CCPC Minutes 12/09/2008 S
December 9, 2008
TRANSCRIPT OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE
HORIZON STUDY
COLLIER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
Naples, Florida
December 9,2008
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 SPECIAL SESSION
in Building "F" of the Government Complex, East Naples, Florida,
with the following members present:
CHAIRMAN:
Mark Strain
Karen Homiak
Donna Reed-Caron
Tor Koltlat (Absent)
Paul Midney (Absent)
Bob Murray
Brad Schiffer (Absent)
Robert Vigliotti
David J. Woltley
ALSO PRESENT:
Jeffrey Klatzkow, County Attorney
Michael Bosi, Comprehensive Planning Manager
Thomas Eastman, Real Property Director, School District (absent)
Page 1
HORIZON STUDY
SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA
COLLIER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION AND WILL MEET AT 8:30 A.M., DECEMBER 9, 2008, AT THE.
HARMON TURNER BUILDING, 3Td FLOOR BOARDROOM, LOCATED AT 3301 EAST T AMlAMI TRAIL, NAPLES,
FLORIDA, 34112,
NOTE: INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS WILL BE LIMITED TO~1TFS ON ANY
ITEM INDIVIDUALS SELECTED TO SPEAK ONL:JBEOOF 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 GRAPIDC MATERIALS INCLUDED
IN TIlE CCPC/PC AGENDA PACKETS MUST SUBMIT SAID MATERIAL A
MINIMUM OF IO DAYS PRIOR TO TIlE RESPECTIVE SPECIAL MEETING. IN
ANY CASE, WRITTEN MATERIALS INTENDED TO BE CONSIDERED BY THE
CCPC/PC SHALL BE SUBMITTED TO THE APPROPRIATE COUNTY STAFF A
MINIMUM OF SEVEN DAYS PRIOR TO THE SPECIAL MEETING. ALL
MATERIAL USED IN PRESENTATIONS BEFORE THE CCPC/PC WILL BECOME A
PERMANENT PART OF THE RECORD AND WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR
PRESENTATION TO TIlE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS IF
APPLICABLE.
ANY PERSON WHO DECIDES TO APPEAL A DECISION OF THE CCPC/PC WILL
NEED A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS PERTAINING THERETO, AND
THEREFORE MAY NEED TO ENSURE THAT A VERBATIM RECORD OF TIlE
PROCEEDINGS IS MADE, WIDCH RECORD INCLUDES TIlE TESTIMONY AND
EVIDENCE UPON WIDCH THE APPEAL IS TO BE BASED.
1. Pledge of Allegiance
2. Introduclion and Overview - Mike Bosi
3. Presentation from Horizon Study Master Committee - Mr. Bill McDaniel, Chairman, East 951
Horizon Committee
4. Commentary on Horizon Study Public Opinion/Data Colleclion - Mr. Chuck Mohlke, Fraser &
Mohlke Associates, Inc.
5. Presentation of the Bridge Study - Mr. Nick Casalanguida, Direclor, Transportation Planning
Department
6. Presentation of the Collier Inter-Active Growth Model (CIGM) - Dr. Paul Van Buskirk, Van
Buskirk, Ryffel and Associates, Inc.
7. Public Comment
8. Adjourn
1
December 9,2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to
the absolutely packed room of the December 9th Collier County
Planning Commission meeting for the review of the horizon study. I'm
not sure it's a review, but we'll find out what Mike has in store for us
as we get into the meeting.
If you'll all rise for the pledge of allegiance.
(Pledge of Allegiance was recited in unison.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And Michael, before you start in with
your overview, I want to understand. When this was sent to us by the
Board of County Commissioners, what was their expectations of what
it is that we would be doing for them today?
And then having reviewed your staff report, and noticing you
asked for three specific points from us, and I've gone through the book
and trying to understand how those points can be articulated today, I
would like you to explain to us, and it would be under the
recommendation sections, your three paragraphs, each beginning with
the word for. Explain to us exactly what you expect as a response out
of those paragraphs so we know the direction we should be heading in
today.
MR. BaSI: Thank you. Good morning, Commission. Mike Basi
with Comprehensive Planning.
When the BCC reviewed the Horizon Study on the 29th of
September of this year, basically at the end they had asked for
comments or recommendations from the planning commission upon
this document before the BCC felt that they were able or equipped to
make recommendations on the three components of the Horizon
Study, within the Horizon Study, as Chairman Strain had indicated.
There's three components. One is the public participation phase,
which was a two-year effort led by a committee of 15 individuals to
go out and communicate with the public about their preferences in
terms of level of service for various infrastructure and service
providers, as well as what they envisioned the opportunities in some of
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December 9,2008
the areas of concern, as growth moves towards the eastern portion of
the county.
The second component is a bridge study. The bridge study was
an effort that resulted from the transportation planning services
department's interaction with the Horizon Study committee where they
identified the need for increased mobility within the Estates.
And from those meetings they developed the bridge study,
which you'll hear the specifics about.
And then finally was the development of the interactive growth
model.
For each one of these components, we're asking for a specific
recommendation.
For the growth model we're asking the planning commission to
evaluate the value of the growth model to the county and offer a
recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners as to whether
you see the value of the county to utilize the growth model as an
additional planning tool for infrastructure and service provision
modeling, not only as part of the AUIR process, which is, you know,
the five-year capital improvement programs that are presented on an
annual basis to the advisory boards, to the planning commission and to
the productivity committee and ultimately decided by the Board of
County Commissioners, but also for the long-range planning aspect of
the individual infrastructure and service providers department.
Within the growth model presentation, you're going to hear of
the incorporation or an aspect of bringing the land use modeling
efforts of the growth model and bringing it to the long-range
transportation planning aspects so we can have a little more
consistency within our transportation planning and our land use
planning on the long-range scale.
F or the bridge study, the transportation services department is
asking for the acceptance -- recommendation of the acceptance Of the
bridge study. And as the details are contained within that bridge study,
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December 9,2008
when the funds are available to initiate the construction of the bridges
within the priority rankings that you'll see -- and Nick will expand
upon the methodology that they utilize to prioritize the bridges and the
benefits that each one of those bridges in terms of will provide and
how they establish the rankings.
And the first portion of the report is the public participation
process. And within their -- within the public participation process, the
committee had identified a number of individual position points that
were derived from those series of public meetings over the course of
the 24 months, what the committee heard the general public saying
that they would like -- or where their concerns were as county
government moves forward, the areas that they would like to see
county government maybe improve upon or maybe pay more attention
to.
So within those position points, they're not offered to
specifically create a specific policy within the Growth Management
Plan or a -- or initiate amendments to the Land Development Code,
but they're really -- they're really proffered from the committee to let
the Board of County Commissioners, let advisory boards know that
this is what the general public was expressing concern about.
And as you're deliberating over whether it be an individual land
use decision or whether it be an infrastructure project, or whether it be
whatever improvement potentially within that eastern land. But
remember and take into consideration what the individual public was
saying in terms of their areas of concern and their areas that they've
identified as opportunities.
So those position points really were offered as informational
pieces for consideration as you're making decisions on your routine
and regular basis.
From the planning commission, whether it's an individual
endorsement or comment upon each of the position points, that would
be dictated by the course that the planning commission would like go.
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December 9,2008
They're broken down within sections. And how you'd like to handle
the first portion of the public participation phase will be the deference
of the commission.
But with that, I guess that's the overview marks.
And one thing I will say, and I was speaking to Mr. Vigliotti
before, if you look at the report, there's not an aspect or a central
component that, well, this is what is we really need to do. I mean, this
is -- if we follow this step, we'll ensure that we have a balanced and
sustainable future in a community that provides for the needs and the
goods that are required for the individuals who live within the area.
But there is an underlying tone. And the underlying tone is
communication.
One of the things, if you remember, this study, the Horizon
Study, it started in 2004. In 2004 the amount of communication and
the amount of attention that was paid to the capital improvement
programming within this county wasn't at the level that it's at today.
So there's been aspects of improvement within the communication, not
only between the inter-departments within the county but within
departments inside the county and outside the county.
And those lines of communication I believe are the central
benefit that this Horizon Study will provide, has provided and will
provide into the future for the county.
One of the -- another example that you're going to hear of, and it
hits that communication theme, is the -- one of the greatest unknowns
within the eastern portion of the study area was the overlay district.
Well, where are those towns and villages going to transpire? If we're
going to do a good job of infrastructure modeling and making sure that
we are gaining the greatest return on our public investment for where
we place these infrastructure projects, we need to know a little bit
more certainty towards where these towns and villages are going to
come.
The Horizon Study and the communication, the lines of
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December 9,2008
communications that have been established or augmented by the
Horizon Study has led to the property owners within the eastern lands
to provide a little bit more specificity towards where they envision
those towns and villages to go. Those are the type of benefits I believe
that the Horizon Study has provided to the county and will continue to
provide to the county.
And to me, even though it's not a tangible hard physical aspect,
it is something that the county benefits from. And as you'll hear
through all the presentations, especially within Mr. McDaniel's
presentation, those lines of communication, the public is very adamant
that those lines of communication are continued. And I know that
that's a statement or that's a policy that the planning commission most
certainly does endorse.
With that, I guess I would offer any questions or -- from the
committee regarding some of the remarks that I had just made, or
would you like to just go straight to the agenda?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I know I have a couple of
questions of you from a generic viewpoint.
I think your explanation was helpful. Because when I read this, I
was trying to find the recommendations more or less that we normally
see, and there weren't recommendations from -- mostly. They were
mostly very generic statements about how people think. And most of
them were on lines with what I would agree is probably anticipated for
out in that area.
But there are some that were -- I want to understand the
magnitude of this area. You were talking -- this talks about everything
east of 951. It doesn't necessarily mean just Golden Gate Estates; is
that correct?
MR. BOSI: Absolutely. And we tried to stress that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Because some of the
recommendations and position points are not applicable to Golden
Gate Estates in any manner whatsoever. And others may be and
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December 9, 2008
written that way. Some don't use the word Estates in them. So then I'm
assuming those that I think are inappropriate for the Estates must be
because it was other parts of the study area that it was referring to in
general.
And the also (sic) thing, you mentioned the RLSA. Well, that
map that I distributed here at this committee, or this panel what, a
month ago, showing the 22 new towns -- by the way, they aren't towns
anymore. I will stand corrected, I got a new memo that says they're
traffic centroids, they're not towns, so we don't call them towns.
But these 22 new traffic centroids, did the committee take those
into consideration or did they have any part of that map? And if not,
then what map did they study for the RLSA? Because that's an issue
that we've repeatedly been trying to bring up as to a need to
understand what the RLSA can and can't do.
MR. BaSI: The committee did not have the opportunity to
review that map. That map was proffered to the county only about two
months ago. The committee had wrapped up their monthly meetings,
their last meeting being in September of this year.
What the committee utilized was the projections and the
allocations for where development was going to go, produced by the
growth model.
What we have done since is taking the projections of the growth
model -- and Dr. Van Buskirk will explain much more articulately and
technically than myself -- but has taken those centroid traffic nodes,
which aren't towns or villages but are I guess the centroid for where
they expect the activity to be, which is another name for a town.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm glad you said that, thank you.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Thank you, Mike.
MR. BaSI: Have taken those, compared that against the
projections of the growth model and utilized it as a calibration tool.
But no, the -- and what you'll hear in one of the early portions of
the struggles of the committee, as Mr. McDaniel will explain, at the
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December 9, 2008
beginning part, it was tough to get the public to understand it wasn't
just a Golden Gate vetting process.
One of the toughest obsticles we had as a staff and as a
committee was going out asking what do you want to see in 25 and 30
years for people who aren't here yet; to people who will be here but
aren't here? So trying to find out what preferences are for a group of
individuals who don't -- who are going to live in an area that right now
is for the most part an agricultural community.
So trying to stress to the public that it wasn't just the Golden
Gate Estates that we're talking about, it was the entire eastern portion
of the county.
So some of the recommendations you are to focus center upon
the Golden Gate Estates. But we've always -- because those were most
of the residents who showed up at the meetings were member of the
Estates. But we really tried to make sure and pull back whenever those
statements came, that this was an encompassing study.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, if this model that you're
promoting was supposed to predict or show growth patterns in this
area to help the committee understand what's going on, why then
didn't the model reflect what you got -- what you just saw from the
RLSA committee? I mean, what did they use that's different than the
model? How better is theirs or how less accurate is theirs versus what
this model may produce?
MR. BaSI: Well, I will defer to Dr. Van Buskirk for that. But
that's like you can't -- I couldn't tell you which one's right or which
one's wrong. That event's 20 years from now from happening. So the
exact manifestation of how that materializes, I couldn't tell you.
What I can tell you, that there was very close agreement between
what the modeling work had done before the eastern property
landowners had provided those 22 centroids and then towards where
those locations had been allocated by the eastern property owners. So
there was a pretty high degree of agreement between the two
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December 9,2008
projections.
So what the committee was utilizing and had worked towards
was in agreement with what the RLSA committee had arrived upon.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So you're saying that the Van Buskirk
model that the comprehensive planning department's apparently
endorsing, his are the same basically as the Wilson-Miller model that
showed the 22 new town traffic centroids out in the eastern lands.
That's an interesting correlation. If you all did it independently
before they came out and they now have come out with that, that may
certainly help this board understand the magnitude of the RLSA
changes, if both professionals now agree that 22 towns are a likely
scenario for occurring out there.
MR. BOSI: Well, I have no idea what methodology was utilized
by the eastern property owners and what Wilson-Miller had utilized to
arrive upon those 22 locations.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But they both got there through some
method.
MR. BOSI: Exactly. What I know is we provided in the summer
-- in the summer the growth model was basically completed through
interaction and review with the Horizon Study Review Committee.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, that's interesting, because it takes
the RLSA comments on that as a worst case scenario more as the most
likely scenario for development of the eastern lands.
So since two now professionals, one done independently by a
non-special interest working with the property owners, saying outside
the property owners, came to that same conclusion on their own.
Interesting information. So thank you for that.
Nick, you jumped to the plate. Are you going to tell us what a
traffic centroid is?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: For the record, Nick Casalanguida.
I don't think that they've come up to the same conclusion. What
they've used is the same parameters. In other words, this is your
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December 9,2008
control total. You get "X" amount of units, "X" amount of industrial.
Dr. Van Buskirk looks at the land availability, and correct me if
I'm wrong, but says you can put these in these locations, because
they'll fit, the land would support that.
ECPO, the Eastern Collier Property Owners Association, said
we have a better feel for what we want to do with our land than just
arbitrarily trying to load up the models and using your best guess. Let
us provide you this information. I've been asking for that information
about six months. As part of the RLSA we want to with compo
planning a vision buildup plan and get as much accurate information
as we can.
That was provided to us to give to Dr. Van Buskirk and say to
the Doctor, take a look at it, see if you feel comfortable with what
they've said their best guess is.
So the control totals were the same. So they would use the
ultimate same number that Dr. Van Buskirk would use. It's just that
locations may vary based on their information versus his.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It's just a little scarier knowing that two
now professionals see the growth out there getting to that climatic
point. Because I don't know if we ever were prepared for that until
these maps have recently come out. And now a validation of the
original map done by a more or less consultant for the special interests
out there.
So that's an interesting scenario to learn prior to our January 28th
meeting. Thank you.
MR. BaSI: And with that, would the commission like to move
on to the first presentation?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Unless anybody else has any questions
of Mike. I know you'd probably like to get off the hot seat as fast as
possible, so --
MR. BaSI: I would like to add one thing. In 2005 -- and the
basis for the Horizon Study, the first part within the Horizon Study
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was projections of cost by each infrastructure and service provider.
And those were based upon a 2005 build-out study that was proffered
by comprehensive planning, spearheaded by Mr. David Weeks.
And he really looked at a maximum extent. What is the
maximum extent of development that could go forward, based upon
the limitations of the regulations.
And what I will say, the amount of development that was
projected within that 2005 study was actually a little bit higher than
what was projected by the growth model and also the projection from
the eastern property -- coalition of property owners.
And it's not at criticism of the 2005 study, but what Mr. Weeks
did not have, he didn't have an SRA already established -- a number of
SSA's already established to base those projections on the number of
credits that could be generated and a number of credits then therefore
would be able to be spent.
But the first part of that model was based upon a population
projection that was done in 2005 that said here's the cost that we have
to -- that we're going to have to incur to provide the level of service
that we currently have within our GMP. And we identified that we
really don't have probably the necessary revenue to completely meet
those projected costs.
And the study was an effort to start the dialogue to say what are
our priorities and how do we make those priorities towards where
we're providing the greatest service for within the limited revenue that
the county's going to face coming into the future.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: The one 1,000,066 is out now
officially and the 950,000 odd is in?
MR. BaSI: Neither are officially endorsed. The 2005 build-out
study was a projection that still might remain valid. But there's been
adjustments based upon historical trends and facts that have allowed
us to calibrate those projections downwards a little bit, revise them a
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little bit.
Whether it's the 2005 build-out study or whether it's the growth
model projections that ultimately is going to be the more accurate, I
can't tell you that officially. We think that we'll refine those
projections with the growth model to be more within line with the
realities based upon the past trends that we have seen.
But whenever you're 25 years out into the future, it becomes
pretty cloudy in that respect.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, some of the conclusions
reached here and some of the data are not supportable anymore
relative to the decline. So we're looking at, you know, something that
was a point in time that's no longer valid, and I just -- my one
question, how much did it cost for the crystal balls that we had to buy
for all of this? Because you're talking about the east -- I forget the --
EVOC (sic) or whatever it was called, the Eastern--
MR. BaSI: Eastern Property Owners Coalition.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I never even heard of those
people before.
Are those people, have they even proffered anything that
represents what they project? I know I heard Nick saying they've been
waiting for six months, but do we have any -- the reason I ask this
question is because you spoke of communication. And when you were
asked about RLSA, there's clear evidence there's no communication.
Not for lack on your part, I'm not--
MR. BaSI: There is -- when you receive the Phase II report for
the RLSA, you'll see a spreadsheet that will have comparisons
between what was provided by the growth model, what was provided
by the Eastern Properties Owners Coalition. There's comparison, so
you can look and see that they've taken all that information into
account and they're going to put it forward to you when you're going
through that review so you can better evaluate some of the proposed
policy changes that are going to come forward during that process. So
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that information will be presented to you.
Actually, I was within a meeting just yesterday with staff
reviewing the information that's going to be proffered to you, and that
type of information is contained within that report.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: All of this information
ultimately is intended to effect policies, which ultimately effect GMP,
which ultimately effect LDC; am I right?
MR. BaSI: Correct.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So we have a broad -- we have a
menu to pick from is what you're effectively telling me.
MR. BOSI: Absolutely.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Oh, okay. Then we'll figure out
how much the crystal balls cost and buy some here too.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mike?
MR. BaSI: And with that, I will introduce the chairman of the
Horizon Study Committee, Mr. Bill McDaniel.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Who walked in late. We understand.
MR. McDANIEL: Did you just say I was late?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I sure did, Bill. Why not? Someone's
got to start this out right.
MR. McDANIEL: Good morning, Commissioners. For the
record, my name is Bill McDaniel, and I am the Chair of the East of
951 Horizon Study Committee.
I'm getting some technical instruction on how to run the Power
Point presentation. When's it going to pop up on the screen?
And if I might address a couple of the comments that Mike made
early on in regard to some of your questions, and as is typical, please
feel free to interrupt, to ask questions, suggestions as we go through
this presentation. This isn't a static presentation, nor is it a static
analysis.
The dynamics of what are going to occur within our county are
such that Mr. Murray, too, in order to ascertain with specificity
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exactly how many people are going to be able to reside within our
community, as you said, the crystal ball is such. And extremely foggy.
The realities, Mr. Chairman, are maturity is coming. And I
would like to suggest that we talk more about maturity than a specific
build-out time frame, and have a plan for reaching that maturity.
That's the impetus behind the East of 951 Horizon Study Committee,
the Rural Land Stewardship Overlay Committee, the interactive
growth model, which you're going to hear about. These are all
planning tools for us to lay the road map to get to maturity.
Maturity is inevitably coming. How we get there and what we do
interimly (sic) will be impacted by the dynamics that you folks have
talked about, the realities of the marketplace, the entire economic
circumstances of the global economy that we're all having to deal
with. These are all going to have long-term implications as to how and
what we do in order to ultimately reach maturity, okay?
With that, as a thought process -- and one statement that you
made earlier, Mr. Chairman, also is there's opinions about everything
with respect to growth and development. Our goal throughout the
process in assimilating this information was maximum allowable or
maximum attainable populations, not necessarily worst case scenarios.
It could necessarily be derived as a worst case scenario, but we were
looking to reach to ascertain what our maximum capacities were with
the allowable land uses within the existing comprehensive Growth
Management Plan and the existing Land Development Code.
With that in mind, there are opportunities to effectuate changes
in the comprehensive Growth Management Plan, and ultimately into
the Land Development Code that will allow capacities in other areas
other than just east of 951 to support the ultimate growth and
development that's inevitably going to occur in our community.
And I'm not going to -- if it meets your pleasure, I'm not going to
read these -- I believe they have a copy in your book. You have a copy
of the Power Point.
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CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That would be fine. We can read as --
MR. McDANIEL: Absolutely. Absolutely.
Bottom line with respect to our study, there was -- as Mr. Bosi
shared with you early on, there was a -- David Weeks within our staff
did a build-out study that had a time line with specificity and a
comparison of the infrastructure necessities that are going to be
required in order to ultimately support that build-out or maturity
population that would ultimately be here.
Utilizing the best data that he had available, he came up with
certain parameters, and then ultimately went back to the individual
departments within Collier County to ascertain the projected costs
associated with those infrastructure necessities.
Candidly, those projected costs far exceed the available monies,
imagine that, that we have available.
So with this information, with this planning, with these planning
tools, the funding capacities that are available to support the
construction of the -- did my timing buzzer just go off? I'm good.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We don't have one of those here.
MR. McDANIEL: Okey-dokey.
With that in mind, we're going to have to explore alternative
funding methodologies in order to support the future growth and
development. It's a nice thing to say to let growth pay for growth, but
in reality everyone at some stage of the game is going to have to share
in the expenses of the upcoming growth and development that's
coming to our community.
And Mr. Strain, this refers to the map that you were talking
about.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No.
MR. McDANIEL: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I mean, not the map that I was talking
about.
MR. McDANIEL: I understand that. This refers to the area with
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regard to our study.
And you brought up an interesting subject, and we the
committee were tasked, as you're going to hear in a little bit, with
polling the populous that exists east of 951, lives -- I shouldn't say just
exist, they live east of 951.
And truths of the matter are the largest populated from a density
standpoint area is Golden Gate Estates. So it's inevitable that several
of our subject matters and opinions with respect to growth and
development in eastern Collier County came from those folks that live
in Golden Gate Estates.
But the entire area land mass east of 951 was included in our
survey and in our -- as our study area.
The truths of the matter are, of that entire land mass some 1.2
odd million acres, approximately 350,000 acres is available for
development in support of the growth and development that's
ultimately going to occur east of 951.
And it is encompassed by multi -- I want to -- say maybe
jurisdictional is probably a good way to do it. But you've got Golden
Gate Estates master plan, you've got the Immokalee overlay, you've
got the rural fringe overlay within the comprehensive growth
management plan and you also have the rural land stewardship
overlay. Those mechanisms are out there for -- and attempting to
govern what occurs from a growth and development standpoint in
eastern Collier County.
And as Mike said, the exact amount of people is going to be
determined based upon sustainability is the bottom line. And socio-
and political decisions that we implement today or going forward
based upon the best available information.
Round numbers, whether it's 950,000 or 1,200,000 really is not
necessarily the specific case for today. The bottom line is, is the
growth and development is inevitably coming to our area and we have
to plan. If we don't plan, then as the adage goes, we can then plan to
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fail. And we'll have a heck of a time on our hands supporting the
ultimate growth and development that's coming to our community.
If these projections are in fact correct, and I believe them to be,
at least at best sustainable with the information that we have, the
populous, this million some odd people that are ultimately going to be
here in Collier County, approximately 70 percent of them are going to
reside east of 951. Which you're going to see a shift from the -- what
we now currently designate as the urban area into the more rural area.
And that is part and parcel to what came about from our study.
Here's the population breakdowns, as best as we can. And this
again outlines the four major governing groups, if you will: The
Immokalee overlay, the rural land stewardship overlay, the rural fringe
and then ultimately Golden Gate Estates, and the estimates of the
populations within those areas.
And this goes back to what we talked about at the beginning.
The bottom line is there is an expense associated with growth and
development, and we need to today start to explore alternative funding
methods for sources of payment for the capital improvements that are
going to be required to support and sustain the growth and
development that's inevitably coming to our community.
The commission was made aware of this -- the Board of County
Commissioners was made aware of this, and that was what motivated
them to establish the East of 951 Horizon Study Committee, who were
then sent out to hold public meetings and poll the folks that live out
there to ascertain what level of service they were looking to have
provided to them.
And there's your committee right there, made up of a very
interesting group. I had an opportunity to spend what, two plus years
with these folks. A lot of different ideas, a lot of different thought
processes and community leaders from all over our county. Not just
large landowners, but folks that like me are just regular people that
like to have a thought and a say-so.
Page 17
December 9, 2008
And as I shared with you earlier on, we were tasked with these
particular duties to go out and poll the public that reside east of 951.
And I believe as per the charge from the county commission, that our
committee fulfilled those tasks that we were sent off to do.
