, electrical transformers and related facilities
may be located below the flood -- the base flood elevation. Provided
they have an engineer or architect certification, it will not adversely
affect the structural.
But I think the code won't allow you to put electrical stuff
where they'll be damaged, too. So why -- can you take that sentence
out of there?
MR. WILEY: Tell you what, I would prefer that you let me go
back to our electrical code people and just clarify what was meant by
that statement.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay.
MR. WILEY: If that's okay.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Just because I don't think
FEMA wants us to ruin all that equipment. Granted, it might not
structurally damage the building, but it -- my next thing is Page 59,
I'm confused a little bit.
Let me wait till Bob's -- see the chart you have there, in the
bottom there's industrial development, and it says 50 percent, not to
exceed 25 percent. I'm not sure exactly what that means.
MR. DeRUNTZ: Mike DeRuntz, principal planner with
comprehensive planning.
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November 1,2007
This section was provided for easy read, but these are existing
Land Development Code regulations for native vegetation
preservation.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So you inherited that wording,
whatever it means. Just double check to make sure it's properly put in
there.
MR. DeRUNTZ: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: My next question would be on
Page 66, E, building codes. Are you there, Robert?
MR. WILEY: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I think that would work better.
There is such a thing as the existing building code. So rather than
review just that, I think if you worded that, that the director will
review the governing building codes for Collier County, that would
be better.
MR. WILEY : Very good.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And by the way, there's no
acronym in your list for FMPC, which is the prime acronym you
should have in there.
MR. WILEY: Okay.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And that's it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Just in general, in the recitation
from Pages 65 on, there's the statement, budget staff time and
materials, operating funds, and it talks about fees in some instances.
And in two instances it talks about capital funds. And I was just
surprised that there would only be two instances where capital funds
would be applicable, as opposed to the presentation that you gave
which seemed to be so many things that you would like to do.
I was surprised. Does that mean that you have determined sort
of the strata of where these things belong? Because if we're
dependent upon operating funds, aren't we somewhat limited?
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November 1,2007
Of course we're limited in capital, too, but might be able to
make a case for capital with a hard effort.
MR. WILEY: This is intended from the position of the
committee putting this together as essentially a first cut effort of
where we think the funding is coming from.
Ultimately it will come down to when it gets to implementation
that decision is being made by the Board of County Commissioners.
This is just our thoughts of which side of the funding issue would be
supporting it.
So we're not being definitive of where this is definitely coming
from. This is just where we think it's probably coming from here.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That goes back to my earlier
question about a master plan, which leads to a timeline against
various things. In the absence of those, I guess you're waiting for
them to bless it so you'll develop a plan, or --
MR. WILEY: With the development of the watershed
management master plans, that's already funded through the Board of
County Commissioners over the next couple years. There is funding
established for that. And that's capital dollars for that particular
effort.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And will there be new fees
associated with these or are these all contemplated as ad valorem or
whatever taxes? Besides MSTU, which we have stricken now and
we've suggested to you that they be whatever taxation format that
you choose.
MR. WILEY: Right. The imposition of new fees may come
about, but again, that's a decision that will be made at the budget level
by the board and the county manager, have to go through the budget
process.
We're not envisioning that, although it seemed like it's a whole
lot of additional work. The majority of what you see here is stuff
that's already going on, it's just never been documented and
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November 1,2007
coordinated into a single point of recognition.
So there's not a generation of a lot of additional fee expenses for
the operating fees and the staff that are already out there doing the
work.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'm very happy I asked that
question because I like the answer that I received.
MR. WILEY: The capital side of it could be quite substantial,
but again, that's where it falls into the AUIR and the improvements,
primarily through the stormwater management department.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you very much.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other questions on the remainder
of the book? Any other questions? Anybody in the public wishing to
speak on this issue?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Wiley, thank you. I think now
you're looking for a recommendation from us as this moves forward.
Brad?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I'll make that motion. Is that
what you're looking for?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Sure. I was going to ask, just for
clarification, the only part of this book that I think is relevant to the
planning commission at this time is the pages 50 through 53, which
involve the GMP goals and policies.
There's a lot of other stuff in here, but it's either incomplete or
not fully defined at this time that I think will come out of a further
refinement of the LDR.
So my recommendation for a motion would be that we
recommend approval of the GMP goals and policies as we have
modified at this meeting. And that's the part of the book that we'd be
recommending approval on. Is that consistent with what you would
need from us, Mr. Wiley?
MR. WILEY: Well, we would need your recommendation for
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the Board of County Commissioners to consider this as the floodplain
management plan for them to adopt and incorporate into the hazard
mitigation plan.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, the part that you're going to
adopt and incorporate into codified language, though, is the goals and
policies of the GMP. The history and all that, I certainly can't debate
that with you. But what -- is that --
MR. WILEY: That goes into Chapter 7 of the county's hazard
mitigation plan. This whole document basically goes into that as
Section 7. It's called the floodplain management plan.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Why would a -- I know bureaucracy
thrives on way too much paperwork. Why would we need to restate
the history of all this stuff into this plan when the only succinct part
of it that is really necessary to operate by are the GMP goals and
policies that have been discussing here today?
MR. WILEY: I don't disagree with you from that standpoint.
It's just that we are required for the floodplain plan to address all these
issues, be complete on its own for us to send it to FEMA for their
reVIew.
So that's -- and then we -- the way we did it within the hazard
mitigation plan was a way to incorporate it into a single unified
overall document that FEMA allows. We could have this as a
separate freestanding document, but we chose to not. We chose to
coordinate it, because you have to address flooding in the county's
hazard mitigation plan anyway.
So the document gets thicker and thicker. We have the thickest
section in the hazard management plan now by incorporating this in,
but that's -- I'm just simply saying we need to have the Board of
County Commissioners accept this as the floodplain management
plan somewhere along the line, and usually we get your
recommendation recommending that they consider it for adoption.
So if you want to only say the goals, objectives and policies, I
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suppose you can. Ultimately the board has to look at adopting the
whole plan, though.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: This document, ifit were given
to us in totality, would be 800 and some-odd pages long, wouldn't it?
MR. WILEY: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So you're really basically
asking us if, on your idea, to agree to approve 800 and some-odd
pages, most of which we didn't review.
MR. WILEY : Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well--
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, Mark, why don't we use
-- we could do two motions, really. One is we could accept this,
which doesn't mean we've approved everything, as the floodplain
management plan and make that recommendation.
And then since we did spend pretty focused time on the goals
and the objectives to achieve the goals, we could make that a separate
motion.
MR. WILEY: And that's fine. I just want to make sure that
through the planning commission we do get a vote recommending
that the Board of County Commissioners accept this and adopt this as
the floodplain management plan in its entirety.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Which is an element of the
mitigation plan.
MR. WILEY: Which it will become Chapter 7 of the hazard
mitigation plan, yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I think it's important that there's
a distinction made between what we're reviewing as a working
document and what we're reviewing as a text document for support.
MR. WILEY: Yes, sir.
CHAI RMAN STRAIN: Your text document for support part of
this is everything but the goals and policies. The working part of it is
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November 1, 2007
the goals and policies. And I have no problem with the goals and
policies based on the corrections we made here today. And that's
fine.
And I have no problem with the text part of it being entered into
the record as a basis for the floodplain management, if that works for
where you were going?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I do like the word accept. In
essence, compared to anything else, this is the one we accept, so --
even though it does inherit a lot of information, that would be
common to any floodplain management plan.
MR. WILEY: It is a requirement for all of them, yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Brad, to try to iron this out, you're
suggesting two motions. One would be to accept the text of the
document as the basis for the floodplain management plan, we
recommend to accept the text.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I would say as the floodplain
management plan. The word basis I don't think helps.
What Bob has to do is show FEMA that it went through all the
local planning agencies.
MR. WILEY: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And that the basis means
there's an allusion to something else.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. So accept the text of the
floodplain management plan.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Recommend to accept text of the
floodplain management plan and then to recommend approval of the
GMP goals and policies as modified at this meeting. Is that --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: We could actually stop at the
first amendment, because what we've done for Robert is we've run
through and word tweaked what will ultimately come back to us
anyway when it's trying to get into the GMP. And at that time it
Page 13 1
November 1,2007
would be a time to make a motion on that. We did service by
reviewing it and by reviewing that area.
So I would just say -- I think what Robert needs to walk out of
here is just the motion to recommend accepting this as the Collier
County floodplain management plan.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is that your motion?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: That's the motion.
MR. WILEY: And incorporate into it the amendments you
made today.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: As amended by today's
meeting.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is there a second to the motion?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: (Indicating.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Midney seconded.
Any discussion!?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All those in favor, signify by saying
aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All those opposed?
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Oh, oh.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Three to three.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Why would you be opposed,
Mark?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Because 871 pages to me as a
management plan, especially when I don't know how those pages are
going to now react to the changes we suggested today to the goals and
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November 1,2007
policies, concerns me.
871 pages, I mean, I read -- I didn't read every single page. I
went through every page. And I can tell you, there are pages there
just of e-mail addresses.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And some pages have one e-mail
address and that's the whole page. I mean, I went on -- there's
probably 100 pages of copies of the LDC. I don't know if it's the
latest version. I don't know what version it is. I don't know what it
incorporates.
I don't mind accepting that text as backup to the goals and
policies that we reviewed, but from my perspective we only reviewed
the goals and policies, and that's all, under any circumstances, as far
as I'm going to go as far as recommending approval of it.
I don't mind recommending the text as acceptance for the
floodplain management plan, but I don't want the BCC to think that
the action plans and the implementation language that might exist
somewhere else in those 871 pages is being bought off on today. I'm
buying off on the meat of your work product, which is the goals and
policies.
I think you did a good job and I think it's cleaned up really well.
That's all I think is really needed out of this.
You have a need to have a whole plan put on record, and I have
no problem with that either. Put this plan on record. But personally I
can stand to the public and say when they come down and complain,
look what you've done to us, well, wait a minute, we looked at these,
nobody else was here, we did the best we could but those pages are
the ones we focused on and finished with.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But one thing, Mark, is we
used the word accept, not the word approved. So I think, you know,
the word accept --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We're not approving anything.
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November 1,2007
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Right. But the word accept
doesn't mean that everything in there is perfect. It means that of all
the documents in the county, this is the one that you accept to be the
floodplain management plan.
Bob can't go away from here with a locked vote on whether this
is a good plan or not.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm not suggesting he leave here yet
with a locked vote. I'm suggesting we talk it out.
Mr. Kolflat?
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Yeah, but you can't accept
something you haven't received.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, you did receive -- did everybody
receive the disc with the 871 pages on it?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yes. And I went through that
whole disc.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: This disc, Tor, it was in -- that should
have been in the folder, that had the bulk of the document on it, 800
of the 871 pages.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But in fairness, what that bulk
of that stuff is is just backup material. It listed all the people who
were on committees, it listed all the people that got certified mail, it
listed the mitigation meetings, it listed backup material. So I don't
think there was any policy or anything that was in that disc that is not
in this book. Is there, Robert?
MR. WILEY: No, there isn't. And even the changes that were
made today on the goals, objectives, policies statements, I don't really
envision that even within the action plan that it will really make
substantial changes to how those action items are implemented.
Because they reflect back.
And so if we changed and removed the word ensure, something
like that, it really still -- I don't think of something off the top of my
head that is affected in a major negative way. The intention of the
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November 1, 2007
action plan is still there to give direction for what the county's
program intends to do over the course of its life until it's revised
agam.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Mark, can I try another
motion?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, before you do, let me throw an
example out to -- maybe it will help your motion.
In the action plan under budget almost every instance it says
staff time and advertising fees. Okay, that doesn't tell me how much
you're spending on that particular item.
And if you go through the multiple pages that produced the
action plan, they all say that. I'm not saying that's bad, I'm just
saying, that's an open checkbook.
And right now I don't know why we would want to do that until
we get further into the process understanding how these how these
goals and LDRs are written.
MR. WILEY: Well, actually it's not an open checkbook. This
itself does not create any funding at all. This is the direction that, as a
part of the implementation efforts, we foresee it would be affecting
this portion of the county.
When we put the floodplain management plan together, we have
to show how we intend to fund the things. We had to come up with a
funding source. If it's activities that are already staff-generated or
already going on, that's why we covered it this way, because that's the
way we're already covering through operating of fees and some
situations with the capital program with the capital fees.
So we're not -- by these statements, we are not saying we're
allowed to spend "X" number of dollars. That is totally way down the
line for implementation purposes. This just gives the overall general
direction for FEMA to see that we're not saying we have an action
item but it's never been funded and never will be funded. That's what
we're trying to make sure they understand. We had to come up with a
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statement somehow.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Brad--
MR. WILEY: It had to remain generic.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Mark, isn't that similar to
when we do LDC amendments, you know, the fiscal costs is they'll
note staff time or stuff like that? They don't give us the dollar
amount. Actually, they usually note nothing. But when the people do
it right, they note staff time. So they're not specific to the dollar
amount either, and we make plenty of decisions like that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Brad, I would suggest you break it up
into two motions.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, try a motion. You go
ahead, make the motion.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I recommend we -- I make a motion
we recommend to the Board of County Commissioners that they
approve the GMP objectives, goals, policies, as modified at this
meeting, as a part of this element.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Second.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion made and seconded. Is there
any discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All those in favor, signify by saying
aye.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I'll vote aye for it. But Robert,
do you walk out of here with a floodplain management plan?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm not done yet.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Oh, okay.
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November 1, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I said break it up. That gets us past the
most important part of the document, which is the working elements.
And by the way, we're going to run into the same thing in the
school concurrency. There are only four sections of that book we
really needed to focus on, but we're certainly not going to sit here
and approve the data backup to school concurrency. I don't expect us
to, because we can't debate it.
I can't debate the historical backup to the floodplain
management plan. I think it's fine and I think it makes up his plan.
And I would therefore make a recommendation that we accept -- we
recommend the board accept the text provided for the floodplain
management plan.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Text provided.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The text provided.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's fine, I'll second it.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Isn't that the same as the first
motion we failed -- that we --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, because you said the word basis
was objectionable to you, so I purposely didn't put that in there. We
basically are accepting the text for the floodplain management plan.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Move on, that's good.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other discussion? Anybody.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All in favor, signify by saymg aye.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
All those opposed?
(No response.)
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November 1, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Wiley, you got two
recommendations. I hope it works for you.
MR. WILEY: Thank you, sir. It will.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm looking forward to the return,
because that's when we'll actually get into the nuts and bolts of this
whole thing.
You guys did a good job, and I appreciate all the effort you
went through to involve the community. I'm sorry they didn't become
involved. They should have. But then again, when this happens and
they learn the lesson, they can't say they weren't -- didn't have a
chance to tell you.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Only the grandchildren will
learn the lesson.
MR. WILEY: As the committee has asked us to do, keep going
in this year and we expect if we do that in the right way, we'll get
more participation. Especially when we can show them what was
accomplished from last year's work.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I would agree with you. Good luck, sir,
and thank you.
Item #8E
PETITION CPSP-2007-7
Okay, the next item on the agenda is the continuation of a
discussion that occurred two weeks ago on Petition CPSP-2007 -7. It's
the creation of a new public school facilities element, capital
improvement element and intergovernmental coordination element.
Last time we met we went through the interlocal agreement in
total. Staff has distributed to us their synopsis of that meeting in
regards to the changes recommended. There are some missing items
in there.
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If there's no problem with procedure, I'd like to go into the other
elements that we need to review and then come back and clean up any
pieces before we make motions on the package. That way we're
looking at everything comprehensively. Does that work for you
guys?
MR. CO HEN: Mr. Chairman, for the record, Randy Cohen,
comprehensive planning director. Staff would concur with that as
well and recommend that. Because all the items are inextricably
intertwined.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Good. Then I think the document we
would be moving to is the public schools facility element. And it's
labeled on the tab PSFE in your book. Is that the one that you all had
thought was the next one?
