[00:00:02]
[1. CALL TO ORDER]
I'D LIKE TO WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE CITY OF FERNANDINA BEACH PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD JOINT SPECIAL MEETING WITH THE CITY COMMISSION.AND TODAY IS FEBRUARY THE 22ND, 2023.
IT'S 5:00 AND WE'RE MEETING IN THE CITY HALL COMMISSION CHAMBERS IN FERNANDINA BEACH, FLORIDA.
UM, DO WE DO A FLAG? DO WE. DO WE DO, I THINK JUST A ROLL CALL TODAY AND A PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AFTER THAT, IF THAT.
YEAH. OKAY. SO COULD WE HAVE A ROLL CALL, PLEASE? MEMBER BALDWIN. HERE.
ALL RIGHT. SHALL WE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, PLEASE? I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.
ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.
I'VE. I CAN'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME THAT WE HAD A JOINT MEETING, BUT I THINK THAT IT'S VERY HELPFUL FOR US TO GET TOGETHER PERIODICALLY AND HAVE SOME CONVERSATION OF WHAT WE DO.
AND JUST SO THAT ESPECIALLY WITH SOME NEW MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION, TO HELP UNDERSTAND WHEN THEY GET THINGS FROM THE PAB THAT THEY SORT OF HAVE AN IDEA OF FROM WHENCE IT HAS COME.
I'M SORRY. I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALSO A MEMBER DOSTER IS PRESENT HERE.
I FORGOT TO CALL. OH, DID WE MISS MR. DOSTER? YES. I MISSED IT.
WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HERE. SORRY.
WE HAVE STAFF HAS PUT TOGETHER A VERY GOOD PRESENTATION.
[4.1 Staff Presentation on: • Role of the Planning Advisory Board; • Relationship with Comprehensive Plan, Land Development Code, Capital Improvements Plan, and Budget; and • Review of 2023 Projects and Priorities.]
AN OVERVIEW? SORT OF A 20,000 FOOT LEVEL.TO TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE DO ON THE PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD.
DAPHNE YES. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.
I WILL START OFF WITH OUR PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS.
SO WE HAVE MS.. VICTORIA ROBERTS, WHO IS OUR CHAIR, AND MR. PETE STEVENSON, WHO IS OUR VICE CHAIR.
I AM DAPHNE FOREHAND, THE STAFF LIAISON TO THIS BOARD, AND I AM VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE TONIGHT.
AND WE ALSO DO LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE AMENDMENTS.
WE HAVE OUR REGULAR MEETINGS EVERY SECOND WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH.
AND THROUGH 21, 20, 21 AND 2022.
WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR ANNEXATIONS.
IN 2021, WE HAD 8.6 ACRES OF LAND ANNEXED INTO THE CITY.
AND WE ALSO ADDED IN 5.35 ACRES OF CONSERVATION LAND IN 2022, WE'VE HAD FIVE CASES WITH 3.41 ACRES OF CONSERVATION AND PLATS FOR 2021 THREE RESOLUTIONS.
THOSE WERE ALL FROM CRANE ISLAND AND 2022 WE ONLY HAD TWO CODE AMENDMENTS.
2021 WE ONLY HAD TWO ORDINANCES.
OUR ORDINANCES OR OUR LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
TEXT AMENDMENTS ARE USUALLY BUNDLED.
THEY HAVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT AMENDMENTS INCLUDED UNDER ONE ORDINANCE.
SO JUST BECAUSE IT'S TWO DOES NOT MEAN THAT THERE WAS NOT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CHANGES MADE.
THEY'RE JUST BUNDLED TOGETHER IN THAT WAY.
WE'VE HAD SIX ORDINANCES IN 2022.
AND THEN AS FAR AS COMP PLAN AMENDMENTS GO, 2021, WE HAD THE PORT SUB.
[00:05:01]
ELEMENT ADDED AND THE PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS ADDED.AND IN 2022, WE HAD NO CHANGES AT ALL.
AND FOR THIS YEAR, THESE ARE SOME OF OUR ACTIVE PROJECTS.
OUR LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE RESTRUCTURING.
IT'S KIND OF I LIKE TO REFER TO IT AS A PUZZLE.
SO THIS RESTRUCTURING WILL HELP WITH THAT.
AND I'LL GET INTO A LITTLE MORE DETAILS ON SOME OF THE BENEFITS FOR THAT.
WE ARE ALSO WORKING ON A NUMBER OF TEXT AMENDMENTS THAT WILL COME IN THE SUMMER.
SO JUNE TIME FRAME AND OUR BEACH HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN, OUR CITYWIDE RESILIENCY PLAN AND THE PECK CENTER NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATION. SO GETTING INTO THE DETAILS OF THE LDC RESTRUCTURING, JUST SO EVERYONE'S FAMILIAR WITH THIS, ONE OF THE MAIN BENEFITS FOR RESTRUCTURING OUR CODE IS IT'S GOING TO CUT DOWN ON THE AMOUNT OF TIME YOU'RE SPENT SEARCHING FOR INFORMATION SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH SEVERAL DIFFERENT CHAPTERS. OUR GOAL REALLY IS TO GET THIS INTO MUNICODE WITH OUR CODE, OUR CITY CODE OF ORDINANCES.
SO WHEN YOU GO ON THERE, YOU CAN SEARCH INFORMATION, TYPE IN KEYWORDS AND IT'S GOING TO PULL ALL OF THE RELEVANT INFORMATION AND IT'S GOING TO MAKE IT A LOT EASIER TO FIND EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED.
SO THIS IS GOING TO RESULT IN IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE.
SO THIS WILL DEFINITELY IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER SERVICE.
SO IT'S JUST A GREAT SOFTWARE THAT WE CAN UTILIZE AND KEEP TRACK OF ALL THE CHANGES THAT WE HAVE.
AS YOU KNOW, MANY, MANY LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE CHANGES HAVE HAPPENED OVER THIS PAST YEAR, AND I WILL PASS IT OVER TO KELLY GIBSON, DIRECTOR OF THIS DEPARTMENT. HI.
SO I'M GOING TO BE VERY BRIEF.
WE COMPLETED OUR VISION 2045 STATEMENT, WHICH SETS FORTH SOME GENERAL FRAMEWORK AS WELL AS GOALS AND THEMES FOR THE CITY TO ACCOMPLISH OVER THE NEXT 25 YEARS.
IN ADDITION TO WHAT YOU HAVE HERE IN THE LARGER DOCUMENT AS AN APPENDIX, THERE ARE IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES THAT DO GET MUCH MORE SPECIFIC, AND THEY SET FORTH SPECIFIC TIMEFRAMES, SHORT TERM, MEDIUM TERM AND LONG TERM.
SO IT'S A MUCH MORE ROBUST DOCUMENT THAN WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE.
BUT THIS GIVES YOU A GOOD SENSE OF THINGS WITH THE OVERARCHING LENS, IF YOU WILL, WHICH I THINK COMES AS NO SURPRISE, REALLY HONING IN PRESERVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY.
AND IT HAS ONLY CONTINUED TO BE A THEME THAT WE HEAR REPEATED THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY AND REALLY TRYING TO PROTECT THE AMAZING RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE HERE. SO A LITTLE BIT OF, AGAIN, GROUNDWORK SETTING THE STAGE WITH OUR DEMOGRAPHICS.
OUR POPULATION IS HOVERING RIGHT AROUND 13,360 PEOPLE AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
THE GRAPHIC IS A LITTLE DATED AT THIS POINT.
IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT WE HAVE A LARGELY WHITE COMMUNITY, BUT OUR STATISTICS IN OTHER AREAS ARE INCREASING, AND WE'VE WITNESSED A TREND FROM THE 2010 CENSUS TO THE 2020 CENSUS WHERE THAT'S INCREASING IN OUR DIVERSITY.
AGAIN, NO SURPRISE THAT WE ARE AN AGING COMMUNITY.
AND WE'RE ALSO A WEALTHY COMMUNITY WITH LOW UNEMPLOYMENT RATES, AND WE DO HAVE A CLIMBING POVERTY RATE, AS I'M SURE MANY OF US HAVE WITNESSED OVER THE PAST 24 MONTHS OR SO, REALLY A LOT MORE PRONOUNCED IN THE NUMBER OF HOMELESS THAT WE'RE SEEING.
OUR POPULATION RATE OF GROWTH HAS BEEN STEADY FOR OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS OR SO AT AN ANNUAL RATE OF GROWTH OF APPROXIMATELY 1%. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT OUT TO THE YEAR 2045, WE ARE LOOKING TO HAVE A TOTAL POPULATION HOVERING RIGHT AROUND 16,000 PEOPLE.
[00:10:07]
THAT'S AN ADDITIONAL 2500 PEOPLE OR SO THROUGH THAT PLANNING HORIZON.AND THAT'S WHAT THIS DOCUMENT IS INTENDED TO DO, IS GIVE US A SENSE OF WHAT DO WE NEED TO ANTICIPATE FOR AND WHAT IS THAT GOING TO LOOK LIKE WHEN WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE? KELLY, ARE WE ALLOWED TO INTERRUPT? IF YOU'D LIKE.
WELL, I DON'T WANT TO. I DON'T WANT TO BREAK YOUR PACE.
IF YOU DON'T MIND. SURE. THANKS.
IN TERMS OF OUR LAND USE DISTRIBUTION, YOU'RE ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD SHAPE.
YOU'VE GOT ALMOST 30% IN RESIDENTIAL LAND USE.
ALMOST 20 TO 30% IN INDUSTRIAL AND A SIMILAR AMOUNT IN COMMERCIAL.
ONCE YOU START TO TAKE OUT THE NEARLY 40% OF RECREATION AND CONSERVATION SPACE THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE, KEEPING IN MIND THAT A LARGE PORTION OF THAT IS FORT CLINCH STATE PARK.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE CAN SEE HERE THAT WE ARE LARGELY SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED HOUSING TYPE WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE HOUSING STOCK HAVING DEVELOPED IN BEFORE 1980 AND THROUGH THE YEAR 1999.
SO WE'RE SEEING ACTUALLY A DECLINE IN THE NUMBER OF NEW HOUSING UNITS OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS.
SO WE HAVE OLDER HOUSING STOCK IN MANY CASES.
AGAIN, THAT THEME OF PRESERVATION AND BEING ABLE TO RETAIN THE EXISTING ASSETS THAT WE HAVE FROM BOTH A CULTURAL STANDPOINT AND SUSTAINABILITY STANDPOINT WITH THE EMBODIED ENERGY THAT THEY HAVE BEING A REALLY IMPORTANT THEME.
BUT WE DO HAVE OTHER HOUSING TYPES AVAILABLE.
THIS CERTAINLY DOES GIVE YOU A BETTER PICTURE OF WHAT WE TYPICALLY SEE HERE.
WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. VERY QUICKLY, I WANT TO TOUCH ON THIS AND THIS IS ONE OF MY AREAS.
THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE ITSELF IS CREATING THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK THAT WE'RE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THE COMP PLAN IN ITS DIRECTION AND POLICY FOCUS WHERE YOUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PLAN AND YOUR OPERATING BUDGET COME IN IS THAT YOU HAVE A ROLLING PLAN FOR THOSE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.
AND TOGETHER WITH YOUR OPERATIONAL BUDGET, IT WILL SET FORTH YOUR POLICIES AND PROPOSALS TO SYSTEMATICALLY MAINTAIN AND UPGRADE YOUR PHYSICAL ASSETS, INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES THROUGH DIRECTED INVESTMENT IN THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER COLLECTIVELY, THESE DOCUMENTS LEAD THE CITY TO REALLY ACHIEVE SMART FOR SMART GROWTH FORM OF DEVELOPMENT, AND THAT ALLOWS THE CURRENT COMMISSION AND FUTURE COMMISSION TO BE PROACTIVE IN THE PLANNING OF THE CITY.
INSTEAD OF REACTING TO TRENDS, WE CAN REALLY THINK THROUGH WHAT THOSE ISSUES ARE.
THE PLAN WE'RE CURRENTLY OPERATING UNDER IS FROM 2030.
THE PLANNING HORIZON ITSELF IS SET OUT TO 2030 AND SO THAT WAS UPDATED IN 2012 AND ADOPTED IN DECEMBER OF 2012. IT CONTAINS 12 TOTAL ELEMENTS, A COUPLE OF WHICH HAVE SHIFTED IN THAT TIME FRAME.
AND THEN THAT THAT OCCURRED IN 2013.