Our report today will summarize the findings of the polling, the
community meetings that we had, the public vetting sessions that we
had, and ultimately have hopefully assisting (sic) you in implementing
the interactive growth model, ultimately impacting the Comprehensive
Gr:owth Management Plan and then flowing through to the Land
Development Code.
We offer up position points for consideration for the Board of
County Commissioners, and they basically come as follows. The
interactive growth model is one of the most phenomenal planning
tools that I've had the opportunity to experience and have a review of.
It is an unbelievably dynamic piece of work. It takes into account so
many things that are going to allow us to provide a plan that has fiscal
responsibility, that has accountability to appropriate the dollars for the
infrastructure.
And as you said, Mr. Chair, early on, I mean, there's a lot of
information that's flowing out now through these individual
committees. But with this model we're going to be able to ascertain
from a timing standpoint a proactive status for the ultimate growth and
development that's coming to our community.
These are some of the things that we did in the two-year process.
The last three things I'd like to call your attention to there. We had
what we felt was a high success rate. We polled some 2,100 household
in the area of our study area and received just shy of 30 percent
response, which --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Whoa.
MR. McDANIEL: Yeah.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Do you know how many of that was
from Estates people? And the reason is, if this study was supposed to
Page 18
December 9,2008
be more than just Golden Gate Estates -- and I'm reading it and it
seems really focused on Golden Gate Estates, which I have no
problem with since I live there. But I would really be more concerned
that the other parts of the county who are part of this had an equivalent
balance of say-so in your public participation.
MR. MOHLKE: They did. And I will comment on that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Mohlke, you know better than --
you've got to be at the speaker, you've got to identify yourself in the
front of the room, so please refrain from any comments from the
audience at this time.
Do you have any idea what that is?
MR. McDANIEL: On a percentage basis, not off the top of my
head, Mr. Chairman.
I can share with you, though, that there was an effort to be
equitable with the responses and how we acquired the information
from the folks that live in eastern Collier County. I mean, and Mr.
Mohlke, when he does come up, will I'm sure be able to give you the
exact percentages on the responses.
And as I shared with you, it's inevitable. I mean, we -- I can
assure you personally that we made an effort to not have this process
be another Golden Gate Estates master planning committee. I mean,
we were very considerate with respect to -- but also being aware that
your highest populous, your greatest density of people residing east of
951 are within the already subdivided and set up Golden Gate Estates,
so --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But that's just temporary. Because based
on the chart that you just had here, the RLSA section of the county
will far surpass Golden Gate Estates in population.
MR. McDANIEL: Absolutely. Absolutely. Without a doubt.
But on the same token, our charge -- and we had a rather
interesting adventure, but our charge was to poll the folks that live east
of 951 and ascertain the level of services that are going to ultimately
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December 9,2008
be required by that group.
And as Mr. Bosi shared with you, the majority of them aren't
here yet. So we did the best we could with what we had to work with,
and endeavor to not have this be another Golden Gate Estates master
planning committee. So again, these are -- I'm going to get into the
position points here.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And I wish to -- I don't mean to keep
interrupting you, but --
MR. McDANIEL: No, please --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- I want to make sure we're being --
MR. McDANIEL: -- I asked you to early on.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- as productive as possible as we move
forward.
It seems in Mr. Basi's discussion with us in the beginning, one of
his recommendations was for the public participation process. The
committee requests that the CCPC make a recommendation on the
individual position points advanced by the Horizon Study committee
when appropriate.
And there's three pages of those. And based on what you're
heading into, it looks like you're going to bring up those issues now.
And I was wondering if we want to take them as we go through them
now, ask questions about them. I'm not sure we want to take a position
on them till the end of the meeting, but at least we will have our
questions up front and done while you're trying to discuss them with
us. Does that work for you, Bill?
MR. McDANIEL: I'm all over it. That's fine with me, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. It will take a little longer for you
to be up there, but if you don't mind, it might expedite the process.
MR. McDANIEL: Mike was kind enough to bring me a cup of
water, so I shouldn't run out of too much wind.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So what I'll do is if you don't mind, at
the -- each time you get through with a couple bullets, I'll ask for
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December 9,2008
comments from the panel.
MR. McDANIEL: And that's fine. And please, I welcome those
-- this interactivity. I mean, you folks are going to be an integral part
of the ultimate growth and development that comes to our community
as anything.
And with that water, there was in fact an overwhelming opinion
there that the extension of utilities into Golden Gate Estates is not a
warranted or required or even a necessity at this particular stage.
There were experts that were brought in, and to the best -- with the
best available information that we had there was no need for the
extension of water and sewer into the Golden Gate Estates area. There
was a concern --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yeah, you said there were experts
brought in?
MR. McDANIEL: From Collier County. And then we had on--
COMMISSIONER CARON: Water and Wastewater?
MR. McDANIEL: Yes, ma'am.
COMMISSIONER CARON: They were brought in and they are
telling us that based on build-out for the Estates there still is no need --
it's not a health, safety, welfare issue, we don't need to put water and
sewer in the Estates.
MR. McDANIEL: At this particular time with the information
that we have available to you, that is a correct statement, yes, ma'am.
There are opinions that are -- that folks have that ultimately could
have an influence on that, but the information that we have available
to us at this particular stage, there is no health, safety and welfare
issues in regard to that.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And Bill, while we're on this subject,
about a month ago in front of the Board of County Commissioners
under a citizen's request, a gentleman spoke through an interpreter to
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December 9,2008
the commissioners asking why when he lives in Golden Gate Estates
he was charged, I think he said, $6,000 for water and sewer impact
fees when there's no water and sewer available out there. And I
wholeheartedly agree with the gentleman's position. He says why can't
I have my money given back to me.
And of course the board was given an elaborate excuse that
because the water and sewer district boundaries were shown east of
951 that by law the water and sewer district could ask for impact fees,
even though they are clearly never going to use them within the
10-year time frame.
And the commission clearly did not favor having those impact
fees apply, but they were convinced by the water department that
those fees were needed, by state statute.
My suggestion, I was wondering if your board would have taken
this up, is that if this is a true statement in regards to the fact nobody
out there really wants water and sewer -- I shouldn't say nobody, but
the majority -- and from what I saw on the board that the day, not one
of the board members expected that to happen within a 10 or a 20-year
time frame. They didn't see it either.
Would your board consider recommending a reduction of the
water and sewer boundary lines back to the 951 corridor demarcation
point instead of going out into the Estates to provide an excuse to
collect fees that will never be used?
That's a leading question.
MR. McDANIEL: Boy. That's an understatement.
And I'm going to say this, Mr. Chairman, with respect to that:
You're talking about specificities in regard -- and granted, ultimately
we're going to have -- this information that is being provided to you is
ultimately going to have impacts on the Comprehensive Growth
Management Plan and ultimately the LDC.
That was -- the question that you specially asked was clearly
outside the guise of our charge in regard to utilization of impact fees.
Page 22
December 9,2008
But it does bode the question of ultimate funding sources.
I can say, ultimately to answer your question, we still are in
existence, the committee, for about five more days. So we're about
done.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And Bill, I --let me tell you something
too. When I read this, being on this panel for the length of time I have
been, I always look for very specific issues and recommendations. I
was a little frustrated after reading this, because it really isn't specific.
And now that it was explained to us this morning by Mr. Bosi
and as well as yourself, this is more of a generic expression of the
mindset of those living east of951.
MR. McDANIEL: Correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I really need to step back and figure out
a different context in which to understand this at.
So I guess in reaction to some of these, maybe the planning
commission could recommend to the BCC considerations that these
are purely more esoteric comments of the people's feelings out there
than it is of specific changes to anything in particular.
MR. McDANIEL: And agreed.
And if you go back to the actual charge that was given to this
committee by the Board of County Commissioners, that's what we
were charged to do. The -- right. And with that, and Mike just
reminded me, and again, it's a two-year process that we went through
here in order to be here today to offer you this presentation.
We were very, very careful to stay away from specific
recommendations with regard to the Comprehensive Growth
Management Plan or with regard to the LDC. Our goal, our charge
was to poll the populous to ascertain the viewpoint of the level of
services that were to be provided in eastern Collier County, not to
actually decide whether or not one particular fee structure was fair or
not.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron?
Page 23
December 9,2008
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yeah, I need to go back --
MR. McDANIEL: Okay.
COMMISSIONER CARON: -- to my original question. Because
everybody here knows that there's a difference between the
water/sewer boundary and the east of951 boundaries, did Water and
Sewer tell you that at build-out for the Estates there would still be no
need for water and sewer?
MR. BaSI: Phil Gramatges from public utilities offered no
comment upon that issue. Strictly what utilities was charged to do was
to look out, study what was the cost of extending the water and
wastewater to the Estates that are in the district boundary but are
currently not provided wastewater water. They identified a price tag of
$111,000 per parcel for the extension of that water -- of that service.
They --
COMMISSIONER CARON: They made no comment on
whether that was going to be --
MR. BOSI: At the public meetings, the majority ofthe public
said we do not want that price tag raised. But what they did express in
the last two meetings, there is concern. Whether -- there's not a study
as to full build-out.
There is some concern from the residents out there about
potentially having an influence from ultimate build-out to the
availability of wastewater and water. So there is -- there is some
concern.
And as you'll see within the second bullet point and the third
bullet point in water, there is a component of the public that is
somewhat concerned about the long-term viability of the system.
And between utilities, between the health department, you know,
the DEP, there was a suggestion that potentially we need to get these
groups together and look at this subject in a little bit more intensive
manner.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yeah, but Mike, having followup to you
Page 24
December 9,2008
and then Mr. Murray, I've lived out there 30 years, and you're right,
we have some concerns about water, but it's not the use of the water
we're doing, it's the use of the water that's being sucked out of the
ground that's lowering our water table, causing higher droughts and
more fires out there and our wells going dry because all the cities and
municipalities are taking our water. So that's our concern.
MR. BOSI: And that was a concern.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Boy, the scope of this is really
JUICY.
First of all, I'm not sure that we can effectively make a
recommendation on several points without really breaking it into
increments of time. Because this is all relatable to time.
For instance, in terms of water and wastewater, those who are
not here yet will want services and will need services, clean water and
sewer. Otherwise, we poison the ground. And they're not here to talk
about it. So we have on the one hand you're seeking the information
from persons who are living here, those are the ones you have to work
with, about what the future will be, and they haven't got a clue. And
then we have a group of I guess some people in government who are
indicating whatever they're indicating. And I find it too open-ended,
quite frankly.
MR. McDANIEL: And if I may interrupt you.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Sure.
MR. McDANIEL: And it's very specific. It was the folks that we
spoke with in the Golden Gate Estates area that currently live there
today. There was an overwhelming resounding no to the extension of
utilities into Golden Gate Estates.
The other areas that are encompassed within our study area, the
Immokalee overlay, the rural fringe overlay, the rural lands
stewardship overlay, those bodies, from the best that I've been able to
ascertain, are required to have clean sewer, central water, clean water,
Page 25
December 9,2008
clean sewer systems that are provided within their development codes
before they can ever go to the dance --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay, and I think I understand
that. But that would leave this very large tract of land, although
parceled for single-family residents and a few commercial enterprises
effectively absent any kind of sanitary sewer and freshwater other than
pumped from the ground, correct?
MR. McDANIEL: At this particular stage, yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. Well, that's the point I'm
trying to get to, this particular stage. I just got the impress that ad
infinitum these people generally and anticipatorily people who will
come and occupy will also have the same mindset, which I doubt.
MR. McDANIEL: At the expense that's associated with the
extension out there, unless there's a proven methodology or a proven
issue with respect to the sanitary capacities of providing clean water
for the folks, I can assure you that there will be a resounding no to the
extension of the Estates --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, I recognize that
individuals will express their preferences to avoid cost and certainly
satisfaction with what exists. But it would not be unusual for a
government to subordinate that and say you cannot have an unhealthy
system.
MR. McDANIEL: Of course. Now, if there's information--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So I think that has to be part of
this.
MR. McDANIEL: Well, at this particular stage it can be part of
this. It wasn't part of what the East of 951 Horizon Study committee
was charged with. We were charged with ascertaining as to whether or
not the folks that currently live there today would be in favor of and
support the installation of utilities in that area.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I appreciate that, sir, but we're
going out to 2055 on this study.
Page 26
December 9,2008
MR. McDANIEL: We're going out to a time that is yet to be
determined.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Right.
MR. McDANIEL: The maturity of what's involved in the growth
and development of eastern Collier County.
And as I shared with you at the beginning of this, there's a lot of
information yet to be ascertained. There may be a new technology that
none of us are ultimately aware of that will assist us in determining the
impacts of the sewer and septic systems that exist in Golden Gate
Estates that we don't even know about yet.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, I'm not going to try to
make a determination on what may be in the future when I know
something exists today. All I'm saying is how much weight -- and
you're strong about this, you're saying the weight of those who have
answered today with regard to the future with regard to water and
sewer are the dominating force and that the judgments, that's the
inference I'm getting, the judgments that we're supposed to align with
is that that's okay. And I find it extremely difficult to accept that
premise. So that's going to be a real sticking point for me. It was when
I read this.
You know, we build latrines in the service because we know
better, right?
MR. McDANIEL: And Mr. Murray, you bring up a very good
point.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you.
MR. McDANIEL: But in may, again, the global aspect of
what's been encompassed by the East of 951 Horizon Study committee
was utilization of the information that we have available to us today
and the polling of the folks that live in the study area.
And as I shared with you at the beginning, by populous, by
density, the large majority of those folks live in the Golden Gate
Estates. It's the platted plotted subdivision that currently exists out
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December 9,2008
there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Vigliotti?
MR. McDANIEL: As we go forward, better and more
information will come about. And I'm sure that if it's ultimately
determined that there is a health, safety and welfare impacts (sic) that
are derived from the septic systems, we the community will make the
necessary adjustments accordingly.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Mike, I have a question; I don't
know if you can answer this. But you had mentioned that Phil had
mentioned 110,000 per parcel?
MR. McDANIEL: Yes, sir, that's correct.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Parcel being what, quarter acre
versus a hundred acre?
MR. McDANIEL: It was on a per unit basis, irrespective of the
size of the property. Because Golden Gate Estates has very specific
densities that are allowed within the parcels. So it was a per parcel, not
a per land mass.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Did anybody in your discussions with
your group, did anybody bring any testimony forward or any
discussion forward that the septic systems or water systems out there
in the Estates were unhealthy in any manner whatsoever?
MR. McDANIEL: Not that I have any recall on, Mr. Chair.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you. I've lived there 30 years and
I can tell, from a fact I can tell you that's not the case.
MR. McDANIEL: I agree.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you.
MR. McDANIEL: And as Mr. Murray spoke of, as time goes on
and more people ultimately reside in the area, and there are larger
demands on our entire ecosystem and resources that are available to
support the growth and development and ultimate new technologies,
we way be able to determine and have new information that will better
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December 9, 2008
assist us in making those decisions.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And I would just add, quite
frankly, you can't use the past to prove the future.
MR. McDANIEL: Well, I'm going to go to the next slide.
And I skipped the last paragraph there. But one of the
suggestions that the committee would like to have as a
recommendation is there were some concerns with the rehydration of
the -- I backed up on you there -- the rehydration and restoration of the
eastern Golden Gate Estates and Everglades.
There's been some flooding concerns that have arisen with
closure of canals and manipulation of water in eastern Collier County,
and we would -- it was suggested that an independent study be utilized
to ascertain the impacts of what's going on out there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Did your committee set up any
criteria that you wanted looked at specifically?
MR. McDANIEL: No, ma'am. It was -- the issue was raised.
And it was ultimately part of our report. And other than the fact that
we thought that an independent hydro geologist should be involved
with respect to those impacts, there was no real parameters
established.
There is an issue -- and I believe, Mike, when you and I met --
there is an issue with ultimate availability of sustainable potable water
for the community at large. And I think -- has that information been
ultimately determined as to what capacities we have?
That's a really good recommendation that could go to the Board
of County Commissioners. And it's almost a bottom up analysis, but a
determination of our availability -- the availability to provide potable
water to eastern Collier County and ultimately sustain whatever
population that ultimately is going to be residing here is a huge
question.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron?
Page 29
December 9,2008
COMMISSIONER CARON: Why we have wasted time, money
and effort on any of these other studies without doing that one first
still boggles my mind.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Bill, I think we had fun with
water.
The next one ought to be a lot more fun, transportation. Nick's --
MR. McDANIEL: There you go, transportation.
One of the things that was brought up and vetted through our
committee was the installation of a bridge network in the eastern
Collier County to assist with the emergency medical services to
provide better care and assistance to the folks that reside in eastern
Collier County.
The bottom line determination, and I think you folks have all
seen that ultimate bridge study that transportation, Nick and Lisa, put
together for eastern Collier County.
Big picture, multiple bridge locations without negative impacts
to a few to support the many is the bottom-line decision that was
arrived at.
As far as the physical road structures go, functionality is the key
to success. The folks in eastern Collier County aren't really looking for
an urban cross-section. A rural cross-section will more than do.
Multi-use paths, sidewalks and bicycle paths on the same path.
Reduced expense. Provide functionality. Maintain lighting to major
intersections to assist -- because as one of the resounding statements
that came from the folks that live out there is they want to maintain
the rural characteristics of eastern Collier County, and the ambient
lighting is certainly an issue and observance of the dark skies policies
are what we're looking for.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Sure.
MR. McDANIEL: Any questions there?
(No response.)
MR. McDANIEL: Again, this is just a reiteration of what I
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December 9, 2008
shared with you. The bottom line is rural cross-sections, functionality,
cost effectiveness, multi-use paths for both pedestrians and bicycles.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Bill, before you go on that one, the
bottom one, the future roads in the RSLA, the rural cross-section
design shall be the first option considered.
MR. McDANIEL: Correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm trying to understand what you mean
by that. Because there are a lot of roads going in the rural area. For
example, Oil Well Road's going in right now. Is that a rural
cross-section?
MR. McDANIEL: No, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. What did you mean by that?
Because the rural lands that are being brought in to us for discussion
and all these town traffic centroids that are going to go in out there are
being done by developers. And generally when the development
community does something now, they're required to have all the
amenities, water, sewer and roads, and roads have to be up to our
standard.
So I'm wondering if this recommendation as it materializes into
a GMP or LDC would counter the standards we utilize or would be
used to counter the requirements we utilize for a full road system as
we currently do for subdivisions that are brought in through
development processes.
MR. McDANIEL: And I'm going to suggest that -- remembering
the ultimate charge of the East of951 Horizon Study. We had a very
viable interactive public session with transportation. Nick and his
group did a phenomenal job. It was a touchy-feely hands-on you build
your road systems and then back into the expense and the capital
requirements requisites in order to get the road systems in place.
And the resounding statement across the board was the rural
cross-section was the best suited for our particular area.
Now, whether that's ultimately going to be in contradiction --
Page 3 1
December 9, 2008
probably is going to be in contradiction with some of the standards
that have been established to date. But it's ultimately adjustments are
going to be requisite there in order to facilitate that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Nick was indicating he'd like to say
something, if you don't mind.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: The comments that Mr. McDaniel n I
can echo them to a certain extent. What they said was the roads that
were on the map that were more outlined on the urban area for future
urban Immokalee, make them a rural type section, we'll say pathways
and open drainage.
And there were comments that as you come into the downtown
to increase the amenities a little bit in downtown, you know,
Immokalee or surrounding that would, you know, support where there
were more densities.
But his comments are correct, to go to a more rural cross-section
with more limited amenities. They all agree to a base line amenity like
a multi-use path in that rural section was supported. And as you get
towards that downtown area, to consider putting sidewalks on both
sides as needed.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Then Nick, is this to assume then that
when we get reviews of, say, Big Cypress, because I know that's the
one coming up, the cross-section of the roads that can be utilized in
the Big Cypress town would be a rural cross-section?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: And for that it wouldn't make sense,
because they're a downtown area. That road network that they're going
to build is going to be a downtown shopping commercial area, so
you'd want an urban section in there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. So if this evolves into some kind
of process that implements new language in our codes, I'm assuming
then that those definitions of when it applies and when it does not will
be clearly defined.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Sure.
Page 32
December 9,2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Because general statements like that
could be used by some to provide less intense needs for expenditures
in the rural area if they wanted to, when that may not be the intent that
your department may have had.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: One road to SR 29 bypass, if that
comes to fruition. That was a strong resounding make it a rural
section. Don't need to put a lot of amenities on that road. It's primarily
a carrier facility from around, so don't put the bells and whistles on
that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Gotcha.
Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Just for my clarity, because I
know he's quite familiar with all these details and I am not. But do I
understand you to say that we have a rural road, that means that there
would be no bike path on it?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: You'd a paved shoulder on a rural road
and you might have a one multi-use path on one side.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: Okay. But we do have facility
for people who are on bicycles or walking --
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- to be able to safely traverse
that road.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's all I --
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Your urban section might have bike
paths on both --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And I understand the balance of
the rest of it.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Good.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you.
MR. McDANIEL: Thank you, Nick. That was a fine
clarification there.
Page 33
December 9,2008
Any questions on the road systems that we talked about?
(No response.)
MR. McDANIEL: One of the things that came out during the
transportation process was ultimate land use changes in the rural area
of Collier County to effectuate providing services for the folks that
live out there to reduce trip times, impacts on the level of service of
the infrastructure, the road systems that we currently have in place.
We were very careful. And during the one-year review process, I
came and gave an update to the Board of County Commissioners, and
one of the commissioners asked me with specificity with about the
loop road that Nick just recently mentioned. We were very careful to
stay away from specificities in our study as to whether or not the loop
road's a good thing or not; whether or not an expansion of a one
particular commercial node is better than another.
Only to the extent that a review of the services that are provided
for the folks that live in eastern Collier County is a must. And
utilization of this interactive growth model is going to assist us in
promoting land use changes in eastern Collier County that are going to
better service that community and ultimately reduce the impacts on
our road systems.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Bill, that last sentence you have here,
and I'm just curious, this is one of the sentences that kind of got me
trying to figure out what it was your committee was doing. I now
know better, but that last sentence triggered it.
The public has expressed a need for more consideration of
emergency evacuation routes and future roadway planning.
Any member of the public and any piece of anywhere of any
living piece of Collier County is going to have that same sentiment.
What made it so different that it had to be included in your report?
That's a given, I would think, for all of us living in a hurricane zone.
And I just saw that and I couldn't figure out what the purpose of
it was, other than saying the obvious.
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December 9,2008
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: He was saying the obvious.
MR. McDANIEL: That we were saying the obvious.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's what it seemed like.
MR. McDANIEL: And with that, again, it's not a new thing, Mr.
Chairman. I mean, it's something that is a necessity.
There is a deficit in transportation systems in eastern Collier
County. And as the populous grows, as the shift from the current
designated urban area is moved into the rural area, there will be
impacts associated with the ability to move our people and do
evacuations. And so, you know, it was a statement of the obvious.
But on the same token, it is part of the process of the shift of
your population moving to the more rural areas.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MR. McDANIEL: And I must say this: You know --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I don't disagree with the statement, I just
kind of thought it was odd to see it there.
MR. McDANIEL: It's not anything to disagree with.
If you were concerned about what we were actually doing, I
wish you would have called me a couple of years ago, I probably
could have helped line you up a little bit more on what we were
actually all about.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You can only do so many committees,
Bill.
MR. McDANIEL: No doubt.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Wolfley?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Bill, do you feel that the
bridges are an important part of the evacuation or more for the EMS
and fire department and so on?
MR. McDANIEL: Yes.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Which?
MR. McDANIEL: Yes. Both. There was --
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I had a follow-up, too.
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December 9,2008
MR. McDANIEL: Do what?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I had a follow-up too, but go
ahead.
MR. McDANIEL: Okay. But getting me to pick is going to be a
difficult thing.
And you have to understand, I have a lot of opinions. I have
lived in eastern Collier County the majority of my life and I'm
endeavoring to speak for and on behalf of the committee as the chair
person of the committee and not necessarily interject my personal
thought processes.
So there are health and safety issues that travel around residing
in rural Collier County. And one of the fellows from the emergency
medical services talked about what level of service is that is
satisfactory. If you're the fellow that's laying there and can't catch your
breath, having a heart attack, three to four-minute response time is too
long. But on the same token, if you fell off your bike and broke your
arm, what's an acceptable level of service?
The realities are the Golden Gate Estates area is predominately
where we're talking about the installation of the bridges. There are
some easily ascertainable, just on a viewpoint, holes in the
transportation network out there, and we feel that those bridges can
help fill those holes.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: And in all of your community
meetings, the people that live on the roads where the bridges are
proposed, what were their feelings of those?
MR. McDANIEL: Basic sentiment was we didn't want to travel
down the happy path that we did when we interconnected. I think it
was 23rd--
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: 13th?
MR. McDANIEL: 13th.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Was it 13th?
MR. McDANIEL: 13th or 15th, whatever street that was out
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December 9,2008
there in Golden Gate Estates. We didn't want to travel down that
happy path.
Actually, one of the commission -- or one of the committee
people, Christian Spilker (phonetic), lives on one of those designated
streets and received the notices, attended the public meetings. There
was quite a bit of public vetting that went on.
And ultimately the bottom line is if the greater good is going to
be served, and it's not just going to be a hodgepodge or stick one in
here, that sort of thing, the necessity for having multiple bridges will
release the pressures from one particular area, one particular street and
those impacts on those folks.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Okay, thank you.