MR. De YOUNG: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Good. We're all on the same page so
far.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: PSE?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: PSFE. It's the -- looks like it's the
fourth tab back. You see it?
MR. DeYOUNG: For the record, David DeYoung with
Kimley-Horn and Associates.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: And Susan Trevarthen, Weiss, Serota.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Randy, could you please turn
on the thing that makes this so I can hear?
Somebody has to talk, then I'll know.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: T-R-E-V-A-R-T-H-E-N.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, I think the way we proceeded
last time was after -- we just take each element page by page, and
those that we have questions, we ask, and you guys proceed to tell us
where we're lost or how we can get back on track.
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Does that work for you today?
MR. DeYOUNG: Yes, sir.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: We'll do our best.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And the PSFE starts on Page 2,
effectively, with any written matter. Once everybody gets to Page 2
in the beginning of the top of the page, it starts with goals, objectives
and policies, public school facilities element.
So if you're all there, we'll just go page by page. Are there any
questions on Page 1 of this particular element?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I have some. Let's start -- we
might as well start the debate up about the level of service.
We heard last time that FISH has a built-in buffer for certain
school elements. And we also discussed last time that the Florida
Statutes require the maximum extent possible in regards to the level
of service. Ninety-five percent is not the maximum extent possible.
And I know we touched base on it, and I'd like you to explain
again on this particular element why we shouldn't be using 100
percent.
MR. DeYOUNG: Try to clarify as simply and quickly as
possible. There are several different ways to measure school
capacity. One of those is using FISH, Florida Inventory of School
Houses capacity, which is dictated by the state. That is a number
that gets assigned to spaces in a school -- permanent spaces in a
school and gives you a total number of students which could be
housed within a facility. If you said FISH is 1,000, then 100 percent
of that would be 1,000 seats.
With regard to another version, it would be program capacity.
Now, program capacity is the actual number of kids that are actually
in those classrooms based on the program that's being held in that
classroom.
An example would be English as a Second Language. A
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classroom that normally at an elementary level, which is, for K
through two, 18 students might not hold 18 students because that
special program only allows for eight kids to be in that classroom.
So there's a 10 student differential between -- in that classroom
between what's allowed by FISH and what's allowed by the program
that's being held in that classroom.
When we adjust the FISH, or adjust the level of service to 95
percent, what we're doing is we're taking into account the fact that
schools, especially elementary schools, have programs in them where
the seats -- all the seats in a classroom or that could be put in a
classroom are not there, because that classroom is being used for a
use, a special program that requires less seats.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. I understand what you're
saying. And just for the record, the FISH in regards to high schools
has a 10 percent built-in buffer?
MR. DeYOUNG: The reason that there's a percentage
difference built-in buffer at high schools is because of the movement
for students between classrooms. All the classrooms are not being
used -- can be -- kids can be in different rooms at different times,
whether it's Phys. Ed or some other use, cafeteria, and those
classrooms can be allocated. So they put a buffer in for FISH for that
reason. At elementary school they do not have that buffer, the kids
are in the classroom the full day.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: In the middle school they have a
buffer?
MR. DeYOUNG: There is a five percent buffer.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: And I just wanted to add, we have some
data that we received from the recent numbers on this year's
enrollment and capacity. And, for example, in some of the schools
within the school district, the FISH might be 1,005. But the program
capacity might be only 960 kids.
So that's like the cumulative impact of here's a learning disabled
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classroom, here's English as a Second Language, here's other kinds of
special programs that for various reasons we cannot have 18 kids in
the room even though class size and FISH would presume that we
have 18 kids.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, I understand what your
argument is. But it also brings into play another argument. Are you
familiar with your impact fee study?
MS. TREVARTHEN: Generally.
MR. DeYOUNG: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. What percentage use do you
think that's based on?
And I know, I can tell you, but you may not believe me, so I'm
going to ask and see if you know it first.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I haven't looked at it recently enough. I
wouldn't want to quote a number.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It's 100 percent. I've done the back
calculations, because you don't state it that way, you state the total
amount of square footage available, the number of students in the
system and then your multiplier ends up you're multiplying by 100
percent, not 95.
And that's fine, there's nothing wrong with that, except that if
you take the level of service you're starting to deal with here in your
PSFE, you've taken that and mirrored it in the ClE.
Now, in the ClE you've got to use the same level of service in
the 1.1.5 section that you utilize for your impact fees.
Well, now you have a disparity between what you've utilized
for your impact fee study and what you're proposing to place in the
CIE.
Are you guys planning to change your impact fee study?
MR. DeYOUNG: At this time I don't believe that the school
district is planning on changing impact fee study for schools.
Just for clarification, are we talking about the student generation
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multiplier that's used to calculate the impact fee, or are we talking
about individual capacity?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm using the level of service capacity
that you've got at 95 percent. And what the impact fee study did was
provide total square footage of the schools and the number of
students. And instead of using -- and basically if you divide two of
those out, they're utilizing 100 percent of the square footage
available, not a lesser number.
Now, I don't know, if that doesn't seem to be a student
multiplier, that doesn't seem to coincide exactly. I don't know how it
coincides, but I do know that the CIE says -- Randy, you should be
familiar with the issue because I brought it up last Friday. I'd
certainly like to understand where you're coming from on it, because
the language in the ClE is very clear.
Impact fees shall be consistent with the adopted level of
services in 1.1.5. Doesn't say maybe. It doesn't say, as Mr. Tindale
wanted to argue, that well, that's flexible. No. Shall is not flexible or
-- I think it's will. Either word is not flexible.
And if we adopt this or this is adopted at a lesser level of service
than your impact fee study, then I want to know if there's a problem.
And if it is to be adopted at a lesser level of service, does that
mean your impact fee studies for the past number of years have been
wrong, or are you going to redo them? What's the outcome of that?
Does anybody have an answer?
Randy?
MR. COHEN: Commissioner, your point's well taken, and the
county attorney can reflect on this a bit.
The ClE in this particular document have to be internally
consistent with one another in the comprehensive plan.
You're probably also aware that our board adopted the school
impact fees as part of our -- was it part of the uniform adopted impact
fee ordinance? I believe it was. Because impact fee ordinances I
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November 1, 2007
think had not been adopted in over 10 years.
It's important that when we go through this document that we
remain, because these issues are going to come up throughout, that we
remain internally consistent.
So one of two things has to happen when we run into a situation
like this. Either the impact fee study would have to be redone
accepting a different level of service, or this document would have to
reflect the FISH capacity that's in the impact fee ordinance. That's
the disconnect that exists right now.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Are you familiar with the impact fee
ordinance that I'm talking about? Have you seen it?
MR. COHEN: I've seen it. I haven't looked at it in quite a long
time.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. I've reviewed it and made an
assumption. You guys are the professionals that really wrote it with
Tindale, Oliver, whoever was the expert at that point. If I'm right, it
needs to be corrected. If I'm wrong, you need to correct me.
So I need somehow to get a reading on this. And I don't know
how to do that right now here today, but it's something that I think
you all would want to address before it goes to the Board of County
Commissioners.
MR. DeYOUNG: Well, I think there might be some disconnect
from what we're trying to say and what's in the impact fee ordinance.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Good, then let's --
MR. DeYOUNG: The public school facilities element and the
level of service, which we also have, we're going to go through that in
a little while, that's put in the CIE are identical.
The impact fee, that takes a per student calculation. And it's not
just based on the schools themselves, but it's based on all
infrastructure improvements, the cost of land, to come up with the
calculation per student for the impact fee per household.
So, I mean there is definitely a difference. And that's why I
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brought up the conversation about the student generation multiplier
and the way you calculate.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, let me tell you what I got. On
Table 1 on the impact fee study on Page 6, it provides the school
type, elementary, middle and high, the total square footage for each
school, the number of student stations in each school, then the level
of service per square foot of student station. And it provides the level
of service that's there. And if you multiply -- if you divide those
back to see if they use 95 percent of the total square footage or 100,
they used 100 percent of the total square footage to determine the
number of student stations and then established a level of service
based on that 100 percent evaluation.
To me that seems like 100 percent usage. And that's what I'm
trying to say. IfI'm wrong in that 100 percent of the square footage
to utilize a number of student stations divided by that produces your
level of service, it seems everything is based on 100 percent.
And I'm not trying to tell you now that your 95 percent is wrong
from a perspective of my knowledge. I'm just trying to make sure
you're consistent with the other studies that are out there.
MR. COHEN: Mr. Chairman, what I would recommend,
obviously we can't do this here today, but as part of your motion
when you get to that point in the future today that --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Boy, you're optimistic.
MR. COHEN: -- that the consultant get with our impact fee
manager and the consultant as well, too, and work out the differences
with respect -- if there are differences, with respect to the document
you see today and also the impact fee ordinance. And then we'll
move forward with the board with that recommendation. If there's a
problem, we'll point it out. Ifthere's not, we'll leave just it alone at
that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Fair enough. But I certainly--
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I think we would agree with that
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approach. I'm not 100 percent sure that they can't be harmonized.
But we didn't participate. I think that was more of a county document
MR. COHEN: That's correct. The document was produced by
Collier County.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, the worst thing we could have
happen is adopt something that is inconsistent and that you get to a
point where it involves a challenge and we lose the challenge
because of that.
So all I'm saying is let's get it on the same page. And if you
guys could do that. What I would like to do -- I'd certainly like to
know the results of that, though, Randy, when you get --
MR. COHEN: Yes, sir, and we'll report back to you on that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. On that same page. This is back
to the impact fee study in a way. You talk about Policy 1.1.2 and
you're establishing the CSAs on less than a district-wide basis.
Throughout the Florida Statutes, I keep finding a recommendation for
the district-wide application to begin with, and then after five years
when we've got more fine tuned to go into the individual CSAs.
Now, we're going back to the impact fee study, because the
impact fee study, and I can read you the paragraph that says it, the
appropriate impact fee district for public education facilities is
countywide. So the impact fee study was based on a countywide, not
that that is wrong. I just kind of want to understand the discrepancy
between the two.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I think those really are very different.
The reason the impact fee looks at county-wide is it is a unitary
county-wide school district and it makes a lot of sense to do it that
way.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I agree.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: The CSAs have a different purpose in
terms of timing development with the availability of actual seats.
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And while you read the statutes correctly, I'm not aware of a
single county in the state that has seriously thought of doing
county-wide. They work together, you know, and start this process at
the stafflevel, and as people start to look at the implications ofthat,
which means basically you could have 20,000 seats, and even if
there's a child who needs a seat in Everglades City and the seat's
available up at the northwest end of the county, that would be good
enough for purposes of concurrency.
And most people think no, that's not really the way the world
works, and we don't want to assume that this seat up on the coast in
the northwest corner is going to serve this child in Everglades City.
So this debate has been had everywhere, and I would say the
closest one I'm aware of is Walton County, which is very small and
rural, and they have three districts, that's the fewest number of
districts that I'm familiar with.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I would assume then that the
advantage to going district-wide is that you can have a -- it's more
easy to prove concurrency, because you have tight areas and less than
tight areas.
MS. TREVARTHEN: You would basically have a very -- it
would have to be a lot more extreme facts to have mitigation occur.
Even the really large overcrowded urban school districts, often if you
add it up county-wide, they are okay. The problem is the seats aren't
where the kids are. It's a mismatch.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Any other questions on Page 2?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ifnot, let's move to Page 3. Any
questions on Page 3?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Give me a second. Oh, I've got a
question. You use the word conj unction in multiple parts of this
document. What does that mean in your terms?
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November 1, 2007
In, for example, Policy 1.1.4, the county, in conjunction with
the school district and municipalities. Does that mean they all have to
be in harmony and agreement? They all just review it?
Do we -- yes?
MR. DeYOUNG: They all review it in conjunction with each
other.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: What if someone disagrees during that
review process with a particular element of it?
MR. DeYOUNG: Built into the end of the interlocal agreement
is a negotiation process.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So the ILA kicks in when this--
MR. DeYOUNG: The ILA is the base for this, really.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Under -- yes, go ahead, Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'm just going to say, under
Policy 1.1.3, under B, the sentence concludes with all the relevant
factors. How far are we exploring this? Are we satisfied with the
term other relevant factors?
Do you see where that is?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, I do.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'm really asking you I think in
this context how far we want to poke this thing.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: A lot of this is language right out of
the Florida Statutes. That's why it's a little hard to --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, it's underlined, so I
wasn't sure. It's proposed by the school district.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I talked to DCA about this
language, and it's worded that way because one size doesn't
necessarily fit all. And there may be factors related to one facility
that's not in others, so that's written that way to take into account
those factors that may relate to one particular school and not another.
It's just to give you -- you know, they can't up-front imagine
every scenario, so that's why.
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COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And I can appreciate that.
What is the cure for that ultimate, the ILA, the interlocal agreement,
should there even be an issue rising to that level?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Yeah. And I think perhaps as we
go through this and apply it, we'll probably learn what those factors
may be and so we could cure it. But bearing in mind that this is
dynamic, and school building and so on is a dynamic process, so it's
probably always changing.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I appreciate that, and I
appreciate the qualification of it. Then I know enough where to stop.
Hopefully.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other questions on Page 3?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ifnot, we'll move on to Page 4.
Questions on Page 4?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Objective 1.2, the last line starts with
the adopted level of service standard established for each school type
as measured within the CSA. Is that the measurement process that's
provided in the ILA?
MS. TREV AR THEN: Yes, that's the process of looking at each
individual application and how it impacts on the CSA.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: On the bottom, 1.2.2.B talks about the
residential development that has approved functional equivalent of a
site specific development order as of the effective date of the school
concurrency program.
I can't remember, did we work out the effective date? I think
there was a question that Margie was going to resolve for--
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Yes, it's going to be March of
2008. And when we come to the LDRs questions, I'll talk about that
too. But I spoke with DCA on this.
One thing I do want to mention, because we had this issue about
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ORIs, and it's coming up, I pointed out to the DCA the conflict in
language for vesting for ORIs that exists in 163, and then the vesting
language that exists in the House bill. So they referred that to their
legal staff.
And I will be hearing -- I have not heard back from them yet,
and I expect to be hearing back from the legal staff on that point.
So I think that's something we need to deal with by the time we
get to the board.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: And that would be paragraph F. That
was jumping ahead to paragraph F.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: It's under the exemptions, and
that's where we're --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: In regards to dealing with that, are you
saying DCA did not agree with the exemptions for ORIs? Or did they
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: There are two provisions in the
law. The growth management law says that DRIs -- and DCA's
interpreted that to mean they are exempt from -- and new compo plan
or amendments, that preexisting ORIs are exempt from that.
But House Bill 360 contains language that is not found
anywhere in the Florida Statutes. Just comes at the end of it and talks
about the ORIs that exist as of the effective date of this law. Not
when the local government implements it, but this law can be exempt
ifthe developer does certain things.
So there's a disconnect between how generally DRIs have been
dealt with for the growth management law and then this new
language in the House Bill 360. So that is what DCA representatives
are taking to the legal department to give us a read on how this really
should be handled.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. On Policy 1.1.2.B, again, where
it talks about any new residential development that has a final plat or
site plan approval. At some point when we had other changes to the
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code, developers would rush into the county center and get their
things date stamped so they get in before the code went into effect.
I'm assuming that we had allowed that to happen, because if
someone's already been in the process for six or eight months or three
months or whatever it is, to now kick them back all the way over
again because we have to have this language kick in might be
difficult. Because this wouldn't kick in unless they seems to have
their approval.