THERE'S BEEN A SHIFT TO MOVE OUR CORE ELEMENT TO BECOME A SUB ELEMENT UNDER COASTAL CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT THAT WAS DIRECTED BY STATE LAW AND THE CHANGE THAT WE MADE IN 2021. AND THEN THE OTHER AREA WAS TO INCORPORATE PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS AS AN ELEMENT, AGAIN, AS DIRECTED BY STATE STATUTE.
THIS IS A PLAN THAT IS REGIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS WELL AS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AT A BRONZE LEVEL FOR THE AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION'S AWARD OF SUSTAINING PLACES. THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS VETTED IN 2016, SOMETHING THAT WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF.
WE CONTINUE TO BE A MODEL FOR MANY COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE.
OOPS. LET'S GO BACK. ONE SLIDE.
SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? AND I'M REALLY AGAIN, TRYING TO SET THE STAGE FOR SOME REALLY GOOD DIALOG HERE BETWEEN THE BOARDS.
WE'VE COMPLETED OUR VISION 2045.
THERE ARE VERY SPECIFIC IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES THAT WE CAN EXAMINE AND CONSIDER AND THEN ACT ON.
[00:15:02]
WE HAVE RESILIENCY AS A CITYWIDE FOCUS THAT'S TAKING PLACE, AND THAT DATA AND INFORMATION IS COLLECTED AS PART OF THAT EFFORT SHOULD BE USED TO INFORM PLAN UPDATES AND UPDATES AS WELL AS LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE UPDATES.THE OTHER AREA OF COMP PLAN EDITS THAT YOU MAY WISH TO CONSIDER BEYOND RESETTING THE PLANNING HORIZON AND TIME FRAME OUT TO 2045 WOULD BE SOME CLEANUP ITEMS. ITEMS SUCH AS MODIFYING KEY DATES AND STUDY TIMEFRAMES.
PROGRESS OF EACH OF THOSE STUDIES OR THE TIME FRAMES AND SUGGESTIONS FOR AMENDING THAT.
SO SOME OF THAT WORK HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE.
YOU COULD EASILY BE MOVING FORWARD.
AND THEN WITH THAT, I WOULD PAIR IT WITH SOME OF THOSE CODE AMENDMENTS AND SOME TOPIC SPECIFIC DRIVEN ITEMS THAT YOU MAY WISH TO DISCUSS OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST FOR THE NEXT YEAR OR SO. RIGHT NOW THERE IS AN ONGOING EFFORT AND HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR SEVERAL YEARS TO MEANINGFULLY MAKE PROGRESS WITH OUR COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM IN ACHIEVING A ELEVATED LEVEL WHICH PROVIDES FOR DISCOUNTS ON FLOOD INSURANCE IN IN OUR PART AS PLANNING STAFF IS SUPPORT OF THOSE EFFORTS WHICH OCCUR THROUGH THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT.
WE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO LOOK AT AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY.
RECENTLY I'VE STUMBLED ACROSS A GOOD BIT OF PROPERTY WHICH WE COULD LOOK AT WORKING WITH HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS TO LOOK AT THEIR COMMON AREA TRACTS OF LAND WHICH HAVE ALREADY BEEN SET ASIDE AS PART OF THEIR PLANNING DOCUMENTS AND GET THEM OUT OF RESIDENTIAL AND INTO A CONSERVATION STANDPOINT.
FUNCTIONALLY, THAT'S HOW THEY'RE BEING HANDLED ANYWAY.
SO IT MAY BE AN EASY WIN FOR US AND ALSO GAIN SOME CRS POINTS.
AND THEN ANOTHER AREA WHERE I CAN ANTICIPATE AS PART OF THAT ELEVATED STATUS IN WORKING TOWARDS MAKING PROGRESS ON CRS IS CHANGES TO CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS IN HOW WE DEVELOP WITHIN THE FLOODPLAIN.
AND THEN WE HAVE SOME A VARIETY OF OTHER KNOWN TOPICS OF INTEREST, THINGS THAT I'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS FOR REALLY ADDRESSING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT AND INFILL STANDARDS.
THERE'S NO DENYING A LOT OF WHAT WE HAVE IN PLACE ALREADY EXISTS.
WHAT WE HAVE NOW IS A LARGELY BUILT OUT COMMUNITY, A POINT THAT I FAIL TO TOUCH ON BEFORE THERE'S NOT A LOT OF NEW GREENFIELD DEVELOPMENT, SOME POCKETS OF IT, AND LARGELY WILL OCCUR THROUGH ANNEXATION WHERE WE SEE GREENFIELD DEVELOPMENT, BUT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS A COMMUNITY THAT'S BUILT OUT IS HOW WE REUSE OUR EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND EXISTING STRUCTURES THAT ARE HERE.
AND SO WE MAY WANT TO GO AHEAD AND TACKLE THAT TOPIC.
PARKING STANDARDS ACROSS THE NATION ARE A HOT TOPIC BECAUSE REALLY WANT TO EFFICIENTLY UTILIZE LAND YOU HAVE AVAILABLE AND MAXIMIZE THE ABILITY TO DEVELOP PRIVATELY ON THOSE PIECES OF PROPERTY.
THEN WE HAVE BUDGETED THIS YEAR SOMETHING THAT'S UNIQUE TO US.
NOT MANY COMMUNITIES HAVE DONE THIS, BUT WE HAVE CREATED A SMALL AREA MODEL JUST FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
MOST COMMUNITIES IN THE STATE WILL RELY ON THE BUREAU OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH.
I'VE HAD IT QUITE RIGHT STANDARD MID MODERATE TERM GROWTH RATE.
WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE CREATED SOMETHING THAT IS VERY SPECIFIC TO OUR COMMUNITY, THAT LOOKS AT THE PROPERTIES AVAILABLE AND ANTICIPATES GROWTH FOR US SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A TRUE SENSE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING.
THAT'S WHERE THOSE FIGURES ARE COMING FROM THAT HE QUOTED PREVIOUSLY.
IT'S RECOMMENDED THAT WE DO THAT EVERY TWO YEARS AND WE'RE WITHIN THAT TIME FRAME NOW.
AND THEN ANOTHER AREA THAT YOU MAY WANT TO THINK ABOUT IS SOME CHANGES TO OUR PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS, THE ACREAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THEM, HOW YOU WANT TO MEANINGFULLY HAVE DEVELOPMENT OCCUR, WHERE IT MIGHT BE UNIQUE OR DIFFERENT THAN WHAT OUR STANDARD PRACTICES WOULD ALLOW.
SO THOSE ARE SOME THINGS FOR WHICH MIGHT PIQUE YOUR INTEREST AND MIGHT BECOME SOME DISCUSSION.
[00:20:07]
LIKE TO SEE. I KNOW THAT'S ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT THEY ARE REALLY HOPING TO GAIN FROM YOU SO THAT WE CAN ALL HAVE A SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE NEXT 12 TO 24 MONTHS MIGHT LOOK LIKE AND WHAT'S ON THEIR PLATE.VERY GOOD. ANY ANY QUESTIONS FOR KELLY? SURE. CAN WE GO BACK TO THE POPULATION ONE? SO THAT'S BASED ON THE POPULATION THAT'S DONE ON ONE DAY A YEAR, EVERY TEN YEARS, CORRECT? BASICALLY, BASED ON OUR.
RIGHT. SO SO THERE HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOMESTEADED PROPERTIES AND NON HOMESTEADED PROPERTIES WITHIN THE MODEL? I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE IS A DISTINCTION WITH HOMESTEAD AND NON HOMESTEAD TO ADDRESS A SEASONAL POPULATION FLUCTUATION.
YEAH, BECAUSE 600,000 PEOPLE COME HERE OVERNIGHT, 400,000 ARE AIRBNBS AND 1.6 MILLION PEOPLE COME ACROSS THE BRIDGE AND THAT'S THE REAL POPULATION THAT THAT CITY IS DEALING WITH, NOT THESE NUMBERS.
THESE ARE STABLE PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE.
RIGHT. 40% OF THE POPULATION THAT LIVE HERE.
YEAH. BUT 40% OF THAT POPULATION OF THE 6500 UNITS HERE, 40% ARE NOT HOMESTEADED.
THE REAL PROBLEM HERE IS NOT THE PERMANENT PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE.
IT'S ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING HERE.
AND THAT'S WHERE I THINK THE BIG CHALLENGE IS.
WELL, ACTUALLY, MY QUESTION WAS RELATED TO WHAT CHIP WAS JUST SAYING.
I WAS WONDERING ABOUT THE WHEN YOU WERE GIVING US THESE NUMBERS, DO WE ALSO TRACK POPULATION ON THE ISLAND AND ITS GROWTH? AND THEN HOW THESE PEOPLE WHO COME TO OUR CITY ALL OF THE TIME, HOW ARE WE ACCOUNTING FOR OR PUTTING THEM INTO WHAT WE PLAN, THEIR USE OF OUR SERVICES, AND HOW ARE WE PLANNING FOR THAT POPULATION THAT ISN'T IN THE CITY BUT IS ON THE ISLAND AND NOBODY GOES WINDOW SHOPPING ANNUALLY? RIGHT? ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE INCORPORATED AS PART OF THE 2019 EVALUATION AND APPRAISAL REPORT AMENDMENTS FOR THE COMP PLAN WERE ADJUSTMENTS TO ACCOUNT FOR SEASONAL POPULATIONS.
SO THERE WERE SOME VERY SPECIFIC ITEMS THAT THE STATE HAD SET UP FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD ADEQUATE INFRASTRUCTURE AND CAPACITY TO SUPPORT BOTH OUR PERMANENT AND SEASONAL POPULATIONS.
WELL, WE'LL JUST HOLD UP HOLD UP OUR OUR SCREEN BECAUSE THERE MAY BE SOME OTHER QUESTIONS.
VERY MUCH. I'M GOING TO SIT IN THE BACK, IF THAT'S OKAY.
WE'RE ADDRESSING THAT. THAT'S GREAT.
THANK YOU, KELLY. SO ON OUR AGENDA, WE AT UNDER 4.2 REQUEST FOR DIRECTION ON
[Items 4.2 & 4.3]
FUTURE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TEXT AMENDMENTS.AGAIN, THESE ARE WHAT WE WOULD BE DEALING WITH THIS YEAR IN THE NEXT 6 TO 12 MONTHS.
AND AS KELLY HAS GONE THROUGH THE 2030 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, SOME OF OUR VISION DOCUMENTS, IT JUST SORT OF GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT WE WORK WITH EVERY DAY WHEN WE WHEN WE MEET, WE ARE WE ARE USING THE THE SECTIONS OF THE COMP PLAN, SECTIONS OF THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE TO TO REVIEW WHAT STAFF HAS PRESENTED TO US.
WE GIVE IT THE SORT OF THE OTHER OTHER LOOK.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT DOES TO HELP US IN OUR WORK AND MAINTAINING AND FACILITATING OUR COMP PLAN AND OUR LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
ANY QUESTIONS SORT OF COME TO MIND OF THINGS THAT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT OR THAT COME TO MIND OF VICTORIA? CHAIR ROBERTS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO BEFORE WE DIRECT TOP DOWN, I WOULD LIKE TO FIRST HEAR FROM THE PAB WHAT YOUR IDEAS ARE OF WHAT YOU THINK YOU SHOULD BE WORKING ON, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. AND THEN I DO HAVE A FEW I'D LIKE TO TELL YOU BEFORE I GET THERE.
I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS.
I'M UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT BEFORE YOU GET STARTED ON ANY KIND OF PATH, YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMISSION IS AT LEAST SEMI ON BOARD SO YOU DON'T GET DOWN A PATH AND REALIZE THAT IT'S GOING TO BE VOTED DOWN BY THE COMMISSION.
NO. I THINK THAT WE ARE A PRETTY INDEPENDENT MINDED GROUP OF PEOPLE.
[00:25:03]
OKAY. OF COURSE, WE EACH AND I'M JUST SPEAKING FOR MYSELF, BUT I'M GOING TO LET ANY OF US JUST SPEAK UP.I KNOW THAT WHEN I GET A CASE FROM STAFF, OF COURSE, I'M LOOKING AT IT.
I'M GOING THROUGH MY THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, THE ELEMENTS THAT THEY'VE LOOKED AT.
I LOOK AT THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE AND WHAT THEY'VE REFERENCED.
I LOOK AT THE THE ACTUALLY GETTING MY TRUCK AND I'LL GO OUT TO THE SITE AND ACTUALLY LOOK AT IT AND SEE WHAT THE ISSUES MIGHT BE SO THAT I'M PREPARED WHEN I COME TO THE MEETING AND WE START TO DISCUSS IT.