MR. McDANIEL: You're welcome.
Fire suppression. One of the overwhelming viewpoints was
some extension of fire suppression into the eastern Collier County will
be a huge benefit to the masses, to a lot of folks that live out there.
The suggestion of a well-fed draw type hydrants in lieu of the
very expensive loop system was a suggestion. And ultimately placing
of hydrants along the existing raw mains that are currently out there
would help facilitate fire suppression in eastern Collier County, more
specifically in Golden Gate Estates.
Yes, ma'am?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: And you had the fire district out
there to speak to your group and were there -- were they fairly
simpatico or not?
MR. McDANIEL: Were they fairly what? I didn't hear you.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Were they fairly simpatico on--
MR. McDANIEL: Yes, ma'am.
COMMISSIONER CARON: -- that kind of--
MR. McDANIEL: Yes, ma'am.
Again, there is an issue with fire suppression in the Estates area.
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December 9,2008
A lot of the communities that are going to come along in the rural
fringe and the rural land stewardship area will have those services
available to them within those individual communities, and that will
ultimately assist in the fire suppression in the Estates proper. But
currently right now other than swimming pools, there's not a lot in
Golden Gate Estates. And we've had those issues with insurance in
eastern Collier County, more specifically the Estates.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah. Just from clarity, raw
water in this case is water drawn from the well going -- and we're
talking about --
MR. McDANIEL: The actual water mains that come from
Collier County into --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Right, in that --
MR. McDANIEL: -- and along our canal, that's correct.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- area intended to be brought in
for processing.
MR. McDANIEL: That's correct.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So those are large pipes.
MR. McDANIEL: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay, that would handle that.
Thank you.
MR. McDANIEL: Absolutely. Yeah, it was determined that
there wouldn't be a negative impact on that for the ability for the
utilization of those for fire suppression.
Moving forward, as Mike said to you early on in the introduction
portion, we found that it is getting better, but there are several
disconnects in the development process with multi-departmental
.
reviewers. For instance, fire districts and fire -- specific fire districts
weren't or aren't ultimately consulted until later on in the process when
someone comes in with a site development plan request to have their
opinions. And one of our suggestions was just to enhance the
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December 9,2008
communications of the interdepartmental communications in Collier
County as we're moving through the department processes.
We found that there was a huge lack of communication amongst
the departments. It's gotten a lot better. Transportation, fire and EMS
and so on and so forth have really stepped up and been working a lot
with one another in order to effectuate a far more smoother process for
implementation for these permits.
This comes back around to EMS and the co -- from an
economical standpoint, collocating the EMS and fire district, sheriffs
departments and those sort of things seemed to be one of the most
viable alternatives to extending these services into eastern Collier
County, and far more cost effective at the same time.
Maintenance of the rural characteristics of eastern Collier
County are one of the things that we would like to see promoted. As
far as parks and recreations goes, larger regional, larger community
parks as opposed to a lot of smaller community parks of hodgepodged
around the area seemed to be what the folks in eastern Collier County
currently are looking for.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah, you mentioned regional
parks. When I read it, it talked about larger community parks.
MR. McDANIEL: I misspoke.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah, and I understand that. And
I'm not trying to pick on that. I'm trying to understand, what are larger
community parks? Because there are specific criteria set for parks for
size and distance.
MR. McDANIEL: That's correct.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And I'm trying to understand,
when that recitation was made, are we going to create a new --
MR. McDANIEL: We have that designation from a larger
community park standpoint. That was one of the choices that we were
offered from Parks and Recreation. I misspoke when I said larger
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December 9,2008
regional park.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'm not picking --
MR. McDANIEL: I know you're not.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- what I'm trying to ascertain,
my central question is really about a larger community park. Because
it's a new category, as far as I can tell. And if they've given you that
kind of information, I think that needs to be something we can n
MR. McDANIEL: As an example, sir, Max Hasse is a perfect
example of a larger community park.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: A larger community park.
MR. McDANIEL: Of a large community park.
And again, Max Hasse is a good example of what was
designated as a large community park, as opposed to a neighborhood
park which is a smaller two and a half to five-acre park with swing
sets and that sort of thing.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. Then I think we're getting
close to where I need to understand.
I think we need to do away with the term, unless it's meaningful,
larger. Because a community park does have specific sizes and
amenities and so forth that are base. And then there are additional
amenities that may be added associated with particular needs of the
community. I worry about the initiation of a larger community park.
That creates a whole new set of boundaries.
MR. McDANIEL: Forgive us. I mean, again, we developed this
Power Point presentation to get across the gist of what was discussed.
And the bottom line is large community parks are the requisite for the
folks that reside out there, not the neighborhood parks.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And I appreciate that. I think
neighborhood -- okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Bill, the first sentence refers to the
Estates. Does the balance of the paragraph refer to only the Estates?
MR. McDANIEL: No. I mean, the -- with respect to the--
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December 9,2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I mean, the new communities going in
out there would have the broad base of parks like we have throughout
the urban area. So I would assume then this whole paragraph is really
talking about the Estates; otherwise you're going to be saying that the
new towns and everything should only have larger community or
regional parks.
MR. McDANIEL: And again, Mr. Chair, a large portion of the
populous that was polled with respect to the parks reside in Golden
Gate Estates.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
MR. McDANIEL: And so then to -- so you're not incorrect in
your statement with respect to some of the newer communities like
Big Cypress and that sort of thing should be allowed to make the
determinations as to how they wish to handle their parks and services
departments along those lines.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. That's where I was going.
MR. McDANIEL: We weren't actually polling those folks.
They're not there yet, so --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But since your last statement says that
results expressed only limited support for new park facilities. That
would coincide with my understanding of what the people in the
Estates mindset generally is. Because we have such big lots out there
parks are not essential.
MR. McDANIEL: That's correct, we have one in our backyard.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But what is a level three option? Isn't
that your most expensive option?
MR. McDANIEL: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Does that mean we're going to be
able to have $54 million water slides and splash lagoons in our parks
out in Golden Gate Estates like the rest of the county has that doesn't
really need it because they're close to the beach and we're not?
MR. McDANIEL: Is that another leading question, sir?
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December 9, 2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, not at all. No, just -- no, I was just
curious if you thought about that or not. But anyway, we can go on
from parks.
MR. McDANIEL: And with that in mind, I have had a thought
or two about that particular statement. But the bottom line is the parks
and recreational facilities of Collier County are determined by
population densities and growth rates and then ultimately are spun off
from the Parks and Recreations Department for the capital
improvements necessary to provide the parks.
The main point here is large community parks in lieu of
neighborhood parks are the requisite at this particular stage.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'll be looking for the water slides.
Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah, that reminds me, on the
AUIR, I mean, they present to us and when we've gone in depth, and I
think we did that in a year as well, we determined that they've
acquired park land out in the boondocks for many years to follow.
Were those parcels taken into consideration in any way as being
applicable to the location. Because we're talking about a study that
pinpoints appropriate locations. You know, they took what was
available to them and they bought it on speculation that in the future
with that mindset at that paradigm that was what was going to happen.
How does that correlate now, if you've explored it?
MR. McDANIEL: We did to a certain extent. Parks and
Recreation did take into consideration the existing facilities, the
federally held lands, state held lands, those sort of things are all part
and parcel to their ultimate determination of where in fact parks are to
be -- park and recreational facilities are to be located.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Did it jive?
MR. McDANIEL: Pretty close.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Really.
MR. McDANIEL: Yes, sir.
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December 9,2008
And again, one of the things I would like to clarify, and it's just a
point that you made, is out in the boondocks. Ain't no more.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Compared to where I live,
they're in the boondocks.
MR. McDANIEL: I understand that, sir. And it's something that
we need to take into consideration as we're moving forward. It's not
out in the boondocks anymore.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Bill, in your last sentence about the
limited support for new park facilities, if that is true, how did you get
to the second to the last sentence which says the provision for level
three was desired? If that's the highest and most expensive level, yet
there was limited support, how did you correlate that? How did that
come out of that?
MR. McDANIEL: I'm going to let Mr. Basi -- I have a thought
there with respect to that, but I'll refer to the expert that was in
amongst us.
MR. BaSI: Mike Basi with Comprehensive Planning.
During the two sessions that we had, in each one of these areas
that we go through, there was two public presentations, one official
public pre -- to the public from each individual department.
When Parks and Rec. came out and spoke during the two visits
with the public, during the two public meetings, the people who
attended those meetings had expressed a desire for the same level of
service that was provided within the urbanized area for community
parks.
But the survey results portrayed a little bit of a different mindset
towards -- in relation to support for new parks.
So the people who actually attended the meetings weren't 100
percent in agreement with the responses that we received from the
survey. That's why you have two not contradictory but somewhat--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Or could it be that if you're going to
spend the money on the parks, do it right. Otherwise, just hold off
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December 9,2008
until you can.
MR. BaSI: Well, that was one thing that overwhelmingly came
out, not only just parks. The voice of the public came out, and I think
that's probably at any public -- but the one benefit that did come was
the public was provided an explanation towards how the amenities are
located within each park, how the park system goes out, speaks with
individual -- the populous within the geographical area that it's trying
to serve and specifically trying to ascertain from them what they
wanted to see, whether it be a water park or whether it be ball fields or
whether it be soccer fields.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: What parks? Not in this county. What
county are we talking about?
MR. BOSI: This county.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Really?
MR. BaSI: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Our parks department goes out and gets
an opinion on what the local people want. And we all want soccer
fields, apparently. Okay.
MR. McDANIEL: We're not going to go there. We're not going
to go --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, Bill. Little editorializing. I
can't resist. I'm sorry.
Oh, by the way, at 10:00, we will be taking a IS-minute break,
so you can have all the water you need.
MR. McDANIEL: All the water I need? Good.
I think we'll move on to the next slide. I think --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: General.
MR. McDANIEL: Parks are -- if you want to go ahead and take
a break now and --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yeah. Ten after 10:00 we'll resume.
MR. McDANIEL: -- at a change of pace, we'll do that. Okay,
thank you.
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December 9,2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, let's take a break. Thank you.
(Recess.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Bill, it's -- we're back from our
break.
And before you go into your continued discussion, one thing I
did forget in the early part of this meeting, and I don't know how the
court reporter can move things to the front of the minutes when she
does, if she can, but Mr. Vigliotti, can you do roll call, please, as our
secretary .
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Yes.
Commissioner Kolflat is absent.
Commissioner Schiffer is absent.
Commissioner Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Commissioner Midney --
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Oh, Commissioner Midney is
also absent. I'm sorry.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: He's real absent. You didn't even know
it.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Commissioner Caron is present.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Chairman Strain?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Here.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Commissioner Vigliotti is
present.
Commissioner Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Here.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Commissioner Wolfley?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Here.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Commissioner Homiak?
COMMISSIONER HOMIAK: Here.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And the school board representative,
Mr. Eastman, is not here as well.
Thank you.
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December 9,2008
Now, Bill, it's yours again.
MR. McDANIEL: Very good.
With that, I'm going to revisit one of the subject matters that we
talked about early on and that's the communication. A necessity of
communication, a dialogue amongst the state, federal and local
government agencies.
The area that we're talking about here is extremely voluminous,
and it's going to require communication, a multi-jurisdictional
communication, multi-community correspondence.
What Collier County is doing with respect to their impact fees
has a direct impact on Hendry, has a direct impact on Lee, on
neighboring communities. And those are -- what Collier County's
planning on doing with its transportation, with its utilities are going to
have impacts on the neighboring communities.
And one of the things that we -- it was discussed at length was
the necessity for fortifying and promoting communication amongst
multi-agency governments within the particular area.
We did speak with some of the larger landowners. Some of those
had representatives that actually sat on our committee.
Mr. Chair, you spoke about that ECPO group, or whatever their
name is, that continually corresponds with the Rural Land
Stewardship Overlay Committee.
The sub-elements that exist within the East of 951 Horizon
Study area, those sub-elements, the jurisdictional sub-elements, the
Golden Gate Estates Master Plan, the Rural Fringe Overlay, the
Immokalee Master Plan and then the Rural Land Stewardship
Overlay, there needs to be connectivity amongst those, there needs to
be communication, there needs to be impacts derived from one to the
other. And I believe -- we believe that one of the integral paths to get
there is through this new interactive growth model. That's going to
allow us, you ultimately, to see where, for lack of a better term,
bridging of gaps exists to support the ultimate growth and
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December 9, 2008
development that's going to occur in our community.
There was a consensus amongst the groups that came to the
meetings and in the polling process that the consolidation of fire
districts and emergency medical services was something to be
explored, and potentially could have benefits both fiscally and service
availability to our community.
And ultimately, and it goes -- there again, this is kind of one of
those Mr. Obvious statements, Mr. Chairman, but support of the
growth and development of the Immokalee Airport is going to assist in
a lot of regards to our community at large.
These are some of the final points. Maintaining -- obviously
maintaining the semi-rural character of the Estates was an important,
overwhelming, continuing effort that came to our organization, to our
group.
The utilization of the interactive growth model, you're going to
get a presentation from Dr. Van Buskirk on that in a few moments, so
I'm not going to take that all that much of his fire. But as I shared with
you early on, the planning tool that's being afforded to us through the
utilization of this interactive growth model is going to assist us for
many, many years to come. Its maintenance, its upkeep and its
utilization are paramount.
And this is one of the specific -- Mr. Chair, one of the things that
you had asked about, one of the things that we would really like to see
as a committee of citizens, doesn't necessarily have to come off the
East of 951 Horizon Study Committee proper, but necessarily an
oversight group that are going to work with staff to assist in and report
ultimately to the Board of County Commissioners that the interactive
growth model which we have ordered, which has been done and
ultimately can be implemented and assure that it's being utilized and
not just shelved.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: Question.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
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December 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Now, I recognize the
implications of my question, but I want to further -- I want you to
think about it a second.
We have government staff. That's the continuity. But even they
change over time. You're talking about three to five people over a
prolonged period of time. Is there enough there with those three to five
people to keep the dynamic going? Is there enough there to be able to
supervise all of -- and understand and work with all of that
communication and Hendry and all the rest of it that you cited earlier?
Is that plausible? Should three to five -- or should it be more in order
to take the guts of it going forward? Did you think out the process of
three to five?
MR. McDANIEL: Actually, we did.
And really, you intertwined several thought processes there, Mr.
Murray.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I hope so.
MR. McDANIEL: No, that's okay. There's an overwhelming
need for communication on a multi -- and we have those things
through the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the regional
planning organizations and so on and so forth.
But it's imperative that communication be fortified and fostered
going forward in order to support the growth and development.
Because it's not just Collier County that's impacted. We're talking
about Hendry, we're talking about Charlotte, we're talking about Lee
at large.
One: The suggestion from our committee is to -- and not to slight
anybody or make suggestions in any regard one way or the other. We
value the importance of the interactive growth model and its
utilization and its ultimate implementation.
And staff-elected and appointed officials come and go, both in
the future planning department as well. And maintenance of this inter
-- when you see the intricate detail that comes out of this interactive
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December 9,2008
growth model, you're going to see and understand why we think that
this group would be of a benefit to the community at large, ultimately
to the commissioners and yourselves, to ensure that it's being utilized,
it's being maintained and updated and so that it can ultimately be
utilized as a tool.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Did you think out the process to
the extent of qualifying who all are to be the representatives so as not
to cause it to err on one side, so to speak?
MR. McDANIEL: Sure. And with that point in mind, in may. I
mean, we left it fairly generic.
Did you provide a slide for the specificities for what we -- the
task of this group?
Okay, we have come up with a, if you will-- this group is an
oversight group at large. It's not going to be influencing the
information. It's not going to be making determinations with the
utilization of the interactive growth model. This group is an oversight
group to work with staff to ensure that the census data that comes in
gets implemented into the interactive growth model, that the AUIR
information gets implemented into the interactive growth model, that
the zoning changes that are effectuated on an annual basis are
implemented into the interactive growth model and then ultimately
reported over to the County Commissioners that those things are in
fact being done.
This isn't an advisory group, this isn't a polling group, this is an
oversight committee. And three people, candidly, would be enough.
And they don't really necessarily require any real expertise other than
a working knowledge of what the interactive growth model
encompasses and how it's to be utilized.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: I think I now understand what
you're really saying is you don't want all of this hard work to go on to
the shelf. Is that what you're really saying?
MR. McDANIEL: Yes, sir.
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December 9,2008
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you.
MR. McDANIEL: It would be our preference to not see it go on
the shelf. We believe that you have one of the most powerful and a
phenomenal planning tool that can be availed to us as a community to
assist us in the future growth and development of what occurs in our
county .
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: Then I concur with you.
MR. McDANIEL: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Bill, if your report goes on to the Board
of County Commissioners and they accept it, it becomes direction to
staff. Staff then has to implement it. Staff being probably Mike Bosi,
Randy Cohen and whoever else in the department oversees those
things.
What is it in this paragraph do you think they wouldn't do? And
I'm just puzzled, because unless you're going to replace them with
these three to five people, why do we need more people overseeing
something that's already directed and done by a professional staff who
we are supposed to have hired for their professionalism and expertise?
And I certainly doubt that you're going to find three volunteer
members of the public who won't have self-serving special interests in
mind by taking a position that's being offered here versus the ones that
staff take.
MR. McDANIEL: And with that, Mr. Chair, I'd like to suggest
again that this is an oversight committee at large. It's not an influential
group from that standpoint. Their job is specifically to ensure the
updating and utilization of the interactive growth model.
It's all public information. And Mr. -- Commissioner Henning
and I had a little discussion in my first presentation to the Board of
County Commissioners with regard to this. There was a perception
that there would be information available to a specific few that wasn't
available to the general public. And I want to assure you that that's not
the intent here.
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December 9,2008
And with regard to your statement, we do have very qualified
staff today. We do have very qualified appointed officials today. The
premise behind this group was to ensure that as those very qualified
appointed officials and staff change, that this particular information
that we have available to us as a planning tool doesn't get shelved and
doesn't get lost in the wake of some other political process.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I mean, I guess we can agree to
disagree, but I understand your statement. Thank you, Bill.
MR. McDANIEL: And I yours, sir.
Last but not least: We were charged with polling the populous
that reside east of 951. We were charged with coming up with
suggestions to you to take to the Board of County Commissioners.
And we would ultimately -- we thank you for the support that has been
provided to our committee throughout this process.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, Bill.
I did notice you failed to put on the last paragraph of your
positions.
MR. McDANIEL: Yeah, that was I think in your printed report.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
MR. McDANIEL: And that had to do with I think where
Commissioner Henning and I -- where there could have been -- we
had suggested two committees in our original report: One was an
oversight committee, which is what I've been talking with you about.
It's been decided by our group that the second of those two
committees might be a little more controversial than what we're
actually looking to do at this particular stage of the game.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So are you withdrawing that from the
final --
MR. McDANIEL: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, well, then I don't need to
comment on it, because it will be controversial if it was left in.
MR. McDANIEL: Absolutely. And therein lies your thought
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December 9,2008
process with --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, I don't feel the need for either
committee. But especially the last one that you're withdrawing is more
irrelevant than the one you previously presented.
MR. McDANIEL: Very good.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But thank you.
MR. McDANIEL: Absolutely. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Appreciate your time.
Any questions from anybody before we go on to the next
presenter?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, thank you, Bill.
Mr. Mohlke, I believe, is going to talk to us about Horizon Study
public opinion and data collection.
MR. MOHLKE: Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, my
name is Chuck Mohlke, representing the firm of Fraser and Mohlke,
that under the committee's guidance and direction prepared some
survey instruments. I use the word plurally, because several, not all,
but several of the public participation meetings there were distributed
surveys for those in attendance to respond to. And it was in effect an
opportunity to determine whether or not certain research methods
would be better equipped to discern public attitudes than others.
I could comment at whatever length the Planning Commission
desires, but at this stage I think perhaps it would be best rather than
listening to prepared remarks for you, Mr. Chair, and your colleagues
to simply say that I have these areas of interest and would you
comment, Mr. Mohlke, please, and I would be happy to do that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, for myself, anybody else, I have
one question and that is I think there were around 21 or 2,500 surveys
sent out, somewhere a number --
MR. MOHLKE: 2,150.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And of that, 28 percent return rate?
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December 9, 2008
MR. MOHLKE: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's approximately a little less than
600.
MR. MOHLKE: 598, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. Of the 598, how many of those
were from Estates residents?
MR. MOHLKE: 64 percent. And there were 57 percent that
were in the sample.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. So the vast majority of the
response to the survey was from Estates residents.
MR. MOHLKE: Because the vast majority of the population to
be surveyed, drawn carefully, ifI may expand on that, if you wish,
were in the very area where the greatest extent of responses came.
But as an example, Mr. Chair, in the area south ofI-75 and east
of951, in the studies tables you'll notice that as zip code 34114. It
constituted 17.91 percent of the sample and 19 percent ofthe
responses.
So with a single exception, the responses were proportionately
the same as the sample indicated.
And I'd be pleased to talk about the sample, Mr. Chair, if you
want me to. I'd be happy to share with you the basis of the sample's
construction and so on, if that's the committee's desire.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I read the information provided. I'm not
-- anybody else have any other questions?
Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I just want to reacquaint myself
with something I thought I knew a long time ago.
Mr. Mohlke, in the world of survey, a two or three percent
response is considered a good response, is it not?
MR. MOHLKE: Well, if you're talking about a mail survey, any
mail instrument, whatever it is, a marketing tool or a survey, it's
astonishing that you can produce a viable result for the sender of the
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December 9,2008
marketing piece if you get a one and a half percent response.
If you're talking about a mail survey, we have done a number of
those -- and Chairman Strain is aware of some of the other work that
we did in regard to the Golden Gate Area Master Plan restudy -- you
feel fortunate if you get a 15 percent response.
Apparently there was a sufficient incentive for the people who
responded to bring us up to the level that we did. And as members will
recall from reading the results, that we asked for responses by the 31 st
of May. Of all the responses that we got -- we had to have a cut-off
time, so we cut it off at July 1 st. And only 40 people responded after
that time, indicating --
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: Indicating?
MR. MOHLKE: Only 40 individual persons after the cut-off
time.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Cut-off of July 3rd.
MR. MOHLKE: After July 1st responded.
And the -- that was a level of comfort that someone like me feels
that we did two things: We organized the response vehicle in a manner
that made it relatively straightforward and simple for people to
respond, using a 10-point scale and so on; permitted us to get good
discrimination in terms of responses and a few other things.
And I think that induced people to respond to what was a fairly
straightforward four-page survey, 11 by 17 folded. And the responses
were uniformly not only complete but did from time to time, and it
was not reported in here, induce some people to write in responses and
say this is why I circled number nine and not number two. Now, that
is not a direct quote, but it basically indicates that had we had an
opportunity for people to write in responses, we may have gotten
some interesting commentary.
If there are not a lot of questions from the committee, let me
make --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Mr. Mohlke, I just wanted to n
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December 9,2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: A few more questions. Mr. Murray, then
Mrs. Caron.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I wanted to continue, because I
want to ascertain something.
MR. MOHLKE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: You received 40 that were to be
excluded. Were they in fact excluded from --
MR. MOHLKE: They were.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: Did you nevertheless look at
them or did you just discard them?
MR. MOHLKE: No, we kept them, but we did not open the
envelopes or count them.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. So you don't have any
view as to what they might have been --
MR. MOHLKE: I do not.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- anyway. Okay.
MR. MOHLKE: If the committee would be interested in what
happens customarily with a mail survey, particularly if you're asking
very direct questions, what do you think of this, would you spend
money on this, our experience is that when you ask very direct and
specific questions like that, seeking guidance from the people that you
have responded, within the first seven to eight business days in which
mail is delivered back to the person doing the research, if you hit 40
percent during that period of time, predictably -- of all those that
you're going to get, predictably 80 percent of those are negative on the
issues that you've responded to. And the remainder then is in the hands
of those who are the late responders in terms of generating a result that
either will affirm the hoped for response or not. That tends to be the
pattern.
That was not the pattern here. As people responded -- now I
know you only have me saying this. But as people responded,
basically the responses were fairly uniform day after day after day inn
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December 9, 2008
terms of where they came back from by zip code and the demographic
characteristics of the folks who were there to be sampled and who
were kind enough to return the studies.
Mr. Chairman, ifI may, after --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron had one question. Let her--
if we could ask --
COMMISSIONER CARON: Before you go forward.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yeah, could she ask her question first?
MR. MOHLKE: Oh, please. Thank you.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Before you go forward, could you
just run down the rest of the sample? You had said within your sample
you were trying for a 58 percent from the Estates and you got 64.
From south and -- south ofI-75 and east of the study area you got 19
percent.
MR. MOHLKE: And there were 17.9 percent of households in
the total sample from that area.
COMMISSIONER CARON: And you got back 19 percent?
MR. MOHLKE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Go ahead. Can you run through the
rest of the areas and -- like for example, Immokalee.
MR. MOHLKE: Well, Immokalee, our hope was that we would
get somewhere in the area of 5.6 percent. And as you can see as you
look at the study and you're looking at responses from the Immokalee
zip codes, 34142, 34143, we did not achieve that level.
COMMISSIONER CARON: What was it?
MR. MOHLKE: What was it?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yeah, what was it?
MR. MOHLKE: Well, a scrutiny of any of the tables will give
you a reasonably good response. I could total it up, Commissioner,
and give you that response back.