So if people that are in the system right now that are trying to
get through it, this goes into action, they have to stop, go back
through the process that you guys are instituting and then they can go
through the process -- then they can get back out again?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: You're correct that B does not represent
the pipeline that's currently being reviewed and thought about. It
only represents those things that are approved prior to the effective
date of school concurrency. And that's the way this has been him
implemented elsewhere as well.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But is that the way that's required by
Florida Statute?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I think that if you wanted as a local
government to be more strict and look at dealing with some sort of
zoning in progress declaration prior to approval -- but really what
you're talking about is vesting the pipeline, whether or not they got to
approval.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, it says uses exempt from the
requirements of school concurrency. And here's where my concern
IS.
First of all, we don't have any acknowledged or any foreseeable
concurrency problem with the schools. Everybody that's in the
system right now is going to be out before the end of 2008 under
probably the worst case scenario.
So there's really no reason for them to be held up in the system
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any longer because we've implemented this since the time they
submitted.
It seems kind of unfair to go back now after they've gone
through so many months and submittals to say oh, we've implemented
a new rule, you've got to come back through again, when the net
effect of their coming back through is nil, it's zero because we don't
have a concurrency problem.
So why wouldn't we want to let this process apply only to those
after the date of effectiveness that have submitted. Prior to that date
if they've submitted and got date stamped, they're in the process,
they're okay.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: First of all, I'm not 100 percent sure that
every single school will be completely clear in year one. I would
stand corrected on that. I don't recall offhand.
But second of all, you could just flip that around that it's not
going to stop them, it's not going to result in a denial, it's just going to
be a matter of doing the review, which is not a lengthy review, you're
just talking a little bit of extra time for them to be reviewed and
affirm that the capacity is available.
I think the general rule is that the law that's in effect at the time
that they are approved should apply. And so if concurrency is in
place, it's March 2nd, and they're being approved on March 2nd,
generally they should be subject to that requirement and not vested
from it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Margie, in the past can you recall how
we've done this? Do we have a regular way we do it?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Mark, what you're talking about
was the outgrowth of the final order from -- you know, the '99 final
order where if you're going to call it a vesting provision was written
into that. And that was further back in the process for when you
submitted instead of when you got your approval.
And then the county kind of grabbed ahold of that in some
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subsequent provisions it wrote in its land code to vest projects. And
so that's how that came about.
I don't know that -- I don't think we necessarily have to use that
again here. That was an outgrowth of that other process.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. And Mr. Schmitt, I know that
you're -- probably don't want to get in the middle of this fray, but I
was just curious as to where your department might stand on this
issue, if you have one at all.
I guess you made the misfortune of staying here this afternoon.
MR. SCHMITT: In regards to -- in regards to this, it would
really not take effect until we issued a Land Development Code from
the standpoint of when we would identify a date for submittal. And
normally, like any other, a change in the building code or any other
type of forthcoming code, we do allow for something that comes in to
be under the previously existing code at the date that it came in, and
we usually allow for some kind of implementation period.
For exactly what you said, there's people out there right now
who have been working for months either developing plans for
submittal or rezonings, and normally there's a date established. That's
long been a policy both in the building department and in the zoning
department.
But this is the GMP, we would -- that kind of specificity would
be at the LDC -- no, Randy?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: This one's got the language--
MR. COHEN: Yeah, what would happen here, actually, if that
policy was written the way that it was written, you would actually
have to have an approved site plan or plat.
So if we're going to do it from the standpoint of trying to give
them some time because they're in process, this is the place that we
would have to do it.
MR. SCHMITT: Well, what is the -- okay, I'm reading the
language. But the date would be on or after 1 March, 2008.
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MR. COHEN: Correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But see, how many SOPs and final
plats that are in the process right now could you commit to these
people to have done? And those that didn't get done, say they're even
one week away from being finalized by your staff, they'd have to
come back under this process -- not that they shouldn't.
I'm not saying the process is wrong for anybody in the county.
In fact it's a good process. We need to have school concurrency. But
in the end result with those people that have been in and trying to get
through the system, and there's no concurrency problem, we're going
to be holding them up even more for nothing.
MR. SCHMITT: I'm just thinking about this, because, frankly,
this is going to require something in addition to during the process,
but it's not going to change the plan. It won't change an SOP, it will
not change a building plan. It is a requirement to submit the
supporting material for concurrency.
And now that I read this the way I read this, it says I have to do
it effective upon implementation. So I will have to tell them you're
going to have to submit now the following information.
But I'm thinking now because of specificity as to what they're
going to submit, we still have to develop as part of our LDRs. We
know there's going to have to be the concurrency -- I forgot the word.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I think the rest of the process is in the
ILA. But I'm just now -- I think what we need to do is amongst this
panel decide what we really think is fair in regards to submissions.
Brad?
Thank you, Joe.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, Joe's right that the
building code issues. But the code's been on the street by state
regulation for six months prior to. So I think the secret really would
be to make it official and give it a certain time, which gives people a
chance to learn how to work with the requirement.
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November 1, 2007
So you could make it, you know, how many days after it
becomes promulgated probably would be smart.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Margie?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: DCA has advised when I spoke
with them that as soon as this thing is effective, we have to start to
implement it. And we should really be having our LDRs ready to go
and be able to be adopted very soon after that. And that was in
discussions with them.
So they're looking towards having this thing ready to go by
March.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But Margie, I don't think there's any
way that, from what I've been hearing, that we're going to have the
LDRs available by March.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I understand that. And we
advised them that, what was it, Michelle, we said maybe a period of
90 to 120 days that it would take at the earliest to get the LDRs?
MS. MOSCA: For the record, Michelle Mosca, comprehensive
planning staff.
We have written into the ILA and other documents one year.
But because we have many advisory groups -- that is because we
have the many advisory groups. But we're probably looking at six to
seven months but needed that additional flexibility.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So what happens to people that -- in
March of 2008?
Say someone comes in in April 15th we don't have the LDRs in
place, what happens?
MS. MOSCA: The guiding document, and someone can correct
me if I'm wrong, is the interlocal agreement.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. That is your gap document
then.
MS. MOSCA: I would say yes.
MS. STUDENT -STIRLING: And the compo plan, as well. I
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November 1, 2007
would say ifthere's a delay in adoption, then the ILA would be the
guiding document, then the compo plan.
We did this before when we originally did the plan. Those parts
we could implement right away without LDRs, we did it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: And Mr. Chair, I would like to echo
what Margie has said, that DCA has been very, very clear on this.
That they basically said if you need to revise your LDRs, that's your
problem. You have a due date. This thing needs to be effective by
your due date.
And in reality the regulated class has had three years of notice.
This was enacted in 2005. And there was an extended period for us to
do all of this work to get it together. So it isn't similar to something
where, you know, in November an individual local government
dreams up a new program and two months later out of the blue people
are stuck with it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you.
Page 5, are there any questions on Page 5?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Under Policy 1.2.3, now, this one may
be automatically resolved by the gap document. Says the county
through its land development regulations and in conjunction with the
school board shall establish a school concurrency review process.
Do we need to put something there that says during the interim
period before the LDRs are adopted that the ILA is going to be in
effect?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I think by operation oflaw you can do
that. I don't think you need to cull it out.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any others on Page 5?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Page 6?
(No response.)
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November 1, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We're going to get through a page
without having a question.
Page 7? Any questions on Page 7?
MS. MOSCA: Mr. Chairman, I have an addition to Page 7.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MOSCA: Would be Policy 1.2.6, remove the reference to
180 days and insert one year. And that would be consistent with the
interlocal agreement.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Do you have any problems
with your side?
MR. DeYOUNG: No.
MS. MOSCA: And also again, on Page 7, Objective 1.3,
remove beginning in and insert by December.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: By December?
MS. MOSCA: Yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, any other questions?
Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: In this document that we
received today it says something here on Page 7. Is it the same Page
7,3.1? No, can't be.
MS. MOSCA: That's the ILA.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's the ILA.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Sorry, I didn't pick up on that.
Okay, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Policy 1.2.5. Why don't we strike
that?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: 1.2.5?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yeah, top one. Why would you need
that policy? You're going to be issuing -- nobody can get at COA
without you issuing an SCADL. So why wouldn't you -- why would
you need a policy for COAs on top of it?
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November 1,2007
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Because there's a time gap, and there's
also the possibility that you would deny for another reason. And if
you do, the school district needs to know that to say, okay, that
project's not coming.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So if you issued an SCADL, and it
wasn't used, the county would just hold it and not issue the COA and
not tell you, or --
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I think this is just a process to ensure
coordination of all relevant information. It's like a little bit of a tag
team. It starts at the local government and then it goes to the school
district for review and then it goes back to the local government to
give the final resolution to the applicant.
So this language just generally provides for coordinating that
information.
MS. MOSCA: Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN : Yes, ma'am.
MS. MOSCA: If! may ask the consultant, would it be more
appropriate in the LDRs? This would be more difficult to change in
the public school facility element.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Why wouldn't we do that?
MS. MOSCA: So if we needed to change the process at all,
would there be an objection to that?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's more of an implementation type
action. It's after it's been issued, then you'd be notified.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Do you recall if this is a minimum
requirement for the element? Some of the things are a minimum
requirements, and that's our concern.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It just seemed like a process -- even if
we get in -- if we put it in the LOR and we find out there's an easier
way to do it, it certainly would be easier to change there.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Could we leave it that we would follow
up, and if it's not legally required, to leave it there, that we would put
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November 1, 2007
it in regulations?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I think that's fine. I certainly wouldn't
want to take it out if it's required to be there by law, but, okay.
Are there any other comments or questions? Who said well?
Anybody? Somebody that's not there.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Somebody hiding under that--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Oh, I didn't see him from here. You
pointed, there was nobody there. Okay.
Page 8?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any questions on Page 8?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Policy 1.3.1, under your third line, it's
actually where the language starts in blue, it says construction that
changes the primary use of the facility.
I'm just wondering who determines that trigger.
MR. De YOUNG: That's a good question.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: If you have 50 percent of the -- say
you've 100 percent facility right now. Fifty-one percent of it becomes
-- instead of a student housing, it becomes a gymnasium or a bus
depot and the other half of it still has classrooms. How does -- is the
facility primarily changed then?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Well, I think at the outside that would be
a very sort of obvious change. And I think some of this other
language, if you go on, it's more about just changing capacity, and
that's more likely to happen more often.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Wouldn't the trigger -- it wouldn't be a
primary use, the trigger would be a change in the capacity or
something of a --
MR. DeYOUNG: Okay, I just got the answer from the school
district. And the answer is there's elementary schools, middle
schools, high schools and ancillary facilities. The change would be
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November 1,2007
from one of those primary uses to something else. That would be a
change in the primary use.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: What if you change from a high school
to a -- what's between a high school -- next one down, middle school?
MR. DeYOUNG: Middle school, yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So you had a facility that was entirely
middle school and you split it up half high school and half middle. Is
that a change in the primary use?
MR. DeYOUNG: Yes, that would be a change in the primary
use.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: What if you had 10 percent changed to
high school and 90 percent changed -- left at middle school. Is that a
change in primary use?
MR. DeYOUNG: I suppose it could be considered a change in
the primary use. These are the types of things that are discussed with
the staff working group, as outlined in the interlocal agreement. So
any change in the use of the facility would be discussed by the staff
working group.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, then maybe we should say that,
construction that changes any use ofa facility, instead of primary use.
MR. DeYOUNG: I think the purpose of this was to limit it to a
major change in the facility that could affect concurrency.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I agree with you. But since you won't
tell me what a major change is, you're making it hard to define what it
is. Primary doesn't tell me major. Major doesn't tell me what
percentage it is. So how do we define that so we avoid a conflict
down the road?
You could go in and change classrooms around at a percentage
of, say, five, seven, 10, 15 percent. Fifty percent, you could say well,
that's not a major change, that's not a primary change. But in the
eyes of other people it might be.
So what percentage then, what number can -- how do we fix this
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November 1,2007
so we have --
MR. DeYOUNG: The end of this policy talks about a five
percent increase in student stations. So I guess you would have to say
it would be a major change in the primary use, which would be from
elementary to middle, and an increase, that would be a major change,
or an increase in student capacity greater than five percent.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Mark?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: I could give an example. Right
now we're housing a significant proportion of our eighth graders in
Immokalee Middle School at the high school. Would that qualify?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Like moving the eighth graders out--
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: The ones who didn't pass their
F-CA Ts and they're really not qualified to go to ninth grade, but the
middle school doesn't have room for them over there so there've being
housed at the high school but treated separately.
MR. DeYOUNG: Well, I think we're confusing another issue,
which is on-site and off-site infrastructure needs for a school. And if
we're moving kids from the eighth grade to another school
temporarily, we're not really changing off-site infrastructure.
Now if you change the primary use ofa middle school to a high
school and all of a sudden you need to accommodate parking for high
school students, that would be a change in the use of a facility.
I think what we're trying not to do here is get mixed up between
what's going on inside the school that doesn't impact on-site and
off-site infrastructure and what does.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, maybe the best way, and you
referenced the second line that talks about a greater than five percent
increase. Why don't you simply say that construction that changes
the use of a facility, stadium, construction, or construction that
results in greater than five percent increase. Take out the reference to
pnmary use.
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November 1, 2007
If you have construction that changes, anything that creates
greater than a five percent increase in student capacity, you've got a
trigger.
MS. MOSCA: Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes.
MS. MOSCA: This actually is statutory language. I understand
that it's difficult to define primary use.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, you know, next time that
happens tell me early. If it's statutory, we can't change it. I didn't
know that, so that's fine. I don't necessarily agree with it, but there's
nothing we can do about it.
Policy 1.3.2. Why in the world would you want to wait until
you commence construction before you kick in this particular
paragraph? Why wouldn't you want to do that when it's first
identified?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Well, as I understand it, especially for
some of your school facilities out in the eastern portion of the county,
there can be a quite lengthy early process that is much -- short of
committing you to building an actual school on a particular piece of
dirt. All the other regulatory systems that the school boards deal
with, the environmental reviews and so forth.
So I think this was an effort to try to identify a time that's closer
to when you really know that the school is going to be built and
where it's going to be built.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yeah, but then you guys are going to
come in and say wait a minute, you can't turn us down to bring all
these off-sites and all these other issues here. We already bought the
land, we've owned it for years. That's the wrong time to approach the
county on a need. You ought to approach the county on need before
you buy the property or when you're in early negotiations with it.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: But if they already own the property and
they've owned it for decades prior to this, there's no way that you
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November 1,2007
could have accurately assessed the need for improvements that far
ahead of time.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Do you think this only applies then to
existing purchases -- existing properties?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: No, that's just an example.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Does it apply to new purchases
as well?
MR. DeYOUNG: Well, there's an entire process for -- when a
school district is purchasing a new piece of property for a new school,
it goes through an entire process with county staff, through that staff
working group, again, for the review of the facility.
And so the county and the school district or the city and the
school district, depending on where the facility is or is going to be,
should be negotiating these things from early on in the process.
I think when we say prior to the commencement of construction
is we are just verifying that it will take place at a minimum prior to
the commencement of construction. That a school won't start
construction and then come in to talk about the needs for off-site and
on-site infrastructure.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: There's also the issue that sometimes the
school board will project that they need a school of a certain size, but
as they move closer to the actual provision of the school, they'll find
that maybe it hasn't grown as much, the demand is not there, and
maybe the school is going to be smaller or larger, which would
directly be relevant to this negotiation on improvements.
So you want to be closer to when you really know this is what
level of school and how many seats are going to be there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: If you've got property right now, then
you know all those properties need to be serviced. You should know,
Clay, in your master plan, when you intend on developing those
properties, or at least the best you could right now.
Why wouldn't you want to come in to the county with those
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November 1, 2007
right now and sit down and try to coordinate with them based on the
language in this paragraph instead of waiting to just before you
believe you're ready to go into construction with those facilities?
MR. DeYOUNG: The school district does do that. And in fact,
part of the map series for the public schools facilities element is the
future locations, existing and future locations of school sites,
especially the ones identified in the five-year capital plan.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, well then we can leave the red
language that's struck in.