SO I THINK THAT THAT'S I WOULD SAY THAT'S PROBABLY WHAT WE ALL DO INDEPENDENTLY.
AND THEN WE COME TOGETHER TO HAVE DISCUSSION AND WE WE DON'T ALWAYS AGREE ON EVERY SINGLE THING.
BUT I THINK WITH DISCUSSION, PRESENTATION BY STAFF, PRESENTATION BY THE DEVELOPER OR BY THE CITIZEN WHO WANTS TO SAY COME INTO THE CITY, IT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET A BROADER VIEW.
CERTAINLY HAVING TAMMY AND HER STAFF HERE TO HELP US AND GUIDE US, EVENTUALLY WE DO COME TO WHAT WE THINK IS THE IS THE RIGHT DECISION.
ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S HOW THE PROCESS WORKS AS THESE INDIVIDUAL CASES OF PROPERTIES WILL ARISE.
IS TODAY ABOUT DIRECTION THERE OR ARE WE LOOKING FOR DIRECTION ON WHAT WHAT AREAS OF CODE TO LOOK AT? IS THAT CORRECT OR WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY MORE AT A 20,000 FOOT LEVEL.
AS I SAID, I THINK THAT GETTING A SENSE OF OF THE NEW COMMISSION OF THE THE DIRECTION THAT YOU ALL ARE, ARE THINKING OF TAKING THE CITY, I THINK YOU'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY PROBABLY NOT TO READ EVERY SINGLE SECTION OF THE COMP PLAN AND EVERY EVERY PART OF THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
BUT CERTAINLY BEING FAMILIAR WITH IT, TO BE ABLE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, HERE'S SOME AREAS THAT MAYBE WE WANT TO LOOK AT FOR THE FUTURE, EITHER CHANGES OR WE WE THINK IT'S A GOOD THING OR MAYBE WE WANT TO LOOK AT CHANGING IT.
I THINK THAT THE POINT THAT BOARD MEMBER DOSTER BROUGHT UP ABOUT, NOT ONLY JUST LOOKING AT THE ESTABLISHED POPULATION HERE, WE ALL REALLY UNDERSTAND THE IMPACTS THAT VISITORS HAVE.
AND SO. WE TOO, ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT TRANSPORTATION ISSUES.
VISITORS. I GET CONCERNED ABOUT ZONING CHANGES.
AND ARE WE GOING TO ZONE? ARE WE GOING TO CHANGE IT? ARE WE GOING TO KEEP IT THE WAY IT IS? BECAUSE ZONING REALLY AFFECTS THE CITIZENS IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER? MAYBE IT'S AFFECTS THE PERSON NEXT DOOR OR IT AFFECTS THE PERSON ACROSS THE STREET.
SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT I THINK WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL OF.
THANK YOU. MEMBER GINGER. CHAIR ROBERTS IF I MAY, COULD WE GO AROUND THE ROOM TO ALL THE PAB MEMBERS FIRST AND GET THE OPINION FROM EACH PAB MEMBER WHAT THEY THINK THE PAB SHOULD BE DOING? IS THAT SOMETHING WE COULD REMEMBER? GINGRICH BRINGS UP AN EXCELLENT POINT.
PETE. ACTUALLY, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS I'VE BEEN KIND OF PULLING JUST PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK I'LL BE DONE? I'M GETTING A LOT OF OF THUMBS UP FOR WHAT I'LL CALL RESTRUCTURING THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, USER FRIENDLY.
I THINK THAT'S ALREADY GOING ON.
AND THEN WE CAN HELP THAT REVIEW PROCESS TO SAY, YEP, THAT'S, THAT'S THE DIRECTION WE GO.
OKAY. THE SECOND THING I SEE IS I THINK WE HAVE SOME THINGS COMING UP ON A SOMEWHAT IMMEDIATE HORIZON THAT MAY PROVIDE STEERING CURRENTS FOR HOW THE CITY IS GOING TO LOOK IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS.
AND I THINK WE'VE GOT TO KIND OF COLLECTIVELY COME TO A DECISION POINT OF WHAT KIND OF STRUCTURES DO WE WANT IN PARTICULARLY THE DOWNTOWN, HOW SATURATED DO WE WANT THE DOWNTOWN TO BE? AND I THINK THAT'S GOING TO TAKE ALL OF US TO THINK ABOUT THAT.
BUT WE ALL HAVE A VISION OF WHAT IT IS WE ALL SAY.
[00:30:08]
IT COULD VERY WELL PRESENT A AN AVENUE THAT WILL BE FOLLOWING FOR THE NEXT 5 OR 10 YEARS.SO I JUST THINK THAT'S GOT TO BE A FOCUS POINT.
THAT'S A VERY STRATEGIC FOCUS POINT.
YES, SIR. MARK WHAT MY CONCERNS ARE DENSITY INCREASE DENSITY AND ALSO THE IMPACTS OF OUTSIDE THE CITY WITH THE COUNTY PROPERTIES.
AND I'VE SAID THIS SEVERAL TIMES, THEY ASK US FOR CITY AND WATER AND WE SHOULD HAVE SOMETHING TO THOSE PROPERTIES IF WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE THEM THE MEANS TO DEVELOP THOSE PROPERTIES.
AND A LOT OF CASES OUR CODES ARE STRONGER THAN THEIRS AND I THINK THAT THEY HAVE A LARGER IMPACT BECAUSE THEY APPLY FOR ANNEXATION. AT SOME POINT THEY USUALLY SIGN AN ANNEXATION AGREEMENT AND THEY GET WATER AND SEWER AND THEN FOR YEARS THEY SIT OUT THERE AND IMPACT US AND WE'RE ALLOWING THAT WITHOUT REALLY LITTLE CONTROL OVER IT OTHER THAN ALLOWING IT.
AND THE CITY ATTORNEY AND I GO BACK AND FORTH OVER THIS ISSUE SEVERAL TIMES.
BUT DENSITY, IT'S ALL ABOUT DENSITY AND WHAT WE CAN ACTUALLY SUPPORT WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS AND OUTSIDE OUR CITY LIMITS.
HOW THOSE ARE GOING TO IMPACT THEM.
YES, SIR. IF I MAY ASK MEMBER BENNETT.
YOU WOULD WANT TO MAKE SURE THERE'S AMENDMENTS IN THE CODE TO LIMIT DENSITY.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? OR IS THAT WHAT DO YOU THINK? WELL, WE HAVE A LOT OF THAT ALREADY, UNFORTUNATELY, THROUGH CHANGES AND AND THROUGH CHANGES, SOME OF THAT BECOMES HIGHER DENSITY.
AND I THINK WE HAVE A CASE NEXT MONTH OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SLAP US.
OKAY. I MEAN, YEAH, I'LL JUST ADD TO THAT.
WHEN HE ENVISIONED THIS BEING NEW YORK CITY AS THE SOUTH.
SO HE HAS THAT PLAT OF ALL THESE 25 AND 50 FOOT LOTS.
OKAY. AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH TODAY, THOSE UNDERLYING LOTS OF RECORD AND THAT'S CRITICAL TO HOW WE HANDLE THAT, HOW WE MOVE FORWARD.
AND I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S THE PLACE TO STOP.
I THINK WE COULD CHECK SOME LOW HANGING FRUIT FIRST, I THINK.
IMPACT FEES. WE COULD EASILY LOOK AT AND REEVALUATE AS A BOARD.
AS A PLANNING BOARD. I THINK STANDARDS WE COULD LOOK AT TO I MEAN, RIGHT NOW THE THRESHOLD IS FIVE ACRES FOR A POD AND THERE AREN'T MANY FIVE ACRE PIECES LEFT. SO AND WE COULD TIE THAT TO MAYBE SOME OVERLAYS AND REDEVELOPMENT.
MAYBE WE INCENTIVIZE REDEVELOPMENT WHERE WE TARGET THAT REDEVELOPMENT TO HAPPEN AND MAYBE WE COULD GET SOMETHING THAT THE COMMUNITY LIKES AND GETS RID OF THINGS THAT DON'T LIKE. A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP ON THAT CHART THAT WE HAVE FOR THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP.
I WASN'T SURE I REALLY LEARNED MUCH FROM THE VISIONING SESSION UNTIL I SAW THAT, AND I WAS LIKE, WELL, 30% OF OUR LAND USES ARE RESIDENTIAL, SO 70% IS SOMETHING ELSE.
WHAT IS IT NORMALLY FOR CITIES THAT ARE RELATIVELY DENSE LIKE OURS? I'M JUST STANDING BACK HERE, IF THAT'S OKAY.
I KNOW THAT'S A LOADED QUESTION, BY THE WAY.
I'VE NOT DONE A SCAN OF SIMILARLY SIZED COMMUNITIES TO DETERMINE WHERE WE ARE, BUT IN TERMS OF BEST PRACTICES, GETTING MUCH BEYOND 30% IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT TO DO BECAUSE YOU WANT TO HAVE A GOOD DIVERSE RANGE OF USES THAT ARE ALLOWED THROUGHOUT YOUR COMMUNITY SO THAT YOU'RE NOT SOLELY RELYING ON THE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES FOR YOUR TAX BASE.
THAT HELPS YOU WITH MARKET FLUCTUATIONS.
THERE'S A VARIETY OF REASONS WHY THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT, AND IT AVOIDS YOU FROM BECOMING WHAT YOU COULD OTHERWISE POSSIBLY BE AS A BEDROOM COMMUNITY IN A LARGER SUBURBAN METROPOLITAN AREA OF JACKSONVILLE.
[00:35:05]
AND I'M SURE THE INDUSTRIAL, WHICH IS LARGE, CONTRIBUTES TO THAT.BUT A LOT OF THAT'S THE AIRPORT AND THE GOLF COURSE AND OTHERS TOO.
SO WHERE CAN WE IMPROVE ON THAT? YOU'RE GOOD. THANK YOU.
YES. MINE ARE PROBABLY MORE OR LESS MORE GENERAL AND MORE HOLISTIC IN NATURE.
BUT WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME AS A BOARD LAST YEAR WORKING ON A VISION AND WE GOT THAT VISION GOING IN.
THEIR WHAT THEY'RE DOING WITH THE LDC NOW IS A RESTRUCTURING JUST TO MAKE THEM MORE USER FRIENDLY.
BUT I LIKE TO SEE US CONTINUE DOWN THAT PATH, GETTING THAT COMP PLAN UPDATED, MAKING SURE THAT ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE CITY ARE INVOLVED WITH THAT AND MOVING FORWARD ON THAT PIECE.
RICHARD, I HAVE 3 OR 4 THINGS THAT I THINK WE SHOULD DO AND WE SHOULD DO ALL TOGETHER.
THE THINGS THAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT.
I'M CONCERNED ABOUT NEIGHBORHOODS AND HOW WE TREAT NEIGHBORHOODS AND CARE FOR THEM AND DEVELOP THEM.
HOW BIG, HOW TALL, HOW WIDE, HOW SET BACK A BUILDING IS.
BUT WE'RE A SMALL TOWN AND WE HAVE NEIGHBORS AND PEOPLE WE CARE ABOUT, AND THEY WANT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AND BUILDINGS WITHIN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD TO REPRESENT THE CHARACTER OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT SHOULD GO THERE, WHAT WILL IMPROVE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? WHAT WILL MAKE IT MORE BEAUTIFUL? WHAT WILL MAKE OUR CITY MORE BEAUTIFUL? AND LET'S KNOW IT'S GOING TO GO.
AND LET'S JUST TALK ABOUT IT AND BRING NEIGHBORS, BRING PEOPLE WHO LIVE INTO NEIGHBORHOODS, INTO THE CONVERSATION SO THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND THE CHARACTER OF THEIR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD AND MAKE IT A BEAUTIFUL AND BETTER PLACE TO LIVE WHEN A BUILDING GOES IN THERE.
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE US DO THAT.
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE US AND THE COMMISSION BUILD TRUST WITH ORDINARY CITIZENS.
AND TAMMY, I'M SORRY TO BRING UP.
TRINGALI AGAIN. I MEAN, YOU'RE ME, AND THIS IS WHAT I'M SAYING HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU.
BUT, YOU KNOW, SO. SO WHEN THAT ALL STARTED, YOU KNOW WHAT JUST BROKE MY HEART WAS THAT KRIEGER AT THE TIME, THE VICE MAYOR AT THE TIME AND THE CITY ATTORNEY WERE ARGUING OVER WHAT THE CODE MEANT.