But if you just simply looked at the tables and look for 34142
and 34143, there's 57. And we sent out a total of 123. So we got a
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December 9,2008
fairly good response from that particular household group.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Okay. I don't have my calculator
here, Mr. Mohlke. Do you have the percentages? That's all I'm asking.
If you don't know them off the top of your head, just say --
MR. MOHLKE: I don't know them off the top my head,
Commissioner. I will be happy to do that for you and repeat those to
you before the conclusion of my meeting.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Chuck, do you want to continue
what you were --
MR. MOHLKE: I have a response that I would like to make, Mr.
Chair, at the time that Dr. Van Buskirk has completed his remarks, in
could be recognized following that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Sure, not a problem, sir.
Okay, next, Nick? Since you're on a six-lane road, you want to
build bridges, huh?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: I love this job.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It's good seeing you, Nick.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Good morning, Commissioners.
First I want to thank Mike Bosi and Chairman McDaniel and the
committee. They did a good job working with us.
And sad to report, Lisa Koehler, who did a lot of work on this
project, her last day is tomorrow.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Oh, Lisa's leaving?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Yeah, she's going on to the BCB to
work with Clarence.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, congratulations to her new
position, and good luck in finding someone to fulfill her place.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Well, that's a different story.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yeah, it will be.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: We won't get into that.
The spin-off of the bridge study and how it happened, we took
what the comments were from the Horizon Study literally and quickly,
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December 9,2008
their comment about communicating and working with different
departments.
We had in our budget money already allocated for bridges to
about two million a year in the first year and growing up to five
million a year. And it gave us the opportunity to accelerate the bridge
study and bring it into the East of 951 study as well, too.
So it was a good timing issue and it gave us, you know, a good
chance to really reach out to the public and communicate with the
different groups, especially fire, EMS and the first responders.
Through the process, staff just took the natural grid system in the
Estates and evaluated that and said what's missing. When you look at
Golden Gate Estates and all of east of 951, you can see that they laid
out a roadway grid network, and much of that network is missing
because of just that simple bridge connection. It was easy to see where
they were when we looked at the map. So with staff, it was a good
first review.
We did an interave (sic) process with the agencies. We went to
fire, EMS and the first responders, we went to the folks that were
identified in the study and said take a look at what we've identified on
the map and see if you have comments that we should be looking at
something else, and give us your first review of priorities.
We broke it down into four groups: Emergency response,
mobility and evacuation, service efficiency and public sentiment.
After doing that process, we went to the public. It should be
noted that we had a very extensive public involvement program with
this project as well too. That's Lisa's background. So there was
mailings to the people that would be affected directly, public meeting,
posting in the newspaper, as well as an interview with Lisa that kind
of brought a lot of light to this. As Mr. McDaniel pointed out, quite a
lot of response to this.
So we went through this interive (sic) process and we looked at
the different bridges that were involved.
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December 9,2008
We also want to note that we did a quick cost analysis, and the
cost analysis is like anything, on a cursory review of a bridge, until
you do that detailed analysis of that location, you're going to get at
rough number, from a million to a million and a half to put up a
bridge, depending on span width and what you find for materials.
I'll take you to the map, because that's probably the easiest thing
we can talk about and make this fairly brief.
The bridge locations that are identified and numbered, we have
one which is at the end of 23rd at the western side of your map
towards the middle. And that ties in 23rd to the White deadend. It's
already in your Growth Management Plan as referenced.
And what we're planning right now is part of the White bridge
replacement, we have to replace the bridge that's existing on White
Boulevard. The maintenance of traffic cost alone if we don't put in a
bridge on 23rd would almost equal the cost of the bridge, because you
have to maintain that traffic while you're redoing the bridge location.
So it made perfect sense -- thank you, Mike -- perfect sense to have
that be one of the first bridges installed, and since it was already
referenced in our Growth Management Plan and the compo plan here.
Then we looked at 8th and 16th, bridges two and three.
North/south roads, you have Wilson, Everglades and DeSoto. And
even 16th, even on the right-of-way for the plat of Golden Gate
Estates there were 100 feet of right-of-way. There was set up to be
that grid network of roads. So those made sense right there as well,
too.
Going east/west you have bridges six and seven, and that ties in
that natural bridge location or east/west road in between Randall, VBR
Extension and Golden Gate Boulevard. So you're getting that
east/west progression.
Bridge four, as you can see, it ties into that spot where
Everglades extends, and I don't have that road name, it's kind of tight
to read. I can't read it on even my copy right here. Bridge four.
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December 9, 2008
I'll get back to the key road name. But you can see where bridge
four is.
Bridge five is the Wilson extension to the north and it ties in
those groups of folks over there.
Bridge twelve at the northeast corner was recommended by the
fire districts as a way to get back into that area. It may not be a
connectivity bridge, it may be a single lane emergency access bridge.
Bridges eight, nine and lOon the periphery of new roads and
existing roads were kind of located where -- bridge eight, for example,
where a school would be located and a park would be located at the
end of 13th.
Bridge 10 is the Wilson Boulevard extension. And bridge nine
ties into several new schools in that location. And those are what we
call opportunity bridges. You wouldn't even put those bridges in until
those projects come on-line.
Bridge 11, it was interesting when we had the public meeting, a
lot of good comments came out of bridge 11. And we're going to
revert bridge 11 back to a study area. It was noted that there was
already an existing structure there that might service emergency
access on one of the east/west roads. And that as we get further
information on those school locations where they might warrant a
signal on Everglades Boulevard, might make sense to put a bridge
extension on there.
So we renotified those people with postcards and said to them,
you know, this is going back to a study area, that we'll look at this in
the future again.
It was a fairly easy study to do in terms of where we thought the
bridges made sense. We got a lot of good comments from the
responders about time. They told us how having certain bridge
connections would make more sense and those first responders could
get to people quicker.
As you could expect, anybody that lived on some of these
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December 9,2008
dead-end roads had concerns. They liked their dead-end roads. But a
lot of the comments were that they supported the connectivity, it made
sense to them, and we really didn't have that overwhelming objection
to the study that we thought we would have when it originally came
out.
With that, I can answer any questions you have.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Questions from the planning
commission?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Just one.
You use the term overwhelming. How significant is it? I got the
impression from reading that there were a number of people,
especially through the media -- of course that's an echo.
But that's an interesting point you made that you didn't get the
overwhelming response that you expected.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Well, it was interesting, because we
thought, you know, whenever you come up with any sort of new road
project and you lose your dead-end. The concern was, as
Commissioner Strain pointed out, or someone, putting one bridge in
one spot and then flooding that road. So we talked about even with the
board when we discussed it with them doing them in groups of two
and three. In other words, putting bridge two and three together, tying
8th and 16th. You'd have several roads in parallel that would be kind
of sharing that burden. And that was one of the concerns.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Makes sense.
Would you have the funding potential to do this or --
MR. CASALANGUIDA: We do health -- I want to say health,
safety and preservation of the existing bridges is our number one
priority. Right now we'll go through and saying let's take care of the
bridges we have first, and as that funding starts to free up in our outer
years, we'll start prioritizing these or bringing these into the plan.
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So as we do our annual bridge evaluation, we spend the money
first on maintaining the ones we have and then we start to come up
with the money together for future bridges.
So I would say as we get into the third or fourth year of our
current five-year plan, we'll have probably money available to start
construction on some of these bridges.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: You gain that money from
impact fees?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: It's a capacity improvement, so impact
fees I think might be one we could use. We may need some
clarification on that. But general fund money or in our budget as well.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Any grants?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: We're going to apply for grants. As
the study gets adopted and goes through the MPO process, we'll apply
for federal money and state money.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: You're welcome.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Nick, do you have -- you originally said
these were a grid pattern that you saw on some early plan. Are the
right-of-ways already platted and in place so you're not taking any
land, or you have to go through the land acquisition process as well?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Our early analysis requires no land
acquisition. You're going from existing right-of-way to the canal
easement and then crossing within that existing right-of-way and
putting the bridge in.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The language in the canal easement is
flexible enough to allow access as well for a road?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: We're still going to have to permit
through Big Cypress if it's a primary canal, but yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. As far as funding goes, now, if
it's not impact fees, which as you have experienced and are now
experiencing are severely cut off compared to what they used to be,
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December 9, 2008
and they'll probably be that way for a long time to come, that means
your improvements would have to come out of ad valorem general
fund. And I would hope that since these have existed out there in all
these years, that before we would raise taxes to create ad valorem
taxes to pay bridges, we wouldn't do that. We would just simply wait
until the tax base materialized or impact fees could generate and be
used.
I don't see this as a necessity to rush on. I just want to make sure
you're not prioritizing it to a point where we're going to see this use as
a need to raise ad valorem taxes, because I don't see it that way.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: That's not our plan, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Good.
Other than that, I don't have any other questions.
Anybody else have any of the bridge part of this?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, I do--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Follow-up to that, because I
appreciate the Chair's view on that, and it is a very viable statement
there, it is correct. However, what weight then do we apply to the
desires of the respondents to have emergency medical services to have
fire apparatus get more quickly to their burning house? And
evacuation routes, which we've discussed, what weight do you put to
that relative to what the Chair has just indicated, which is -- I
complimented. So what do we do there in the balancing act? What's
your view on that?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Ifwe stay stable with our funding
right now, we'll have some of these bridges in place within our
five-year plan. Right now, as you pointed out, funding is tight. Our
biggest issue is cost of ownership, when we had a workshop with the
Board yesterday. We're struggling with, as every other department is
as well too.
The capital projects that we have in place right now as they
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come on line, they have to be maintained. And they weren't on our
maintenance rolls before. So we're going to see what we have for
funding. We're going to evaluate that. Priority is always to
maintenance, similar to what the state does. But our goal is to have
some of these in place within five years with existing plan monies.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: But you don't anticipate raising
ad valorem taxes, and we know impact fees are down and all other
means of -- interesting conundrum.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, thank you, Nick. I think we--
we're fine. Thanks.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Are you going to take action
independently?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: At the end I think we'll probably go into
-- we'll discuss our actions all at once and go through them at one
time.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Does the committee need me here for
the rest of the meeting, or --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Does the what?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Would the commission like me to stay
for the rest of the meeting or --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I don't -- your stuffs pretty straight and
simple. I don't see any reason for you to spend taxpayer dollars sitting
here today when you -- without Lisa gone (sic), you're going to have
to work.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: You all have a good day. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thanks, Nick.
Okay, Dr. Van Buskirk, please.
MR. BaSI: Mike Basi with Comprehensive Planning.
First, the second principal within Van Buskirk, Ryffel and
Associates, Carlton Ryffel, will provide the introduction.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, thank you.
MR. RYFFEL: Good morning, Chairman and Commissioners.
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December 9,2008
I'm Carlton Ryffel. I'm vice president of Van Buskirk, Ryffel and
Associates. My partner is Paul Van Buskirk to my left.
We've been looking forward to doing this presentation for you
on the growth model. And we think you'll find it interesting and
informative. And we also look forward to your questions at the
conclusion of the presentation.
From the perspective of community planning, Collier County is
very complex, especially the area east of 951, which was our study
area. And that area is slightly larger than the State of Delaware.
In addition to its size, there have been many studies, area
studies, planning applications, master plans done of this area over the
years, and we analyzed all of those.
And as you will see, many are incorporated into the interactive
growth model. And we estimate that the growth model has
approximately one million bits of data in it in information.
And with the growth model, in a nutshell, you'll have the
population and distribution -- and its distribution to build out in
five-year increments of the study area; the supply, demand and
distribution of land uses needed to accommodate your future growth
in five-year increments; and finally, when and where any deficiencies
are likely to occur.
But before we begin the presentation, I think it's fitting that we
acknowledge some of the people that helped us so you have some
sense of the participation of the various county departments and
constitutional officers that worked with us very closely on developing
the model.
First of course is Mike Basi, who was the appointed planning
manager and worked endlessly with us throughout the process of
developing the model.
Beth Yang in Mike's department helped us with mapping and
data challenges. And like Mike, she was always there to assist us.
Community Development Director Joe Schmitt and Director of
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Comprehensive Planning, Randy Cohen, were our first contacts with
Collier County and who we first met with to discuss the growth
model. And they saw the value of a planning tool such as this. And
ultimately we entered into a contract with the county to create it.
And your County Manager, Mr. Mudd, supported the model and
helped us get the staff support we needed across department lines and
when and where we needed those.
And a final thank goes to Chairman Bill McDaniel and the
members of the Horizon group to provide us with valuable insight of
the study area.
There were many questions of us and us of them, resulting in the
growth model that will serve you well over the years to come.
With that as an introduction, I'd like to turn the presentation over
to Dr. Paul Van Buskirk.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Thank you, Carlton, Mr. Chairman and
members of the Commission. I'm just going to take a second here to
get organized.
Now, the first question is why a Collier interactive growth
model? And there are several reasons. And one of those reasons is the
population growth and large-scale development that's occurring east of
951.
The comprehensive plan updates, the growth model provides a
tremendous amount of data to assist in updating a comprehensive plan.
Often with growth scenarios and impacts, see, the growth model
is not a static model, it's a dynamic model. So as changes occur, those
changes can be incorporated into the model. The model will process
that data and then produce new output data.
And then the portion of land uses that are necessary to support
the needs of the population. And that can be parks or commercial
centers or fire stations and schools and the other facilities as well.
And then we want to maximize public investment; we want to
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December 9,2008
get the maximum return on public investments, particularly for the
capital improvements and infrastructure.
What we initially did, we always develop a team of the
consultant staff and the consulting the staff from the county, because
one, it saves money. Staff has a lot of insight to where data is and has
access to this data or readily access to this data, as well as insight to all
the activities in terms of the county in terms of development and
growth.
Then staff receives a knowledge of the model and the model's
working in this applications (sic) and what its capabilities are.
And we had a lot of input from not only the staff but also from
the Horizon committee. We met with them several times in reviewing
the development of the model itself.
And then hopefully as a result, the studies won't sit on the shelf
but will be useful.
Now, for the -- there are actually two models. One is the
population forecasting model and the other is the interactive growth
model. The population forecasting model forecasts population in the
aggregate for the study area over time to build-out. And it's general
done in five-year increments.
And then (what) the interactive growth model does is distributes
that population growth over time in five-year increments throughout
the study area.
(What) I wanted to do is kind of talk about the fundamentals of
the model and do kind of a brief overview so it gives you a feeling for
what the model's capabilities are.
In the development of the model, our first step is that we
disaggregate the community or the study area into zones. And I'm
going to talk a little bit about that in the following slides.
Then we got to inventory the current development and the
demographics for all those zones, those disaggregated zones.
And then we have to determine and estimate what the build-out
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December 9, 2008
inventory would be of development for the forecast and the
demographics of those zones as well.
And then we need to do -- with that information then,
scientifically we can do an accurate population forecast, once we have
all that information.
This illustrates the study area and the zones. There's about 173
zones in the study area, and they're the same as the traffic zones. And
that was decided by staff, because what we wanted to do is to be able
to translate this data to the traffic models and then traffic models can
produce their output.
And we'll have a really kind of comprehensive standard
databank that can be used for all the different disciplines so we have
some consistency.
The other thing we can do or the model can do, I should say, is
that we have these zones. We can aggregate these zones by clusters so
that we can get the data from the different -- not only from the whole
study area and not only from the zone but from the different clusters.
And if you'll look at your future land use plan, they're essentially
the subdistricts. We have the Immokalee urbanized area. So now we
can get all the data through the Immokalee area, for the urbanized
data, separate from the study area. Likewise for the stewardship area
and also for the Golden Gate Estates. And then from the fringe mixed
use district, as well as the residential fringe district and the coastal
fringe district and the rural sediment area, and industrial area and the
conservation areas.
So now we can break all this data down by all those clusters, so
to speak, within the model and we can do all the analyses for those
different clusters as well as the study area and the activity centers.
So this is the future land use plan. And we did a survey early on
in the project to determine what were the best planning tools to
determine future development. And we looked at the utility plans and
the traffic studies and the master plan for Immokalee and the master
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plan for the Estates and all the planning tools.
And the general consensus is, is that the future land use plan
would be the best tool to interpret what future development would be
east of CR 951.
The other thing here is, you know, sometimes you get the
question, well, is the growth model pro growth or is it anti growth?
Well, it's neither pro, it's not anti. The model really doesn't think and it
doesn't have prejudice. But what the growth is based upon in the
build-out scenario is on the future land use element of the Growth
Management Plan.
And (what) we have to do then is look at each one of those
different districts and their rules and regulations for development to
determine development yield at build-out.
And some of those districts are relatively straightforward in
determining development yield. Some are a lot more complicated, like
the stewardship area. And I'm going to go into detail on the
stewardship area and demonstrate how we arrived at what would be
the development yield in that particular area.
Also, each one of these districts have different demographics.
There's different demographics in Immokalee than there's going to be
in Ave Maria and there is in the Estates and et cetera.
First thing we did, we had to establish the baseline inventory.
We had over 70,000 parcels out of there that we had to query each one
of those parcels to determine the number of single-family units,
multi-family units, square foot of building area for office and services,
square foot of building area for retail space, for industrial space, and
the square foot of school plants by type of school plants: Elementary,
middle and high school. And the square foot of fire stations. And acres
of park by types of park: Community parks, regional parks. And then
the sheriffs substations.
So once we inventoried all that data, and that baseline was 2007,
then that's our baseline data for the model.
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December 9,2008
And the next -- oh, I wanted to just show you here some of the
data output. There are several data outputs that the staff can enter into
the model and get all the data in terms of the baseline in 2007 and the
build-out. And it can be done by clusters. And this illustrates it by
clusters.
And this -- I'll just kind of page down here a little bit and show
you how the clusters work.
(What) we're showing is the urban fringe and the coastal and
their subtotals.
Now we come to the stewardship area. And we'll demonstrate
the clusters here to have the inventory for the stewardship area.
Likewise for the fringe area, mixed use fringe area. And then the
industrial area, Immokalee, Golden Gate Estates, and then the
conservation areas, and then we have the totals.
If I pan back up I'll come across -- just show you briefly what
they're inventorying of course is the zone acres, the study area here.
This was 2007. Number of single-family, number of multi-family. The
school plants, the elementary school and its acreage, middle schools
and their acreage, high school and their acreage.
Right across to the parks, community parks and regional parks.
And then the acres and retail trade and the square foot of building area
and retail trade. Likewise, offices services and industrial.
Hotel/motel is there because the traffic models need the
hotel/motel data. So we incorporated that in there.
Fire stations, the number of acres and their square foot. So that
will provide us all the information that we need --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Sir, one of the commissioners has a
question.
Ms. Caron?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Sure.
COMMISSIONER CARON: I'm sorry, you may have gone by it
too quickly. But are there ago acres here?
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December 9,2008
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: No, they're not. We didn't inventory the
agricultural acres. That takes place really when we get into the RSLA
(sic). We'll talk about the credits that are generated from agricultural
to development and translated to the development itself.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: There are acres of ago outside of the
RLSA.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yes, that's correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, so you haven't--
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: We didn't inventory them.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: We could, if that's what you wanted to
do. Because when we query the datas, they do have the acres in there.
They could be queried.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Well, one of our charges is to
protect ag., not only in this county but in the Estates. So if we don't
even inventory it, I don't know that we're doing our job --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Well, we inventoried--
COMMISSIONER CARON: -- in terms of future growth.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: -- the conservation and of course
preservation. We determined the preservation of the ago lands in the
RSLA (sic) and in the mixed use -- the fringe mixed use areas. In
those two areas we do.
COMMISSIONER CARON: But the --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: But outside those areas --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- conservation areas are not ago areas--
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: No, but they can be.
COMMISSIONER CARON: -- they're two different things.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Uh-huh. They could be.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Two different definitions and
everything.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Just like NRP A's.n
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December 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I have a question.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Our base zoning is agriculture.
So when you're looking at subdistricts, you're looking at what is
designated. But in fact much of that land may very well be ago in
zomng.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: So are you saying you haven't
included it or that you --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Well, we include it in terms of the yield
in ago as it's provided under the future land use plan of the baseline.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: I'm not hearing you because I
never finished my question --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Oh, I'm sorry.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- I'm sorry.
Let me formulate my question, please.
What I'm trying to ascertain is whether or not you took the
subdistricts, irrespective of whether they contained any number of
variables of type of zoning, and used that as your plan. If you did that,
that may very well have included the ag., which under the subdistrict
is projected to become something else.
But if you've eliminated ag., then I don't know that we have a
complete model to work with.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: I didn't eliminate it in that respect. We
determined the development yield from the agricultural lands based
upon the future land use plan, which was what, one unit for five acres?
So we did determine what the ago would develop -- what you could
develop on the ago land in terms of what the future land use plan rules
and regulations allow.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's at the earliest and then
with the understanding -- I guess you don't need that for the model.
The fact is, as it's developed, it will be modified accordingly and
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December 9,2008
rezoned, and you don't concern yourself with that part of it --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: No, no, we go strictly --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- that's transactional.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: n strictly by what the guidelines and the
rules and regulations say in the future land use element of the Growth
Management Plan.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Just trying to get a -- I think
Commissioner Caron brought up a very good point, though, I do really
think you need to -- you know, you're working with this apparently
large bundle, but you have an apparent large bundle that -- and
looking at some of the maps as we project out showing in the years
further out how the density of population is based on the coloration
here, it looks like we have nothing left in ago
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: That's not a density of population, that's
really a percent of development that's allowed to develop in those
particular areas.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: But it virtually covers almost all
of the area. And that's what's -- I think in the absence of the ago in
there, we don't -- and it looks like to the average person I would think
it looks like oh, my God, that's all going to be populated.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: No, no.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Especially if we're thinking
smart growth principles, as I think it said at the outset. We'd be talking
about moving zoning density numbers up, so --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: No, no.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I think some of the ago land that you
may not have considered is considered by the mere fact you have
facilities in here for future schools, middle -- and parks. That's
currently ago
So if you're really calculating ag., you couldn't -- you're
basically showing that where the ago is where your schools and parks
and places like that will go. That's the conclusion -- that's what
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December 9, 2008
evolves out of ago Everything in Collier County at one time was ago So
your base map is all ago
So all these additions then would be items that are used in place
of the ago zoning that's there now, wouldn't it?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Let me try to clarify. We incorporate all
the land in the study area. The agricultural land that is put into
preservation through the RSLA (sic) and through the mixed use
district, the model incorporates that and determines that yield, and
then determines the development in those areas that may be currently
ago but will be a town or a village or a hamlet or what have you.
Those areas that aren't developed according to the mixed use
district and the stewardship area end up what we call on the baseline,
which is one unit per five acres. And that can be ag., and that's
allowable under the future land use element of the Growth
Management Plan.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, I understand a little bit more what
you're saying. I was just -- the screen you have on here right now you
show schools, middle acres, you show 92. That school probably isn't
built yet. But when it does --
DR. V AN BUSKIRK: No, these are all built.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Oh, those are all built.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: This is an inventory of 2007.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Have you utilized the future schools on
the school master plan?
DR. V AN BUSKIRK: Yes, and I'll go into that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, that's fine.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: It's just this was just the first step, so --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, I'll just wait till you get
through.
Mike, just out of curiosity, when we did the RLSA study five
years ago, we were given active working documents of the FlAM so
that each of us could sit there, modify inputs to see how it reacted,
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December 9,2008
how the document worked.
We didn't receive any similar document in this regard to
understand how this works so we could have come back with more
prepared questions for the Doctor today.
Do you know why that is not occurring in this particular
scenario?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I have a follow-up question to
that, Mark, get it out of the way. I asked for that months ago.
MR. BaSI: The FlAM is a portable computer model --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
MR. BOSI: -- the interactive growth model is -- it's housed at
Van Buskirk's web base server. We interact with their web base server
through individual queries upon that.
I guess what maybe would have provided you a better benefit
would have been me providing you a password and access to the Van
Buskirk's website to run individual queries on their website. But I'm
not sure if -- I'm not sure if that was something -- I guess early on
without an explanation of how this works or why this works or any of
the underpinnings of it if that would have been of value to the
planning commission.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, then that brings up another
scenario of questions. And I know one of your points today is that you
want us to provide some kind of recommendation involved with the
ongoing use of this tool.
What was the contractual cost to initiate this involvement with
this tool by the Board of County -- I mean, I remember hearing it.
MR. BaSI: It was $200,000 for the development of the
interactive growth model.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: $200,000 bought the taxpayers a web
link to use the model on their computer?
MR. BaSI: Absolutely.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Didn't give us -- for $200,000 do we
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December 9, 2008
have any physical piece of infrastructure to show for it?
MR. BOSI: The ability to log on to their server and utilize the
growth model whenever we see fit.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And what if we don't renew the service?
MR. BOSI: If we -- we can still utilize the model in this current
version, but it will never be updated with current information.
Therefore, each passing year that would go by, the information that
would be produced by the growth model would be compromised
because it's still stuck with the baseline of 2007.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: One of the things you didn't -- I didn't
see in the report was the cost. The yearly ongoing cost now to get
back into the game.
MR. BOSI: Well, that hasn't -- we haven't identified that specific
cost with a --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, how could we make a
recommendation in these times when we don't even know what the
cost is on a model that isn't on one of our computers and that we have
to rely on somebody else's server for. That's real-- I didn't realize that.
And FlAM was so handy because it was distributed as a model to
function and use individually. This is a different twist. I didn't expect
this today.