I guess we're both saying the same thing. That's all I'm trying to
get at is let's leave in the red language and take out the
commencement to construction language.
MR. DeYOUNG: I think, as Mr. Hardy just said to me, the
school district has a five-year capital plan, but there's also a 10 and
20-year plan which future schools are identified. The schools may
not have sites yet, but they are identified in the 10 and 20-year plan.
So we wouldn't want to preclude, you know, the ability to talk
about other school sites. I think that's why when a new school is
identified in the capital improvement plan has been struck from this.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, when the new school is
identified in the school district's plan, period. Any plan. I don't care if
it's a 10, 20, 30-year plan, but as soon as you recognize that a school
needs to be identified, from that point forward you ought to
coordinate with the county and not wait till the commencement of
construction.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: But we are. There's a whole planning
and coordination process that takes place. That's not what this is
about. This is specifically about getting down to the final answer on
improvements. And doing that years and years and years ahead of
time makes no sense because the facts are going to be so different by
the time the school is actually built that the background -- we're all
limited in how good we are, whether we're the county or the school
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November 1, 2007
board in terms of projecting the future perfectly.
So when you get this large time gap, it's going to be
problematic. I think what we'd like to see generally as governments
is to try to make it be as close to accurate as possible. And that time
gap creates a real level of uncertainly.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, I think I understand
where you're going with that.
And at this point our court reporter needs a break, so we will
take a break and come back here at 2:45.
(A break was taken.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MR. COHEN: Mr. Chairman, you have a live mic.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you. We left off on Page 8. If
there's no more questions on Page 8, maybe we ought to -- oh, there is
one question on Page 8, I'm sorry. I hate to have this question.
Policy 1.3.3, second line, starts with the word redevelopment of
existing schools, and it says to ensure compatibility. And don't you
mean -- wouldn't that be to the greatest extent possible?
MS. MOSCA: Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MOSCA: No. It would -- well, I guess it would be to the
greatest extent possible, but --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I don't like the word -- just like
we did in the floodplain. And the word ensure is so --
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: How about determine?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yeah, it's so difficult to deal with if
you can't do it.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: How about determine?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: To determine, maybe that would work.
Does that -- yeah, determine. How's that work for you guys?
MR. DeYOUNG: Determine, verify.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I like determine.
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November 1, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, let's put determine in there,
then. That's in agreement with everybody?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY : Yeah.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Good.
Page 9, any questions on Page 9?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Your policy 1.3.5.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: C.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I know that the schools are used for
emergency shelters. Why would you guys be involved in our
evacuation zones, routes and shelter locations? Basically you're --
they are there wherever you put a school.
MR. DeYOUNG: This policy is here because it's required by
the statutes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Oh, I knew you were going to say that.
MS. MOSCA: Mr. Chairman, if! may, 9J-5 Florida
Administrative Code .025 reads: A policy addressing coordination
with adjacent local governments and the school district on emergency
preparedness issues.
So it's general language. I think we --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, then that's good.
MS. MOSCA: -- could address A, Band C.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, then why don't we just say that
the county in conjunction with the school district will address
emergency preparedness issues, and leave it like that. Just mimic
9J-5 and not go into these details. Because, honestly, for you guys to
be involved in our evacuation zones doesn't make any sense. That's
transportation and emergency operations, and routes as well.
MR. DeYOUNG: I think the rest of the policy is just giving
examples of how you would be coordinating. I don't think it does
anything more than that. If you want to take those out--
MS. TREV ARTHEN: It's okay to take it out.
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November 1, 2007
MR. DeYOUNG: -- you can take it out.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, I think it should come out.
MS. MOSCA: Mr. Chairman, for clarification, are you reciting
9J-5.025?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes. Just take 9J-5 and drop it in there
and let the LDRs work out the details.
Okay, I think that's it on Page 9. Make sure I haven't missed
anything. I know I have.
Page 10, policy -- any questions on Page 10 of the commission?
(No response.)
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I couldn't see anything.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I don't have anything on 10.
I think that takes us to the end of that first document, with the
exception of all the backup tables. Well, no, there aren't any. There
are some backup tables in the original version sent to us.
That gets us through the PSFE. Anybody have any questions on
the document as a whole?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Why don't we move on to the capital
improvement element. And in between, there's a lot of data and
analysis. I'm assuming that's provided -- you all provided it. I don't
think it's -- it's more pure data, so I'm not sure what it matters. I don't
think we can debate those issues, so as far as I'm concerned, the
language that we can talk about is more on the capital improvement
element, which would be next.
So if everybody agrees, we'll move on to that. That's two tabs
back from where we just left off, gentlemen, so -- ClE starts with an
index, a little "i", but we have Page I, which is the introduction of
the ClEo
Then we get into Page 2, which are your policies. Any
questions up to Page 2?
(No response.)
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November 1,2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Page 3?
I have a question on Page 3. You have your item C towards the
bottom. It defines a significant impact. Now, I've done multiple
word searches on the CIE and some other segments of our GMP, and
I can't figure out why we defined this as a significant impact, because
I can't see where it comes into play.
Do you know of any? Maybe it's more a compo planning
question since you guys didn't write our GMP in this regard.
It goes to the extent to start defining significant impacts, Randy
and Michelle, and I can't find anywhere in the GMP where we
referenced again the word significant or impact.
So I'mjust wondering what the purpose of this is. Basically it's
saying that any generator then is a significant impact. What does that
mean?
MR. COHEN: Well, when you read the first part of the policy,
it's very apparent that it's looking at a very large development from
the perspective of generating, one, either population that would be
three percent greater than the county at that time, or at the same time
generating three percent of the volume of traffic that exists in the
county at that time.
So that portion is in essence itself defining with -- at that point
in time.
I'd have to look at the school part of it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Randy, it's probably harmless to add it
here. I just couldn't figure out how it then applies to any other part of
the code. I couldn't find where we address significant impacts
elsewhere in the GMP, and that's why my question. Because I'm
wondering, okay, if we're going to add this in here and it now
becomes a significant impact when you reach a certain threshold.
MR. COHEN: I think the perspective is whenever we get a
very large development that comes on in, that it would trigger this
particular component right here and give it additional scrutiny.
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November 1, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But in order to give it additional
scrutiny, you have to have something else in which to scrutinize it
too. There's no other reference as a significant impact.
Well, I guess it's irrelevant in regards to how this fits in there,
because if it doesn't apply anywhere, it doesn't really matter. I just
couldn't figure out the significance of adding it in there. And I
thought if there was one it would be nice to know what it is.
And before we go too much further, Chris Thornton has been
patiently sitting in our audience waiting to talk on an element in the
PSFE.
And Chris, I apologize for not catching you before we moved to
this page, but we're not very far past it now, so why don't you go
ahead and identify yourself and tell us your concerns.
MR. THORNTON: Thank you. I'm Chris Thornton with the
law firm of Cheffy, Passidomo, Wilson and Johnson. I appreciate this
opportunity to address you today on your proposed public school
facilities element.
My comments are directed to -- basically I have two suggestions
for inclusion in the -- in your considerations. One would be with
respect to the exceptions, in 1.2.2 of the PSFE. It's on Page 4 of your
document. And it looks like since it's underlined, you did add -- and
this to do with the exceptions. This is projects that are going to be
exempt from school concurrency.
You added approved ORIs. And what I'm going to suggest to
you is that you have projects, at least one that I know of, that are in
the county that have come through for rezone that are not ORIs but
that have committed land for school facilities. And so I would request
that you include an additional exemption in 1.2.2 of the element to
exempt -- and I've given this language to staff a couple of days ago,
so they've had it.
But basically it's to exempt as a new paragraph sub G in 1.2.2.G
any rezoning containing a residential component approved as of the
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November 1,2007
effective date of the school concurrency program in the Growth
Management Plan, wherein the rezoning contains an obligation to
conveyor otherwise provide land or facilities for public schools.
And although this -- I think the language would have
countywide application, and I'm aware of one project, Sable Bay, and
the client I'm representing today is CDC Land Investments, Inc. But
the Sable Bay project originally came through as a DRI and made
commitments to address school concurrency and capacity for schools,
but then was subsequently determined not to be a DRI. And so the
project includes a large site for a school. And the MPUD document
commits that developer to providing that school site.
And so although it is not a DRI, it does have commitments to
provide school -- land for schools. And so we would request that you
include an additional exemption to school concurrency.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Marjorie, is there any concerns with
that?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Yes, there is. I've spoken with
Mr. Thornton about this, and I've also forwarded the language to the
DCA for their comment.
I offered to Mr. Thornton that in the DRI section we might
include language that not only would include DRI approval, but
where DRI had been initially approved and by operation of law was
no longer a DRI because of the change of the statutory thresholds,
that we might include it there to take care of his issue.
I think there could be some problems with whatever may be
donated or paid or committed to be donated or paid at the rezone
level, and then it may not be sufficient to catch school concurrency.
So I think we have a concern that, yeah, you donated that, but it
may not be sufficient for school concurrency, it might include other
things that are not included in concurrency and so on.
And we have talked about this with representatives from DCA
and they are looking at the language.
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November 1, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, if some property has been
donated as a result of the rezone process, wouldn't they at least -- and
if your concern is the value of the property versus the concurrency
mitigation or value that may be required when they came through for
the concurrency element, wouldn't they at least be getting credit for
that property's value against impact fees?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Well, this looks like it gives them
a pass, just an absolute pass.
MR. THORNTON: I don't see any provision for the credit in
the current proposal --
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I don't think it's a prop share.
There's a thing about prop share in there and credits there.
But it looks to me that -- and our concern is that you're looking
at different things at that time period and, you know, how it would all
fit together could be problematic.
And again, I do have it with DCA, so.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, Margie, he's got a very good
point. I mean, the whole purpose of exempting DRIs is presumably
because they've provided some contribution to the school system at
the time they were approved. So even if it isn't a DRI -- and by the
way, the fact that it was at one time and is not now just because of a
threshold change doesn't change the facts of the issue.
We have rezones in Collier County that if they've provided
school facilities and school properties, how are we treating them in
regards to crediting them with the -- to the extent of their
contribution?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I have not seen -- and my
recollection anyway, other than DRI projects where there've done
that. There may be some, but in my recollection, standard PUD
rezones or site specifics don't do that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Did this project go through the full
DRI process and afterwards it just was downgraded because of the
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threshold change? Is that how it occurred?
MR. THORNTON: I'm afraid I don't know all the details. I
know that --
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I think so.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I remember it came through here, and I
thought it went through the full process. But I don't know where it
ended up.
Chris, would Margie's language, adding it to F in the manner
that she spoke, wouldn't that cover the--
MR. THORNTON: It sounds like they would address the
particular issue at Sable Bay, but I don't know that that's the only
rezone project that's come through the county that during the rezone
process gave up land for school facilities. And those projects don't
appear to have -- so they come through rezone, they give up land and
now that they go to get a plat, they don't give any benefit or credit
from having done that at the rezone stage.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Well, I think they get impact fee
credits for it. So they would get that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Even for a past contribution?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Yeah.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Because I mean, look at your well
sites, as an example, and parks and recreation's extractions for
additional park areas. They're not getting -- nobody's getting any
credits for those. So I don't know if that statement -- I don't know if
they'd automatically get impact fee --
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I don't know either, I mean, that
was just a thought. And this, as I said, it came in our office, I think,
like a couple of days ago. So we've been trying to react to it and
have had discussions with DCA about it and they are going to, you
know, give us their take on it.
MR. COHEN: Mr. Chairman, might I suggest a few things. I
think at this point in time, you know, absent certain information, it's
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very difficult to answer Mr. Thornton's question.
I think Ms. Student-Stirling needs a response back from DCA in
order to assess what her recommendation would be, whether it be an
addition to F or a new G.
Two, I think it would also be incumbent on us as a staff to go
out there and assess what other actions may have been taken by this
county where there has been a donation of land to see if where there
are some other pieces of property that would be affected.
The major concern, obviously, on my part is the DCA issue,
though.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, either way, this panel could
recommend that some language be considered for provisions of land
contributions in addition -- outside the -- those addressed under a
DRI. Meaning if someone in a rezone process contributed land, or
just a new zoning process, there be some consideration.
Go ahead, Brad.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I think they've been wanting to
chime in real quick. Maybe that will save--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go right ahead.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Mr. Chair, I agree with what your
county attorney is saying about this. I've been informed by school
board staff that they believe, I mean, they don't have all the records
here, but they believe that Sable Bay did receive an impact fee credit,
and that would normally be the way that this would be handled.
If the land is donated at the time that it comes due for them to
pay their school impact fees they would receive a credit for the value
of what they've already donated.
And that's why this is not a proper place to exempt, because,
this goes back to the discussion we've had previously about how
impact fees are just fundamentally different from concurrency. And
the land donation is really just another form of satisfying their impact
fee obligation, if you want to look at it that way, because it is eligible
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for the impact fee. It is a structural participation in the provision of
schools.
Concurrency is not about that. Concurrency is about you're
here before me today. Do I have a seat for that child or not today.
And you may have paid your school impact fees, but I may not have
the seat for that child. It's a timing issue.
So just like for roads, you know, there might be dedication of
right-of-way, but I don't think that would automatically exempt you in
the county for having a concurrency review for roads. They're
different kind apples and oranges.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I understand.
Go ahead --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: The point I was going to make
is you could give a land for a high school and it's elementary schools
is the problem. So there's a lot of different ways to look at that. Does
the county ever get donations -- first of all, if you had a donation of
land, wouldn't the school board be aware of it and be factoring that
into their plans? Or you're saying the land is not yet donated, it was
only --
MR. THORNTON: They might factor it into their plans, but
any applicant who comes through the rezone process and through that
process makes commitments for land and does not have any plats or
SDPs yet and is sitting on a project that's ready to go and now is
going to come in the door have to go from the beginning through
school concurrency and won't have any assurance that they'll receive
any concurrency benefit for the mitigation that they've already
provided.
And I understand that the exemption that I'm proposing is
basically an acceptance of the proposition that that mitigation satisfies
fully the capacity, the lack of capacity ifthere is a lack.
But sometimes some cases might have overcompensated, some
cases may undercompensate. It would be difficult to know, looking in
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the future, whether you've over or undercompensated. That's why I'm
proposing basically that the property be vested.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: At this point I would leave it. My
inclination is to let the county attorney find out from DCA the status
of those projects that were once DRIs that have been downgraded.
And if it falls under the exemption that we have in here, fine. If it
doesn't, I think you're going to have to live with the impact fee
credits. At least that's what I would think at this point.
I think school board staffs comment that you have to --
concurrency is a different issue than impact fees, you're absolutely
right. Sable Bay is a huge project. It was approved awhile back, but
it could be years before it actually gets on line. There might not be
concurrency at that time. And to vest them without a DCA in place
or something like that right now I think would be difficult.
MR. THORNTON: Are you talking about -- I don't know if!
understand fully what Ms. Student-Stirling was saying. Are you
talking about the possibility of adding language to the DRI
exemption that says this exemption also applies to projects that were
approved as the DRI but are no longer ORIs?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: That's what I was considering.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. What was your second point,
sir?
MR. THORNTON: The second point is tangentially related to
the public school facilities element, and it's probably something
you've already covered, but while I'm up here, I hope you'll let me
address the issue.
It has to do with the student generation rates, that they're,
basically, the tables that are in the interlocal agreement and in the
data and analysis.
And those, the data and analysis concludes with a table that
makes the prediction, an assumption of what the student generation
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rate is going to be for different types of projects. There's five types of
projects: single-family, multi-family, and those are fixed numbers that
I do understand will be updated every now and then.
What I'm recommending is that similar to the way you handle
your transportation concurrency, that you're going to have projects
that come through that are not going to generate the students that
your flat, fixed, one size fits all student generation rate is going to
generate.