AND WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHO WERE SITTING BACK THERE LISTENING TO THIS ARGUMENT WHERE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CODE MEANS AND WE'RE GOING TO BUILD SOMETHING IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND THEN PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE WILL TRUST THEIR GOVERNMENT.
AND I THINK THEY NEED TO KNOW WE'RE ON THEIR SIDE.
WE YOU REPRESENT THOSE PEOPLE AND YOU'RE ON THEIR SIDE AND THEY WIN.
AND I DON'T THINK THEY FEEL LIKE THEY WIN VERY OFTEN.
AND I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT CHANGE.
AND AND I KNOW IT'S MORE COMPLEX THAN THAT.
UM, THE OTHER THING I'D LIKE TO SEE, TOO IS, YOU KNOW, WE ALL OF THESE TECHNICAL THINGS.
LET ME GIVE YOU GUYS A COMPLIMENT.
YOU KNOW, I SAT THROUGH MUCH OF NOT ALL OF IT, MUCH OF THE VISITING, THE VISIONING MEETING THAT YOU HAD AND MOST OF THE VISIONING THINGS WERE AND THIS IS A COMPLIMENT, THE MUNDANE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT CITIES DO.
CITIES MAKE SURE THE ROADS ARE PAVED.
THEY BUILD SEAWALLS, THEY MAKE SURE THE STORMWATER WORKS.
BUT I'D LOVE FOR US TO KIND OF GOING BACK TO THIS IS GET BEYOND THAT.
[00:40:06]
BEAUTIFUL LITTLE BEACH TOWN THERE EVER WAS.YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF BEAUTY ON PEOPLE'S PSYCHE, ON ECONOMICS, ON HAPPINESS AND MENTAL HEALTH, PEOPLE DO BETTER IN BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDINGS THAN THEY DO IN UGLY SURROUNDINGS.
WHY COULDN'T WE BE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LITTLE TOWN IN FLORIDA AND DO THAT THROUGH OUR CODES? DO IT BY, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE ALSO NEED IS WE NEED DEVELOPERS WHO WE LOVE.
WE NEED DEVELOPERS WHO ARE GOING TO BUILD STUFF.
SO LET'S LET'S HAVE THEM SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? MY JOB IS TO MAKE THIS CITY MORE BEAUTIFUL AND LET'S LET'S JUST HAVE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY IN FLORIDA.
WHY NOT? AND SO THAT'S WHAT'S ON MY MIND.
ANYTHING ELSE? EVEN ZONING? NO, I'M JUST REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT IT.
AND BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE TALK ABOUT THOSE PEOPLE AND THEY'RE RIGHT THERE OR ON SOME KIND OF A CHATTER AND AND YOU GET AN IDEA WHAT THEY REALLY THINK AND I THINK WE NEED MORE TRUST IN THE GOVERNMENT.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I MOVED HERE FROM FROM FROM ATLANTA AND, YOU KNOW, AND NOBODY CARES WHAT YOU THINK, YOU KNOW. BUT HERE WE CARE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THAT'S HONESTLY THE BIGGEST COMPLIMENT.
NO MATTER WHAT, NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, I WANT HER TO KNOW I'M ON HER SIDE.
I FORGOT YOUR NAME. I'M SO SORRY.
AND YOU CAN ALWAYS LOOK ME IN THE EYE.
IT DOESN'T MATTER. WE'RE ALWAYS FRIENDS.
THAT'S GOOD. SO HAS THAT HELPED TO GIVE YOU SOME IDEA OF WHERE WE'RE COMING FROM? ABSOLUTELY. THAT CERTAINLY HAS HELPED.
NOW, I THINK WE SHOULD DO THE SAME THING.
OKAY. I CAN TELL YOU WANT TO PUT ON THE SPOT.
YEAH, WELL, I GUESS WE'RE GOING TO GO THAT WAY.
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM HAS BEEN MENTIONED A FEW TIMES.
WHEN I TOOK THE LEADERSHIP NASSAU CLASS, THERE WAS THE ONGOING THEME OF TRYING TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITIES NOT JUST ON THE ISLAND BUT OVERALL MORE SUITABLE FOR MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION. SO THERE'S A LOT OF WONDERFUL DISCUSSION ABOUT BIKES, GOLF CARTS AND STUFF, BUT ULTIMATELY I'M NOT SURE THAT WE'RE REALLY FOLLOWING THROUGH ON THAT.
AND I'D LOVE TO SEE SOME MORE OF THAT.
ALL RIGHT, MR. ASKEW. SO I THINK WE'VE HAD A LOT OF GREAT IDEAS AND DEFINITELY AGREE WITH COMMISSIONER ANTON ABOUT THE CODE.
AND IT'S A GREAT START TO BE ABLE LET'S LET'S GO AHEAD AND DO THAT.
I THINK I THINK RICHARD ACTUALLY CRUSHED IT.
I MEAN, I THINK HE DID A GREAT JOB.
YOU KNOW, FOR ME, THE WAY I LOOK AT IT IS IT IS ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO LET'S YOU KNOW, I THINK EVERYONE WANTS TO PROTECT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND OF COURSE, WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT DOWNTOWN.
THAT'S SOMEBODY'S NEIGHBORHOOD THAT, YOU KNOW, GO TO MLK AND THAT SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD.
GO DOWN NORTH 18TH STREET, STANLEY DRIVE, HIGHLAND.
IT HAS ITS FEEL, IT HAS ITS OWN NEIGHBORHOOD, AND EVERYBODY ELSE HAS THEIR OWN THEIR OWN THING.
SO I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT HOW WE'RE GOING TO APPLY ZONING OR ZONING CHANGES AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT IT, WE LOOK AT THE NEIGHBORHOODS THEMSELVES AND LET'S TRY TO LET'S TRY TO STAY WITHIN THAT.
AGAIN, INEVITABILITY IT INEVITABILITY.
IT'S GOING TO COME THERE IS GOING TO BE VACANT LOTS, VACANT LAND.
SOMETHING'S GETTING BUILT THERE THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR IT.
THEY'RE GOING TO PUT A HOTEL ON IT OR WHATEVER.
BUT LET'S, YOU KNOW, LET'S WORK WITHIN THE SYSTEM AND UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
AND I THINK WHEN WE APPLY THOSE TWO THINGS TO OUR CITIZENS, NUMBER ONE, PROTECTING NEIGHBORHOODS AND LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN DO ZONING, YOU KNOW, AND WE AND WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITIES TO UNDERSTAND THE INEVITABLE CHANGE THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
IF WE CAN DO THAT, THEN WE WILL HAVE THE TRUST THAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT.
[00:45:01]
I THINK THAT'S A THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT, VERY GOOD WAY TO TO LOOK AT THINGS.LET'S START LOOKING AT PROTECTING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND HOW DO WE DO THAT, YOU KNOW, WITHIN BUT STAYING WITHIN THE THE THE KNOWING THAT INEVITABLY, INEVITABLY THERE'LL BE A NEW HOUSE THERE OR THERE'LL BE, YOU KNOW, A REDESIGN OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
WE HAVE A LOT OF STAGNANT COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS THAT ARE JUST SITTING WAITING TO BE REDEVELOPED.
I THINK WE HAVE SOME VERY GOOD DEVELOPERS THAT ARE ARE WANTING TO COME IN AND BRING SOME VERY, YOU KNOW, GOOD BUSINESSES TO OUR COMMUNITY THAT IS GOING TO BENEFIT EVERYBODY.
SO I THINK IF WE LOOK AT WORKING TOGETHER, WORKING WITH STAFF TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THOSE ARE COMING FROM AND MAYBE GETTING INTO THAT LDC A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT QUICKER WHEN IT COMES TO THE COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT, I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT PUT ON THE FRONT BURNER AND TURNED ON HIGH.
SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING BIG ON MY END AND I JUST WANTED TO END WITH THAT.
SO THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER ASKEW YEP.
COMMISSIONER ROSS, WHAT DO YOU THINK? I REALLY WANT TO KNOW. I DO.
I DO WANT TO KNOW. I'M NOT SURE YOU DO.
WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I BELIEVE IN BETTER, NOT BIGGER.
AND I DON'T THINK IT'S INEVITABLE THAT YOU HAVE TO DEVELOP EVERY SQUARE INCH OF LAND.
AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS OF PREVENTING THAT.
AND GOING BACK TO WHAT MARK BENNETT BROUGHT UP, ONE OF THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM IS THERE'S 2400 UNDEVELOPED LOTS IN THIS CITY, VACANT LOTS, AND A LOT OF THEM HAVE PLATTED, LOTS OF RECORD, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY HAVE A PARCEL NUMBER AND THEY HAVE A DEED AND SO ON. BUT THEY'RE MADE UP OF UNDERLYING BUILDING LOTS AND YOU CAN POP THOSE OFF.
I MEAN, I PLAYED THE DEVELOPMENT GAME FOR YEARS AND MADE A FAIR AMOUNT OF MONEY IN CALVERT COUNTY.
YOU CAN POP THOSE OFF AND AND THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT.
YOU TALK ABOUT A NEIGHBORHOOD, IT'S GENERALLY PROPERTY.
THEY WANT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD TO STAY FIVE LOTS.
AND THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE HERE.
AND BUT WE HAVE A DEVELOPER COMING IN WHO WANTS TO POP IT INTO 12 LOTS.
AND THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING.
AND THAT IS THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.
THE OTHER ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, THOSE THOSE 2400 LOTS, MOST OF THEM ARE.
SENSITIVE LAND. THAT'S WHAT'S LEFT.
IT, HAS ALL THESE THINGS ON IT.
AND THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO GET DEVELOPED.
AND EVERYBODY WANTS THE TREE NOT CUT DOWN EXCEPT WHEN IT'S ON THEIR PROPERTY.
THEY WANT TO PUT A HOUSE THERE.
AND THE OTHER THING THAT'S HAPPENING AND IT'S HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD A LITTLE EVERYBODY IS PUTTING A LOT A HOUSE ON EVERY LITTLE TINY LOT THEY CAN PERSONALLY FIND. AND WHAT'S COMING HERE, I MEAN, MY HOUSE, WE PAID TWO, I THINK $225,000 FOR IT TEN YEARS AGO NOW.
I PUT MONEY INTO IT AND RENOVATED IT.
MY HOUSE IS NOW WORTH OVER $1 MILLION.
HOUSE DOWN THE STREET SOLD FOR $2 MILLION.
ALL THE OLD CHARACTERS GETTING PUT INTO IS GETTING ANNIHILATED.
I MEAN, THEY'RE TAKING EVERY SQUARE INCH AND BUILDING IT AND THEY HAVE THE MONEY TO DO IT.
I MEAN, I GO DOWN TO MAIN BEACH, THAT HOUSE THAT THEY BUILT THERE TO THE LEFT ON DOLPHIN STREET.
I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S A MONSTROSITY PERSONALLY.
BUT BEAUTY IS IN THE TASTE OF THE BEHOLDER.
THAT'S THEIR BUSINESS. THEY BUILT IT, BUT IT'S NOT THE CHARACTER OF THIS.
EVERYBODY WANTS A FUNKY I DON'T KNOW WHO SAID IT.
THIS IS NOT BECOMING A FUNKY LITTLE BEACH TOWN.
I MEAN, THERE'S NO MORE ROOM TO DEVELOP.
I MEAN, IT'S SMALL LITTLE LOTS.
ALL RIGHT. LET'S TALK ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON THIS ISLAND.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING GOES BACK TO ZONING.
AND IF YOU REALLY WANT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, YOU NEED HIGH DENSITY AND I MEAN HIGH DENSITY.
AND YOU'VE GOT TO GO UP AND NOBODY WANTS TO GO UP.
I MEAN, I'VE READ THE MIDDLE HOUSING BOOKS, ALL THE ZONING BOOKS.
I MEAN, I PROBABLY READ MORE BOOKS THAN ABOUT THIS.
[00:50:01]
WE DON'T HAVE LAND.AND THE ONLY WAY IS TO GO UP AND WE DON'T HAVE WE HAVE LOW DENSITY.
IF YOU GO LOOK AT THE THE BIGGEST THING AGAINST AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING.
AND WHAT DON'T THEY WE DON'T WANT ON THIS ISLAND IS NOT FOR A SINGLE FILM.
THAT'S WHAT THEY MOVED HERE FOR.
SO WE TALK ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
TO ME, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS OFF THE OFF THE TABLE IN THIS ISLAND.
IT'S JUST NOT FEASIBLE FOR THAT.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY.