MR. BOSI: Well, I would think, and it was my purview that you
would review the growth model, see the output of the growth model,
make a determination as to whether you believe there's a value within
it, regardless of whatever the monetary association would be with the
update.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Oh, no, Mike. In these times nothing
gets valued without knowing the monetary association. I can tell you
for sure, there'll be no recommendation personally from me as a voter
on this panel without knowing the implications to the taxpayers for the
cost. So I don't know where you think you're going to go with this
today, but that won't be one place for my consideration.
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Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Which begs the other question,
that what -- these are two gentlemen who operate this business and
they're the principals and they're the ones who are the entrepreneurs
and perhaps the only ones who know the secret rules and code.
What do we have for the future? We're talking about a projection
going out in the future. What do we have as a structure that can -- I
don't say guarantee but certainly reasonably assure that in the future
we continue to receive the opportunities to do our hocus-pocus?
MR. BaSI: Well, I would probably have to take exception to the
term hocus-pocus.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'm sorry, I didn't mean it in
ridicule.
MR. BaSI: There was a scientific --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: No, let me qualify that, I --
MR. BOSI: -- approach that we took with regards of this model
in that regard.
And I understand, I understand, it was just a terms of phrase.
I would have to defer to Dr. VanBuskirk in terms of the viability
of his firm and his firm to service the model on an annual basis as sees
fit. I couldn't comment upon that.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, and I understand. And I'll
say out completely that I was not using that in a derogatory way.
But I will say to you that it is an imperative that the left -- right
hand is how much today and the left hand is how can we be sure that
we're going to continue to, if we go forward, continue to benefit from
it well into the future. And that's a question I think needs to be
answered, as well as the first question.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Wolfley, thank you for your
patience. You were next.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Well, Mr. Strain, you covered
about 95 percent of what I was going to ask regarding that.
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December 9, 2008
A couple of months ago when I first saw this model, or different
parts of it, I expressed a similar concern. I didn't get into as much
depth about money and so on.
I noticed here that it has a trademark on the interactive growth
model, which made me think that we paid for something that we'll
never own and never be able to use. Whereas here on -- well, the
RLSA or the planning commission it would be very convenient to be
able to pull up here while we're talking about something going on, say
Big Cypress or something like that, it would be interesting to be able
to put five years of non-growth into it and see how that affects it in 50
years and whether or not we're planning the correct way.
I initially thought when we saw this at a committee some months
ago that we would actually be able to use this interactive growth
model, thus the term interactive, and we could -- the people who paid
for it could actually use it. And that was my concern.
MR. BaSI: The people who paid for it, the Board of County
Commissioners in controlling of the direction to the county manner
and the staff associated with comprehensive planning, we've already
processed a number of requests for output for within the growth
model. So we definitely have the utilization of the growth model
firmly within our control.
Whether the viability of Van Buskirk going forward is the
question that you would like to address, I would have to defer to Dr.
VanBuskirk upon that.
But we have the ability to manipulate and ask what if scenarios,
I mean, right now. And we've already done that a number of times
through the web base server.
What I hear is there is a reservation because there's not a
tangible physical model that's in your hand. And the requirement that
you have to go through a web base server to run inquiries within the
growth model has caused a sense of discomfort for the planning
commission?
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December 9,2008
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: No, let me clarify what my
concern is. I think it should be housed in the county website. It is a
county -- it's for us. It's for us to use. It's like going on the appraiser's
web site and looking for the cost of a -- or the last sold on a home as an
appraised value. It's that. It's about our future. It's what we do.
I mean, we need this kind of stuff every time we open up a
packet a week before a meeting. And I just don't know why it's not
available to us.
MR. BaSI: And it's specifically and it's clearly articulated for
individual land use decisions on a small scale. It's not intended to be a
model to address that. It --
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I think it's broad.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mike, I think there's two concerns. You
did articulate one, that we don't -- it's not tangible, we haven't got our
hands on it.
And the second is you're asking for some support on something
that we haven't have a cost for either. That will become an issue
before the discussion's over today. So there are basically -- there might
be now two issues, so --
MR. BaSI: And I would ask that Dr. Van Buskirk, who I'm sure
who's ready to approach both of those subjects --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, we'll go on --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Before you go.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- with the presentation after Mr.
Murray has his question.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I think it's relevant. You may not
think initially relevant, but I think it is.
It's my understanding, by the way, that the state statute requires
we use the BEBR to do our planning for projection of population, is it
the intent ultimately to find a way to get away from that and utilize
this projection of population? Because the term or the word accurate is
used here frequently. And that's good if we can do that. We don't think
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December 9, 2008
BEBR is necessarily accurate because of its lag. This being dynamic,
this might very well be more accurate or accurate.
So -- and also, it's in increments of five years, but they're in
one-year series, are they not? They're updated each year?
MR. BaSI: Each year you update your baseline conditions with
the changes that --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Right.
MR. BaSI: -- have happened in the past year.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So in other words you'd have a
parallel. You'd have the BEBR and you'd have this information
together. Which one would we have to use?
MR. BOSI: Until we would change the Growth Management
Plan, we would utilize the BEBR numbers. The intent of
comprehensive planning was to introduce this planning tool, provide it
to the planning commission and the Productivity Committee and the
Board of County Commissioners within its first year of development
to utilize it as a planning tool. And then as the comfort level with this
model became more engrained within the system, then we would
begin a deliberative process as to whether we saw value and whether it
was something within DCA's purview towards where we could
substitute the utilization of BEBR within our capital improvement
program processes, to utilize the interactive growth model.
But I didn't want to suggest, oh, here's a planning tool, let's
change our Growth Management Plan to utilize this right now before a
level of familiarity was provided to the planning commission.
So within the first year after its development, comprehensive
planning's purview was just to allow you to become familiar with the
processes, how it works, what the outputs are associated with the
growth model, and then see where the conversation -- where the
Commission and the Board of County Commissioners would like to
take -- would like to see that conversation go.
If they see the value towards it, maybe expand the reach and the
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December 9, 2008
utilization of the growth model. But that would be determined based
upon the receptiveness that each of the bodies would have towards the
interactive growth model.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you, Michael.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Let me explain the web base use of
software.
The web base use, the county has complete access to the
software. It's no different than Bill Gates' Word or Excel. It's
copyrighted. You have a license to use it. But you can't produce it and
give it to somebody else or you can't reproduce it and sell it to
somebody else. Obviously it's the intellectual property. Bill Gates'
intellectual property or our intellectual property.
On the website, he has a password for security. He can go in, he
can make all the changes he wants on a baseline, do all the what-if
scenarios, make all the changes that he wants on the build-out
scenario. The model will reprocess the data, it will produce all the data
sheets. He's got access to every one of those data sheets. He can
reproduce them and bring them out into Excel for him, and he can go
in and manipulate them all he wants to as well.
The advantage of the web base is that when there's updates, the
updates can be done easily without having to travel down here and
have to pay that cost.
Ifthere's any problems that they run into, they can be resolved
immediately through the web base by contacting us and having our
software designer make a system in correcting those problems.
And most of your software today, particularly your customized
software, is web based software because of that purpose.
The key to it is security, to maintain security on it that they have
a password that the county can get into. Because if anybody can get
into it and starts playing with all these numbers, they're going to screw
up your databank.
So you want to be sure that whoever has access to the databank
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to make those changes, you know who they are and it's secured.
Now, the results are available to everybody. Anybody can have
the results; there's no problem there.
And, you know, that's basically the way the industry is operating
today with customized software. You've got complete access to it.
What role do we play in the future? That's up to you. You can
run that thing yourself. He can update it himself. He can make those
changes and those what-if scenarios.
Where we come into play is when you want to do some other
things with the model, you want to expand the model's use.
One of them is, and I'll talk about it -- I was going to talk about
it, is we're doing all the traffic data now for the traffic for the -- traffic
zones for the MPO. When it comes into -- and I'll talk about that,
when it comes into analyzing a DRI, which is a large-scale project,
you know, and the model can provide all that data to analyze that DRI
and its impacts and effects, and it has all the supporting documentation
for testimony. So there's a lot of things it can do.
So anyway, that's essentially how it works. And it works well
with all our clients. We have Auburn and we have other clients as
well, and they like the web base, using the web base system. And they
have complete access to that system. And you have a license for the
software. So I just don't know what else we could do.
Would you like me to continue, Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, sir. Please do, thank you.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Thank you.
After we had inventoried all the development and for the
baseline data all the development activities via dwelling units,
commercial, office, schools, parks, et cetera, then what we need to do
is we need to determine the yield at build-out. And here's where we
used the future land use plan.
And we look at each of -- all those subdistricts, and then using
their guidelines, rules and regulations determine what the development
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yield would be for all those subdistricts by those zones.
This is kind of an example. And some of those zones yields are
relatively straight forward, like the Golden Gate Estates. But the
RSLA (sic) is a little more complex.
And I'm going to talk about that a little bit more what the -- what
we did. Actually, the staff did an analysis based upon historic data
they now had for the credit yields from the habitat and from the flow
ways and the water resource areas.
And then translate that through a series of algorithms into what
would be the most likely numbers of towns, villages and hamlets and
the baseline and the ago land as well.
Now, what the model can do, if decided that hamlets are going
to be dropped from the regulations and then the model can drop that
and incorporate it into the villages and towns and what have you.
So any changes that take place are very easy to enter that data
into the model and then the model reprocess all that data in producing
a new output.
So I want to illustrate again here one of the printouts that the
county staff can easily do. And this is for build-out.
And here again, at build-out these are by the different clusters,
so they'll show the single-family, multi-family, the schools -- here
now is where the schools come in that are required to meet the
demands of the population, the new schools. And by school -- plan
type, the amount of retail square footage required to serve that
population. Offices and services square foot space is required to serve
that population. The industrial acres and industrial square foot.
Hotel/motels, fire stations, et cetera.
So now that we have the build-out scenario and it's -- all that
data is by zones and by clusters. I just want to -- now that we have all
this data, we can do a population forecasting for the study area. And
we found in south Florida that the most accurate method is the logistic
curve. And we've done a lot of that research on that, and I'm going to
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talk about some of that research that demonstrates the accuracy of the
curve.
But what I wanted to point out here, you know, traditionally in
Florida the population growth has been underestimated using BEBR's
numbers. And BEBR has consistently underestimated population
growth. And that's been pretty well documented.
But if you do a straight line extrapolation, that's the lower line
here, the lower purple line, it's kind of linear from the beginning,
you're going to underestimate growth. And if you underestimate
growth, you're going to over-utilize your infrastructure and you're
going to wear your infrastructure out before its useful life. And that's a
very -- and you don't get a return on your capital investment.
When we get past the inflection point, which is kind of -- is the
midpoint of the curve, if you extrapolate then, you're going to
overestimate growth and you're going to underlies (sic) your
infrastructure if it's based upon growth. And then again, you don't get
a return on your capital investment.
So once we had determined the build-out in detail and we have
historic data, we can then -- scientifically and through the computer
models, we can then forecast the population growth over time in
five-year increments.
And if you're familiar with statistical analyses, if you have an
R-square of .1, that means that every one of those historic points fell
perfectly on that line. And here we have an R -square of about. 81,
which means we had an R about .9. And that's pretty accurate in terms
of forecasting. And we're using a 95 percent confidence in the rule.
We can use a similar analysis to forecast for the study area, but
we also could disaggregate it [rom the county's curve as well to
validate it.
Now, build-out of study area is about 442,000. And the current
population is about 80,000.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Sir?
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December 9,2008
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: When you say current
population, are you referring to the study period or are you talking
about today?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: 2007.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah, that's what I thought.
Okay.
DR. V AN BUSKIRK: So what we did in order to validate the
Collier curve is that we looked at communities that are in south
Florida that are most similar to it. We're looking at in terms of
simulation models and series of simulation models and forecasting
models. And I'm going to show you that shortly.
This is Collier County and that's where you currently are on your
forecasting curve.
Now, we looked at Broward County, Palm Beach County and
Sarasota County and Collier County. And we wanted to look at their
mathematical expressions to determine the growth coefficients and see
if they make sense.
And I'm going to show you here. We can see that Collier
County's growth is faster than Sarasota County's. And it's slightly
slower in Broward and somewhat slower than Palm Beach County.
And that makes kind of sense if you look at the history of growth of
those counties. So we felt pretty comfortable with the Collier County
growth.
And then this is the forecast for the county, and -- well, around
2006 there was around -- I think it's 333,000, (33)4,000 today,
something in that order. And build-out it's 950,000, which is lower
than what your 2005 study called for.
And this is for the study area. In 2007 you had about 80,000. In
the build-out it's 442,000. And the model's forecast again is lower than
what the 2005 forecast was involvement. And I'll explain why the
difference.
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The other four steps we need to do is the criteria and the
formulas for spatial distribution of development over time. And I'm
going show you a print-out that shows all that development for each
one of those zones over time in terms of number of dwelling units.
And we developed a series of sub-models. The future land use
plan is really a supply model that tells us what the supply of land uses
are. And the sub-models -- or the demand models, they'll determine
what are the demand for elementary schools, middle schools and high
schools, what's the demand for commercial space, what's the demand
for fire stations, what's the demand for community parks and et cetera.
So (what) we're going to do is we're going to take those supply
models and those demand models and see what deficiencies we can
identify .
And the data output is in five-year increments, and it's on those
big spreadsheets that you see.
And having a lot of data, you can't expect the policy makers to
be able to take all that data and to analyze and interpret it. So we take
that data and we translate it to graphic interpretations for the policy
makers in order to get an understanding of a -- and an interpretation of
the results.
This is the development schedule. And (what) the development
schedule shows is the distribution -- no, is the -- I've got to go back.
There we go.
And here again, it's the -- these are the zones here under the zone
name. And then here again are the clusters. And then over here would
be the number of dwelling units, the total number of dwelling units
each year for those five-year increments that would be in each one of
those zones over time. And you can see for the RSLA (sic), you know,
it starts out with Ave Maria in about 2007, and then 2015 some of
them are coming on line, and 2020 and 25 and 30 and et cetera, and all
the way to build-out in five-year increments.
Just to talk a little bit about how the population model interacts
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with this model. This development model is a whole series of
algorithms, both to the growth rates, the distribution of population
based upon a bunch of coefficients. Its proximity to transportation
corridors, utilities, proximity to current development in terms of
gravity models.
And then also there's a series of algorithms that as these zones
come on line for development, if you look down at the bottom here it
says the grand total is 32, 781. Well, the total under the population
forecasting model was 33,712.
And what it does, it arranges these until they best match that
population model. And it's as close a match as you can get.
This is the sub-model. This is the series of demand models. And
again, they're by clusters. And they're for each year for five years in
the forecast. And what they'll do is they'll determine, based upon the
population and its demographics -- and I'm going to talk about
demographic models too shortly, because the demographics change
over time as well.
But what it will, it will forecast the number of elementary
students that are generated, middle students that are generated, high
school students that are generated, the demand for park acres
according to your level of services from your AUIR, and likewise --
and by type of parks, be it a community park or regional park. The
demand for retail space, offices and services.
And industrial model is not a demand model. That's a design
model that's based upon the policy makers in terms of how much
industrial development they want in their community.
So there we will be each one of these for five years out to 2080.
There are a lot of other models besides those demand models.
The demographic models -- the demographics change over time. But
the demographics in Immokalee are much different than the
demographics in Ave Maria. Immokalee has almost four persons per
household. And they're much different from the Estates which is
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around about 3.3,3.4 persons per household. It would be much
difference from the rural fringe mixed use district.
So what we did is if you look at how do you determine the
demographics, you have to look at similar type of developments and
different stages of development. For example, in Ave Maria, we just
completed the growth model for Auburn, Alabama, which is the
university community, and did an analysis of the university
community's demographics. We looked at Georgia, at Athens, we
looked at Gainesville, University of Florida, Corvallis in Oregon.
So we can see the change in demographics over time as the
population now becomes a greater percent of the total population from
the university population and et cetera.
So we applied different demographics for each one of those
clusters that you saw, and the change in demographics over time as
well.
Economics. There are economic models. The demand for retail
space increases as the population increases. And there's a relationship
between the critical mass of population and the amount of retail space.
So we need to look at those models as well.
The socia-political. Socio-political is zoning. That's a
socio-political activity. Future land use plans are what we call
socio-political.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I have a question.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: In that economic model that
you're referring to, you talked about retail and we talked about earlier,
we talked about agricultural, which converts into call it production
which is somewhat -- it's not retail but it's not industrial either per se.
But that's part of the economics that are associated with the area
out there. That's not included? Do I understand that then that that's not
included? Because that's a work product from a large surface area that
we do have some --
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DR. V AN BUSKIRK: It's included where the agricultural -- it's
classified as food processing and those type of activities.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Is it in our models?
DR. V AN BUSKIRK: It's in the model and it's under the
industrial aspect, because that's the way the feds classify it when you
do the old SIC or the NAC codes. So it's incorporated in that industrial
part of it.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay, at least we got captured
some of it. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Doctor, so you can -- up here, sir. Hello.
Doctor?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Oh, I'm sorry.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Not a problem.
Just so you can time yourself accordingly, we take a lunch break
at about 11 :45. I didn't know we'd have to take one today, but it looks
like we're going to need one, because we have still a lot to go over. So
about 10 more minutes we'll be taking a break for an hour.
DR. V AN BUSKIRK: Okay.
Of course land resources. And we talked about in terms of how
much land to require for middle schools, high schools and elementary
schools for community parks and et cetera. And I'm going to get into
that into detail.
So the Collier interactive growth model is (an) extremely
complex model, and is a very complex environment we're working in.
But also has its limitations, and I'll talk about that too later as well.
The model's essentially a series of algorithms. And I just want to
describe briefly an algorithm, and then I want to show how we apply
the algorithms to the model.
An algorithm is a procedure for solving a problem that has many
solutions. But when you define the parameter, it produces a solution.
And I always use the analogy of when you go on Map Quest and
I want to go from Naples to Orlando and it comes up with three
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different routes, so it has three different solutions. So you choose a
parameter. I want the shortest route. Gives you the shortest route,
that's the solution. I want the scenic route, it gives you the scenic
route. That's the solution.
We have the same thing here. Our algorithms are things like
what are the -- what's going to be the school plant capacity of an
elementary school. Is it 900 students? Well, then that will produce an
algorithm. That will produce a solution in terms of how many
elementary schools do we need, knowing what the elementary school
population is. So we have a whole bunch of these parameters.
Now, these parameters can be easily changed on the model. If
the school district says well, it's not going to be 900, we want to go to
a 500 module, we can go in and just change the nine to 500. It will
reprocess all the school data and then produce all those spreadsheets
on schools where the elementary schools come on line where they will
be when they're needed.
So here's some of the basic parameters we use in terms of the
study area. And then we have the real specific parameters like school
plant size. But we applied the study area limits and we used the future
land use plan, the Growth Management Plan for the guidelines rules
and regulations for future development.
Now, if the policy makers change those rules, regulations and
guidelines, we can go in and change those zones those changes occur
in determining the new development yield that would be at build-out.
And the staff can do that. They can go right in -- they don't need me to
do that, they can go in the model and do that. They can make all those
changes they want to make.
And we use your current level of services, you know, for parks.
We use your current level of services also -- we use what we call the
ISL standards for your fire stations and we use the Class I when we
did that as a standard.
The standards for the commercial, what we did, we did an
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inventory of all your neighborhood shopping centers in Collier County
and all your community shopping centers and all your regional
shopping centers and then determined the average service area and the
average market to support your neighborhood, community and
regional, and then applied them to the model.
And here again, if you want to change that data, you want to
change the service area or the service population in terms of a
parameter, we can just go in the model and we can change it.
The type and intensity of development, according to the existing
zoning for Immokalee. We found out in Irnmokalee that in your 2005
study you used the 1991 Immokalee Master Plan which had extremely
high densities, and it produced a population in your 2005 study of
100,000 people at build-out for Immokalee.
We used the zoning, because the zoning was more in line with
the market and what's going on. And we come out with a build-out
population of 60,000 instead of 100,000. So that's one of the reasons
why we had a differential in the 2005 forecast, in our forecast.
We used the ratio method for demographic trends. And I talked
about one of them is that we looked at -- for like Ave Maria, we
looked at university communities and looked at the development over
time to look at what the demographics would be and the demographic
changes over time.
And we do that for other developments of similar type
developments. And as a result we developed a set of demographics for
each one of those clusters that are in the study area.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Excuse me?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Based on that, you're using the
ratio method is what you're saying.
Okay, and that also suggests to me it's a good proof of the
projections as you're going along. That should follow the curve.
DR. V AN BUSKIRK: That's correct.
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COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. That's a good check, I
think. Because otherwise, the projection, what you had said before,
anybody can go in -- you know, the persons who are authorized go in
and modify something.
And particularly when I heard you qualify the retail, the retail
that exists in any given place mayor may not serve the area, and that's
proof over time by those that go out of business and are replaced by
something else which mayor may not serve the area. And then to take
an average of that, I'm sure it's good science, but I find myself
confused by how that can give us a realistic projection.
So you used the ratio method all through this whole thing?
Okay, thank you.
You do understand what I was projecting then, right?
DR. V AN BUSKIRK: Sure.
And you have different markets for commercial, for schools and
for parks, et cetera. Different service areas.
For example, for the commercial you had three neighborhood
centers that are right on 951, so half of them serve the study area and
then they serve the areas west of 951. At different markets there.
So I want to talk a little about the specitivity (sic) of the model,
because the model has its limitations, just like anything else.
And essentially I kind of describe it is that, you know, they can
specify the number of children are generated in the elementary school
age or middle school age and then one of those five-year increments.
And it can provide the data that we're optimally to locate those schools
that are near where these children are generated. So you can do some
smart growth in terms of trip generations and that good (sic) things.
But the one thing it can't do, it can't tell you what their FCA T
scores will be in 2035. Just won't do it. Or if you want to do it, it
would cost a lot of money and might not tell you nothing.
But I get a lot of crazy questions about, you know, what happens
if an atomic bottom falls and all kinds of things. And the model
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doesn't have that level of specitivity (sic).
So what we want to do now is I want to show you the results,
and maybe this is a good time to break, Mr. Chairman.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I was going to ask you what works for
you. If it does, then that would be fine.
Why don't we break and come back at 12:45 and we'll resume at
that time. Thank you, sir.
(Luncheon recess.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, welcome back from lunch. We're
still on the Horizon Study discussion from the Collier County
Planning Commission. Dr. Van Buskirk was partway through his
presentation.
Sir, it's all yours -- oh, Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Good afternoon, sir. Do we
know what this is going to cost going forward? Do we have a cost to
start the interactive program? What's the future cost? How is it
arranged?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Well, let me put it this way: My personal
objective is that you don't need me at all. That's what I'd prefer, that
staff can do the whole project itself in those terms.
And it depends upon what is it you want to do. If you just want
to do the update, you look at the cost for the update to assist staff at
this point in time for the baseline.
You know, usually you sit down and work out -- you have your
work task, you figure your hours and your hourly rate and so forth and
so on. So I'm -- you know, I'm speculating here. You know, maybe it's
$10,000, I don't know. If it got a little heavy in terms of getting the
data and processing data, you know, I could never see it going over
20,000 or anything like that.
There's a whole menu of items, like the Board of County
Commissioners have already requested we do a library model to the
growth model. I'd have to cost that out and see what that would be to
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expand the software to incorporate a library model. And some were
talking about a medical model.
So, you know, the software itself isn't costing anything. You got
the license for that. It's the data we're talking about now.
And so anyway, if! had to take an educated guess, you know,
10,000, probably reasonable. If it got difficult it might go up to 20. I'm
not sure.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: One time charge or --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yeah, that's one time, yeah.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: All right, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, sir, you can--
DR. V AN BUSKIRK: Ready?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- move forward.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: What we're doing now is we're going to
look at the results of the model. You know, we've loaded the model
up, we load the baseline up, we loaded the build-out up. We've done
the distribution of dwelling units by zones over time. We did the
demand models, you know, what's the demand for neighborhood
commercial centers, middle schools, community parks, et cetera. Now
we're going to see the results of that data in graphic form. And then I'll
try to explain it.
So what we're looking here is that we're going to show the
population distribution, we're going to show school plants, when they
come on line, where their location should be, parks, commercial
centers, industrial parks.
And I'm going to talk a little bit about industrial, because that's a
design model, that's not a demand model. Fire stations and sheriffs
substations.
And then if we've got time, if you want to, I to do a walk
through time. The walk through time is that we actually integrate all
these disciplines, the schools, the parks, and look at 10-year decades
and see what development occurs over the decades, 20 to 30, 30 to 40,
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40 to 50 to build-out, that thing.
And then there's some conclusions that I presented to the Board
of County Commissions and I'll present the conclusions also to you.
This is kind of interesting here. This is what the population is in
2007 in that build-out. And you see for Immokalee it's around 22,500,
and at build-out it's forecasted at 60,000. The 2005 study forecasted
104,000. And again, I explained to you what would (be) the difference
between the 2005 study and what the model used in terms of
forecasting.
The Golden Gate Estates is at about 33,000, and they'll be about
80,000 at build-out. You think about it, 8,000 is -- you know,
metropolitan cities threshold is about 50,000. So it gives you an idea
of the magnitude of development.
And then for the rural fringe mixed use district it's about 2,000.
That would be about 35,000 at build-out.
And if we look at the total, we're about 80,000 in 2007, and at
build-out we'll be at 442,000. And the 2005 study had it at 518.