You might have a project -- in my mind when I think about this,
I'm thinking about a project -- think in your mind of a project that you
know is not going to have very many children. And pick -- a
multi-family project is not going to have very many children. But
they're going to be stuck with the -- for concurrency purpose, the flat
rate that applies countywide for all multi-family projects.
And so in transportation the way you deal with that in your
comprehensive plan and your TIS guidelines is to allow the applicant
to propose alternative transportation generation rates. If you're not
going to use ITE for transportation, you have to justify and support a
lower traffic generation rate for purposes of transportation
concurrency.
Similarly, I would suggest that the same reasoning should apply
to school concurrency. If the county can be assured by my
application to you for an alternative student generation rate that my
project will produce less than the one size fits all rate, why not at least
create the possibility for somebody to propose different student
generation rates.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The issue of different rates did come
up at our meeting two weeks ago.
But anyway, Mr. Schiffer, go ahead.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: No, finish, Mark.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. And what we were told is that
that rate was already generated, utilizing the fact that not all facilities
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in this county and not all residential districts in this county have the
same number of students. For example, you have senior facilities
where they don't have students at all. You have developments that
are more of a second home nature.
I guess from a countywide perspective, all those were collected
together and the student generation rate was like a weighted average
of all ofthe facilities that we currently had in the county, which is
why they felt it was a fair number to utilize across the board as a
standard, rather than getting into individual arguments on each
project.
Is that a close statement to where you guys were last week, or
two weeks --
MS. TREV ARTHEN: That's a good summary, Mr. Chair. And
the only thing I would add to it is it's relevant to the fact that the
constitution requires uniformity of these things.
So everything we do in school concurrency is a little bit
different from road concurrency because we're in this environment of
a constitutional requirement of uniformity.
So no student generation rate that I'm aware of, and lots and lots
of counties have them, have that, even though it's very common for a
road impact fee or something like that to have it because of
uniformity.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Did you have a comment, Brad?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And we did think about that.
And the point that might be tough is that that could change, too.
You're right, multi-family might not have it. But over time the
economics of that building might be such that it's full of children.
So -- because I was thinking even at the last time when you --
when a project comes on line and you drop the potential of it and you
go to the actual number generated, that that would be a point to
almost achieve what he wants. But you can't be assured that the next
year or 10 years from now it's not a huge generator of population. So
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it's kind of like traffic again is we'll probably have phantom children
out there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Chris, I don't think you'll win too much
in that argument today, but we'll certainly look into your other one for
you.
MR. THORNTON: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, sir.
Appreciate your time in waiting here today. You're one of the
few members of the public that even bother to participate in these
actions, and they are going to have huge impacts in this county, so
we appreciate it. Thank you.
Back on the CIE, we were talking on Page 3. We're now on--
Page 4 and Page 5 have no changes to them. Neither does Page 6.
The next page in the CIE that have a change are Page 7.
MS. MOSCA: Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MOSCA: I have a change to Page CIE 7.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MS. MOSCA: And it would be under A-8, public school
facilities. And we're suggesting removing enrollment/ for all three
items, A-8, I, 2 and 3 to make it consistent with the other documents.
That would be the public school facility element.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So it would read 95 percent ofCSA
FISH capacity?
MS. MOSCA: I'm sorry, another change; 95 percent ofCSA
permanent FISH capacity. We're also going to add in permanent.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: How does that sound to the school
experts?
MR. DeYOUNG: That's fine.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Are there any other questions
or issues through Page 7?
(No response.)
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November 1, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, then we got Page 8 with the
financial feasibility. Are there -- I don't think there are any changes.
Yeah, there's a couple of small changes on Page 8.
Michelle, on Policy 1.2.5, it says the county shall not provide a
public facility, nor shall it accept the revisions of a public facility by
others if the county is unable to pay for the subsequent annual
operating and maintenance costs of the facility.
How does that fit with what we're changing here for schools?
MS. MOSCA: Well, where staffis suggesting may be an
exemption for public school facilities, or an exception, rather.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So you're going to add some language
to 1.2.5 to make an exception to --
MS. MOSCA: I believe we would have to.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Now, I'm sure the school people would
object to that because now the county doesn't pay for your buildings,
right?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Well, I think that's the point that we
have, just the factual point, Mr. Chair. I don't think this is applicable.
Because it's not a county-provided facility and you're not accepting
it. Usually that refers to like somebody builds a road and they turn it
over to you and you accept the ownership and maintenance of it.
We don't turn public schools over to you to run. So I think it's
not a policy that's relevant to this issue.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Michelle -- I need our staff to
agree so we don't have a disagreement, so somebody's got to say yes
or no to --
MS. MOSCA: Let me just have a moment to read it again.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: While she's reading it, Policy 1.2.4
adds schools as public facilities. That's what threw the curve.
So if you don't mean them to be public facilities, then maybe we
ought to be not adding it in there. Because it also comes into
problems from other parts of --
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MS. TREV AR THEN: Yeah, I think this was recommended as
an addition. But it may be that it has inadvertently gotten mixed up in
solely county facilities. So we would be glad to work with your staff
and if it doesn't fit there, just take it out.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I'm just curious to know today,
so -- and if you look at the objective, it talks about providing public
facilities, and it also talks about ad valorem taxes and
intergovernmental revenues to pay for them. And again, I think you
guys got your own system and --
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I think you're right. And I don't know of
any statutory requirement for that particular policy to address -- ones
that talk about testing concurrency, of course.
MR. COHEN: Mr. Chairman, we'll work with the school board
and school board consultants with review of 1.2.4 and 1.2.5 with
regard to your concern, and if it's not necessary we'll remove the
items that have been inserted.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Page 9. There on 1.2.7, public
schools have been added again. And again, on Policy 1.2.8, because
they were added in 1.2.7, if for any reason the county cannot provide
revenue sources identified as needed funding for specific projects
within the adopted schedule of capital improvements. It's just the
county again.
So I want to make sure that the county isn't getting inadvertently
hooked under some kind of basis to all of a sudden fund schools when
-- by the end of these policies.
MR. COHEN: Well, Mr. Chairman, in 1.2.7, we actually do
collect the impact fees for the school system.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Do we have any liability there
then under Policy 1.2.8?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I don't believe so. But you would want
to hear from your county staff on that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, would you guys continue
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to look at the rest of those policies after you look at Policy 1.2.4?
And we'll just leave it there.
MR. COHEN: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any questions through Page 10?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And then we've got Page II.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I have a --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I think I have a question,
because I have a notation there. I need to read it again.
Okay, I think it has to do with under Policy 1.4.1.A, which is
the consultant's language, and it speaks -- the word on the third line
down is specifically. And my question is are there others? In other
words, you've included something specific. Are there others that are
omitted, or this is just all there is?
MR. De YOUNG: Those two tables summarize the capital
improvement program and the revenue sources of the school district
which demonstrate financial feasibility. So those two tables
specifically do that for your --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay, that's the intent of it.
MR. DeYOUNG: Yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: On Page II, Policy 1.4.1, there's a
beginning -- there's a sentence that was added as A. The beginning
date. Is the effective date December 1st, 2008? Is that when it was
being --
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Yes. It's a separate statutory date.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Under the Objective 1.4 on top, it
refers again to the county. County shall coordinate its land use
planning and decisions with its plans for public facility capital
improvements.
I just want to make sure that it's not supposed to have the school
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system in there somewhere by the references that we've previously
had in some of the other policies.
Did you -- Michelle, you're following that?
MS. MOSCA: Yes, I am.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, it's just something you need to
check. And I don't want to ask you to go further with it today.
Any questions on Page I2?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Policy 1.4.4. Michelle and Randy, this
one says the county shall determine prior to the issuance of final site
development plans that there is sufficient capacity in Category A.
Is the county really the one doing that, or is the school board
providing that information to us and we're accepting it?
MS. MOSCA: Mr. Chairman, I believe that through the
SCADL, then we will in fact as the county make that determination.
And the consultants can correct me ifI'm wrong.
MR. DeYOUNG: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Under Page I3?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Then we're on Page 14.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I have a question.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay, under Policy 1.5.4.A,
my note is: Confused. That's my note to myself.
A, necessarily facilities and services are in place at the time a
final site development plan, final plat or building permit is issued or.
And I guess maybe I was getting toward midnight reading, but that
confused me relative to the preceding sentence.
Let me just have a moment here to look at it again. If anyone
of the following standards or concurrence is met. Never mind, I'm
not as confused. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Page I5?
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November 1, 2007
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Page I6?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Page I7?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: What happened? I jumped to
Page 28.
MS. MOSCA: Mr. Chairman, those are actually the County
CIP tables, so we're moving from CIE 16 to CIE 28.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah, that's what I have.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm sorry, you're right.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Oh, and I do have a question on
28.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, sir.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'd like to understand. I know
that the consultant has been using by reference, and I'd like to
understand the implications of that. What is it that you're intending,
by reference? I think I know, but I want to be sure I know what you
know.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: DCA has a pretty precise understanding
of what this means. And so what it means is on an annual basis,
because this is a document that changes every year, you're going to
be saying something like, you know, the December 2008 version of
this document is hereby adopted by reference.
And what it frees you from is literally adopting it all into the
text of your plan, when it's really not something -- a lot oflocal
governments feel kind of uncomfortable taking somebody else's plan
and putting it word-for-word in the middle of their plan.
It also means that you don't have to check and make sure it
really is the one that was adopted. So for review purposes by DCA
and others it's clear that your intent was just to adopt whatever was
adopted as of December, '08.
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November 1,2007
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. And I do thank you.
That's what I understood.
So that -- but if DCA did have a problem, would they come to
the county or would they come to the school district?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: And you've hit the sort of nub of school
concurrency. We're sort of bound together on this. But this is clearly
an aspect where the school board is, you know, sort of taking the
laboring role. And so they would definitely be involved in addressing
any concerns about financial feasibility.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Would make sense.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Yeah. They have to be.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. So by reference then, I
understand it in its context. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We're onto Page 29. Any questions on
Page 29?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Let's see ifI have any.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Michelle, on B of Page 29, about the
fifth line down, it references Policy 1.15. It should be 1.1.5.
And then it says of this element are to be maintained at the end
of the five-year planning period. Don't you have to maintain them
throughout?
MS. MOSCA: Well, we have a staff edition, we discussed this
with the consultant, we're going to change the wording to within.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Within the five-year plan. Okay, that
works, too.
Under A up above it says, not including public school facilities.
I thought they will be coming under the AUIR process. Maybe not
the same time as ours, but aren't they going to be in that --
MS. MOSCA: My understanding is that they are not part of our
AUIR process.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So they are -- but we are going to be
reviewing them. They'll just come in later?
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November 1,2007
MS. MOSCA: We have included a review of the district CIP
within the ILA appendices, specifically Appendix D.
MR. COHEN: And what's transpiring, Mr. Chairman, is the
schedule of the adoption of the school board's CIP. It doesn't run
parallel with the AUIR because of the budget years. However, when
we get to the time for review and adoption of the CIE, we'll have all
the information in hand from both the review at the AUIR and the
CIP.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Page 30, last page. Any
questions on Page 30?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The way that one reads, number three,
talks about the geographic boundaries of the CSAs. Really that's not
limited to the geographic boundaries of the CSAs, because we can
use adjacent CSAs. So do we need to clean that up? Because by
referring to the actual geographic boundaries, it's a little more
definitive.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: And I understand your point and how it
could be read that way. However, the whole statute is structured that
way, that it's applied on the CSA and then separately they say, oh, by
the way, if you need to, you can shift --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Go for the next.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: -- to the adjacent.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So you're telling me this is language--
MS. TREV ARTHEN: It sort of follows the structure of the
statute.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Staff, are you guys fine with that?
MS. MOSCA: Staff has no objection to the language as
proposed.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That gets us to the end of the CIE.
Chris, I'm not going to try to forget you again. If you have
anything, just come on up. You're the only one in the audience, so
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November 1, 2007
feel free to walk up here at any time. This is such a hot ticket in this
county.
Okay, the next element, and I think the final one, is the ICE.
MS. TREVARTHEN: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: This one didn't have a lot of changes.
Randy, I had asked for a document, and unfortunately it didn't
get to me. It doesn't mean I'm still not interested in it. Mike Bosi was
going to mail it to me, so that's probably what happened, the mail is
not as fast as the --
MR. COHEN: Well, it could be just Mike Bosi, though.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, Mike's pretty good.
MR. COHEN: I'm just kidding. Which item?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: On Page I, it refers to the Collier
County intergovernmental service delivery agreement report. I just
want to make sure I still get that eventually to read.
MS. MOSCA: I have an extra one.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Not right now, but eventually.
This one doesn't have a lot of changes on it till we get to Page 3.
And Page 4 has a little bit more. Are there any requests on Page 3 or
4?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: If not, we'll move to Page 5.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And we're done with that element.
Now, we've had four elements to go over. And we've got
papers on different elements to process here today. So let's start with
the last one, because that's the easiest. Is there a recommendation to
-- is there a motion to recommend approval of the ICE element as
proposed in today's meeting to the Board of County Commissioners?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So moved.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: So moved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion made by Commissioner
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November 1, 2007
Adelstein, seconded by Mr. Commissioner Murray. Any discussion?
All those in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We got past the most difficult one.
Now let's get into the CIE.
And the only issue I have in my notes from the CIE is in Section
1.2.4, staffs going to take a look at whether or not the language there
ought to be removed referencing schools. If it isn't removed, then
they're going to verify that the other elements of that section aren't
affected by it.
MR. COHEN: Mr. Chairman, one thing that I need to clarify.
We're going to look at it from two perspectives: Whether it needs to
be removed or potentially whether additional language needs to be
added to clarify what the intent is.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I agree.
Staff, I think you did have some suggestions on that particular
item. I'm not sure. Let me look at my notes. Yes, the CIE on yours,
Page 29, 6-B. You recommend removing the phrase at the end of it
and replace with the word throughout. Isn't that the one we just
talked about, now you picked a different word? Within now, wasn't
it?
MS. MOSCA: Yes, it's within, correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, are there any things in that
element -- we've heard from the school board staff presenting this,
county staff. Are there any items in there that we need to discuss
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further?
MR. COHEN: I think it's appropriate, Mr. Chairman, that if
there are any inconsistencies with the CIP and the CIE, before making
a motion on this particular item, that they need to be discussed and
thoroughly vetted at this point in time.
From a staffs perspective, the CIP for -- that the school board
adopted has two schools, and I do have a question for the school
board at this time as well, too.
It had two schools that were adopted on September 20th in the
work plan, both of which would have effects on our CIE, because
they would impact roads that do not exist.
That being said, there would be a requirement that -- if we
added them, there would be a requirement there being no funding
source that we would have to fund those roads. That was High
School EEE and Elementary School O.
We recently received a letter from the school board indicating
that they've removed Elementary School 0 from the work plan.
My question that I have, and I just got the letter today
personally, my question was did the school board take official action
on that? I don't know what their normal manner and priorities in how
they handle those items. Here whenever we schedule an item for our
CIE, it's either, you know, adopted and put in a CIE, and when it's
removed it's done by the board as well too.
So we received a letter from Mr. Hardy indicating that would
transpire.
From staffs perspective, whenever we have an internal
inconsistency between what would be in the adopted document into
our plan by reference, which would be a CIP, and the CIE, we don't
move forward until we rectify that situation.
In this case, how do we pay for the road that's going to serve
High School EEE, and how are we going to finance the road that's
going to serve Elementary 0 if their board has not officially removed
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it from that work plan?
So we have a major concern there with respect to funding,
because we do not have in our five-year window adequate funds to
pay for roads like that. And obviously it's going to trigger the
necessity for those roads, and if an outside developer was to come on
in and see that we adopted a school by reference, you know, and
included that in there, they're going to say build the road, Collier
County. And I don't think we want to be in the position where we
have to expend millions and millions of dollars building a road just
for a school.