I MEAN, SO CAN I ASK? OH, PLEASE DO SO.
SO I'M PROBABLY THE RADICAL IN THE ROOM.
I MEAN, SO, SO WHEN I SAID INEVITABLE, I WAS TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS INEVITABLE, WHERE IT'S NOT INEVITABLE, YOU KNOW, THEN WE HAVE SOME OTHER THINGS TO TALK ABOUT.
WELL, LET'S NOT TAKE GINGERLY, BECAUSE THAT'S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY.
BUT LET'S TAKE A LOT LIKE THAT.
AND THEY HAVE YOU CAN IT'S NOT INEVITABLE THAT YOU CUT IT INTO TEN LOTS AND THAT'S RIGHT.
I AGREE. IF YOU KEEP IT IN ONE LOT, IT'S GOING TO STAY A SINGLE FAMILY UNIT ON ONE BIG LOT.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO PLAY THE CODE AND AND PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY GOOD AT DOING THIS, I MEAN I GO TO ALL THE BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MEETINGS AND I KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE GAME AND YOU KNOW HOW TO MANIPULATE THE CODE, YOU KNOW HOW TO MANIPULATE THE CODE.
AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU CAN MANIPULATE THE CODE.
WE BOTH KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE GAME.
I WAS A DEVELOPER. I KNOW HOW TO DO THAT.
I MEAN, AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
AND I DON'T HAVE ANY ANSWER TO THAT.
BUT IT'S ALL THIS STUFF IS A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME.
I MEAN, THERE'S NO BIG MAGIC BULLET TO PREVENT.
I WOULD AGREE IT'S NOT INEVITABLE.
IT'S CONTROL OUR CONTROL AS A CITY AS TO OUR VISION AND WHAT WE WANT TO SEE.
THERE ARE OTHER TOWNS AND OTHER CITIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE WHO HAVE CONTROLLED GROWTH.
YOU CAN GO UP TO WHAT'S THE ISLAND IN MASSACHUSETTS.
AND BELIEVE ME, THEY CONTROL EVERYTHING.
BUT PEOPLE IN FLORIDA, THEY DON'T WANT CONTROL.
I MEAN. I MEAN, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL ISLAND.
IT'S A GREAT PLACE. BUT, GOD, YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNTS OF MONEY AND WORKERS.
IT'S HARD TO LIVE THERE, BUT THAT'S WHAT WHEN YOU SAY BEAUTIFUL THAT'S COMING, THAT THAT BEAUTY, THAT IT'S BEAUTIFUL, IT'S BEAUTIFUL, BUT IT COMES AT A PRICE.
AND, YOU KNOW, AND WE LOOKED, YOU KNOW, AND I'M SURE THEY'RE NOT INEXPENSIVE NOW, BUT, YOU KNOW, SOME HOMES OVER HERE THAT ARE RELATIVELY SMALL AND THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL.
I MEAN, YOU DON'T BEAUTIFUL DOESN'T HAVE TO BE BIG.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE, YOU KNOW, HERE TODAY.
IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE EXPENSIVE.
BUT BUT BUT BUT I LIVE IN A SMALL HOUSE.
I MEAN, THERE'S FOUR ROOMS IN OUR HOUSE.
YEAH. I'M NOT ARGUING THAT WITH YOU.
AND I THINK OUR HOUSE IS REALLY NICE, BUT IT'S UNBELIEVABLY EXPENSIVE HERE, AND THAT'S JUST TRUE.
AND THERE'S A BIG PRESSURE AND IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE AND IT'S GOING TO GET WORSE.
AND THEY ALL EVERYBODY WANTS TO LIVE IN THIS FUNKY LITTLE COMMUNITY, BUT THEY REALLY DON'T.
AS LONG AS IT'S DOWN THE STREET, IT'S FUNKY ON THEIR THEIR HOUSE.
I MEAN, LOOK AT WHAT'S GETTING BUILT ALONG THE OCEAN.
SO ANYHOW, I PROBABLY SAID ALL.
BEFORE WE GO TO COMMISSIONER, VICE MAYOR, EXCUSE ME, I DO THAT ALL THE TIME.
VICE MAYOR STURGIS, BEFORE WE GO TO YOU, I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY YOUR POINTS ON A FEW THINGS.
[00:55:06]
I DON'T THINK IT EVER WAS.THIS WAS FOUNDED AS A WORKING TOWN FOR FAMILIES.
AND I'M GOING TO SAY THAT IT STILL IS.
THIS IS A PLACE THAT EMPLOYS BETWEEN THESE TWO INDUSTRIAL SITES, A THOUSAND PEOPLE.
THERE ARE MANY OTHER JOBS THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY.
THIS IS A WORKING TOWN FOR WORKING PEOPLE, AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS NOT AN UNREACHABLE GOAL.
IT IS ONE THAT I THINK THAT WE CAN ACHIEVE IF WE ALL WORK TOGETHER HERE.
COMMISSIONER ROSS, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, I THINK THAT UNTRUE IS TOTALLY UNTRUE ITSELF.
WELL, WE CAN AGREE TO DISAGREE.
ABSOLUTELY. BUT A WORKING FAMILY.
COME ON. THE HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME.
$200,000 FOR A LITTLE TINY LOT.
THE HOUSE DOWN THE STREET THAT JUST SOLD FOR A MILLION BUCKS.
WORKING FAMILIES CAN LIVE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT'S NOT THE MOST EXPENSIVE PART OF TOWN.
OH, THERE CERTAINLY ARE MORE TO THE OCEAN.
EVEN FURTHER DOWN. IT'S CRAZY.
PEOPLE WORKING PEOPLE CAN'T LIVE HERE.
I'M SORRY. THEY'RE ALL GETTING PUSHED OUT.
THE WORKING PEOPLE ARE GETTING PUSHED OUT OF THIS TOWN.
THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO LIVE HERE.
IF YOU MEAN GOING TO THE MILL AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
SCHOOL TEACHERS, COPS, FIREMEN.
YEAH. IF YOU'RE A WORKING GUY, WORKING GUY OR GIRL AND YOU DO IT AND YOU DO IT FROM HOME AND OR YOU DO ALL THESE OTHER KIND OF JOBS, YEAH, THOSE KIND OF PEOPLE CAN LIVE HERE AND THEY DO THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS, MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS.
THEY MOVED HERE FROM CONNECTICUT AND THEY MAKE A PILE OF MONEY, I SUSPECT.
RIGHT? BECAUSE ON ONE HAND, IT IT'S A PROBLEM THAT PEOPLE ARE GETTING FORCED OUT.
AND SO THOSE TWO THINGS ARE CONFLICTING.
I MEAN, FOR A MINUTE, I'M SORRY, YOU ALL ARE TALKING BASIC ECONOMICS.
YOU CAN'T BUY A LOT IN THIS TOWN, BUILD A HOUSE AND TURN AROUND AND RENT IT FOR $1,000 A MONTH.
AND THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT WORKS IS BASED ON GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE.
I WORK FOR A BANK THAT FINANCES THESE CREDITS OR OTHER ITEMS, BUT LIKE I SAID, IT'S BASIC ECONOMICS.
OFF ONE LOT, ONE LOT AND PAID FOR THE ENTIRE TWO ACRES WAY UP AT ONE END.
I POPPED OFF ONE LOT AND PAID FOR THE WHOLE DAMN THING.
ALL RIGHT. AND THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE ON STEROIDS.
ALL RIGHT. SO THEY CAN TAKE A LOT AND THEY CAN CUT IT UP AND YOU CAN MAKE A PILE OF MONEY.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTS, COMMISSIONER ROSS.
WE NEED TO GO BEFORE I HAVE SOME OTHER REQUESTS TO SPEAK.
AND I'M GOING TO SAY THIS THERE'S TWO THINGS THAT I AGREE WITH CHIP ON AND COMMISSIONER ROSS.
AND THOSE TWO THINGS ARE NUMBER ONE, DENSITY.
AND NUMBER TWO, THERE'S 1.6 MILLION PEOPLE THAT COME OVER THE BRIDGE.
I DON'T THINK THERE IS AN EFFECT OR A CHANGE THAT WE CAN DO.
I'D LIKE TO SEE THE PLANNING BOARD ADJUST AND WHY.
THAT'S WHAT SAYS PEOPLE CAN BUILD WHAT SIZE HOUSES AND WHAT THEY DO AND MONEY AND THE COST OF LOTS.
AND ALL THIS ECONOMICS WE'RE GETTING INTO.
I DON'T REALLY THINK YOU'RE GOING TO CHANGE THAT.
THAT IS THE WILL OF ECONOMICS, AND I DON'T THINK ANYBODY IS GOING TO CHANGE THAT.
THAT'S THE WAY TO DO IT. OKAY.
[01:00:03]
AND I WON'T GO BACK TO RUNNING MY CAMPAIGN OR TALKING ABOUT THAT.BUT I RAN ON PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS.
AND IF WE'RE GOING TO CHANGE OUR DENSITY, THEN US, WE AS A CITY NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS AND THAT IS AN EVEN CHANGE OF THE DENSITY. SO WE DON'T WANT EIGHT, TEN, 12 LOTS PER ACRE.
IF WE WANT IT TO CHANGE, THEN WE HAVE TO ALL VOTE ON IT OR TALK ABOUT IT.
AND DAVID YULEE DID PLAN THIS OUT LIKE MANHATTAN.
FUNNY AS IT IS, OUR ISLAND IS ALMOST THE SAME SIZE AS THE ISLAND OF MANHATTAN.
SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, I BELIEVE THAT NO, PEOPLE DON'T WANT THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS TO CHANGE.
THEY WOULD LIKE THEM TO STAY MOSTLY THE SAME.
HOWEVER, I BELIEVE PEOPLE HAVE RIGHTS FOR THEIR PROPERTY AND IF THEY SPEND THIS ABSORBENT AMOUNT OF MONEY TO PURCHASE THE PROPERTY, THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO DEVELOP IT ACCORDING TO OUR CODES.
SO I REALLY TRULY BELIEVE IF WE WANT TO CHANGE DENSITY, IT WOULD WORK IN DIFFERENT AREAS AND WE HAVE TO LOOK AT OUR AREAS.
THAT'S THE WHOLE REASON WE HAVE A FLOOD MAP FOR FUTURE USE IS WHAT DO WE SEE FOR THAT FUTURE USE? IT'S KIND OF LAID OUT.
IT USED THE OLD MAP, USED TO BE ON THE WALL BEHIND THE THE THE LECTERN THERE.
BUT IF WE WANT TO DEMAND THAT WE KEEP SO MUCH INDUSTRIAL OR SO MUCH COMMERCIAL PROPERTY THAT'S TO BE DEVELOPED, THEN WE PUT A PERCENTAGE ON IT AND WE SAY, ALL RIGHT, AS A COMMISSION WHICH COMMISSIONS COME AND GO AND THEY CHANGE, BUT WE SAY, HEY, WE'RE GOING TO KEEP 8% COMMERCIAL OR WE'RE GOING TO KEEP 6% COMMERCIAL OR WHATEVER IT IS.
AND WE DO HAVE CONFLICTING CODES.
THE 100 AND 305 IS VERY CONFLICTING.
IF WE'VE BEEN WORKING, NOT USING THAT CODE PROPERLY, IT'S CONFLICTING AND OUR DENSITY SHOULD NOT CHANGE THE CODE.
THE CODE SHOULD NOT CHANGE THE DENSITY.
AND IF WE WANT TO IMPLEMENT THAT IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE TOWN, LIKE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LITTLE MORE DENSE AREA IN THIS AREA AND IT'S GOING TO BE STANDARD OVER HERE, THAT'S HOW WE HAVE TO IMPLEMENT IT AND WE HAVE TO APPROVE IT.
THAT'S JUST HOW I SEE OUR PLAN OF ACTION.
BUT I ALSO DON'T LIKE THE TAKING OF PROPERTY RIGHTS FOR CERTAIN REASONS THAT FOR FLOOD ZONE OR FOR OTHER REASONS. I'VE DISCUSSED THIS WITH KELLY AND TAMMY AND OTHER PEOPLE, NOBODY ON THE CITY COMMISSION OR THE PLANNING BOARD YET, BUT.
I HAVE ABOUT FOUR ITEMS THAT BOTHER ME SPECIFICALLY AS A BUILDER THAT I SEE THAT IT DOESN'T REALLY AFFECT THAT MANY PROPERTIES AND WOULDN'T CREATE THAT MANY DENTS, THAT MUCH DENSITY IN OUR CITY.
HOWEVER, THEY AREN'T DOWNTOWN.