So I'm going to talk a little bit why there's a difference between
the 2005 study and the forecast from the model.
In the 2005 study they use what information and data they had,
and they developed an estimate and a target. We had historic data on
the generation of credits in the stewardship area, so we were able to
forecast what would be the generation of credits to build-out and
translate that into development in terms of towns, villages and
hamlets.
The interesting part about that is that in forecasting that, we're
going to preserve 100,000 acres in the SLA. And we're going to
develop compact development on 45,000 acres. So you've got a two
and a half to one ratio there. Presently it's preserve and land that's
developed in the stewardship area.
The other difference was, is that in the 2005 study they used the
household size that exists today. So your two large population areas
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are the Estates and Immokalee. And Immokalee is like 4.0 persons per
household, and the Estates is 3.3. So they had a very high person per
household. And that similar household was applied to the SLA and to
the rural fringe mixed use district.
And we know from research that the SLA is not going to have
four person per household or even three people per household. So
that's where we used data of similar types of development and we used
the ratio method to see the forecast of the changes in those
demographics over time.
So if you take that in the changes in demographics, that's why
there's a difference between the 2005 study and the model's forecast.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I have a question.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Sir? Doctor? Doctor? Hello, I'm
here.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Oh, I'm sorry.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: That's all right, we know that
happens.
Would you just go back a moment, please.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Sure. I tried to backspace it.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Previous. There you go.
Okay, now, the green of course is the build-out. Was that 2007
not a build-out? That was the number.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: That's the current development that
existed in 2007.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And that was arrived at by
straight line and linear --
DR. V AN BUSKIRK: No, no, that was done by an inventory.
We inventoried every -- 70,000 parcels.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That was an actual. In other
words, that was a -- okay, that was --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: And we ground-proofed it and we did
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aerial photos. I mean, that was a pretty long drawn-out process to do
all that.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. What I'm fascinated by,
you used the sigmoid method, though, for those items in red?
DR. V AN BUSKIRK: That's correct. But actually, that is just
build-out. So the build-out was the estimate of the yield based upon
the future land use amendment of the Growth Management Plan. So
the sigmoid lies in between those two somewhere.
So if we do the five-year increments between the 2007, between
the green and the red, then the sigmoid curve will tell us, we can bring
up those sheets and it will tell us how many dwelling units and --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah, I appreciate that. I was
just looking at the significant difference between what the stat -- the
number now, 2005 number and against the projection. And that's
because of the availability, 195,000 acres; is that right?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: That's of -- in the RSLA (sic).
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, that's what I'm looking at
in specific, yes.
DR. V AN BUSKIRK: That's correct.
That's based upon the credits that would be generated, and then
translating those credits to development, i.e., dwelling units.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And that's where we'll find our
hamlets, our townships and whatever else -- our towns, rather.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yeah, uh-huh.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you, just want to be clear.
DR. V AN BUSKIRK: What we're going to do now is that we're
going to -- by shading we're going to see what percent of development
occurs in the -- in those various zones.
So if you see the real dark green, that means it's 90 to 100
percent developed. It doesn't reflect what the density is. You know, it
could be 2,000 units in that T AZ or it could be 200 units in that TAZ.
So it's just reflecting the percent of development that occurs.
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And as those shades get lighter, then the percent goes down to
80 to 90, all the way down to zero to 10 percent, which is the very
light area in the beige area.
So when I activate this -- there we go -- it will show the year and
then it will show the population in the study area. And then the dark
green shade will start shading in.
And it's occurring mostly around the Estates. Actually, the
Estates are going to build out first. The Estates will build out between
2035 and 2045 -- or 2040. Between 2035 and 2040, somewhere in
there the Estates will build out.
And now we're out to build-out year, and of course it's all shaded
green.
And then the conservation areas where we have static
development remain pretty much the same, they don't change that
much.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And sir, ifI may again, that's
where I was trying to make the point earlier. Graphically it certainly I
think speaks to it. The absence of any agricultural, how shall we say,
points or graphic depictions, the -- it looks like the entire place is
going to be developed, and you -- it's somewhat distressing to me,
because I thought that part of our requirement -- again, DCA, the state
has said we should try to protect our agricultural lands.
And so this really paints a picture that I don't feel confident is
the truth as -- I recognize what you're intending to project.
DR. V AN BUSKIRK: Yeah, it's just to show the percent of
development over time.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, but people are going to
look at this, they're going to seize on it and they're going to be misled
by it, I suspect --
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Chair?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- unless they're educated
specifically.
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CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I think what they could not
project in here is where these hamlets, townships and so on are going
to be. There aren't going to be humans all over the green area. They're
going to be spotted in certain areas. But what they're saying is the
amount of population that is allowable in the area, and which won't be
all of that because most of it will still be agricultural, preservation, so
on, so forth.
So it doesn't -- it's not like going to be homes like the Estates all
over the rural lands. That's not the purpose of it.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, I understand your
assertion. But if you take into consideration the Golden Gate Estates
and you see the darkness of that --
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Misleading.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- and you take into
consideration all the other eastern lands, they have the same darkness.
So a person would have to know what we've come to understand today
to make a conclusion that's valid. This does not. It suggests another
conclusion.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Maybe we'll get more information if Dr.
VanBuskirk continues.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Well, you know, truthfully, you know,
you've get the GIS capabilities to do that. The data is there; the data is
in the model. If we want to extract the data, they can do that to show
where development takes place.
We do have -- you know, we do have designated where the
villages will be in the rural mixed use district. And we have
designated the towns and the villages and the hamlets in the SLA. It's
just a question of taking the data and having tpe GIS translate it. This
was probably the easiest way to do it.
But anyway, if you want that, maybe you can get together with
Mike and your GIS people to do that.
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Now, what I wanted to illustrate here, I was looking at the fringe
mixed use district and the Golden Gate Estates by itself to demonstrate
when development would occur in those various zones to build-out by
year.
So that population represents the Golden Gate Estates in the
rural fringe mixed use district.
The rural fringe mixed use district is the last one to be built out.
And that will be around 2070 or somewhere in that order.
And then this is the stewardship area. The orange is the
boundary of the stewardship area. And again, this just demonstrates
the percent of development in terms of what can be developed in those
particular zones.
The second cluster or subdistrict to build out would be
Immokalee, and the third would be the -- and I think Immokalee's
around 20 -- yeah, Immokalee's around 2055, and then the SLA's
around 2060, somewhere in that order.
So if we're looking at the order of build-out, it would be the
Estates, Immokalee, stewardship area and then the fringe area.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: May I ask a question of Mike,
please?
Would we consider large tracts of land that are dedicated to
farming as already, quote, unquote, built out?
MR. BOSI: You mean the current SSA's in there? Yeah, because
they're restricted from development, there could be no development
that's going to be going on.
And I think that's what you're indicating, that the person who's
viewing this slide show and seeing these areas fill in dark might
interpret that that's going to be where development is --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Absolutely.
MR. BOSI: -- inevitably going to be.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Absolutely.
MR. BOSI: And it's not the case. I mean, because you have to
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remember, within the RLSA district there's 197,000 acres. 45,000
acres is going to receive development. So it's basically 150,000 acres
that's either going to be placed in SSA or it's going to remain in
agricultural zoning district projected by this growth model.
But the way that it's viewed on this Power Point presentation and
the way -- because he's filling it in with percent developed, it looks
like well, oh, it's turning dark, that means it must have development in
there.
It might have satisfied its criteria for being developed, but there
may be no development in there because it's dedicated to agriculture
or it's dedicated to conservation.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: All right, Mike, this is as map
rendition that is small. Do you anticipate -- do you project having, if
you go forward with this, having a large map that would show where
the -- again, I recognize this is intended --
MR. BOSI: I think what you were looking for is in part of the
2005 build-out study they did a presentation in terms of concentration
of population --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yes.
MR. BOSl: -- and they built the bar chart for each individual
zone to show where that individual zone was adding population.
I could work with my GIS analyst Beth Yang towards where we
could have the population take those spreadsheets relatively easily and
build the population by T AZ and show you increments of that so the
areas that aren't expected -- the T AZ zones that aren't expected to have
population concentrated within them, they would remain relatively
untouched by the pattern of colors.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, you know, I'm going to
make, whether now or later or both, I'm going to make a suggestion
that that's probably not a bad idea to do in anticipation of your final
presentation to the County Commissioners, who could probably
benefit from such information.
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MR. BOSI: And I'll take that advisement.
Weare going on the -- we're going next Tuesday to talk to the
Board of County Commissioners what happened at today's meeting.
We weren't planning a full-blown presentation, because they've
already had their presentation. They were just interested in looking for
what the specific recommendations that were going to come from this
body.
But if we move forward with it in the future, I'll definitely take
that under advisement and would modify any Power Point
presentation to show in that manner.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I think you do yourself a service
if you do.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Doctor, if you could continue, maybe
we'll get through your presentation. Thank you.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: What we want to do now is graphically
show the location and timing of elementary, middle and high schools
as a function in number of students that are generated from the
forecasted population.
And here again, we're showing what the enrollment is in 2007
and what the enrollment would be at build-out for elementary, middle,
high school and total school population. And the school population
goes from 17,000 up to 82,000 at build-out.
What we have here is that the symbols -- the green represents
elementary, the orange, middle, and the red is high school. These are
the existing school plants in 2007. They're going to turn black, show
existing, and then the new ones are coming on line, and you'll see
them in terms of the elementary and the middle and the high school
over time. And this is in the rural fringe mixed use district and the
Golden Gate Estates.
And here we used the capacity for school plants that the school
board was using. And generally a school plant comes on line when
two-thirds of the -- when it comes on line, it will be two-thirds full--
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December 9, 2008
two-thirds of capacity will be the enrollment in the school plant.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Nothing's moving the last 30
years.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: And build-out is essentially around 2055.
We call it 90 percent build-out. The reason we use 90 percent, because
if you'll notice in that curve, the top of it is very flat and it takes
several decades to build out.
So we're looking really, when we talk about build-out, we like to
talk about 90 percent. It's more relevant for planning purposes.
And this is of course in the Immokalee area and in the
stewardship area. There we go.
When we did the analysis of the supply, you know, versus the
demand models, there was a demand for 42 elementary schools at
build-out in the study area, and there was a supply for 31 sites. We
were 11 sites short. And those shortfalls are basically in Immokalee
and in Golden Gate Estates. And I'll talk about that a little later on.
But most our shortfalls are in Immokalee or the Estates. And
Immokalee, I understand there's a group that's doing a comprehensive
plan update, and they'll probably address those shortfalls as well.
So we're at build-out now pretty much in 2055.
Now the community parks, there was a demand for the parks in
2007 and then this is the demand at build-out. This is based upon your
level of services for community parks and regional parks. There were
no provisions for regional parks in the future land use plan and in the
stewardship area and the fringe area as well.
But what happened with the parks, when we analyze all the
existing community parks, they varied from six acres to 45 acres. And
traditionally you have a module for community parks. And the
National Park and Recreational Association recommends between 20
and 50 acres as a reasonable module for community parks.
We used 18, because that was the average of all your community
parks in the study area.
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You might want to recommend like 36, and you fall within that
-- 36-acre module falls within the recommended guidelines of the
National Park and Recreation Association, but it reduce -- it's more
economical. It reduces your operational cost and your maintenance
cost. And that has a defined service area, so it's easier to plan for the
community parks if you've got a module to work with. So we had a
just developed module to run the model.
And per the community parks, we were -- it called for a demand
of 29. The Future Land Use Element provides for 24, and we have a
five community park shortfall, which again is Immokalee and the
Golden Gate Estates.
And that's pretty well at build-out.
Again, if we look at the stewardship area and then this identifies
the community parks when they would come on line, what years they
would come on line, where they would be located in terms of their
zone. And here again, there was a shortfall within Immokalee.
And this is pretty well built out by 2055.
Now, for fire stations, what we did is we -- for our parameters,
we used a Class I for the location of fire stations. It called for a mile
and a half of -- their service area is a mile and a half on the all-weather
road. And also it was kind of interesting about the fire stations, these
are the existing ones, that their service area, if you look at it on
average, they serve about 12,000 people on average, the pumper
station does.
And if you'll look at the EMS, they service about 14,000, given
their service area, on average for population. So there's opportunities
to co-locate the EMS and the fire stations.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Wolfley had a question of you, sir.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Let me -- if you could just
leave it right there.
The ones that are coming into view, let's say in 2045 right now,
is it only the ones that are in black that are existing in 2045?
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December 9,2008
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: They were existing in 2007.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Okay, that's --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: And they exist in 2045.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Okay. Because I was reading
this as the red is future; is that what that is?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: No, something happened to the --
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Okay, no, the red is existing --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: The red is future and the black is existing
in 2007.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Whether it be a school, a park
or a fire station, an EMS station, if they are on the map, it is build at
that year if it is red?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yes. The red's the year -- when they
come on line in that year, that's when --
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: It's just they were not existing
in '07. I just want to know how to read this. Okay, that's the way it is,
good deal, thanks.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: And the only place that -- we didn't have
a shortfall of fire stations, either. We had enough sites for fire stations.
There was a call for 27, and we needed 27, but the Estates is not
serviced by public water supply, so they're what they call a Class Nine
in the Estates. And the Estates can upgrade to a class what they call
Eight A, I guess it is, by different options. You talked about some of
them this morning, as I recall. You know, you can have the dry
hydrants and the wells and the ponds. And there's so much brush, you
know, requirements, you can't have so much brush from a home and
so forth and so on.
So there's a lot of things that can be done in terms of the
fire fighting protection in the Estates.
And this is over in the stewardship area. This would be in the
towns and villages.
So by 2055 this is pretty well built out.
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December 9,2008
The fire stations are really a leading indicator. They come on
line early in development, generally speaking.
Now we're going to be looking at neighborhood shopping
centers, community shopping centers and regional shopping centers.
And here again, the stewardship area, there's no provision for regional
facilities. When you look at the population of 21 0,000 at build-out,
that's a metropolitan area. And you're going to be having regional
hospitals, regional shopping centers and your regional facilities.
So this shows the supply and demand for commercial space. And
you'll see that in 2007 the supply retail space was 1.6 million square
foot. And it was, according to the growth model, was a demand for
two million. So it was almost in balance there.
The office and services was .3 million, and there's a demand for
1.1. And if you -- and I've talked to some of the folks over there in the
study area that for their professional services, they usually go on the
other side of 951. So there is a shortfall of office and services space.
So if you look at the total demand for office at -- and then we
look at what the shortfall is and we see that the total demand for office
and retail is 3.1 million and the supply in 2007 is two million, that
there's a shortfall.
Now, this is at build-out. And here again, we're looking for the
supply model in terms of the future land use plan. There's a demand
for 11.2 million square foot of retail at build-out. No, I'm sorry, their
supply, 11.2 and there's a demand for 29.3. So there's a shortfall. And
I'll talk about that a little bit.
And then there's a supply of 6.0 million square foot of office
servIces --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Sir, Mr. Wolfley has a question.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Does this mean that we should
be -- in our job here what we do on the planning commission, start
looking for more mixed use commercial type activity centers out
there?
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December 9, 2008
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yeah, and I'll talk about them a little bit,
where that is.
If you look at the townships, what we did in the townships over
in the stewardship area, we took the land use allocations that were in
Ave Maria and the proposed allocations that are in the Big Cypress
and developed a template, and said this is the template we're going to
apply for towns.
In their town centers some are, you know, 300 to 500-acre town
centers. They'll say commercial, civic, residential, but they don't give
any indication of the magnitude of them.
There's sufficient land within those town centers to make up
most of this shortfall. And I'll talk about that a little later.
But you're absolutely correct, where we have the shortfalls, we
should be looking to see particularly if they come in with a town plan
and they don't show enough commercial land to meet the needs of
those people, they're going to travel five, six, eight miles and now
you're extending your trip lengths, overloading your traffic
transportation network. You want them to reduce that. So for like for
convenient shopping, they only have to go a mile and a half. For
community shopping you only have to go two and a half to three miles
and et cetera.
And this is true with the school sites and the other sites that were
right in -- then Immokalee, when they come out with the Immokalee
Master Plan, they should have addressed those shortfalls.
I'll talk a little bit about the Estates. That's a little different story,
and I'll do that toward the end and tell you what we think might be a
solution to that.
But anyway, you're absolutely correct.
So what we're going to show here, we're going to show the
neighborhood shopping centers which are in orange and the
community in blue and the regionals are in red. And then the existing
ones will turn black, and they're the ones that exist in 2007. And thent
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December 9,2008
the other ones, they'll be coming on line as it shows the year of201O,
15, 20 and et cetera.
Generally speaking, you look at a neighborhood shopping center
and you look at ULI guidelines, and then we did, we did an analysis
right here in Collier County to adjust the size of your neighborhood
shopping center, they're about I 10,000 square foot. They serve about
13,000 people in the service area. And for the community and for the
regional, if you take all the -- those commercial centers that need to
serve your population, they only represent 30 percent of all your
commercial space. The other commercial space is your office parks,
your profession~l office services, your hospitals and anything that
comes under that service category and that office category.
So while these are the commercial centers and this is when they
come on line and where they would come on line, and this is toward
the Estates -- I think there's two neighbors in the Estates that are
designated. And then I'll address that remaining commercial space we
talked about.
And this is of course over in the stewardship area. And here
again, it will show when the neighborhood centers and the community
centers -- now, there was no provision for the regional center, but if
you look east of Ave Maria, we kind of thought that would be a good
place to reserve land for your regional facilities, because the
townships will be surrounding that. And you can have transportation
nodes in and out of your regional center. So we put a regional center
there.
A regional center runs about -- I think it was about 150,000 here
in Collier County. But you got Coconut sitting up there, and that's
drawing quite a bit out of that area.
So looks like one regional center would meet their needs here.
And the regional center is like an eight-mile radius, so --
I'm going to talk a little bit about the indus -- the industrial
model's not a demand model, it's a design model. And it's up to the
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December 9,2008
policy makers to determine how much industrial space they want to
reserve in their land use plans for purposes of industrial.
We speak about industrial, we're speaking about business and
tech park. You know, the campus type activities, not the smokestack
type activities. You know, we're looking at R&D, you know, we're
looking at medical instruments, we're looking at some time types of
assembly, electronics assemblies and things of that nature.
So that's what we mean when we talk about an industrial park.
We call it a business and tech park.
So what we did is we looked at the changes in labor force over
time that occur in counties that are similar to years. We looked at
them, you know, up in Tampa and up in Pine lIas and over on the east
cost.
As the county is developing, gets up to its inflection line, a large
portion of its work force is construction and construction related. After
the inflection point, development starts to increase at a decreasing rate.
That portion of your labor force starts shrinking. And it's usually
replaced by what -- the destination is manufacturing with the feds with
the NAC codes and the SIC codes and all that.
But (what) we're looking at here is kind of business park. We're
looking at R&D stuff, we're looking at medical instruments and things
of that nature as a target industry.
So when we look at that labor force and what's needed to fill that
gap as it builds out, we're filling it up with that industrial land and that
industrial space and industrial employees.
So what we did then is we determined how much was required
to do that. And also, you're diversifying the tax base as well.
So what we said -- and this is just for illustration. The policy
makers can, you know, decide whatever it is they want to do. But for
an illustration, we put a 50-acre tech park in each one of the towns in
the stewardship area and in the fringe area. And that should make
sense too to the developer, because he's not going to be attracting just
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December 9, 2008
retirees and seasonal homes, you know, he's going to be attracting
permanent population, and other than just your service population. So
that should be a value to the developer as well.
I guess what it is, it was a firm, I'm trying to think of -- Art Tech,
is it? That was --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Arthrex.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Arthrex. And they're in medical
instruments. And they're taking up 12 acres I guess in Ave Maria.
And so you would see like four of those type of -- they call them
small firms in terms of industrial development.
The other thing is we found out too, and we found this out
Auburn, that Auburn capped its capacity, its university at 25,000
students. And the community is still growing beyond that. And they
were a university driven economy and they put a lot of effort into
developing tech parks and actually getting a lot of them up and
running as spin-offs from the university for research and development
and things of that nature.
So that university R&D can work quite well in the future and
there may be opportunities here to do that with Ave Maria.
So given that, you know, you've got about two million square
foot now out there of industrial, and at build-out to be about 34 million
square foot. And you say wow, that's a lot. Well, we're also taking up
the slack that's east of 951, too. So we're looking at the county as a
whole.
And there is sufficient land in the Future Land Use Element of
the Growth Management Plan to meet that demand if we put 50 acres
in each one of those towns.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray? Mr. Wolfley after you.
And Doctor, just so you know, I'm not -- I was originally
expecting about a 30-minute presentation from you today, so we're
getting into a lengthy period of time and this board still has to come to
its conclusions yet and our questions upon your conclusion of your
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December 9,2008
presentation. So hopefully we can get to the end of this portion of it so
we can do our discussion as well.
Go ahead, Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Would you go back a slide,
please.
This is startling. Two things come to mind. One is that you
indicated earlier that agriculture is put into the industrial. And then
you made a statement just now saying that this includes -- if I have
heard you correctly and understand you correctly, this number also
includes the lands east which, no, I didn't understand that correctly.
So you're saying to me that in that 34,658,000 roughly square
feet, that contained in there are also the tracts of land that are for
agriculture? Because that's what --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Only in the SRLA (sic).
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, how do we differentiate
that?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You have to use the microphone, sir, if
you want to get --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Only in the stewardship area where you're
developing your towns, on ago land, if they're developed on ago land.
They're on open land and the fringe area. Otherwise it's not -- in fact,
the industrial development is all in what you currently got zoned for
industrial purposes, or you got designated on a future land use plan for
industrial purposes, with the exception of the towns and the
stewardship area. And I'll show it to you in a minute. It's mostly up at
the airport and it's mostly down where 1-75 crosses 951.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. So I want to be sure then
we don't have an aberration, we don't have something that is out of
whatever the graph shows.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: No.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: Okay, that's what I needed to
understand. Thank you.
Page III
December 9, 2008
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Now I've got to find my way back.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Wolfley, you had a question?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: No, I'm done.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Could we bring up the slide?
MR. BOSI: Do you have a question?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, he's just passing until we get further
along.
MR. BOSI: You need to wrap it up.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: I want to show the industrial so we can be
sure that it's clear. Then I'll try to wrap it up for you. .
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Doctor, while we're waiting,
you said that there's a shortfall of the industrial west side of951 that
you're making up?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: What we're looking at is you're looking at
the --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You have to use the microphone, sir.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: What we're looking at is we're looking at
the labor force and we're saying at build-out what will the labor force
look like in Collier County if it's a balanced labor force.
And given that number of that labor force, we can translate that
into how many square foot of space do you need for industrial to
support that labor force.
Some of that labor force is coming from the other side of951.
There's no more sites over there to develop. So it's meeting the need of
that labor force over there, that's essentially --
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: So it's a shortfall.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yeah, right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: While we're waiting, how much labor
did you allocate to agriculture?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: I don't remember. I'll have to, you know
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, that's okay.
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December 9,2008
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: -- look it up.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I just -- we have to wait anyway, and I
figured if you had that readily. Because since you didn't count ag., I
was wondering how you calculated the transient labor force that we
have, which is probably our greatest labor force.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Well, what you do is you take the profi--
I have the profiles from the census of your labor force and agriculture
over time.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, thank you. There we go. That's
where we left off.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: There's where we were.
Okay, you're going to see now the -- there are two industrial
areas now roughly 50 -- they represent roughly 50 acres. And now I'm
going to show where the ones that come on line.
If you look down at where 41 intersects, I guess it is -- 1-75
intersects 951. That's where it's designated on the future land use plan
for industrial development. So there's several 50-acre parks that come
on line down there.
The other ones are in the villages of the fringe area and the
towns of the stewardship area. And that's pretty much their build-out.
Now, this is the ones over in Immokalee. And you're going to
see the vast majority of them are going to be up in the airport area.
There's room up there that's designated for industrial development. So
several 50-acre sites can come on line up there.
And the other ones are the 50 acres in each one of the towns in
the stewardship area.
So essentially, you know, the future land use plan provides
sufficient land for industrial development to meet your needs from
now to build-out, including the shortfall to serve that labor force that
might be generated east of 951.
And Mr. Chairman, I'm going to stop there. I guess my time's
running out, huh?
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December 9, 2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, there's no set time. I just want to
make sure we move with as much of the information as succinctly as
possible, that's all.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Okay. I'm going to kind of run into the--
the substations, there were plenty of sites for substations. No problem
there with the substations. And then three is it, so -- and there's the
other one.
We did do affordable housing problem -- or housing sub-model.
And if you want to, we can chat about it. But if you want to talk about
it, it's up to you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It would be interesting to see where you
see affordable housing going in Collier County.
Again, we don't want to short your presentation, I'm just asking
that we try to keep it as concise as we possibly can to move through
the day, that's all.
DR. V AN BUSKIRK: Carlton did the affordable housing model.
MR. RYFFEL: I'm Carlton Ryffel.
The County Commission didn't ask us to locate the affordable
housing. What they asked us to do was determine a reasonable
percentage that the county should provide in affordable housing.
And I'm going to give you the short version of this, just to make
it -- Mike, how do I go back a slide?
Okay. Yeah, the County Commission asked that we determine a
pro rata percentage of what affordable housing should be in the study
area. And what we did is review the inventory and findings contained
in the affordable housing workshop that was presented to the County
Commission in March of this year. And that provided us some really
good background information and some idea of direction, which way
we could go with this to have it make sense.