I think there are some solutions that we can reach with respect
to that possibly in the interim as we move forward; maybe some type
of interlocal agreement, you know, looking at new numbers with
respect to population and also the trends that have transpired as to
whether or not -- and also the enrollment figures whether or not that
school is actually needed three years out. It is possible we can do
that inbetween transmittal and adoption and come to some type of an
agreement.
But right now from a professional prospective, we as
comprehensive planning staff have some major problems with that
internally inconsistent situation that exists as a result of the adoption
of that work plan.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you for pointing it out. And we
will try to resolve it and see where we've got to go.
MR. HARDY: Alvah Hardy for the school district.
The work plan that the school district submits to the state is a
living document. We've already spoken with the DOE. They use it
as a snapshot in time for their reporting to the state legislature on 67
districts.
It's a document that we have Internet access to and we're
modifying it at this point in time to remove Elementary 0 from the
five-year, sixth year to the eighth year so that the school will not
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appear in the plan at all.
High School EEE I will repeat is in the sixth year of the plan.
And the concurrency trips for school concurrency are the first three
years of the plan. So I'm not sure I understand the issue at hand.
MR. COHEN: Mr. Chairman, their sixth year would be our
fifth year. They show an expenditure of over $90 million in their
year three, which is our year two.
If you recall our board's policy with respect to expenditures
with regard to when we start construction or enter into a contract in
years one or two, in essence you better have in place your other
facilities.
In this case we don't. So as I said, that's one of those boundaries
where our budgets kind of cross each other. But they would be
opening that school in probably September of our fifth year. And we
do not have that road planned whatsoever in the fifth year, or is there
any identification of it in the long-term plan, until that need arises.
There's a further conflict also as we move forward. You're not
going to see it in this year's AUIR with regard to the decrease in
population as much as you're going to see it in next year's AUIR.
And when I talk about that, I talk about that with respect to all of our
public facilities.
As we run into a situation with COs actually declining, the last
-- this year's AUIR is going to reflect a higher number because we
had some additional COs that showed on up from April to April.
Well, the following April to April you're going to see a lot
different numbers. So there's a concern on the population side as
well, too, wherein the necessity of facilities goes down.
With that also comes another concern. When we have less
development, less demand on facilities, what ends up transpiring is
we get less revenue that comes into the revenue stream that can pay
for stuff.
In conjunction with that, we have things transpiring at a state
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level, which is putting an extremely difficult burden on local
government in order to pay for things. And until we get a good
handle on how to do that in the office of management budget, the
county manager's office, when we're dealing with a school that's
going to come into a system and there's no way to pay for it or no
agreement in place to pay for it, is extremely difficult for this staff to
recommend that you take action on that in a positive manner.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, so it looks like Elementary
School 0 is resolved in the sense that it's going to be removed from
the five-year -- the CIP. Is that the issues in that--
MR. HARDY: The only thing I can add at this point is that the
county manager and the superintendent of schools discussed this issue
and to my knowledge they resolved it at their level.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: They're not voting on this today, we
are.
MR. HARDY: That's fine.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Let me get back to the problem. There
was a problem with Elementary School 0, and that is now resolved
because it's removed from the five-year plan; is that a fair statement?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Well, neither one of them, according to
the school district, are in the five-year plan. But the county is treating
a year six school as in year five, and it is moving to year eight.
That's what Mr. Hardy was --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So 0 is resolved.
MR. COHEN: Well, for the record--
MS. TREV ARTHEN: We believe they're all resolved.
MR. COHEN: For the record, what I need to do is have a
question answered.
On September 20th a budget was adopted by the School Board
of Collier County. It included both Elementary School 0 and High
School EEE. As far as I know, no changes have been made to that
budget. Both of those items were funded within that time period:
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High School EEE in year three, which is our year two and 0 in year
six, which is in year five.
So when you say they've been removed, I haven't seen an action
taken by the school board to remove them. I've seen a letter from Mr.
Hardy that indicates that Elementary School 0 has been moved out
to eight. That's just a letter from Mr. Hardy.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Randy, in order for this panel to go
forward in any manner, we can either accept or not -- provide a
recommendation of -- well, first of all, Marjorie, this is a GMP
element. Do we have to posture this in a manner that's a positive
recommendation in order for the BCC to act on it, or even a negative
recommendation or no recommendation? Now, remember, I believe
we're sitting by statute --
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: This is the --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- as the LPA in this regard.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: --local planning agency, and the
statute says that you shall, you know, make recommendations. I don't
know, though, that you could carry that so far as to say that if you
have a problem with something that you can't say there's a problem
and we need to do something about it.
I talked with DCA about this issue, too, and their response was
that there should be enough time and procedures built into the ILA to
take care of a problem like this. Because the statute contemplates
that the school district and the local governments will come together
on these things and there shouldn't be a problem. I mean, that's the
way the statute's written.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I think the most difficult
document we're going to have to discuss today is going to be the ILA,
because there are some issues that I think are going to be contested
when we get to it. Now, we have to get to it. I don't know what order
IS necessary.
But in regards to the CIE, if we have problems with two
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schools, one that seems to be resolved, and we stipulate that the CIE
from this panel is contingent on the resolution of those two issues
being resolved in order for our positive recommendation, is that a
way we can proceed, or do we have to have the definitive answers
now in a manner to go forward?
Because basically, Margie, I think it's the CIP the drives the
issues in the CIE that are at contest. If we have a CIP that has been
told to us is going to be problematic for Collier County and the CIP
is incorporated into the CIE --
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- and we therefore cannot incorporate
it if we know that this problem occurs, what's our alternatives here
today?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: DCA, I posed this question to
them. The statute doesn't provide any alternatives other than an
interlocal agreement where there's ample coordination and so on to
work this out.
And DCA response was make sure that the interlocal agreement
has sufficient amount of procedures with a sufficient amount of time
to work it out. And I guess failing that there are provisions in the
ILA for alternate dispute resolution.
But unfortunately the statute doesn't say, well, this plan trumps
that plan or anything like that. Because the idea is everyone is to
coordinate and come up with a solution legally.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, this has been going on for quite
some time.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I understand.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: There doesn't appear to be a solution,
unless you guys have one to offer.
MR. COHEN: Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, let the --
MR. DeYOUNG: I just wanted to add one thing in terms of the
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five-year capital plan and the difference in timing between the two
documents we're talking about today.
As we said, both documents are live, both documents are
amended each year. And of course the school district's responsibility
now is to achieve and maintain an adopted level of service standard.
And as they project their student enrollment each year, ifthere's
modifications and variations to that, they're going to make changes to
their five-year capital plan.
At the current time they had shown a need for an elementary
school and a high school. Those schools have slid, just as roads to be
improved have slid out in your capital plans, and I think what can be
said is, you know, each year the school district is going to be looking
at its population, student population projections in determining what
schools it needs and where those schools are needed.
It is built into the interlocal that the county and the school
district will coordinate prior to the commencement of construction
off-site and on-site improvements. And I think you have to have
time to let the process work. The school district needs to show to the
state that it's financially feasible and it's meeting the adopted level of
service of schools, and they're doing that based on current population
projections and student population projections.
If Mr. Cohen is right and population is decreasing, student
population is decreasing in hand, those schools may be moved out
again out into a further year.
And as Mr. Hardy said, the school district is really only
committing in its five-year capital plan to the first three years of that
five-year capital plan.
So even in years four and five, those are planning years. And if
anything, it's putting the county on notice, and it should, that there is
going to be a future need. I don't think there's any need at this time
for a high school that's in year six of the school districts, not even in
the capital plan, but year six of their planning process, and then if
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you want to talk about construction, won't even be built -- will be two
years after that, most likely. So 2008 before it even opens, having
this hold the process up at this time in terms of what is ultimately
going to be the necessary process in accordance with state
requirements and guidelines.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, you said the key words, though,
you're putting the county on notice. That's what I think we're
concerned about.
MR. DeYOUNG: Well, I think when I say--
MS. TREVARTHEN: Of the eventual need. It could be 10
years --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But see, say you come in in your year
six, and maybe it's our year five, and we don't have the roads heading
in that direction by the time you get to that point. You have put us on
notice this year that you're going to need us there in that year. We
don't have the funds from the development going up in the growth in
that area. How are we going to make that happen?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: But we also have five opportunities to
resolve this problem. In the next -- there's five annual updates before
we even get here. I mean, I think in a real sense it's very hard to
understand how this is -- as we might say as attorneys, there's no live
case or controversy there. It is outside the scope of the school
board's five-year plan, it's a future problem, not a current problem.
MR. COHEN: I need to correct the record here, because I'm
hearing year six, year eight.
I sat in the school board meeting on September the 20th where a
work plan was presented to the Collier County School Board on the
consent agenda when -- in the work plan. And I have it here.
In year three, which is our year two, over $90 million budgeted
for High School EEE and in your year six, which is our year five,
over 30 million, maybe $40 million budgeted for Elementary School
O.
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Now, from my perspective where I have to incorporate or my
county has to incorporate a working plan, which you said is not a
static document, it's something that goes over time, has there been
any action taken by the Collier County School Board that has
changed that work plan? Because I haven't seen it. I've gotten a letter
from Mr. Hardy that says that School O's been moved out. But now
I'm hearing that certain schools are moving out.
What I've asked your staff to do is to revisit the numbers, if
possible, to take a look at them from the perspective based on
declining enrollment, declining population, to see if those schools
were actually necessary in those years. I think that's a vital thing that
needs to transpire.
I've been told that it's a work in progress and they really won't
know till March, April, May, whatever the case would be as to when
that need may transpire.
What I do know is that -- what I sat in on was a meeting where
specific years weren't discussed -- well, they weren't discussed but
were actually adopted by the Collier County School Board. If that's
changed by staff or there's a recommendation to change it by staff, I
know the normal process here is that we adopt it and go through our
board channels. I don't know if that's transpired with the board.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Randy, let me cut to the quick here.
MR. COHEN: Go ahead.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And I understand where you're going, I
appreciate your explanation.
Basically we have a CIE that is dependent on a CIP. The CIP
that's in front of us today, we have conflicting testimony on
concerning its viability. County staff feels that it's going to put us in a
position that we may have an obligation that we can't meet based on
the revenue stream that could be coming in from the projected
population.
The school board has a position that over the next five years
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things will change and that may not be the case.
But either way, the CIP has it in it. And the CIE that we may
adopt is contingent on that.
MR. COHEN: Even if they move High School EEE out to year
six, which is our year five, we have a financially -- we have an
inconsistency with their plan.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right, I understand that. And that's
where I'm going with my next question to our legal staff.
Margie, can we even contemplate recommending adoption of a
CIE that is now testified to be inconsistent with the CIP that's --
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: This is what I would do. I would
consider all of it that you can recommend approval on on that point. I
would put a caveat, and I think what we do is we send it up to DCA
that way.
Because I've been told by them, you guys have to work this out.
You should have plans that get you well ahead of the curve on this.
And the statute doesn't contemplate what to do if you can't, other
than the alternate dispute resolution process, which can be lengthy,
referenced in the IL -- in the existing ILA that we have and also the
proposed.
So that's the only thing I know to do, put that in there as a
caveat, say we've reached a deadlock here and what our concerns are,
and then see what we get back on the ORC.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. So what you're recommending
is that we could go forward with a recommendation of adoption
subject to the various changes we would --
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- speak about.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: And then mention--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Except that the references to High
School EEE and Elementary School 0 in the school CIP are not at
this time part of that adoption recommendation.
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MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Correct. And we need to express
very particularly what, you know, the problem is with our plan and its
financial feasibility with that in the school plan, and put it squarely
before DCA.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, but the financial feasibility to
due to the lack of other infrastructure elements that would be going
there, which are not really in the school plan, they're just not in our
plan at this time.
MS. STUDENT -STIRLING: Correct. That would be the roads
to serve the school that is not in our plan and may cause us severe
financial difficulty to move something else out and substitute it with
that or raise additional money to do the roads, as well as what's
already in there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: County staff, is that a means to an
end?
MR. COHEN: Yes, sir.
And what I'd also recommend, in between the transmittal
hearing that's transpiring right now and the adoption hearing, I think
there's some opportunity with the staffs in both governments to look
at the differences that exist. Maybe look at some numbers that are out
there and maybe we can work out and rectify those differences as
well, too, before coming back for an adoption of a public hearing. I
think that opportunity exists, and I think we should, as both
governments should, pursue the avenues to get there, if we can.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, then, I would be
suggesting then for this panel to consider a recommendation of a
transmittal of the CIE with the staff stipulation that -- with the
stipulation that Items 1.2.4 be reviewed by county staff for whether
or not we need to include the reference to public schools in that
policy. Ifwe do, how that then needs to change other policies within
that same section of the CIE. And that also we find that due to
financial feasibility with the lack of service facilities in the county's
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plan that the schools CIP for High School EEE and Elementary
School 0 not be accepted at this time. Is that sufficient, Ms.
Student?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Yes, I think so. That it not be
accepted and that we also note when we transmit to DCA, unless it's
resolved before then, that this is an issue that we have received an
Impasse on.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And that we would note to DCA that
that's an outstanding issue and an impasse issue.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Ifwe don't--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ifwe don't resolve it by the time of
transmittal.
Is there a second for that motion?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: I'm make a second.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's fine.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Adelstein made the second.
Is there discussion?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I just had a question.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I've been trying to follow this
and I think I have, but it seemed to me that the interlocal agreement
was, according to what I read anyway, was the place where these
things -- that they force it to come to a determination.
School district's talking DOE, we're talking DCA. What do we
expect from the DCA when we send it in this way? What do they do
except likely tell us go to your interlocal agreement?
MR. COHEN: Mr. Murray --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'm sorry for being ignorant,
but I'm --
MR. COHEN: Let me go ahead and -- because I've had
conversations with both DCA and DOE. Michelle and I had a
conversation with Mike McDaniel with regard to the inconsistencies.
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And first of all, one of the things that he told us is when they
transmit, you know, the public schools facilities element, they don't
have the staff up there to review it to see whether or not it's internally
inconsistent with other aspects of your comprehensive plan, and it's
your duty as a county to do that yourself.
And we've taken that upon ourselves to do that.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay.
MR. COHEN: And my question to him, and this is
paraphrasing, because I don't remember the exact question, but I
asked him that if we included a school in our -- that was in the CIP
and adopted the public schools facilities element and I used High
School EEE as an example, that was in their year three, which is our
year two, and we did not have that road program, would we be
responsible for building that road? His response was you're
technically correct. Okay.
So I think it speaks for itself. When we talk DOE, okay, we get
back into the situation with conflicting statutes that chapter 163
conflicts with Chapter 1013, and again, DOE in a conflict with DCA.
And that's something that all needs to be rectified at a certain
level. So we find it problematic. But the word from DCA is that you
have to be internally consistent.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, I concur. And I concur
with the Chair the way he's described it and with Marjorie's
statements, so I would vote for that certainly.
It just seems to me we're staving off something that probably is
going to end up being resolved in the interlocal agreement.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I think to further debate it here
today, we can't resolve it. So I think this is the best way to get it
passed us to a point where someone is going to be forced to --
MR. COHEN: I think we need to get to a point where as a
matter of protocol that in part of the LIA that we don't get into
situations like this in the future. And I think that's the intent where
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we need to go.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any more discussion on the motion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We've still got five people here. All
those in favor of the motion as stated, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries.
Now, we've got to go into two other items. I think we can finish
up this afternoon, but we need to take another break. We'll be back
here at five minutes after 4:00.
(Recess. )
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MR. COHEN: Mr. Chairman, you have a live mic.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, welcome back to this lively
meeting.
Before we go too far, I'd like to poll the members. I know Brad
hasn't got too much of a concern about time frame. It's late enough, I
don't mind going till we finish. But Mr. Kolflat, I know you've got
time constraints in the evening.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: I'd like to be home before the
sun goes down.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: What if it's cloudy out?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: That's 7:00, by the way.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Adelstein, are you -- what's the
latest --
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: I'm fine.