MOST OF THESE PROPERTIES ARE AT THE BEACH AND ONE OF THEM IS I THINK IT'S AN OVERREACH OF OUR OUR RIGHTS AS A CITY TO IMPLEMENT NO VARIANCES WHEN THERE'S 1000FT OF THE CD LINE.
SO NOT EVERY APPLICATION WILL COME IN HERE AND AND THAT'S NOT GOING TO AFFECT THAT MANY PROPERTIES IN THE CITY, MAYBE 4 TO 8 PROPERTIES TOTAL AND NOT BIG PROPERTIES. THEY'RE ALL MOSTLY LOTS.
SO THESE 800 TO 900 LOTS THAT ARE LEFT OVER.
I KNOW CHIP HAS MENTIONED THAT MANY TIMES ABOUT RESIDENTIAL.
THE 2500 LOTS TOTAL, WE HAVE 8 OR 900 RESIDENTIAL LOTS.
IF WE WANT TO CHANGE OUR DENSITY TO 50 FOOT A LOT.
AND THAT'S WHAT THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT TO BUILD ON IS.
OR IF WE WANT TO CHANGE IT TO 40 FOOT A LOT OR WHATEVER IT IS, INSTEAD OF 25 FOOT A LOT.
AND ARE THERE OUTLYING LOTS? ARE THERE OUTLIER LOTS THAT ONLY HAVE A THERE'S ONLY THIS ONE 25 FOOT LOT HERE.
WELL, THAT'S UNBUILDABLE YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MODIFYING 100 AND 305 SO IT DOESN'T CONFLICT WITH OUR COMP AND LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
I REALLY THINK THAT THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.
IT SHOULD NOT CONFLICT WITH OUR DENSITY.
[01:05:08]
PLAN SHOULD BE HOW WE LAY IT OUT.AND WE DON'T HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT.
I MEAN, THE BIG TRACTS OF LAND HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED.
BUT TO MARK BENNETT'S POINT, WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUCK UP COUNTY PROPERTIES BECAUSE WE HAVE THE WATER AND SEWER THAT WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN NO MATTER WHAT.
SO WHY WON'T WE ANNEX IT? BUT WE HAVE OUR GUIDELINES AND OUR PROCEDURES THAT ARE MORE STRICT THAN THE COUNTY AND WE IMPLEMENT THOSE THINGS.
AND THAT GIVES US THE UPPER HAND AS A CITY TO DEMAND WHAT WE WANT.
SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE THINGS I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.
CLARIFICATION FOR COMBINING THIS ONE I THINK IS A LITTLE RIDICULOUS.
AND IT PART OF 100 305, BUT IT'S COMBINING LOTS WITH ANCILLARY STRUCTURES, DECKS, PORCHES, GARAGES.
IF PEOPLE HAVE A GARAGE OR A PORCH OR A DECK THAT TOUCHES A SECOND LOT, THAT'S A FULL SIZE BUILDING LOT IN THE CITY, WHICH I MEAN IS 50 OR 100 BY 100.
I THINK IT'S RATHER RIDICULOUS TO USE THAT CODE TO TAKE THEIR PROPERTY.
RIGHT, TO HAVE THEM TO GO TO REPLAT FOR IF THERE'S 250 BY 100 LOTS.
THAT SEEMS LIKE A DECENT SIZED LOT.
IT FITS THE NEIGHBORHOOD OR 275 BY 100 LOTS.
I THINK THAT'S A LITTLE RIDICULOUS ON A 75 BY 100 LOT.
IF THEY COULD HAVE TWO HOUSES ON THOSE LOTS.
UM, I THINK MODIFYING THE DENSITY, STRIKING THE WORD FLOODPLAIN IN THE COMP PLAN AND THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, I REALLY THINK THAT IF THERE'S AN R TWO LOT OR AN R THREE LOT AT THE OCEAN, THIS REALLY DOES NOT AFFECT THAT MANY PROPERTIES AND IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE THE LOOK OF OUR COMMUNITY. THEY'RE ONLY GOING TO BE ABLE TO PUT TWO UNITS THERE AND WE FORCED THEM TO PUT ONE HOUSE THERE.
IT'S WE HAVE SUCH A MINUTE AMOUNT OF R2 AND R3 ZONING.
IF WE COULD LOOK AT THE MAP, I REALLY THINK THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 1020 LOTS IN OUR WHOLE CITY.
SO THOSE THINGS ARE ADJUSTMENTS THAT I WANT TO SEE.
NOW PERSONALLY, IF THERE'S A HOUSE BUILT ON TWO LOTS, I PERSONALLY DON'T THINK THAT THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO BUILD ANOTHER HOUSE LIKE RIP THEIR HOUSE DOWN AND BUILD TWO LOTS THERE, I THINK IF THEY HAD.
COVERED TWO LOTS ORIGINALLY, AND IT'S NOT A VIRGIN LOT IN MY PERSONAL OPINION.
I THINK THAT THEY SHOULD BE STUCK WITH ONE HOUSE ON THOSE TWO LOTS.
I MEAN, THAT'S THE DENSITY THAT THEY'VE ALREADY OCCURRED AND THEY'VE ALREADY PUT OUT TO THE CITY.
AS FAR AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING, I DO BELIEVE IT'S DOABLE.
AND ONCE THE BUILDER BUILDS IT, WE WOULD HAVE TO INCUR DENSITY.
SO IF WE DON'T MIND INCURRING DENSITY IN ONE AREA OF OUR CITY, WE COULD PROVIDE A LOT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING BECAUSE IT'S A WASTED AREA AND THAT'S JUST MY OPINION.
VICE MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR THAT. WE APPRECIATE YOU.
AND LET'S GO BACK WE'RE GOING TO TALK JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT A HOW LONG DO WE BUDGET FOR THIS MEETING? IS THIS A 90 MINUTE MEETING WAS AN HOUR.
IT WAS TOO OKAY. WE ALWAYS DO TOO.
WELL, HERE'S THE THING, FOLKS.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS WE NEED TO LEAVE WITH SOME PLANS.
SO, DAPHNE, IF YOU HAVE AN EXCEL SHEET, CAN YOU POP IT UP ON THE SCREEN? THIS MEETING EXISTS TO GIVE DIRECTION TO THE PAB AS TO WHAT THEY NEED TO TACKLE OVER THE NEXT YEAR, BECAUSE I THINK THE LAST THING ON HERE IS LET'S MEET ANNUALLY.
SO LET'S GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY.
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO WORK ON OVER THE NEXT YEAR? AND OBVIOUSLY ALL OF OUR PHONE NUMBERS ARE IN THE NEWSLETTER, SO FEEL FREE TO CALL US AT ANY TIME AND WE CAN DO THAT AS WELL.
LET'S LET'S TURN WHAT WE JUST DISCUSSED INTO SOME GOALS THAT THIS GROUP CAN WORK ON GOING FORWARD.
SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY LIKED IS I WANT TO TALK ABOUT FEES.
THAT'S A BIG THING FOR ME. AND SO IMPACT FEES IS ONE THING.
NOW WITH THIS BOARD TOUCH BUILDING DEPARTMENT FEES AT ALL, OR IS IT JUST IMPACT AND PLANNING FEES? NO, THIS DOESN'T MESS WITH IT ACTUALLY DOES NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IMPACT FEES EITHER.
[01:10:03]
THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND THE GROWTH MANAGEMENT ACT, WHICH IS CHAPTER 163 OF FLORIDA LAW, IS WHAT THE PURVIEW OF THE PLANNING ADVISORY.THEY ARE THE LOCAL PLANNING AGENCY.
OF COURSE, 163 DOES INCLUDE A PROVISION ABOUT IMPACT FEES IN TERMS OF HOW THEY'RE ASSESSED.
SO I MEAN, THEY COULD DISCUSS THEM, BUT THEY HAVE NOT IN MY SO I THINK WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EVERYTHING BUT THE AMOUNT OF THE FEES.
SO IT COULD BE IMPACT FEES, THINGS RELATED TO PLANNING.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR THAT AS A GOAL AT SOME POINT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
I DO LIKE WHAT MEMBER BOYLAN SAID ABOUT WORKING ON THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
NOW THAT YOU HAVE THE NOW THAT YOU HAVE THIS VISION, HOW ARE WE GOING TO REVISE THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN? THAT'S AN EXCELLENT ANOTHER THING TO WORK ON, AND THAT'S TWO GOALS I THINK WOULD BE GOOD TO TALK ABOUT THERE.
NOW LET'S GO BACK AROUND AND LET'S TALK ABOUT ANY OTHER GOALS.
AND COMMISSIONER ASKED YOU, YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SOME TIME TO TALK.
DID YOU FORGET ABOUT YOUR THING TO SAY OR.
HE TIDIED IT UP REALLY WELL SO I DON'T HAVE TO HAVE ANY MORE TO SAY ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
I DID, OF COURSE, BRING FORTH THE COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT.
BUT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE USES SATELLITE USES WITHIN THE COMMERCIAL? IS THAT WHAT YOUR POINT IS? WHAT THEY'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT, MARK, IS THAT WITH PARKING LOTS AND WHAT WAS THE LAST BOARD OF WAS A BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT? YES. YEAH, IT WAS THE BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MEETING.
AND IT'S GOT TO DO WITH THE SIZE OF PARKING LOTS AND THE IMPERVIOUS SURFACE AND HOW YOU CAN DO THAT.
AND THOSE ARE THERE SPECIFIC THINGS IN THE CODE THAT PREVENT PEOPLE FROM TAKING THOSE? AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST ONES IS PARKING.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE CURRENT PARKING LITERATURE, LET'S GET RID OF PARKING REQUIREMENTS.
BASICALLY IT'S PALM DOWN, PALM DOWN, NO PARKING REQUIREMENTS.
AND THEN ADDING ON TO THAT, ALSO ESTABLISHING A MAXIMUM SO THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TOO MUCH PARKING.
RIGHT? SO I MEAN, WHAT'S KEEPING THESE AND THESE LOTS FROM THESE REDEVELOPING THESE COMMERCIAL LOTS WITH THE STORES IS THE PARKING REQUIREMENTS BASICALLY, AND THE SIZE OF THE PARKING LOT AND PERVIOUS SPACE.
COMMISSIONER ASKED YOU, WE PUT UP COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT AS ONE OF OUR ACTION ITEMS. IS THAT ADEQUATELY DESCRIBED WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR OR WHAT DO YOU THINK I.
I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH KELLY ABOUT IT, SO I THINK SHE'LL BE ABLE TO BRING FORTH THE THE EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO WHEN IT'S WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REDEVELOPING OUR EXISTING COMMERCIAL, WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE.
WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT ADDING ANYTHING ELSE.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TAKING SOME OF THESE, YOU KNOW, LARGER COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS AND ENTICING OUR DEVELOPERS TO COME BACK IN, REDEVELOP IT, BRING EVERYTHING UP TO CODE, BRING OUR SIGNS UP TO CODE, BRING OUR OUR GREEN SPACES AND AREAS IN THE PARKING LOT UP TO CODE.
IT'S IT'S DOING ALL THOSE KIND OF THINGS.
SO THAT'S WHY AGAIN, I WANT TO SEE IT ON THE FRONT BURNER IF WE CAN.
AND VICE MAYOR STURGIS BROUGHT UP AN EXCELLENT POINT ABOUT CLARIFYING CODE.
SO I THINK THAT SHOULD BE SOMETHING UP HERE.
LET'S CLARIFY THE CODE LDC CODE CLARIFICATION, MAKE SURE IT ALL MATCHES.
WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE CONFLICTING CODES.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE TO LOOK AT THERE.
EXCUSE ME FOR JUST A MINUTE. COULD I COULD YOU, KELLY, AT OUR NEXT MEETING, EITHER PRESENT TO US OR SEND US SOME READING MATERIAL ON CURRENT THINKING ABOUT PARKING MINIMUMS? I'LL GIVE YOU BOOKS AND BUT THANK YOU NECESSARILY REGARDING THE 1.05.
OKAY. WHAT DO YOU THINK? WELL, 12305 WAS DEVELOPED BACK BEFORE 2000.
WE WERE WORKING ON IT, AND THAT WAS BROUGHT UP AS A MEANS OF CONTROLLING DENSITY AND NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER, BECAUSE NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER HAS BEEN HERE SINCE DAY ONE AND THERE WAS A LOT OF ENERGY AROUND CHANGING ALL OF THAT TO WHAT WE'RE STILL ARGUING ABOUT IT ALMOST 20 YEARS LATER.