What we did, to determine the percentage of affordable housing
units that should be made available, in 2007 there was a estimated
census, and it indicated that in 2007 there would be one -- there were
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December 9,2008
192,043 dwelling units.
And in that study that the county housing office did, they
determined that there were 10,461 units needed in that year.
Now, through various means they were able to provide most of
those housing units in that particular year. So what we did simply was
take the existing number of units in Collier County, you know, seven,
and we divided that into the number of affordable need in 2007. That
came out about 5.4 percent.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Extrapolated.
MR. RYFFEL: Then we applied that percentage to the study
area's population, based on the population forecasting in five-year
increments to determine what does that mean in terms of dwelling
units.
Now, let's see. The left-hand column is the five-year increments
that we're dealing with, starting with seven; 10, 15, et cetera.
The far right column is how many affordable units you would
need to add based on that percentage of 5.4 and also based on the
forecasted population.
Now, we wanted to make sure that this was a reasonable way to
go. And so what we did, I explained this methodology to the director
of Collier County Housing and Human Services. And also, the
community development director in Sarasota County which, as you
were told or indicated in Paul's presentation was one of our
comparable counties. And they both agreed that the method we used
was reasonable and logical.
Now, I didn't get into this in the slide, but using the same method
in Sarasota County as Collier County, we determined that their
affordable need would be about 4.2 percent. But there is a difference
between Sarasota and Collier. In Sarasota County, they only address
affordable need up to 80 percent of the area median income, while in
Collier County, Collier County addresses up to 120 percent of the area
median income. Which is a significant difference.
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December 9,2008
You also have to remember that Collier County has the highest
area of median income in the State of Florida, which is almost $70,000
now.
So we made the conclusion that it would be safe to conclude that
if the 80 percent were increased to 120 percent, as it is in Collier, in
Sarasota, and their percentages being nearly the same as Collier's. And
conversely, if everything above 80 percent were removed from the
affordable, counting Collier, for purposes of that comparison, we
thought the percentages would be very close between the two.
So the bottom line of all this is that we feel that an affordable
housing rate of about five percent appears to be reasonable, based on
the information we were given.
So that's all I have on affordable housing. I'm going to turn it
back to Paul.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody have any questions on that
portion of it?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: I'm tickled by it, but I have to
find out something. We have a standard, I don't know what to call it.
We have a number that we use for a certain number of affordable
houses needed. It hasn't been spoken of in the last year or two because
of the downturn in the economy.
But what I'm trying to ascertain, did you use that as your base
line? What did you use as your base line for the five percent
deficiency?
MR. RYFFEL: I used the results that came out of the study, the
county's study that was presented this year.
They -- and I don't have those slides with me, but they have the
various income levels. And the -- let's see if this will help at all. Let
me just take a look here.
The households in Collier County are considered to be cost
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December 9,2008
burdened if people spend more than 30 percent of their income on
housing. So in looking at the income and the breakdowns in Collier
County, I feel pretty comfortable that that's what they did, they used
that -- they looked at how many people would fall within those
various categories. They didn't give me a percentage, they gave me a
number.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Your numbers are predicated
entirely upon the baseline that they gave to you.
MR. RYFFEL: Yes, in this report.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And you didn't proof it in any
other way?
MR. RYFFEL: No.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay, thank you.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Now, some of the benefits already
realized from the growth model.
Most importantly, not only is the forecast development in
population over time, but importantly, the distribution and location of
that population.
And we now have one standardized comprehensive data bank
providing consistency for planning activities, including traffic
modeling and forecasting of facilities and et cetera.
It removes the uncertainty of the magnitude, distribution and
timing of development in the stewardship area and in the fringe area.
This shows the map. And you're probably familiar with it
already. But the owners in the stewardship area--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Careful what you call those red dots.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: What we hope happens here is that the
owners and their consultants requested the data from the model from
Mike, and Mike provided them with all the output data from the
model. And then the -- we were asked to do the data for the traffic
model for here in Collier County for the MPO, to translate our data
from the growth model to the traffic model.
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December 9,2008
When that happened, then the owners came in and said --
because they knew what we had -- you know, what our data had said
about the stewardship area. So they came in with these nodes, they're
what we call district-wide nodes for modeling, and identify what
would be the magnitude of development that that node represented.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Could you scroll down so we can see
the table?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Sure.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: A little bit further. Okay. Just wanted to
make sure you had not the wrong one. It says town nodes, I believe.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: So what we did is we wanted to compare
our results to their results. So (what) we did is we looked at it in the
aggregate.
On this table, we had the Collier County interactive growth
model forecasted population 216,000. They forecasted one of234,000.
If I aggregate all those nodes, what they had in population in those
nodes.
For dwelling units, we forecasted 106,000 in the aggregate, they
forecasted 113,000.
For students, we forecasted 35,000, they forecasted 36,000.
That's pretty close.
And the other numbers are relatively close, too.
So we see that convergence, you know, in terms of these
numbers. And we're starting to get a handle on the stewardship area
and the formulation of what future development would be.
And then for commercial employees we forecasted 61,000, they
forecasted 57,000, which told me that they did go into those town
centers and allocate land for commercial purposes. They were making
up that shortfall. Because (what) we do is we take the employees, we
can translate that to square foot of space, retail, and then we can
translate that to acres.
Now, the industrial, we forecasted 7,000 employees, and that's
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those 50-acre tech parks we call for in each one of the towns. They
don't provide for any industrial development, even though they're
having it in Ave Maria.
So when we looked at it in the aggregate, it looks like, you
know, that we're coming pretty close together in terms of what they're
proposing out there in the stewardship area.
The other thing I did is I went in and looked at the nodes. And
from the population and housing matrix in those nodes tried to
determine if I could do an algorithm of villages and towns. And their
villages and towns in that algorithm come out close to what the model
had forecasted for development there.
So the only place that we really disagreed, and if you looked at
their nodes, is that just east of Ave Maria, we kind of reserved that
land for regional facilities, and they put a town in there. But anyway,
it's getting closer.
Now, this again is some of the benefits from the models that
were translating this data now to format for the traffic modelers. So
the traffic modelers will be using this format.
So in there we had incorporated our vacancy rates, which we
have in our demographic models, we have the vacancy rate. Now, the
seasonal housing, non-seasonal housing.
Now the number of autos per household, we had to do some
regression analysis through the census to determine that.
And then the rest of the data is pretty much the data that comes
from the model.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Were you given this data, or how did
you derive the data on Ave Maria University?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Ave Maria, I took it from the
development order.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, that's what I thought.
That development order -- at that point the development order
certainly was at question during the approval of Ave Maria, but thank
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you.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Now, the future benefits -- and this is
what you were talking about earlier, you folks were -- is the annual
update will provide reports to the managers, policy makers, planning
commission, et cetera, to track development by type, location, trends,
rate of development and impacts for monitoring and evaluation.
So as we do the annual updates, it's very easy to provide reports
to the Planning Commission, to the Board of County Commission and
other agencies in terms of what development has taken place at that
period of time, you know, how much more commercial space is going
on line, how much more industrial space, how many more dwelling
units, where are they going on line in those zones and et cetera.
And also, we can start tracking trends. So if we want to make
some adjustments to the demographic models and we start tracking
trends out there in the stewardship area overtime, we can adjust the
demographic models. So as we pick these trends up, we can start
making adjustments in the model.
And then the model's focusing in, you know, it's getting more
and more accurate in terms of focusing in on its forecast and its
forecast data output.
And then, you know, the model can be used to assist in the
applications and analysis of like DR! projects, large-scale projects of
that nature and the location and timing of the population and
development in the lands -- the needs that support the population and
in its documentation for testimony and hearings as well.
The initial results did identify and quantify some deficiencies.
We talked about them, that there's no provisions for regional facilities
out there in the stewardship area.
We talked about the shortfalls in elementary and middle schools.
No shortfalls in high schools.
Some shortfalls in the community parks, and we talked about
them. And they mainly where in Immokalee and the Estates.
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And then also, when you do compo plan updates for future land
use plan, in Cape Coral they use the model in terms of -- we did the
study on the location of commercial nodes and the amount of
commercial space that was required in those nodes and assisted them
with developing the compo plan amendments for submission to DCA
and things like that.
So there are a lot of spin-offs that can happen in terms of the
value of the model itself.
And you can determine the impacts in development and
cumulative impacts over time. And if you're in a zone and you've got a
300-unit subdivision, you know, and you can't zero in on the specifics,
but if it's 3,000, you can zero in on the specifics of the impacts of
those developments.
But the smaller developments, like your 300 acres, say
subdivision, you can use the parameters of the growth model to
determine what the impacts are going to be from that, in terms of how
many children they're going to generate and what's their demand for
commercial space and et cetera.
This is a walk through time, Mr. Chairman. We've really
covered this material. I'm just compressing it into decades. Maybe
we'll just skip this and go to the conclusions.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: If it's already been covered, I would
agree with you.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Okay, let's do that. Mike can give you a
copy of these slides, and if you want --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We do have a copy.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: You do? Okay, fine.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Here they are right here. Whoever said
where, there they are.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: These were the conclusions that we
presented to the Board of County Commissioners.
The future land use plan and the county's growth management
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plan is a very sophisticated and progressive plan that addresses
multiple environmental and development issues. And the FLUE best
represent future development and study area.
Of all the growth models we've done and where we used the
future land use plan as the build-out scenario, Collier's was the best. It
really accomplished the main thrust of providing the proportion of the
land use to meet the needs of the population. You had some shortfalls,
we talked about. Most communities don't have any provisions for
school sites or fire stations or commercial nodes or anything of that
nature.
And the model had to integrate multiple disciplines. And the
model does that quite well. We can integrate the schools and the parks
and the commercial and do all that thing.
The real challenge here in Collier was integrating all the
different development regulations for the different subdistricts and
clusters. We had one set of development regulations for the
stewardship area, one for Immokalee, one for the Estates.
That's pretty complex. And the model did meet the challenge;
the model was able to do that quite well. And we were able to
segregate those clusters and then to be able to run demographic
models in those clusters as well.
And we talked about the population between 2007 and build-out,
what the forecasts were for the different large subdistricts within the
model.
And we state here that there is sufficient opportunities in the
future land use amendment to provide the land uses designated for
schools, community parks, et cetera, except for Golden Gate Estates
and Immokalee.
In Immokalee, you know, we've been told that they're now
developing -- formulating a master plan, and I'll assume they'll address
those deficiencies.
Now, in the Estates, Golden Gate Estates is what I call uniquely
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low density residential development.
And one strategy is to locate the sites for facilities on its
periphery in which the service area is sufficient to penetrate the
Estates so that the coverage provides the necessary level of services.
So on the periphery of the Estates is where we might want to put
our community parks, might want to put our elementary schools and
our middle schools and our commercial centers as well.
So that's just, you know, one illustration of what a strategy might
be. We kind of look at the Estates, to disturb it as little as possible in
those terms, because it's very hard to aggregate sufficient parcels there
to develop a facility on it.
And I talked about it before, that the commercial centers account
for about 30 percent of the commercial. And the other 70 percent is
covered by office parks and hospitals and other uses such as that.
The other thing was that for the towns and villages in the
stewardship area, the level of specificity needs to be established in the
development and the plans for land uses and their spatial distribution.
I'll give you an example of this. Some of those towns will call
for two elementary schools. They should be so distributed that they're
within neighborhoods, they're not close to each other where they're
crossing service area, again reducing -- they can walk, reduce trip
lengths and what have you.
And likewise, we have the same true of neighborhood
commercial centers should be so spatially located that their service
areas don't overlap. And here again, we can reduce trip lengths to get
to the neighborhood commercial and shopping centers.
So we saw that there's a need for specitivity (sic) in there. And in
some cases there might not be quite a demand for two community
parks in the town, but if you look at the peripheral development,
there's a demand for two. And that peripheral development would be
those villages or the hamlets, if so, if the hamlets remain.
So that was one of our recommendations there.
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And the Future Land Use Element doesn't have any provision for
regional facilities. And that's kinds of important. Because regional
facilities are necessary when you're going to get those kind of
population thresholds out there east of 951. And there are several
types of regional facilities that come into play.
And it needs to be updated annually. And I'm going to talk about
that briefly. You folks have brought that up throughout the
presentation in identifying development.
And also, annual -- we might want to start identifying
demographic trends too and things of that nature.
And concluding, the county's already benefited from the models
demonstrated from the previous presentation. And the benefits that can
be realized, if it's updated annually, can provide added benefits for
long-range planning, infrastructure and services.
Next steps, we were just talking about the need to maybe review
the parameters with the department agencies, so they're in agreement
with the parameters, in case they change them. Maybe if they get the
data from the model, they want to change their parameters.
One we talked about is modules for community parks.
And then you need to update the traffic model. We're doing that
now, so that's being done, that step is.
And then when you're doing your Growth Management Plan
update, maybe you want to use the growth model and some of its data
to translate it to development of regional facilities or things of that
nature.
And then we have our annual updates and the Q and A.
And Mr. Chairman, I'll talk briefly about -- you said how much
is it going to cost and that type of thing there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Didn't you just tell us between 10 and
20,000?
Sir?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yeah.
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CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You just responded to Mr. Wolfley, you
said between 10 and 20,000.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yeah, I just wanted to talk about -- yeah.
And hopefully each year it gets less and less and we're gone.
But a lot of communities had kept us on to expand the model and
expand the model's capabilities. If you want to do that, then we would
look at, you know, what are the work tasks, what are the hours and
what's the hourly rate and et cetera.
And the other thing is, you know, just we can put an upset
figure, you know, our hourly rate and not to exceed a certain amount.
And whenever the staff needs us to call on us, fine, you know.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I have --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Now, Mr. Wolfley, then Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Are we making comments on
the whole or what are we doing?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I think we're still working on the model
at this point, the whole model, yeah.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I mean, the whole book or the
whole --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, we haven't finished with just the
discussions on the model at this point. So let's just focus on finishing
up discussion on the model before we go back to the book.
And Mr. Murray, then I guess you'd be--
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: The question that you just raised
for me is -- I noted early on in this document that when we started
looking at the organizations that were qualified, there were some that
were obviously missing. And those are components. There's a cost
associated with those components if they're to be added; am I correct?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: You mean like libraries?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Like libraries, like --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yeah, sure.
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COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- like EMS.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Well, EMS is in there.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, whatever they --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yeah, right.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I remember seeing the voids.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yeah. If there's a medical, you want a
medical, right.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: My point is, is every one of
those has a cost associated with it.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: That's correct.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And that's an impact cost
initially. And then is there any maintenance cost associated with it?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: No. The only thing is the updates. We
update the model from time to time, you know, to streamline it. And
that's free of charge. I mean, that came with the original licensing.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. So you're saying to us that
the initial bang is the hard one and after that it gets to be the payback
is over a long-term, just like the build-out.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Uh-huh.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: I just have a quick question. In
here you use the term activity centers. Is that used in the same context
as we use activity centers here in the urban area?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: The activity centers that you use, or your
activities nodes that you use in your future land use plan in terms of
commercial development?
COMMISSIONER CARON: I don't know, is that what you're
talking about when you say activity centers?
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Yes, uh-huh.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yes, Mike?
MR. BOSI: The way that the growth model works is those
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activity centers that are on 951 have to be included and calibrated by
the model. So those are the activity centers that you refer to.
COMMISSIONER CARON: The 951--
MR. BOSI: The 951 --
COMMISSIONER CARON: -- activity centers that are there
right now.
MR. BOSI: Yes, correct.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Okay, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, before we go off the model-- oh,
Mr. Wolfley, do you have any other questions on the model?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Yeah, and it may be for the
Doctor and Mr. Bosi both.
Since I think June or May of this year I've been trying to ferret
out the mystery map. Transportation. I tried to get on the RLSA, I
want to see transportation, and of course large landowners said no, we
don't want to see that until the end.
Well, everything has to do with roads and infrastructure. A town
is a town, that's great. But you've got to have infrastructure to get to
and from that town.
And then we -- then our Chair finally came up with this map and
I went halleluiah, it's six months late but here it is.
What would it take to take that map that you showed at the end
that was an acrobat (sic) and use that as a baseline future with our
population?
Because in what Commissioner Murray said, everything's
greened out. Everything's blacked out. We kind of know where the
transportation infrastructure's going to go, which is going to show
where these towns can go in the receiving areas. And we know where
the sending areas are going to be, so don't green that out, because
there's not going to be any population there.
Why can't we start with that model, that map, and work from
there where we show a little tiny dot, and then as that town grows so
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does the population, so does EMS, so does the library and things come
into form into that town.
How difficult would that be to put that into this presentation with
that baseline of via suspected 22 entities? I don't want to call them any
oids or anything like that, but --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: You want to answer or do you want me to
answer it?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I mean, because that would be
real. That would be what it is.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Okay, our data in the model is
aggregating all the parcels within a zone. So within that zone we can
tell you when development will take place in terms of its magnitude of
people, houses, commercial space, et cetera, schools and what have
you.
And my question, would that be sufficient to meet your needs?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: No.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Okay, now we'll go the next step. You
want to get more specific than that?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Well, what I want is reality.
Because it shows as though people are going to be living on every
acre.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: We can do that. We can take -- you
know, we know in those towns -- you know, we did a template for a
town in the RSLA (sic), and we're going to assume that those towns
won't vary much from that template. Except with adjustments we want
to make for regional, some adjustments for schools.
We -- and they've already shown their land uses on Big Cypress
and they've shown their land uses on Ave Maria.
You know, we can then tell you over time when those facilities
that come on line and where they should be located within those land
use maps that they provide.
We can do algorithms and show it for all the rest, too in terms of
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what we think is the most likely scenario. And we can do that over
time.
That takes a lot of effort on the GIS people. You know, the data
is there to do that, and it's a question of the GIS people, you know, in
terms of their time.
I couldn't tell you offuand how much time that will take to do
that. But it can be done.
You might want to do that for say like a build-out scenario so
you can see what it looks like at build-out.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Right. And my point is that I'm
looking at the vast how many people are here and how much public
input we have. And I'm wondering one of two things: Either the
planning commission is of no interest to anybody, or that everything's
really been decided and this is just formality. I mean, you know, we
have no environmentalists here trying to protect their land. They
already have deals with the large landowners, so we aren't needed
there.
And I guess what I'm coming to is this is a great presentation, it
just -- if we were to show build-out map in the newspaper, people
would go ah. There's going to be population on every acre of
farmland. And that's not real, that's all.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: We can build a build-out really showing
almost like a dot for each dwelling unit and where they would be.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Well, yeah, but that -- anyway,
I understand.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, are there any other questions--
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Or we can show where the residential
land -- like a zoning map, almost, you know, where it would be --
where the lands would be preserved and the flow ways and the
habitats and that.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Sure, exactly. Now, that's what
everyone wants to know is where the panthers are going to habitate
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(sic), where the humans are going to habitate (sic) and how we can get
roads around these --
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: And we know the development's going to
be on the open lands, and we know the magnitude of the development,
you know.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I mean, I could go on and on.
Because I know because of the committees I'm on, but I don't think 90
some percent of the population has a clue.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: And we could do that for build-out. And
that wouldn't require an awful lot of resources. It would be more
resource if you're doing the five-year increments. Then it gets -- you
know. I mean, you can do it, but it just takes time, that's all.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Labor, yeah. Thank you.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: That's probably the next order of focus,
you know, with the model.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, any other questions of the model
before we go back to the beginning of the book?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I have one question of Michael Bosi.
MR. BOSI: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Go back to the beginning of the
book? Oh, no.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yeah, we've got to start over.
No, I've got a question of Michael. Not you, Doctor, Michael.
MR. BOSI: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The numbers that the CIGM plan has
come up with for population, build-out population and population over
time are significantly different than what county staff has used in the
past.
The AUIR is based on population. I think it would be great to
use the CIGM population estimates. It would cut the AUIR cost in
half.
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Is that -- would the departments be using those population
estimates of CIGM, or would they be using David Weeks' population
estimates for future AUIR's?
MR. BOSI: For the AUIR purpose, we neither use David Weeks'
nor the CIGM.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Let's not--
MR. BOSI: We use BEBR.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The one produced by your department
which has got David's -- if you go to your department's website,
David's the one that puts those together, he does it through BEBR.
Okay, I'm clarified.
Are we going to use the ones produced by comprehensive
department or are we going to use the ones produced by CIGM.
MR. BOSI: Until we would amend a decision made by the
Board of County Commissioners to use the CIGM, we are obligated to
use the BEBR numbers and David's numbers for the allocation of
population.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, then how can we get an
accurate picture of the build-out and know what levels of service have
to be sustained when we're not using the population that coincides
with the one that our budget is set up in reality?
Because our AUIR is set up now on a population figure
significantly higher than the population analysis of the CIGM, which
means our budgets are now working and skewed to a much higher
performance standard than what the CIGM says we could have as an
outcome.
How do we balance that?
MR. BOSI: Well, once again, go back to the obligation. Weare
regulatorily obligated. Until we would change our Growth
Management Plan to use a different number, we have to use the BEBR
numbers. And those BEBR numbers are what we -- is what David
allocates throughout the county.
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December 9,2008
So I'm not -- the only way that we could diverge from that
course would be for the advisory boards and the Board of County
Commissioners to say that they see a higher value within the CIGM
and to adopt that as the accepted population projections to be utilized
by the county.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. And I understand that. And
you're saying what I expected you to say, which is more of a reason
why I'm concerned about the value of the CIGM as an overall
planning tool if it isn't used by every department to plan their levels of
service standards and their build-out needs for the populations,
because the population estimates between the two different
methodologies are so different.
MR. BOSI: And I would agree with that concern, and I would
simply state that this would be the first step to potentially replacing
the utilization of those BEBR populations.
We couldn't -- until there's a level of comfort and there's a level
of dependability and expectation and familiarity with the advisory
boards and with the Board of County Commissioners, I don't think any
one of those bodies would be willing to accept the -- an abrupt change
from our current methodology to the methodology contained within
the CIGM.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. And DCA wouldn't allow you to
change without a validation of a population statistic other than BEBR.
MR. BOSI: Correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So you'd have to go through a process.
MR. BOSI: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And my concern is that we haven't gone
through that process, yet we're implementing a planning tool, or we're
being asked to implement a planning tool that institutes the process
that we have not yet approved. Maybe we're putting the cart before the
horse.
Mr. Wolfley, you seem to be impatient to ask a question. Go
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ahead and ask it.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Well, I'm just saying, why
wasn't this group provided with the numbers that we have to use for
growth?
MR. BOSI: Why what?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: The base numbers, the BEBR. I
mean, why are we working off a different -- I guess my point is, is that
can't we just all work off the same template so that we aren't
continually asking these same questions? I've heard these questions
three times now throughout the last nine months, not necessarily from
here. Same questions keep coming up. We keep working off different
baselines and different assumptions.
MR. BOSI: Well, we're statutorily obligated for in the AUIR
process to use the BEBR numbers. For our long-range capital planning
purposes, we're not obligated to use anyone number. What we have
utilized in the past was David's numbers, in which you've heard today
was the long-range transportation model. That's the 30-year plan for
transportation model. They're now using the land use forecasting
produced by the Collier interactive growth model.
So what I'm presenting to you today is a first step in the
convergence of population numbers.
And parks master plan has to be updated. It was supposed to be
updated this year. There's no allocation for funds for that. Hopefully
next year that they'll get to update their master plan, if it's decided and
if it's endorsed, the CIGM. And the by-product, the population number
is produced by the CIGM, is endorsed by this body and the board of
County Commissioners, and the next master planning efforts, the
Parks and Recreation Department could utilize the long-range
population trends contained in the CIGM. And therefore, that's a third
step of consistency. And therefore it's a slow building process that
we'd expect or that we were hoping to realize when we introduce this
new planning tool to the county.
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COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: To realize what the Chair
suggested.
MR. BOSI: Yes.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Exactly.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: I believe I understand what
you're attempting to do, but that's the question, I think. We have an
advisory committee that came together and came up with -- they come
up with questions. One of the answers is CIGM. That's one of the
efforts at making answers.
The question I have for you is are you the only one carrying the
banner or, as it was pointed out earlier, communication is critical.
Have you then gone to the other departments and at least acquainted
them with the possibility of another methodology?
If you have, have they qualified it? Have they come back to you
and said yes, I'm interested or get the heck out of here?
MR. BOSI: The other departments are always looking to
comprehensive planning for what the most valid and appropriate
numbers for long-range population projections are.
And just to qualify, the Horizon Study master committee was
tasked by the Board of County Commissioners. The Board of County
Commissioners directed staff to develop the Collier County interactive
growth model. They asked the Horizon Study to calculate it, to ask
specific questions, to poke holes in the growth model to make sure
that it's as accurate and valid they possibly could.
That committee has endorsed the utilization of the growth model
as a planning tool.
The Board of County Commissioners back in 2006 directed us to
develop it. Weare asking a second advisory board, the Planning
Commission, to see if you could recommend that there would be value
to the utilization of the growth model.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Did the broach -- did the BCC
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broach the issue of the AUIR, its use and this is a potential
replacement?
MR. BOSI: They saw the value that the growth model could
provide for the long use land modeling provisions and projections to
be utilized by the infrastructure and service providing departments.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And they provided you with the
authority to acquire the software?
MR. BOSI: Yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Sounds like they were eager.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, Michael.
You might as well stay up there, because I need you to help.
And Doctor, thank you. I think that is the end of our questions
on this segment of your presentation.