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November 1, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray, anything?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Anything you want to do.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. And I think it then falls back
onto Cherie', and we'll all give her evil looks because she has to leave
at 5:30. So at 5:30 we'll do as best we can to wrap this up by then.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: That's a good idea.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That means you guys just need to
agree on everything and stop disagreeing and we'll make this a lot
faster.
So we got past the capital improvement element and we're now
into the PSFE. Now, let me read my notes for that. First of all, there
were a couple of items changed by staff. I think everybody was in
agreement with what's on the handout sheet in staff changes.
MR. DeYOUNG: That's correct, we were in agreement.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I think the following items are
important to be considered in the PSFE. One is that they determine
the consistency between the impact fee study and the PSFE and CIE
level of service.
And that is something that is the 95 percent to 100 percent
discussion. We talked about it, someone needs to resolve it before it
goes to the board, that that inconsistency between those documents
gets resolved or how it has to get resolved.
The effective date that needs to be entered into the PSFE for this
whole process is in March of '08.
Policy 1.2.5, there was an omission there that needs to be
checked. Let me see what that one was so I can recall.
MS. TREV AR THEN: I think what we said is if it was legally
required we would leave it in, if not, we would take it out.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, that's correct. So Policy 1.2.5
will be verified whether or not it needed to be there.
Policy 1.3.5, that was going to be modified by removing Items
A, Band C. And we're going to add the 9J-5 language verbatim.
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And Item 1.2.2 was going to be modified possibly as a result of
Margie Student's response from DCA to implement additional
language into Item F concerning downgraded DRIs.
And there was one other issue I just found out about from Chris,
and he basically said that the PSFE had for exemptions six items, but
the ILA had five listed, and that item C was the item that wasn't
listed in the ILA. I'm not sure if staff is aware of that.
And that is the amendment to previously approved development
orders. That does not increase the number of dwelling units or
change the dwelling unit type.
That's another exemption that apparently didn't get -- Chris
didn't think it got carried over in the ILA, so we can go back and
check that. But if that is a -- well, let's just check it right now. Do
you know -- I see everybody is turning pages, so --
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I think in the interest of time we could
all agree that that is a provision that works in both documents, and if
it's not in both documents, we'll make sure it is.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. So the verification of that item
will be taken care of.
And that falls under Policy 1.2.2 will be consistent with the
ILA.
MS. MOSCA: Mr. Chairman, I have one other item, when your
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MOSCA: -- list is complete.
Same as we have with the CIE, there's a map that indicates the
opening of combo School EEE, and that's on Page 13.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MS. MOSCA: We'll need to address that somehow. Consistent
with the recommendation from the -- with the ClE.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So the PSFE will also be contingent on
whatever methodology is worked out in regards to High School EEE
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and Middle School (sic) 0, as previously stated on the ClE.
MS. MOSCA: Actually, Mr. Chairman, 0 is not listed on that
map, so it would just be EEE for the--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Just EEE?
MS. MOSCA: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, before we make a motion--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Wait, don't you have -- on Page
7 you had a couple of changes?
MR. DeYOUNG: There was also a change to Policy 1.3.3 to
take the word ensure out and replace it with the word determine.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Go back to Page 7.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I didn't get into the smaller ones.
Since you guys were in agreement as we went along, I assumed those
would be made. I wanted to make sure some of these that were more
broad or more encompassing, like removal of complete sections, that
we just reiterated that.
Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: No, that's fine. As long as we
understand, like 1.2.6, one year instead of 180 days. Those are the
kind of things you're talking about?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I wasn't going to include that.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Not a problem for me.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Those were minor text changes that
both parties agreed to as we went along. I didn't write them down,
they seemed -- I think the record's clear on them.
MS. MOSCA: Mr. Chairman, they're also on the summary
sheet that was provided to all the commissioners.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: All the changes we made here
today?
MS. MOSCA: All of the changes that had I mentioned as --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay, that's fine.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Now, from a staffs perspective, the
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stipulations that I reiterated on the PSFE, are they clear enough or
you want them stated again?
MS. MOSCA: No, they're clear.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Everybody satisfied? Then I'd like to
make those stipulations in the form of a motion to recommend
transmittal --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Second.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- the PSFE.
Seconded by Mr. Murray.
Is there any further discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All those in favor, signify by saying
aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries.
Okay, that gets us back to the one that we started with last
week, and it is the interlocal agreement.
And Michelle, you were kind enough to supply a list of items
that came out of that meeting. I have gone through your list. I have
some issues with it only for clarification, and some additions.
And let's start with your number nine on the list. Now, I've got
a series of your list on this issue, but I think it's all number nine on all
the pages that I've got. This says Page 25, Section I4.1(C-5). I think
section I4.I(C-5) occurs on Page 29.
MS. MOSCA: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So that correction needs to be made.
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On your page -- you have a correction number 12. I didn't have
any problem with your other corrections I through II. Well, I have
multiple I through one 11 s.
Michelle, I don't know which one you're using to read from,
because I've gotten so many. The first words on the one I have up on
top says CPSP 2007-7. Are those the very first words on the top of
the page with the interlocal agreement changes on it?
MS. MOSCA: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Then I am reviewing from the right
one.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I think the first page is the meeting
changes and then the second page where the numbering starts over is
what the county staff had already given you in writing at the first part
of this hearing.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, then we've got another one
today, so that's kind of what's adding to the confusion. I've got
multiple pages of corrections.
MS. MOSCA: What I did, when I provided the -- when I sent
out the e-mail yesterday, I also mentioned in the e-mail that I would
provide hard copy to all commission members. So in the event that
you weren't able to print it out, that's just a duplicate.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: How many items of correction do you
have in total?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: II and 13, I think.
MS. MOSCA: Right. On the interlocal agreement, Page I, I
have a total of II.
Page 2 on the interlocal agreement, I have a total of 13. And
that goes over to Page 3.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. Now I think that's my
confusion. My second page has 11 restated, which is really 10, and
12 which is really 11. And then I get finally to 13. So I don't have
apparently the right pages, or I've got -- I've got to make sure we're
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right on this, and let me --
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: One has blue, red and black
type on it.
MS. TREVARTHEN: Maybe if staff could just compare
physically yours with theirs.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Those are the ones I was using. Okay,
that's the one you handed out today. Unfortunately I made my notes
on the one from prior. That does make it hard. Okay, we can still
use it.
Number 12, Page 31, 14.4. Michelle, yours reads, school
district has requested the removal of the last sentence. And then
district staff is concerned about the reliability of the data with
potential daily/weekly updates. The text was revised as agreed to at
the 18th CCPC meeting. Does that mean county staff concurs with
that?
MS. MOSCA: Yes. What's revised, if you look at the first page
-- and I'm sorry it's so confusing.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's not a problem.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: It's Page lIon Page I that's the actual
text. This is basically a change that's in two different places, but it's
the same one.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I want to make sure you both concur
on the change.
MS. TREVARTHEN: Right, we do.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You don't have a problem with it?
Okay, then I don't have any other questions. And your items I
through 13, I do have a considerable amount that need to be added.
Does anybody else have any questions about staffs corrections
on Items I through 13?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: No.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, then let's go into the other
parts of the document. The first one is I2.3.B. We discussed this last
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week. I was somewhat surprised at the response, and so I want to
make sure we know what it is.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: What page are you on, Mr.
Chairman?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It would be Page 8 -- actually, Page 19
of the interlocal agreement.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: There was language taken out of
I2.3.B. The language that was taken out says, the school district, a
developer pursuant to section I63.3I64.5FS, shall be subject to the
county's comprehensive plan and the Land Development Code as
amended for site development plan review.
Now, I strongly believe that our codes should be adhered to, and
that means the school system, too. I know you don't like that idea and
I don't understand why.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Because the statutes don't say that, and
the statutes give the right to the school district to not have to obligate
themselves to full compliance.
Also, as a matter of factual issues here between Collier County
and Collier County School District in the past by the agreements that
you have in place, that is not currently true. There are certain areas
where the school district is given a different or more lenient standard
under your own SBR.
So this is even more demanding, if this were to be left in, than
what we have all been living under. And that's why the school
district is not agreeing to that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, but it does say as amended for
site development plan review. So doesn't it take into the
consideration the amendments that have been made to -- in the
process that you now are talking about?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I think the provision says -- at that level
the provision says what it needs to say without the remaining
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language. And we see the remaining language as, you know, a
foothold for somebody to argue that it's full compliance with the
code and the plan. And that's not what either party intended, that's
not what's in the SBR.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: What part -- go ahead.
MR. COHEN: Mr. Chairman, I would respectfully disagree.
The interlocal agreement from a professional standpoint, the SBR,
when I say interlocal agreement, expires in 2009.
I think the language that's there -- that was there originally was
intended as a safeguard if the SBR wasn't renegotiated.
I know this item was discussed between school board
administrators and also with our administrators as well. And that's
where you see that new language that was inserted. And I just
wanted to call that to your attention.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, but if we were to put the
language back in that's been omitted and says it applies in the absence
of an SBR, wouldn't that get us there?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: No.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Why?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Because you're changing the agreed
recommendation by the two staffs, and you're obligating us to more
than the statute and more than the SBR, and that's not in the school
district's estimation reasonable.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Let's back up to the first item you said.
You said we're changing the agreement reached by the two staffs?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Um-hum.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: What two staffs?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: This document, everything you've heard
today is in the form of a staff recommendation that has been
developed by county staff with input and extensive involvement from
school board staff and we as outside consultants have helped both
staffs to develop this document. That's the nature of what's in front of
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you and what you're voting on. You certainly are free to make
whatever recommendation you see fit as the planning commission.
What I'm just referring to is the recommendation of both staffs
before you is this language.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. You said both staffs are in
agreement.
Michelle or Randy, in your professional opinion, are you in
agreement with that struck language? I don't care which one of you
do it, but I mean, I thought the whole purpose of the two groups
coming together was that they would be consistent with our county
planning.
MR. COHEN: Mr. Chairman, I'll go ahead and I'll address that.
Because I've talked to DCA with respect to this item as well, too.
I specifically asked Mike McDaniel if the school board was
exempt as a developer under Chapter 163. His answer to me was no,
they're required to conform to your county comprehensive plan and
your land development regulations.
I've had a conversation with Ms. Student-Stirling with respect to
that, and I believe she concurs with that assessment. And I would--
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I do.
MR. COHEN: -- like her to talk if she concurs with that as
well. She said she did.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Margie?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I do. And--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We're not getting married, Margie.
Let's get more into the issue here.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: No, it's been my position that the
schools need to be consistent with our compo plan and also our LDRs,
except where they have building code requirements and SREF
(phonetic ).
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, but we do have language in our
LDRs that specifically address school site plan review.
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MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Yes, the SBRprocess.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. So really, aren't we saying that
they'll be consistent with our comprehensive plan and Land
Development Code subject to the SBR process, and if that process
isn't there, then they would have to fall back on our code. Is that a
fair statement?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Yes.
MR. DeYOUNG: Can we interject something?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Sure.
MR. DeYOUNG: I think one of the things that needs to be
stated here is that what we're saying is in addition to 163.3164 that
will be subject to your compo plan and Land Development Code, and
the statutes specifically accept school districts from having to comply
with your landscape code.
So by accepting this provision, you are going to be basically
making us meet all of the requirements of your land development
code, in which case you're actually superseding the statutes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Except -- so your issue here now,
boiling down to the bottom line, you guys are concerned about the
landscape code.
MR. DeYOUNG: It's not just the--
MS. TREV ARTHEN: That's one example. It's not--
MR. DeYOUNG: It's an example to say that the statutes -- the
SBR's there as the guiding document for the school district and the
county to review school sites.
The second provision that's here that was negotiated with upper
level staff on both sides was in the event that that agreement expires.
Now, that agreement doesn't even expire in 2009. Now this
document's going to be executed at some point by all parties and
continue on.
To just wholesale include all compo plan and Land Development
Code regulations would be, you know, taking certain provisions out
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of the Florida statutes that exempt the school district from provisions
of your land development code.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: Mr.--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, Ms. Student.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I'm going to read the statutory
section. And one of the difficulties we've always had is there's a little
exemption provision in here about the Florida Building Code, and
what that really means and iflandscape is part of that. But I'm going
to read it.
If the site is consistent with the comprehensive plan's land use
policies and categories in which public schools are identified as
allowable uses, the local government may not deny the application,
but it may impose reasonable development standards and conditions
in accordance with 10.13.51.1 -- which has something to do with
sidewalks, I'm not sure why it's in there -- and consider the site plan
and its adequacy as it relates to environmental concerns, health, safety
and welfare, and effects on adjacent property.
Landscaping, you know, deals with the uses effects on adjacent
property .
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The reference in here to a developer
pursuant to Section I63.3I64.F, what is the relevance of having that
statement in here?
MS. MOSCA: Mr. Chairman, it defines who a developer is.
And the school district is considered a developer under 163.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But what difference does it make to the
language in the statement? Whether that was in there or not, the
language in the statement would remain the same, right?
MS. MOSCA: Correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. I know you may not agree with
this, but it seems that we could word it this way. First of all, starting
with that strike-out language: In the absence of an SBR, the school
district shall be subject to the county's comprehensive plan and Land
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Development Code as amended for site development plan review.
Now, that catches -- as long as you have an SBR in place, you
guys are covered. If you fail to negotiate one out, well, guess what?
You fall back on our plan.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I think we're also overlooking that this
language has a remedy in it. The discussion assumes that we will get
to the point that the SBR will inevitably expire and we'll be left out
there and we have no idea what will happen.
After lengthy discussions, this was developed and agreed to. It
has a very strong resolution built into it. Let's just make sure we've
read this paragraph. It says we're going to go to court and the court
is going to tell us in a declaratory judgment action who's right. We're
going to cut to the chase and we're going to say whatever the court
says we both agree to abide by.
So it is not correct to just create this idea that, you know, maybe
inadvertently that we got into talking about that oh, my goodness, if
SBR expires we're just out in the wilderness and we don't know what
to do. We have a solution built in here. It's clear, it's clear when it's
triggered, it's not a type of litigation that will take long or be that
expensive, it's really just a question of law, and it resolves the issue.
And we don't have to keep butting heads over it. And I think that's
why it's here before you as a way out of this.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is the declaratory judgment
appealable?
MS. TREVARTHEN: Yes, it is.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Have you been to circuit court
in Collier County, or are you familiar with circuit court in Collier
County?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Many years ago I was.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: What do you think it takes to get
through circuit court? Say that you had every roadblock put in front
of you. What would it take to get to circuit court?
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November 1, 2007
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Well, I would defer -- I think Marjorie is
much more up to date on time frames.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Margie, after discovery, depositions
and then various summary -- requests for summary judgment or
whatever else occurs, how long do you think a circuit court case
would take? And then if it's appealed, how long will that take? And
so my concern is it's going to take a long time. I think that's what
she'll end up saying.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: About three years.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So what happens in the meantime?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: It can take a long time. I don't--
the only litigation I do over there is writs of certiorari, and I'm waiting
for orders to show cause on some petitions for those for a while. I've
been waiting for a while, so --
MS. TREV ARTHEN: But this would be a declaratory
judgment. The writ, the procedure itself is inherently slow because
the court just gets to take however long it wants to tell you whether
to go forward.
Declaratory judgments have a clear -- and forgive me, I don't
have my rules and it's been a while since I litigated. But it's much
more straightforward litigation.
And the reason I'm stressing it being shorter is this is not
something where we're going to have extensive disputes about facts
and witnesses fighting with each other. We're going to go in there
and we're going to say we have a very well defined issue of law that
we disagree on. Judge, please tell us.
There's not going to be two weeks of witnesses, there's not
going to be 50 depositions, it's going to be a very narrow we disagree
on the law, please help us.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: It probably would be a summary
judgment type thing, and that can proceed more quickly.