SO AT THAT POINT IN COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, WHICH ACTUALLY CONTROLS THE LAND DEVELOPMENT
[01:15:03]
CODE, 103.05 WAS ADDED VERY CLEAR LANGUAGE, NOT VERY LONG, NOT A LONG BOOK OR ANYTHING.NOW, I WON'T GET INTO HOW WE GOT OUT OF IT, BUT SOMEHOW THE CITY DID.
BUT THAT WAS THE INTENT OF THAT WAS TO CONTROL NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER AND DENSITY.
SO WE DIDN'T HAVE THESE MASSIVE CHANGES OVER IN THE WITHIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND ALSO ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING LOTS OF RECORD, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE SOME OF THESE HOUSES HAVE BEEN HERE FOR 50, 60, 100 YEARS AND NOW WE TEAR THEM DOWN.
AND OKAY, WE HAVE AN UNDERLYING LOT OF RECORD THAT FILLS 12 OR 15 OR 50 HOUSES, WHATEVER IT IS.
THAT WAS NOT SOMETHING ANYONE EVER WANTED TO SEE.
JUST CLARIFY THAT, BECAUSE THERE IS A DISTINCTION THERE THAT I'D LIKE TO MAKE.
RIGHT? I KNOW THAT IT'S HARD TO HEAR FROM HERE.
103 AND FIVE IS IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, NOT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
OKAY. WHERE THE LEGAL PROBLEM LIES.
OKAY. IF WE APPLY STRICTLY 100 AND 305, IN EVERY CASE THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE MORE THAN ONE HOUSE BUILT WHERE THERE'S AN EXISTING HOUSE, YOU ARE NOW DOING SOMETHING INCONSISTENT WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN WITH REGARD TO NET DENSITY AND WHAT IS GIVEN BY THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT IS THE THE LEGAL ISSUE.
SO THAT 103 ZERO FIVE FOR SURE NEEDS TO GET MODIFIED.
AND WHEN YOU SAY CLARIFY, CODE STAFF KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN, WE HAVE THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
THOSE ARE OUR INTENTS. BACK IN 1995 OR WHENEVER THIS THING WAS PASSED, I THINK IT WAS ME.
RIGHT. WHICH IF THAT WAS THE CASE, WE WOULDN'T NEED ANY LAWYERS.
AND SOMEBODY WOULD AGREE WITH THAT, TOO.
LET'S GO TO COMMISSIONER. THAT'S A TON OF WORK UP THERE.
IF YOU CAN DO ALL THAT IN A YEAR, WHICH YOU GOT ON THAT BOARD, KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF.
I MEAN, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ALONE IS OURS.
AND I MEAN, I'VE SAT THROUGH ALL THOSE THINGS OVER THE YEARS.
TWO YEARS, THREE YEARS, ONE TIME.
YEAH. I MEAN, IF YOU I THINK YOU'RE DONE.
ABSOLUTELY. THIS IS THIS IS THIS ISN'T FOR NEXT MEETING.
THIS ISN'T THIS IS FOR A WHOLE THIS IS FOR A WHOLE YEAR.
I'M LOOKING AT THAT. I UNDERSTAND.
I UNDERSTAND THE COMPLICATIONS.
TO THAT. I'VE SAT THROUGH EIGHTH STREET.
HOW MANY MORE MEETINGS DO WE DO FOR THAT? A LOT. YOU WERE THERE, WEREN'T YOU? TWO. 3 OR 4, I THINK SOME WERE.
OH, YEAH. I MEAN, SO YOU'RE ADDING I MEAN, THAT'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF WORK UP THERE.
SO WE APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING.
AND MY GOAL HERE TONIGHT, I CAME HERE WITH THE AGENDA SAYING THAT YOU GUYS NEED A CLARIFICATION OF THE COMMISSION'S VISION, RIGHT? AND NOW I WANT TO ASK THE COMMISSION BEFORE WE GO AND COMMISSIONER ROSS, POINT WELL TAKEN.
THOSE FOUR THINGS ARE A LOT OF WORK.
IS THIS WHAT YOU THINK THAT THE PAB SHOULD BE WORKING ON? AND THAT'S THEIR GOAL.
WHAT ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING WE TALKED ABOUT? IT'S NOT UP THERE. EXCELLENT POINT.
CAN WE THROW IT UP THERE? I MEAN, WE HAVE.
AND. VICE MAYOR. WHY NOT? I'LL JUST SAY SOMETHING BRIEFLY.
I LIKE, OF COURSE, THINKING, THOUGH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON THERE.
YOU PICK 25 GOALS AND YOU HONE THEM DOWN TO THE MOST FIVE YOU CAN HAVE.
THAT'S CORRECT. AND HIS NAME IS WARREN BUFFETT.
AND HE'S IF YOU FOCUS ON THOSE FIVE ITEMS AND LITERALLY IF YOU FOCUS ON THOSE FIVE ITEMS EVERY DAY, EVENTUALLY THOSE FIVE ITEMS WILL BE ACHIEVED. SO I REALLY THINK AT A MINIMUM, WE SHOULD HAVE FIVE UP THERE.
AND THAT WAS ALL I WAS SAYING.
THANK YOU, VICE MAYOR. AND IF I MAY JUST FURTHER ADDRESS WHAT YOU JUST SAID AND WHAT COMMISSIONER ROSS SAID IS THAT I DON'T ANTICIPATE YOU TO FINISH ALL FIVE OF THESE THINGS COMPLETELY WITHIN A YEAR.
RIGHT. IF YOU DO, THAT WOULD BE AMAZING.
THAT WOULD BE CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD ALL APPLAUD.
BUT MY AS VOLUNTEERS FOR THE CITY, I ALWAYS I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALWAYS MEET WITH THE PURPOSE AND YOU HAVE A REASON TO MEET AND YOU HAVE 12 MEETINGS OVER THE NEXT YEAR. THERE'S 12 SECOND WEDNESDAYS COMING UP.
AND I WANT YOU TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT ALL THESE GREAT THINGS.
AND THERE'S A LOT THERE'S FIVE GOOD THINGS TO LOOK AT.
[01:20:04]
AND OBVIOUSLY THERE'S GOING TO BE CASE BY CASE BASIS THAT ARE GOING TO COME BEFORE YOU AS WELL.BUT THESE ARE OVERARCHING THINGS THAT YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE TO A MEETING WILL BE FULL.
MADAM CHAIR, MR. GILLETTE HAD A OF COURSE, I JUST HAD ONE THING ON, ON THE COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT.
COULD WE THROW IN THE POSSIBILITY OF REVISING THE LANGUAGE TO HELP MAYBE INCENTIVIZE THAT? BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S WAYS TO ADD PEDS INTO THAT FOR SMALLER SIZES AND MAYBE GET REDEVELOPMENT ON THE COMMERCIAL.
SO TAKING A COMMERCIAL AND TURNING IT INTO RESIDENTIAL, I'M ADAMANTLY OPPOSED TO THAT.
I DON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH THAT.
THAT'S WHERE I WAS GOING WITH IT.
RIGHT. AND I DON'T WANT IT TO GET MIXED DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE MIXED DEVELOPMENT BECOMES RESIDENTIAL.
I WILL ADD, THOUGH, ALL WE'VE DONE IS COMPLAIN ABOUT HOUSING PRICES AND AND WE BUILD GOLF COURSES ON INDUSTRIAL AND WE DON'T TALK ABOUT COMMERCIAL PRICES BECAUSE THERE'S PLENTY OF COMMERCIAL LAND AVAILABLE YET.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY RESIDENTIAL LAND.
WE HAVE LESS THAN 30% OF OUR CITY IS RESIDENTIALLY ZONED.
SO WE'VE KIND OF CREATED OUR OWN PROBLEM.
THAT'S MY POINT. JUST TO SPEAK TO THAT, EVERY TIME YOU PUT RESIDENTIAL ON, YOU'RE INCREASING.
YOU'RE NOT INCREASING YOUR TAX BASE, YOU'RE INCREASING YOUR TAX BURDEN.
AND I CAN SHOW YOU THE LITERATURE.
YOU EVERY TIME YOU PUT A HOUSE IN, IT'S A BUCK AND A QUARTER IN COSTS.
IT'S $0.80 IN COST IF THE COMMERCIAL IS OCCUPIED.
BUT I THINK PETE WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING AS WELL.
VICE CHAIR PETE JUST WE HAD HEARD A LOT ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
I JUST HAVE A QUESTION I THROW OUT TO ANYBODY.
WOULD YOU CONSIDER A DIFFERENT ELEVATION, A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, MAYBE ANOTHER EIGHT TYPE OF ZONING, A DISTRICT WHERE YOU SAY, I CAN GO TO SIX STORIES OR SOMETHING.
I'M LOOKING AT IT FROM THE STANDPOINT OF AN ROI.
IF THREE, SAY, 35FT, I JUST CAN'T MAKE THE MATH WORK.
SO IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
WOULD ON A SELECTED ZONE OR REZONE OR WHATEVER WOULD YOU CONSIDER MORE THAN, LET ME JUST SAY 35FT, WHICH IS TYPICALLY WHAT WE THINK OF AS FAR AS THE MAXIMUM. SO WHERE DO YOU WANT TO PUT THE 100 FOOT TOWERS? PARDON? WHERE DO YOU WANT TO PUT THE 100 FOOT TOWERS? I DIDN'T SAY 100FT.
I JUST I JUST WAS TALKING ABOUT A CONCEPT.
I JUST WHERE YOU'RE GOING WITH IT BECAUSE WE DID WE TALKED ABOUT DENSITY OF, WHAT, 32 UNITS TO THE ACRE? CORRECT. ALL RIGHT. BUT WE HIT THAT ROADBLOCK OF HEIGHT.
AND THAT WAS ON EIGHTH STREET.
AND THAT'S ON. RIGHT? EXACTLY.
I'M JUST ASKING, DO YOU POKE AT IT AGAIN TO SEE IF MAYBE YOU GET A DIFFERENT ANSWER? WELL, ONCE YOU GET SOME HEIGHT AND HIGH DENSITY, THEN IT'S LIKE OPEN UP THE GATE AND LET ALL THE COWS OUT.
AND KELLY'S OVER THERE SHAKING HER HEAD.
28 UNITS DOWNTOWN FOR COMMERCIAL.
FOR DOWNTOWN FOR 30 FOR WAS IT 34? 34. ALL RIGHT. SO 34.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH THAT? GO UP TO NORTH SECOND STREET.
AM I CORRECT? IT DEPENDS ON THE AREA.
YEAH, BUT I MEAN, THOUGH I FOUGHT IT, BUT NOW THERE'S TWO HOMES.
THEY'RE SELLING EACH ONE FOR 1.2 MILLION BUCKS.
I'M JUST LOOKING. I THINK THOSE ARE FINE.
I WOULD ANSWER TO TELL YOU, NO, THERE ISN'T.
I LOOK AT PROJECTS ALL OVER THE SOUTHEAST MIAMI, 500 UNITS TO THE ACRE.
SO IF YOU WANT TO SEE HIGH DENSITY HERE AND HIGH TOWER, LET'S GO TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS, MR. BENNETT. LET'S GO TO VICE MAYOR STURGIS REAL QUICK.
I AGREE WITH MARK TO SOME DEGREE.
I DON'T THINK AS A CITY OF FERNANDINA THAT ANYBODY WANTS TO SEE 5 OR 6 STORIES IN OUR CITY.
RIGHT. I DON'T I REALLY DON'T BELIEVE THAT.
AND I PERSONALLY DON'T WANT TO SEE IT.
[01:25:07]
CAN TRY TO TALK TO THE HOUSING AUTHORITY ABOUT.AND LITERALLY, IF WE WANTED TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT IT, IT'S PUTTING DENSITY IN THOSE LOCATIONS.
IF WE CAN MAKE THAT ONE HAPPEN, THOSE WOULD BE HOMES, DAVID, THAT PEOPLE OWN.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS IT'S A SMALLER SCALE THAN WHAT MARK'S TALKING ABOUT.
AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
RIGHT? THEY'RE COMING IN AND THEY'RE NOT BUILDING HIGH STORIES.
AND SO IF YOU ADD OUR TEN ACRES UP, YOU'LL HAVE A LOT OF UNITS.
SO IF WE WANT TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT IT, THAT'S HOW WE COULD DO IT AS A CITY.