DR. VAN BUSKIRK: Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members.
And I appreciate your patience. I know it was a long presentation. And
I also appreciate your comments. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I think there's a lot more questions that
could have been asked or could be asked, but that would probably take
a whole session in itself. Because as you went along, there were a lot
of issues that I would have thought need further exploration, and the
coloring of your maps. But you made it clear that you looked at
agricultural on a one-to-five basis, so a development in that area in
that scenario might reflect that.
The statistics used for Ave Maria, getting those from the
developer's DR!, there's a lot of issues like that that we may want to
review at some time in the future, but right now we're just going to try
to get through the rest of today and see where it goes.
And Michael, I'd like to take us back and formalize whatever is
needed from this board for the BCC. And I think the very first
question that you brought up or that you mentioned in your report was
the committee requests that the CCPC make a recommendation on the
individual position points advanced by the Horizon committee when
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appropriate.
And let's start with there. And I think you've got several
sections. I'll ask the panel if they see any reason why we should have
any comment or change needed to any of the elements produced by
the committee.
It's the committee's consensus. It is not a recommendation to
change the GMP or the LDC, it's simply a consensus statement from
their research in the area. Which does produce a different way of
looking at it than if it was an analytical thing for us to decide and from
a language viewpoint for a code reference.
So with that, I'll open it up to the panel. Is there any comments
on the pages?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: With regard to position points
the general public desires, I would just offer that we should -- if
recommended, we should offer with recommendation with caution or
care with regard to certain of the postulants there. There are views that
are based upon information given to individuals or individuals being
aware of information on a limited basis and projections made on a
gross basis where I think -- and I'm referring now to water and sewer
-- where I think that we have to -- if we're going to suggest that it go
forward, with great care.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody else?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The only thing I would like to suggest is
that the idea of a three-to- five member oversight committee with their
-- we have a very active elected official, we have a number of
appointed boards. The area is riddled with homeowners associations,
civic associations, overlays, people involved in all that.
I honestly do not see what value another oversight committee
adds, especially when it's going to cost taxpayers to implement and to
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December 9,2008
monitor it. Even though they may not be meeting all the time, staffs
got to be involved at some point. There may be advertisements needed
because it will be an appointed body and things like that. I don't know
all that, all the details, but at this point in time I certainly question the
need for it.
Other than that, I have no comment other than the fact that if we
wanted to recommend acceptance of the committee's report, that
works.
Mr. Wolfley?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I share some of what the Chair
just said. Although I feel that if we combine several of these
committees into one, the Horizon -- well, the East of951, the RLSA,
and I could I guess think of another one could be combined. There's
some great members in each one of those, and they represent the large
landowners, even some small ones and represent different developers.
They represent farm -- so there's a good representation. I think that if
they were combined into one --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: David?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Yes?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: They're not recommending that. These
committees all sunset. The Horizon committee will end, the RLSA
committee will end. And what the Horizon committee is suggesting is
that they reappoint three to five members in an oversight committee to
monitor just the reports of the Horizon committee.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Well, I stepped beyond what
our purview is. I was trying to get to that, but --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, you can suggest anything you
want.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: No, but I'm just saying, I guess
I stepped a little beyond what we're supposed to do.
And I think I made my points clear about what we should do
with the interactive model. So that will be it.
Page 13 7
December 9, 2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, we're going to go through that all
over again. We've got three levels to recommend for recommendations
here. The first one is just to recommend acceptance of the committee's
report to the Board of County Commissioners.
Does anybody have a motion to that effect?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: I'll make it.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: So moved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Vigliotti made the motion,
seconded by Mr. Wolfley.
Is there any discussion?
Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Nothing other than I would say
that I'm especially hopeful that the Commission will pay attention to
the water issues in paragraphs two and three.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: And I have -- I hope we can
recommend that there will be modifications made to the population
land use graphics that were related that we had -- some of us had some
issues with.
That if you retain those, which I understand they serve a
purpose, but that perhaps you could also provide something that would
graphically satisfy the persons.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We're only talking about the first tab,
section one. You're talking about tab three.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: They asked for -- Michael asked in his
staff report --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Section one, okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- he asked for three separate inputs.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I know, I wrote them down.
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December 9, 2008
Consultant approval, bridge study and position points. But okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Committee approval. We're still on the
first one, the committee recommendation.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: All right. I'll save myself for
later.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: In my motion I also agree that
we don't need the three to five-member plan. I don't know ifI made
that specific.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, you didn't. But if that's fine -- does
the second have any problem with that?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: No, no.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody else?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah, I'm going to vote against
it then, because I think that's a good idea. Too many times these -- a
great deal of effort, a great deal of money is spent and then it goes on
the shelf.
And while I agree that we have some very fine professionals, it
doesn't hurt to have coordination. I don't know how much more money
it would cost. This is an investment already significant. I think the
matter does require some future assistance. And ultimately it would be
the determination by the board anyway.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, everything is ultimately a
determination by the board.
So anybody else have any comment?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I just want --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Wolfley?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: -- make a comment.
What I was trying to make and I can do it very shortly, every
five years we review this RLSA as if that was what was intended. And
now we want a review of this. My point was merely we could
combine the two and it would be a very similar report. That was that.
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December 9, 2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's up -- okay. I mean, I understand
where you're going now.
Okay, a motion's been made, it's been seconded.
All in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER HOMIAK: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody opposed?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Opposed.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries 5-1.
Let's move to the second section on the bridges. Nick's report.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Is it clear on the record why --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- I opposed, in case one of the
commISSIOners --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You stated your point.
Mr. Bosi, do you have any question as to what --
MR. BOSI: No, I will convey that point to the commissioners.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. The bridge study. Staff requests
recommendation to accept the bridge study with or without
recommendations and to recommend proceedings with construction of
the bridges east of 951 as prioritized in the study, subject to available
funding.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: So moved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is there a discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Mr. Wolfley, I was going to ask
for discussion first so -- is that okay?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, discussion first. Does anybody
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December 9,2008
have any comments about that study?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The only thing I would like to mention
is that in Golden Gate we have an overlay. And this is an issue for
Golden Gate and not anywhere else. The overlay is a land planning
overlay that goes on every 10 years, I believe.
And the next appointment to the Golden Gate master plan
overlay will be in the year 2010. The last one was the year 2000.
The planning issues involving bridge connections might be more
thoroughly vetted if it goes through that committee.
And as Nick probably understands and anybody else, there's not
going to be any money to spend on bridges for quite a few years
anyway, so I'm not sure the bridge study can't wait until it's focused on
just Golden Gate Estates by a Golden Gate Estates overlay committee.
And my point on that would -- my suggestion would be to do
that. But that's just my preference from living there. So --
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: And my understanding, and
incorrectly, I guess, that there were monies already appropriated for at
least one of those bridges, and I did not want to see that go by the
wayside.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, and I don't -- Mike, are you --
MR. BOSI: Nick had said that there's potentially -- the
maintenance of existing bridges were the first priority in maybe years
four and five.
Within the AUIR there is money allocated for bridges. He said
maybe in the year four and five that might be the opportunity for them
to enact upon the first -- the number one prioritized bridge. Which
would put us at 2011.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Oh, okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. So that gives the Golden Gate
Area Master Plan committee to reform again and start coming back
with an analysis based on focusing on that area for bridge
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improvements.
MR. BOSI: So I guess just to clarify that the position that the
Planning Commission is providing, that you'll accept the bridge study
but would recommend that that bridge study be vetted with a 2010
restudy of the Golden Gate Area Master Plan?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That would be my suggestion. Is that--
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I would --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Everybody seem to --
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I was --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You want to make a motion to that
effect.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I was going to make the
motion. But again, I had false information. If it is 20 II, I would make
the motion that we do need a study over the next couple of years, yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I think the motion would be what
Mr. Bosi articulated, was that we accept the study but we would defer
the action of the bridges till the time when the Golden Gate Area
Master Plan re-meets, gets reconstituted, I should say, and goes
forward. Is that --
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: And that I will agree with, yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is there a second to that position?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Second.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray seconded.
Is there any discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HOMIAK: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Aye.
December 9,2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries 6-0.
The last item for today is for the growth model. Staff
recommends that the CCPC provides direction to the BCC to accept
the CIGM as a supplemental planning tool, enter into negotiations
with Van Buskirk, Ryffel and Associates for the annual update of the
model.
Let's have discussion first. Is there a general discussion from the
board?
Mr. Wolfley?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I want to just reiterate one more
time quickly that I feel that if we were to -- and I don't know whether
you want to use the word block out the SSA's the sending areas, so
that it is shown on that interactive model that those will not go to
development. They'll either be agriculture or preserve.
And then the reverse of that, the SRA's, and show where those
areas are with the infrastructure of roads and of those 22 suggested
areas.
Now, realizing two or three or four or five of those may drop out
as other communities are built. But I just think that if we could start
with a baseline of that map and then showing the SRA's, SSA's, along
-- and I think it would be more real. And --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I don't think we can change what's
already been done, but I think you're recommending improvements to
the methodology.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Yes, I am.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. The request from the board and
from staff is that we accept the CIGM as a supplemental planning tool,
number one.
And then number two, that we recommend entering into
negotiations with the company for an annual update of the model.
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So let's focus on those two directives, because that's all that the
BCC --
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Right. Well, I agree with the
model, I just think it needs some work. That's all. I hit both of them.
COMMISSIONER CARON: And I think that's fair,
Commissioner Wolfley. We did that with this past motion, which was
to make it in consultation with the 2010 Golden Gate Area Master
Plan update. So we can --
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Which is --
COMMISSIONER CARON: -- certainly say that we
recommend that these maps be updated as well. So --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, that's a different scenario.
And that's fine. To update the model, we'd have to spend -- we'd have
to recommend approval then of the ongoing use of the model. Is that --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is that the consensus I'm seeing, Ms.
Caron?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah, I'm going to make that
motion.
COMMISSIONER CARON: I'm not saying anything, I'mjust
saying it's reasonable what he's asking to do. If you're going to use the
model, what -- the update he's asking for is more than reasonable,
right?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Fine. Yeah, but I -- okay, I'm just trying
to get to what we're supposed to --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I had made the motion.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: What did you make a motion, Mr.
Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: While you guys were chatting,
I'm making the motion to recommend approval for updating the model
and accepting the information.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is there a second to Mr. Murray's
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recommendation to update the model and to accept the model as a
supplemental planning tool?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: (Indicating).
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Wolfley made the second.
Is there discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'll be voting no on the motion. I don't
mind it being used as a supplemental planning tool by the Horizon
committee, but in the review and the process, I didn't want to spend
two days asking questions. I don't feel I understand the model's
parameters well enough to recommend approval to spend any
taxpayer's money on a model that I have yet been able to try out, that
in the presentation was numerous issues that I certainly question,
including some locations of sites that I saw, some language that would
institute regional laws that we don't have in our GMP.
There's no way to tie the facilities and the plan back to the
AUIR, and thus the levels of service that would -- and the costs for
those levels of service.
So I'm not saying the tool's bad, I just have too many questions
to recommend spending any further money on it at this point, because
we haven't been provided with enough.
Mr. Wolfley?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: I made the second, thinking that
what I've been talking about would actually happen. But now that
you've said that put me back into my thoughts, I may take back my
second if those things that I suggested doing are not going to happen.
If the tool's going to be as it is and we're to approve it as it is, I'm
afraid I can't either.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, let's just move forward with the
discussion and ferret out the concerns before you change any of your
position.
Mr. Vigliotti?
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December 9,2008
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Didn't we spend the bulk of the
money already?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Two hundred thousand.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Yeah, isn't it gone and behind
us?
MR. BOSI: The price tag that was associated with the update
represented five to 10 percent of the initial cost to establish the model.
The initial model was $200,000. The price tag they quoted up to 10 --
or with an upper limit of 20,000; 10 being five percent of their original
cost of the $200,000, 10 percent being 20,000 if the update would cost
to that extent.
The model is ours and the model will stay ours, even if we don't
-- if we accept the model and don't accept the -- enter into a contract
for updating the model, it will still stay ours. It will just stay ours
statically. But yeah, we spent the initial bulk of the money to develop
the model.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Ifwe walk away now, do we
still have access to the site?
MR. BOSI: Yes.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: But there could be no further
changes.
MR. BOSI: The updating of the model is what wouldn't be
provided for.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: So it will be a pay-as-you-go
program that you'll decide as we go ahead?
MR. BOSI: On an annual basis, yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Wait, wait, I had--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So Mr. Murray, then--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yes, you're saying the update,
but the Doctor said that updates would be provided based on what we
have done now.
I don't know that you mean updates, you mean modifications to
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the program?
MR. BOSI: See, there's two models. There's two models. You've
got your data base and then you've got your actual -- the growth model
with the coefficients.
What's free is he updates his coefficients. He updates how the
model works, how the model takes your baseline data information and
processes it.
What's going to remain as constant is not that, what's going to
remain constant is what our baseline data says. We're always going to
-- that model's always going to be stuck in 2007, if we don't provide
for the updated --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: You mean you don't have the
facility in your -- if you were as a staff person required to do this, you
don't have the facility within that software to update and cause that to
happen on your own?
MR. BOSI: I don't have the staff members, nor do I have the
technical expertise to ensure that I'm doing it correctly.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. But it is possible, utilizing
the program that exists right now, to continue to do that.
MR. BOSI: Yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I got that from the Doctor, and I
just --
MR. BOSI: Yes, yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- wanted verification.
MR. BOSI: Yes, it is.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Bill?
MR. McDANIEL: Just -- and one point for the record. Bill
McDaniel, and I'm here as a person from the general public, as well as
serving as chair of the East of951.
Commissioner Wolfley, you brought up a valid point. And I
would like to suggest that there are a lot of interpretations of
information.
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December 9,2008
And there's a voluminous -- as I shared with you earlier, there's a
voluminous amount of information that's entailed in this interactive
growth model.
How that information is interpreted and then ultimately brought
on to a mapping scenario I think is the clarification that you're
ultimately looking for. I've seen some really cool maps that Dr. Van
Buskirk has put together that showed a much clearer picture as to
what's ultimately going to be developed where town centers and so on
and so forth can in fact be located.
The map that he used today was based upon the T AZ areas, the
T AZ zones, the traffic area zones that we've typified. And per the
interpretation, and with the request of information that's put in, you
saw one interpretation. There are others that are a lot clearer. It doesn't
mean that it's bad, it doesn't mean that the information is not correct, it
just means that it's an interpretation issue.
And I think easily it doesn't mean that the entire model is bad,
it's just the interpretation that they utilize for today's presentation.
Did that come across okay?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: To me it does.
MR. McDANIEL: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Between the two of you now in
that regard, you have a study. One of the tools of the study was this
dynamic software, this program, right? Is the purpose of the study to
now lie on a shelf and die?
MR. McDANIEL: No, sir.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So --
MR. McDANIEL: And again, and we're not going to -- you
know, you all have already voted on that, so we'll let that one --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, I'm not even relating to
that. My question is really focused around the idea that if you've
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already purchased it and you've done your study and you're finished,
well, we could say it's all done and just let it go away and you can use
it or not use it as you please.
However, I perceive it, even though I agree with the Chair that
there are a lot of unanswered questions, I believe that as an answer, a
tool that you can use, it may prove to be effective, and that's why I
made the motion, can be effective and could ultimately be utilized.
But that can't be proven unless we give it a chance.
MR. McDANIEL: And that, ifI may, Mr. Bosi, bodes the
question and the thought processes, because of the information sources
that we currently have available that we're utilizing for population
projections, the land use map that we currently have in existence
today, there are other ways of getting to the ultimate end.
This we have found. And we ground truthed a lot of the
information on the East of 951 Horizon Study during our workshops
and our committee meetings. We have found that this interactive
growth model on the pretense is a very, very valuable tool that we're
going to be able to utilize for our community going forward. It's far
more accurate than the information that we have available to us. It's
far more dynamic and accepts the changes of population based on
political trends and socio issues that are ultimately going to be
impacting the future growth of our community.
So we're -- it is our suggestion, as was put before you, to
authorize its utilization. A continuing maintenance program is
necessary because it's the same old adage, garbage in, garbage out. If
the interactive growth model is not updated, if it's not maintained, it
won't produce satisfactory information for us to be able to make
prudent decisions going forward with our growth and development.
Hence the suggestion of this oversight committee to ensure that that
was in fact transpiring so that the decision-makers had that ability.
Again, we're not going to -- that was the premise behind that thought
process.
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December 9,2008
But bottom line is it has to be maintained, it has to be updated in
order for it to be utilized and be accurate.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mike, if this gets approved and we
go forward and we use this growth model that we've paid for, how
would we address certain issues that, for example, Commissioner
Strain has brought up? How would you get that input from people in
order to perhaps make corrections or modifications or --
MR. BOSI: And one, I would have to sit down with Chairman
Strain to find out where his primary issues lied.
I can tell you what I as the community planning manager and the
AUIR manager envisioned. After the update would take place in
April, would take a couple months, sometime in July I would be
before the Planning Commission and the Productivity Committee as a
precursor to the AUIR process to let you know here was the results of
our growth model from 2007, here was the output, here was the
increments at build-out and the extent of development that was
projected for. Here's the 2008 updated version with all the land use
decisions, and -- not land use decisions, but development orders that
had been provided for over the course of that year. And give you the
change in dynamic, what the change of that picture would be as a
precursor to the upcoming 2009 AUIR.
And then from that point in time I believe that we would broach
the -- we would broach this subject with the Productivity, Planning
Commission and the Board of County Commissioners as to whether
they saw it within a value to explore the possibility of potentially -- of
potentially adopting the growth model in the population projections, in
the spatial population projections of the growth model to be
incorporated within our Growth Management Plan. But that would be
only if the advisory boards and the Board of County Commissioners
saw the benefit of that.
But that's really how I envisioned the process to go.
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December 9, 2008
What I've heard now from Commissioner Strain is there are a lot
of questions, and rightfully. Because of that I think there would have
to be another full day or two of vetting just with Dr. Van Buskirk, the
Planning Commission, in providing you with a technical document, so
to speak, before that meeting to be able to give a little bit more
exposure to the underpinnings within the limitations of the proprietary
information to be able to have a much better vetting and understanding
on the Planning Commission's part of the actual nuts and bolts of it.
MR. McDANIEL: And this may be an over-simplification,
Commissioner. Did he answer your question?
COMMISSIONER CARON: That's all right, I'll get back to him.
MR. McDANIEL: There was a ton of information that came out
over there.
When we saw this interactive growth model at the committee
level, they flopped out all those charts with all that information.
And I remember one of our committee persons, Doug Rankin,
about turned a flip because there were incorrect assumptions made
coming off of the land use maps with respect to the densities that
could potentially be allowable in Golden Gate Estates.
And so with respect to that, and we made those suggestions, Dr.
Van Buskirk and his staff took them into consideration, implemented
them in and then brought them back with new information for us to
verify and check to further assure the accuracy of the information.
And as I said before, with garbage in, garbage out, that process
can happen over time.
As Commissioner Strain has an opportunity to review the
different aspects of the interactive growth model and all of us, anyone
necessarily that has anything to do with the growth management
planning process, will have that opportunity to make those
suggestions.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mike?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thanks, Bill.
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December 9,2008
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. McDaniel brought up one of
the points that I was trying to make.
When it was first presented to the Horizon Study group, they got
the raw data to look at. And guess what? They found issues.
As your local planning agency, we have yet to see the raw data.
Would it not be a good thing for us to see that data?
MR. BOSI: It most certainly would. The problem that I -- that
was presented to me was in terms of scheduling, that Horizon Study
committee review of the AUIR -- or growth model data took place
over a 16-month period.
Between the presentation of the Board of County
Commissioners on the 29th of September and the scheduling of this
meeting, I guess there just wasn't the opportunity to present a whole
nother round of the technical underpinnings and the redevelopment of
the model with an additional advisory board. We were tasked by the
Board of County Commissioners to take the growth model and
develop it with the Horizon Study committee.
And it's very fair of this body to say we understand that
directive, but we still have hesitations towards our full acceptance of
the model.
So what I'm hearing from you, Ms. Caron, is you would like to
have a four to five scheduled process of taking the model through the
process with yourselves. But the problem is, I don't have that within a
contractual obligation within my consultants. So that would require
additional monies. I guess staff could do it without the expertise of the
principals, but the value to that exercise, I'm not quite -- I'm not sure if
you'd get everything out of it that you're looking for.
But yes, I understand your contention, but staff was directed to
take this and vet it through with the Horizon Study committee. So in
terms of that detail -- that opportunity for a detailed technical review I
think could present itself. It's just at this point in time it wasn't
provided for within the schedule of events.
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December 9,2008
COMMISSIONER CARON: Okay. I understand your timing
issues with next Tuesday. I understand the timing issues as well as
what the BCC directed you to do, which was to deal through the
Horizon Study group.
Do you think that if this went forward with approval that
between now or between whenever the BCC blessed it and when you
come before us in a pre-AUIR meeting we could have been -- we
could be given that information?
MR. BOSI: If that would be the desire of the Planning
Commission that that process, you know, be undertaken by myself, I
most certainly -- I most certainly --
COMMISSIONER CARON: You're saying you don't have .
money.
MR. BOSI: I most certainly will schedule the event within the
context and the understanding that it would be staff for the most part
representing our limited understanding. But we could most certainly
go through and have a full vetting of all the increments of the baseline
data.
Because what the Horizon Study committee did really was
review the baseline data, vet the information within the T AZ, because
they lived in the study area, they knew the specific built (sic)
environment, much better than just what the spreadsheets were saying.
And then we discussed some of the parameters that were utilized to
produce the algorithms.
We can do -- we could provide something similar to that. It just
would have to be without the presence of the consultants, just because
we haven't -- contractually we don't have the latitude with that,
unfortunately.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Bill, did you have something else
you wanted to add?
MR. McDANIEL: Only to the extent, Ms. Caron, you need to --
you ought to at some particular stage, as this planning tool that's being
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suggested that we utilize this as an additional planning tool, so if in
fact you folks choose to recommend its approval and move it on
through the process, you're going to have a lot of shots, if you will, at
this.
There is an unbelievable amount of information that's contained
in here that will be ground truthed over time. There's going to be
things in the Immokalee overlay that none of us have any real good
working knowledge of that the folks in the master planning committee
in Immokalee will ultimately take on.
The ultimate changes that are going to occur within the Rural
Land Stewardship Overlay. I mean, while this process was going on,
Dr. Van Buskirk didn't know that we were whacking the hamlets as a
designated development criteria in the Rural Land Stewardship
Overlay. Didn't realize that we were establishing an additional credit
methodology for the preservation and conservation of agricultural
uses.
Those are all things that this model will ultimately accept as we
go forth in time. But it just needs more time for that vetting and
review. And I think over that time you're going to have that
opportunity to have a look at the specificities that make it do what it
does.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, Bill.
Any other comments?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Yeah --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: -- I just want to make one.
I will be voting for it. I think we spent -- I know we spent most
of the money already. And from here going forward is pay as you go.
But I'm really interested in the possibility of finding a whole
new way of looking at population. Because every time we do the
AUIR, we really don't have an agreement on even the right figures to
use.
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December 9, 2008
And as you have said, this might give us another slant that
maybe we could eventually get this through the DCA. So I will be
voting for it.
And I don't need to -- Ms. Caron, they spent months and months
and months doing all the details. I really don't need the details going
backwards. That's just where I stand on it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And I'll be voting no still.
For the record clear, because the BCC wants to know why if you
vote no, why you voted no.
I don't -- I am dissatisfied with the inconsistencies with the
AUIR, the lack of verifiable data. Contrary to Mr. Vigliotti's
conclusion, I would like more data. And so far what I've seen, there
was not enough time to provide us with a verification that I feel
comfortable with.
And additionally, at these times, any additional cost to
government aren't needed that aren't essential.
Mr. Wolfley, did you have a comment?
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Yes. I am going to stay in my
number -- in my second of the motion.
Certainly it needs work. How can the first go-through be
perfect? If it were, these two gentlemen behind you, you know, they
would be in every precinct, every county across the country.
It does need some work. I do feel that a committee, the
combined committee will help get those issues resolved. And I'll
continue my second and vote for it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, with that, all in favor of the
motion for recommending the acceptance of this as a supplemental
planning tool and to enter into negotiations for the update of the
model, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HOMIAK: Aye.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Aye.
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December 9,2008
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All those opposed?
Nay. Just me.
Okay. Motion carries 5-1.
And I thank all of you for everything here today. It was an
enlightening experience. Is there any -- unless the young lady there
would like to speak to us, she's the only member of the public left, so
MR. McDANIEL: She was our record keeper during the East of
951.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, I'm sure she's probably got
opinions, but whether you want to express them or not, it's up to you.
Okay, it's public comment period, but if there's no --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I make a suggestion that
somebody buy him lunch, because he didn't get lunch today.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yeah, I didn't plan to be here.
Okay, is there a motion to adjourn?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: So moved.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Vigliotti, seconded by Mr. Wolfley.
All in favor?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HOMIAK: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER WOLFLEY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries. We are adjourned.
Thank you all.
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December 9,2008
*****
There being no further business for the good of the County, the
meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair at 2:41 p.m.
COLLIER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
MARK STRAIN, Chairman
These minutes approved by the board on
presented or as corrected
as
Transcript prepared on behalf of Gregory Reporting Service, Inc., by
Cherie' R. Nottingham.
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