MR. COHEN: Mr. Chairman, I wasn't going to discuss this, but
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because we're talking already about declaratory judgments and the
fact of negotiating a new SBR, Ms. Mosca and myself on more than
one occasion have had meetings with lower level county staff and
have been told point blank that they will let the SBR expire in 2009
with no negotiation whatsoever. And I think that's an important fact
to know at this point in time.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, you said lower level county
staff?
MR. COHEN: Lower level school board staff.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Oh, okay.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: And if I can address that we had in the
room the leading staff from the school district who have committed,
and so did leading staff for the county, by the way, to work together
in good faith. Marjorie was a witness to this, as I was. And I resent
the implication that that has not been -- taken place.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, as long as the school board
review remains in place, you guys are covered; is that right?
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Well, that's the current status quo and
there's not an issue with the status quo. The issue that we're
discussing is what happens if and when. And it's a big if.
That meeting -- and I would again ask Margie to disagree with
me if she read the meeting differently. There was a very strong
expression by both parties that we are going to work diligently in
good faith to work out the -- whether it's an extension or an
amendment to the SBR. But there was an acknowledgement of the
reality that there are some issues there. And we wanted to build in
that there would be a remedy, despite all the efforts we were not able
to come to an agreement.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. I don't think anybody's
suggesting we take out your remedy. And I think that if you've got
two reasonable managers, you've got County Manager Mudd and
you've got your new manager, Mr. Thompson, between the two of
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November 1,2007
them, if they've come to gentlemen agreements on other items in
here, that's great. And I think they can continue to.
But I think it's the board's responsibility to make sure that they
do. And one way to make sure that they do is that we put that
language back in as I've previously paraphrased it so in the case the
SBR were to drop out for some reason and these two gentlemen
couldn't get together on agreement, we have a fallback position, and
yes, you still have your court position, you still move forward with
your court action. But in the meantime we have a fallback position,
and that may put pressure on both parties to work together faster to
assure an outcome.
MR. DeYOUNG: I think there's a couple of other things that
need to be addressed here. And I know you're at 1013.33.13. There
is another provision that's not 1013.33.13 or 1013.51. I want to say,
and it's off the top of my head, since I don't have the statutes in front
of me, I believe it's 10 13 .57 which specifically exempts school
districts from local landscape ordinances.
It's a completely separate section of the Florida Statutes and this
language is in direct conflict with that language that's in the statutes.
And I don't think that the school district, I can say, is going to be
willing to accept this language.
Now, the school district is a signatory to this agreement, just as
the county is. And so is the City of Naples, Everglades City and
Marco Island. So there's other parties that are going to be signing
this agreement and have to agree to the language.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I have a suggestion. I just looked
in here for 1013.57 and didn't find one. But Ms. Trevarthen or
somebody can send me or our staff those portions that they claim, you
know, exempts them from our land code. And then we can put in the
reference to our land code and list those statutory sections and with
the subject matter and say our land code applies except for, and we
state the subject matter pursuant to subsection whatever of the Florida
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November 1,2007
Statutes.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: But that's not the only issue that's at
stake here. And we would be glad to provide the authority.
I think the larger issue is that the problem with the statute is you
can go on all night with this. She can pull a phrase, I can pull a
phrase, I can make it look like.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: That's true.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: You don't have to follow it and she can
make it look like I have to follow it. It's a Tallahassee problem that
they have written a poorly designed statute that's incoherent and
doesn't agree with it, and 163 is over here and 1013, and different
parts of 1013 don't agree.
You know, it's not -- it just is. I mean, that's the way the law is.
And so to assume that we're going to solve this by zeroing in on one
piece of all these inconsistent statutes I don't think is useful.
MR. COHEN: Mr. Chair--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And I don't agree with you.
And Randy, let me put it to an end right here. I think that I've
formulated a statement that I can eventually make in the form of a
stipulation. We can see if the rest of the panel wants to go forward
with it.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And I agree with you, Mr.
Chairman.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And between now and the time of the
BCC hearing, if you guys resolve it further, you can argue the point
there and maybe make more headway than you're making here
tonight from both parties.
I simply -- I don't agree with all the language that's stricken but
I agree with most of it. I think it can be cleaned up. I think we can
say the following, that in the absence of a school board SBR -- sorry,
in the absence of an SBR agreement, the school district shall be
subject to the county's comprehensive plan and land development
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November 1, 2007
code as amended for site development plan review and subject to the
exceptions of the Florida Statutes.
W e'llleave it like that and you guys take it to the next level and
figure out of you need to argue it there.
The other issue we have is I3.8.A. I'll get the page number here
in a minute. That would be on Page 26. There's some stricken
language in the center. I brought it up at our meeting a couple weeks
ago, I'm going to bring it up again. It says -- the following has been
removed: Provided such adoption does not affect the local
government's ability to maintain a financially feasible CIE for the
current five-year planning period.
That to me is a critical issue. That's what basically we centered
around the previous discussion in the CIE. And until the ClE issue is
resolved, I can't see how we can be taking that language out. So that
language, as far as I'm concerned, needs to remain intact. Any
comments?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I agree.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The other item is 13.7. Looks like
we've got to backtrack.
Margie, this is where the gap language was going to be inserted.
You were going to find out about what -- is that still an issue?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I'm trying to look here and
refresh my -- oh, the gap for the -- yes, okay.
As I mentioned earlier, I talked to DCA, and they believe that
we should have our LDRs. I mean, they really said to go once this is
adopted.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, we can't have that. So now in the
meantime, does the existing language suffice?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I think what we need to do is say
that we will rely on the comprehensive plan until such time as the
LDRs are adopted. And if there's a gap between that because ofa
hiccup and somebody challenges it, we'll rely on the interlocal. So
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we'll craft some language for that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, and then the last item that I
didn't see on the list is a small one, we were talking about it at the
first meeting, add a list of acronyms to the beginning of this
document. You guys got a whole page worth of new acronyms, and I
know it would help Tor and everybody else if we had it, and the
public reading it.
MR. COHEN: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So let's go back and make sure we've
clear.
MS. MOSCA: Mr. Chairman, I also have an addition.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MOSCA: That would be on Page 20. Section 13.2, second
sentence. Add after -- add for each CSA after a level of service
standard.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: 13.2, is that what you said?
MS. MOSCA: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Second sentence? Begins with the
word, the parties?
MS. MOSCA: Yes. And after level of service standard add for
each CSA, to make it consistent with the other documents.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's the 95 that you wanted
to make it, correct?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, the first one is 100.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I'm not sure I understand that. That's
addressed in 13.3. We're just setting the LOS here. And then we get
into how it applies to the CSN. So maybe if you could explain what
you're thinking.
MS. MOSCA: Actually, David and I talked about this. It
would make it consistent with the public school facility element, the
policy that's listed in there, because it's for the entire CSA.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Michelle, are you doing levels of
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services for each CSA? You're doing them district wide, aren't you?
MR. De YOUNG: I think in the public school facilities, I know
it was a little bit different context. But here, I think it's -- you know,
the level of service is the same in each CSA, so I don't think it really
adds anything in that section there. Because it is explained further in
Section 13.3.
MS. MOSCA: It was just a point of clarification. I thought it
belonged there. If everyone's objecting to it, I'll certainly --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm not objecting to it. I don't know if
it's necessary. The way that reads, your level of service isn't built
around each CSA, it's built around, based on what we've heard
earlier, district-wide basis. Because you didn't want to have different
levels of services established in each CSA.
MR. COHEN: Staff would concur with the petitioner.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Then are we done with
correction, changes and additions? Basically we have 13 items by
staff that are recommended for approval, along with the change of
I2.3.B to leave in the consistency language as was defined a few
minutes ago when I read it back to everybody.
13.8.A, leave in the financial feasibility language.
Add a list of acronyms.
Under 13.7, we will rely on our compo plan and interlocal
agreement until the LDRs are adopted as a gap measurement.
And then any differences between the exemption language in
this document and the PSFE, they will be made consistent.
Is that clear for everybody's intentions? Staff?
MR. COHEN: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'll make that in the form ofa motion
to recommend transmittal to the Board of County Commissioners.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: I'll second.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Seconded by Commissioner Adelstein.
Is there any discussion?
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November 1, 2007
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All those in favor, signify by saying
aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries.
I believe that's the last thing we have to deal with today in
regards to school concurrency.
I want to thank all of you for your patience. Believe me, it's
been probably as trying for you as it has been for all of us. But I do
appreciate your time in coming back to spend the time and help us
through this.
And county staff especially, your thorough review was very
much welcomed in this matter today, so thank you very much.
Michelle, I know you went overboard in your hours, so I hope
that triple overtime paycheck gets to you.
MR. COHEN: She's got my wallet right now.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, thank you very much. Thank all
of you.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Mr. Chair?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Could the consultants
reintroduce themselves? I feel like we've become family after this,
but I forgot your name from the first day.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: I'm Susan Trevarthen from Weiss,
Serota, Helfman.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And I'm David DeYoung with
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Kimley-Horn and Associates.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay, good, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you all.
MS. TREV ARTHEN: Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year?
MR. COHEN: Mr. Chairman, just as a matter of assurance to
your board, what we will do, as in most cases, we will order the tape
of the meeting as well as the minutes to assure that all of your
recommendation are incorporated accordingly.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you. I think that would be good
for everyone. Appreciate it. Thank you all.
And gentlemen, we still have a meeting to finish up here.
Hopefully it will be short and to the point.
Item #9
OLD BUSINESS
Old business. Mr. Schmitt indicated that the 21st is open for this
room for rescheduling the GMP adoption hearing, and that would
take it off the 15th, which it's tentatively scheduled now, and move it
to the 21 st. Is that satisfactory to everyone?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: You say the 15th?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It's on -- it will be the 21st.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: We're moving from the 14th to
the 21 st?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, from the 15th -- Mr. Murray, it's
currently tentatively scheduled or attempted to be scheduled for the
afternoon of the 15th. I found out about it early, I requested earlier
that we not be schedule for the same day we have a regular meeting
because we have seven or eight regular items that same day.
And so Joe checked and said that he has the 21 st open for this
room.
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November 1, 2007
MR. COHEN: The room is open from 8:30 until 3:00.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Which will be plenty of time for the
adoption hear --
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Is that November?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The 21 st.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: It's the day before Thanksgiving.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Day before Thanksgiving.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Day before Thanksgiving?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: What is the time?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I will not be here.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Guys, one at a time. Mr. Adelstein, just
wait a minute. Let's just get one thing at a time.
The 21 st is the weekend, Margie, before Thanksgiving, you
said?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I think it's the day before.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: The day before.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: So I was just making a joke, if we
run over you'll host Thanksgiving dinner, right?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Oh, I see what you were getting at.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's right. I can't be here.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: A question. What's wrong
with taking the Cocohatchee day the day before? Is it too late for
advertising? Because we had the 14th booked.
MR. COHEN: It's advertised for the 15th right now. So at that
meeting you can continue to whatever date you need to continue to.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, we can't continue the 14th
because it's a day -- the advertisement's already been done?
MR. COHEN: The advertisement will go into the paper,
unfortunately because of the way the Naples Daily News works it will
come out in the paper I believe this Sunday.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But can you change the date to the
14th?
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November 1, 2007
MR. COHEN: I wish we could, sir, but it's already -- as far as I
understand it, the process, the way it works, it's already type set and
the whole bit. But we can ask.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Where's Russell when we need
him? But they don't type set anymore.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I mean, the 21st is the Wednesday
before Thanksgiving. I mean --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I can be there, but --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm on vacation, but I'll be here.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But Randy, I think if you
could really hustle to see if you could move it to the 14th, that would
be the smartest day.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: I can't.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Because members of the
committee already assume we're going to be here anyway. It was
only today we found out we're not.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: We've got to do a lO-day ad for
the paper.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You've got time.
MS. MOSCA: Mr. Chairman, I know I ran into a lot of
difficulty when I was trying to continue this meeting. Although it's a
IO-day ad, they require a huge lead time in order to get the ad into
the paper.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We still want the ad, just tell them to
take the number 15 and -- you made a scriveners error and it needs to
be 14. And if they don't like it, we'll take all of our future advertising
to the other paper.
MS. MOSCA: We certainly can try, but there's no guarantee.
MR. COHEN: We can call tomorrow and ask.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I think the way we ought to leave it
then is you're going to check on the 14th. You'll get back to us by
e-mail. Also, I would recommend you get back to us bye-mail on a
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November 1,2007
quorum for the 21 st, because I can't determine a quorum here today.
There's only three people that probably -- Mr. Kolflat, would you
make it on the 21 st if we had --
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: It's my birthday. I'll be here if
you all bring presents.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Oh, we would do that.
So we have a potential -- Mr. Adelstein, you can't talk out of
turn.
We have three people who might be he. That isn't enough for a
quorum, especially for an adoption hearing. So if the 14th can't be
changed, you're going to need to pull the commission on some other
days. And I would suggest you start with the 21 st and go on from
there.
MS. MOSCA: We tentatively have I believe the BCC adoption
date December 4th. So we'll really try to push it to the 14th.
Actually that would probably be the better date.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Margie, can the BCC adopt this
without our review of it?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I don't know.
MS. MOSCA: No.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You may run into a little dilemma
there.
MR. COHEN: The answer is no.
Mr. Chairman, do you have the room the whole day for the
14th; do you know?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It was six hours at least plus. So I
would believe we've got the whole day reserved here, yes.
MR. COHEN: That's a lot of plus.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We won't need that to get through the
adoption, I don't believe, but we're going to need probably five hours
or six to get -- we're going to need more than the morning, but not
too much more.
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November 1, 2007
MR. COHEN: Well, you're only getting back I think seven or
eight of those.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
MR. COHEN: So it's a lot different. And you've seen -- I think
six of them you were fairly comfortable with the last time.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, the public's going to be here and
speak and --
MR. COHEN: Yes, they are.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- there's going to be a lot of time
consumption done that day.
So anyway, if you could follow through with that, because we--
MR. COHEN: We will do our best to check and see if we can
get that 15th changed to the 14th, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you very much. That would be
helpful.
Item #10
NEW BUSINESS
New business. I got a call from Dick Clasp of the -- he's
chairman of the city planning authority. I'm not sure what their
official title is. It's like us. It's the City of Naples comparable
facility.
He suggested having a joint meeting. Apparently there was one
done years ago. Staffs from both entities came in with a list of items
that may need to be better coordinated and discussed. And Dick
asked me if we'd be inclined to want to do that. I told him I'd bring it
back to us and he's going to bring it to his group to see what the
feeling is. I don't see why we wouldn't. It would be a workshop type
system. Does everybody feel --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I'm good.
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November 1, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, anybody have any objection to
it?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, I'll let him know we're a go ifhe
wants to set it up, and we'll coordinate with staff.
Brad, you had brought up the issue of the county e-mail.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yeah. And the question was is
that the e-mail -- they have an automatic system that's been archived.
I've been wondering where they've been going. But I discovered
today that after 60 days your e-mails go into an archive. The lady that
was here today did give me a paper on how to go"get things out of the
archive, if you want it. So my concern was things were just
disappearing behind me.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Public record, can't do that.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: No. But I wasn't taking them
off, they were just disappearing.
So anyway, that was my question, and it's answered. And if
anybody else wants the answer, I have the sheet.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I don't think there's anything else. So is
there a motion to adjourn?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Moved.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So moved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion made and seconded. All in
favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We're adjourned. Boy, that was quick.
*****
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November 1, 2007
There being no further business for the good of the County, the
meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair at 4:47 p.m.
COLLIER COUNTY
PLANNING COMMISSION
Mark Strain, Chairman
These minutes approved by the board on
as corrected
as presented or
Transcript prepared on behalf of Gregory Reporting Service, Inc., by
Cherie' R. Nottingham.
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