AND INSTEAD OF HAVING EACH ONE OF THOSE LITTLE BRICK BUILDINGS THAT ARE LAID OUT, IT WOULD LOOK MORE MODERN AND MORE NICE, AND WE WOULD DO IT ONE ONE AT A TIME. AND YOU CAN SPEND FOUR TIMES.
BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CARS RIGHT NOW.
HUNT WOULD TAKE THAT OVER, LIKE HUD WOULD RUN IT AND IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY LOW INCOME HOUSING.
NOT WORK. SOME OF THE EXAGGERATIONS I'VE SEEN.
THERE'S AFFORDABLE AND THEN THERE'S AFFORDABLE AND THERE ARE DIFFERENT POPULATIONS.
WE HAVE NURSES. WE HAVE FIREFIGHTERS.
THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ALL ONE.
IT CAN BE A HYBRID. AND THEY ALLOW THAT.
THE HOSPITAL WORKERS, SCHOOL TEACHERS, FIREFIGHTERS.
AND IT'S NOT EXACTLY A HUD PROJECT.
NOT ALL OF IT. IT CAN BE A HYBRID.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A WHOLE HUD PROJECT.
AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS, IS IT WOULD TAKE OVER.
AND SO MANY OF THEM ARE SUBSIDIZED AND SOME OF THEM AREN'T.
AND EVERYBODY WANTS TO LOOK TO THE DEVELOPMENT ON LIME STREET THAT WAS AFFORDABLE OR WHATEVER.
BUT YOU KNOW THAT THAT THAT'S ALL NICE APARTMENTS AND OF WHICH THEY'RE NOW TURNING INTO AIRBNBS OR TURNING IT INTO SHORT TERM RENTALS. SO MR. MAYOR, WHAT I'M HEARING AND KELLY AND I ARE GETTING CONTACT THROUGH, MR. BENNETT, IS AS STAFF WE KEEP HEARING THIS, I DON'T THINK THAT THE ANSWER IS.
IS WE JUST DON'T TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE OUR LAND IS TOO EXPENSIVE AND WE DON'T WANT HIGH RISES.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO, BECAUSE I'M HEARING THAT THERE'S SOME MISUNDERSTANDING AND THERE'S SOME EDUCATION THAT'S NEEDED ON BOTH THE PART OF CITY STAFF AND OF THE PLANNING BOARD AND WORKING THROUGH TO THE CITY COMMISSION TO SAY THIS IS WHAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING LOOKS LIKE.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT GROUPS FOR INCOME LEVELS.
THIS IS WHAT IS REQUIRED GENERALLY ADDITIONAL DENSITY UP TO SUCH AND SUCH.
THERE ARE CALCULATIONS AND FORMULAS.
WE CAN GET THAT INFORMATION FOR THE PLANNING BOARD AND DISCUSS IT.
AND THEN IT IS ULTIMATELY UP TO THE CITY COMMISSION TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT TO MAKE.
THERE IS A WHOLE INCENTIVE PROGRAM THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE A NEW ZONING CLASS OR AN OVERLAY.
YOU INCENTIVIZE DEVELOPMENTS AND THEY ARE THEN THERE'S MEANS LITERALLY PUT ON MORTGAGE NEEDS, PUT ON THOSE PROPERTIES FOR 50 YEARS, 75 YEARS.
YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU ALL LAUGH AT THIS, BUT I WATCHED CALVERT COUNTY.
AND AT THE TOP IT WAS LIKE 20 MILES WIDE.
SO IT WAS A LONG SKINNY PENINSULA.
AND IT WAS MISERABLE AND THEY AND THAT.
SO THEY WERE BUILDING A SCHOOL A YEAR.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M NOT SO PROUD OF THAT.
BUT THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
[01:30:01]
I'M WATCHING THAT HAPPENING HERE AGAIN.I MEAN, AND SO I'M DOWN THIS ROAD, SO.
WE'VE BEEN MEETING FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF.
I THINK IT HAS BEEN A VERY PRODUCTIVE MEETING.
WE HAVE IDENTIFIED FIVE ACTION ITEMS AS THE DIRECTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION FOR THE PAB TO LOOK AT AND START TO WORK ON OVER THE NEXT YEAR.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AND IF I MAY JUST WE HAVE TO FINISH THE AGENDA REAL QUICK.
I'M NOT GOING TO BRING IT UP THIS EVENING ANYMORE.
BUT AND THEN IF THERE IS AN APPETITE WITH THE COMMISSION, THEN WE'LL MOVE.
THEY WILL MOVE FORWARD AND NOTIFY YOU AS A PLANNING BOARD IF THERE'S ANY APPETITE.
BUT THE SMALL CHANGES I'M LOOKING FOR DON'T AFFECT THAT MANY LOTS IN THE CITY.
THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. OKAY.
ALL RIGHT. GOOD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
[Item 4.4 Request for Consensus to host Joint Annual Meeting of the PAB and City Commission.]
SO I THINK COMMISSIONER ANTON HAD ONE, JUST A MINOR ADDITION FOR NUMBER TWO TO HAVE THAT INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, ARE WE LOOKING AT OTHER DETAILS THAT ARE NON-AUTOMOBILE TRANSPORTATION FACILITATION? THAT'S FINE WITH ME. ABSOLUTELY.ANYTHING ELSE? ELECTRIC SCOOTERS? I DON'T KNOW. BUT WHAT OPTIONS DO WE HAVE? TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS? YEP. OKAY. THANK YOU.
MEMBER DOSTER THANK YOU. MEMBER ANTON.
BUT LET'S ALL GIVE A THUMBS UP IF WE HAVE CONSENSUS TO MEET ANNUALLY IF YOU ARE.
ALL RIGHT. LOOKS LIKE WE GOT CONSENSUS.
THAT'S GOOD. I DID THAT LAST YEAR, IN THE YEAR BEFORE.
I THOUGHT, WELL, WE'LL DO IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR TOO.
AND IN OUR VISIONING MEETING ABOUT THERE WOULD BE A NICE FORM OF TRANSPORTATION IF WE HAD SCOOTERS OR BICYCLES OR SOMETHING, INSTEAD OF NOT JUST RENTING THEM FOR THE WEEK, JUST LIKE YOU SEE IN OTHER TOWNS, THAT A MODE OF TRANSPORTATION THAT PUBLICLY PEOPLE CAN RENT AND USE ANYWAYS.
SO CONNECTIVITY IS SOMETHING THE CITY HAS BEEN WORKING ON FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, RIGHT, KELLY? YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT.
NOW I WILL OPEN IT UP FOR ANY COMMENT FROM MARGARET.
[6. PUBLIC COMMENT]
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK A LOT OF GREAT TOPICS HERE, DISCUSS TODAY? AND DO YOU HAVE ABOUT SIX HOURS, MARGARET? YOU GET THREE MINUTES TO TALK ABOUT TWO POINTS.NUMBER ONE, I'M NOT SURE THIS IS TOTALLY CLEAR TO ALL OF THE COMMISSIONERS, THIS PROCESS.
THIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE 2019 WHEN THEY DID THE E.R.
SESSIONS AND GOT PUBLIC INPUT AND SO ON.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF DATA ABOUT PRIORITIES OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND THAT EFFORT AND ALSO IN THE VISION PLAN, EVERYONE IN THE BROTHER PRACTICALLY WAS INTERVIEWED AS PART BY THE CONSULTANTS AS PART OF THE VISION PLAN PROCESS.
AND SO THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY IN DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE ARE INTERESTED IN.
I WOULD SAY THE TOP TWO THINGS ARE THE ENVIRONMENT, AND I'LL COME BACK TO THAT.
AND THE SECOND THING IS THE CHARACTER OF THE TOWN.
OKAY, WE USE THAT WORD IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS TODAY, BUT AND PEOPLE IN KELLY'S FIELD USE USE THE TERM SENSE OF PLACE.
OKAY. THAT IS WHY PEOPLE LIVE HERE.
THE SMALL TOWN CHARACTER IS WHY PEOPLE COME HERE TO LIVE.
IT IS ALSO WHY PEOPLE VISIT HERE.
THE RESEARCH THAT THAT THE TOURIST DEVELOPMENT BOARD HAS ON TOURISM IS THE SAME THING.
AND WE NEED TO STOP THINKING THAT WE HAVE OUR ECONOMIES OVER HERE AND ENVIRONMENTS OVER HERE.
IT IS ALL INTERDEPENDENT, OKAY? OUR ECONOMY IS BASED ON OUR ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE IF WE HAVE HUGE ENVIRONMENTAL SPILLS OR PROBLEMS, THEN WE ARE GOING TO LOSE RESIDENTS.
WE ARE GOING TO LOSE VISITORS.
WE ARE GOING TO HAVE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL INTERRELATED.
[01:35:03]
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN SAY.THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO SAY IS WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT WE LIVE ON A BARRIER ISLAND.
OKAY? WE ARE IN A PERIOD OF TIME WHERE WE KNOW FOR SURE THAT WE ARE FACING SEA LEVEL RISE, WHICH THE CITY OF FERNANDINA BEACH HAS BEEN DOCUMENTING SINCE 1890.
SO, YEAH, WE KNOW IT'S HAPPENING.
WE KNOW WE'RE FACING STORM SURGE, CLIMATE CHANGE, FLOODING OF DIFFERENT AREAS.
WE NEED TO BE AS SUSTAINABLE AS POSSIBLE.
OKAY. I MEAN THAT IN TERMS OF AS ECONOMICALLY SUSTAINABLE AS POSSIBLE, AS SOCIALLY SUSTAINABLE AS POSSIBLE AND AS ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE AS POSSIBLE AND THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO TO BE AS ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE AS POSSIBLE AND AS RESILIENT AS POSSIBLE.
IF YOU ARE ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE, YOU ARE ALSO MORE RESILIENT.
MR. MAYOR, IT'S BEEN FOUR MINUTES.
I'M JUST SAYING. THANK YOU, MS..
BOK. AND YOU HAVE AN ADDITIONAL 15 SECONDS TO DO, A QUICK LITTLE CLOSING.
WE NEED TO FOCUS ON NATURALLY NATURE BASED APPROACHES TO BUILDING OUR DUNES, PROTECTING OUR RIVERFRONT, PROTECTING THE FLOOD ZONE, THE MARSH LAND.
ALL OF THIS IS REALLY CRITICAL TO OUR FUTURE.
SO PLEASE DON'T FORGET THAT, BECAUSE I WON'T LET YOU FORGET.
THANK YOU, MISS KIRKLAND. THANK YOU.
ALL RIGHT. ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO JUST GIVE US.
I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT MARGARET SAID.
OF COURSE. AND I HAVE ABOUT A DOZEN THINGS THAT I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT IN THIS ON THIS ISLAND.
BUT JUST TO MAKE IT VERY SIMPLE, I'LL JUST NAME ONE THING.
I'M WONDERING IF KELLY OR YOUR DEPARTMENT HAS MADE ANY KIND OF SURVEY OR STUDY OF THE IMPACT ALL THAT BUILDING ON THE WEST SIDE IS GOING TO DO WHEN IT'S COMPLETED TO OUR ISLAND? RIGHT NOW I TRY TO GET OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND I LIVE ON SOUTH FLETCHER.
SIMMONS ROAD TRY TO GET ACROSS 14TH STREET.
THESE PEOPLE HAVEN'T EVEN BUILT THOSE HOUSES DOWN THERE.
WE'RE GOING TO BE SO IMPACTED BY ALL OF THAT.
I THINK IT WOULD BEHOOVE US ALL TO THINK ABOUT DOING SOME KIND OF TRAFFIC STUDY BEFORE WE CONTINUE BUILDING AND BUILDING HERE, BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO COME HERE AND HOPEFULLY THEY'LL COME HERE WITH A BAG OF CASH.
GO TO OUR RESTAURANTS, SHOP IN OUR STORES, AND THEN GO BACK OVER THAT CAUSEWAY.
SO THAT'S ALL I'M THINKING ABOUT, IS HAVE WE MADE A STUDY? I THINK THAT WOULD BE PREPAREDNESS IS VERY IMPORTANT.
THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
ALL RIGHT. ANYONE ELSE? ANYONE ELSE? ALL RIGHT.
SO WHAT I'VE HEARD IS THAT WE'VE ALL WE HAVE CONSENSUS THAT WE WANT TO MEET AGAIN IN A YEAR.
UM, I THINK WE HAVE SOME IDEAS, SOME DIRECTION HERE, SOME ACTION ITEMS. AND DO I HEAR MOVE TO ADJOURN, MEETING, DO I HEAR A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SECOND. ALL RIGHT, WE ARE ADJOURNED.
WE APPRECIATE IT.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.