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04/24/1989 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN WORK SESSION April 24, 1989 The City Commission of the City of Clearwater met at City Hall with the following members present: Rita Garvey Mayor/Commissioner Don Winner Vice-Mayor/Commissioner Lee Regulski Commissioner William Nunamaker Commissioner Richard Fitzgerald Commissioner Also present were: Ron H. Rabun City Manager M. A. Galbraith, Jr. City Attorney Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk The mayor called the meeting to order at 9:01 a.m. and the following was discussed: Paula Harvey, Acting Planning and Development Director reviewed the proposed technical changes to the plan. A question was raised regarding reviewing older sections of the City for redevelopment. It was indicated this is a continued planning effort not addressed by the comprehensive plan and would be pursued more diligently after the comprehensive plan is completed. She indicated the public had indicated concerns regarding traffic at Countryside Boulevard, the bottleneck at U.S.19 and 580 and the Memorial Causeway Bridge. Questions were raised about the improvements to Missouri Avenue and it was indicated this is in the County 2010 plan. It was indicated in policy 8.3.2, regarding mass transit, they have lessened the size of an office center. Staff is also adding a policy 8.5 regarding ferry service between the beach and the mainland. It was indicated we are close to an agreement for the ferry service and reaching an agreement with the DER regarding environmental concerns for that dock. Ms. Harvey indicated there are changes to the aviation plan to remove the term "by others". She indicated that all these recommended changes will be provided to the Commission in writing. Lou Hilton, of Planning and Development, reviewed the utilities elements. He stated sanitary sewer will be upgraded to advanced wastewater treatment by 1991 and that older lines need to be replaced and/or repaired. Major problems to be addressed are infiltration during the rainy season and major interceptors that need to be replaced. Mr. Hilton indicated for the projected population, there are no major inadequacies. Discussion ensued regarding health department involvement if septic tanks become a problem. A concern was expressed that the potential population had been estimated at too low a figure and it was indicated these figures were based on annexation and permits, hotels rooms and apartments for long term lease. It was indicated we have 18,000 to 20,000 seasonal residents and there are 25,000 in enclaves which are not included in the population estimate. In response to questions regarding sludge disposal, it was indicated alternatives are being studied. A concern was expressed regarding solid waste this weekend at the beaches and it was requested separate baskets be provided for aluminum cans. It was indicated the City is well on its way to its 30 percent reduction in the solid waste stream as required by State law. Concern was expressed regarding paper collection in that it is unsightly when it is placed at the curbs. In response to a question regarding a bottle and can deposit bill, it was indicated this did not get into the bills this past legislative session. It was reported the County is proposing an additional resource recovery plant in 1995. The City has received a grant to be spent on recycling education and the City is hiring a recycling coordinator. It was recommended the verbiage of policy 15.6.2 be amended to add "and wildlife". It was also requested the sentence end after the word "harmful" or to move "harmful" to in front of the word "household". It was indicated the City needs to establish a master drainage plan. It was reported the Stevenson's Creek plan is to reduce intrusion of water into houses under a 25 year storm scenario and to improve the quality of stormwater runoff. In response to a question, it was indicated drainage districts are being studied on a County wide basis. Ms. Harvey indicated that while we are coordinating with the County in the plan, we have to be able to address this as if there is no help from them on these drainage issues. Charles Hunsicker, Assistant City Manager, indicated concurrency will require our drainage plan hold a six inch rain for 24 hours. We will be required to address the deficiencies in our drainage system and set timeframes. This will set the tone for our future capital improvement project. He further indicated staff will be bringing forward a stormwater utility proposal in the future and a fee will be recommended to develop a revenue stream to fund drainage improvements. A concern was expressed regarding how to be equitable in the charging of the fee and it was indicated this would be based on impervious surface. Mr. Hilton indicated the cost for retrofitting needs to be born by all not just taxpayers. The meeting recessed from 11:02 a.m. to 11:11 a.m. Chris Papandreas reviewed the costal zone management element. Dave Healy, Consultant to the City, said three things were done. First, they looked at the shoreline usage, two, they looked at the economic base considerations and three, the potential and need for redevelopment including post-disaster redevelopment. In response to a question, it was indicated the zoning of the beach is based on existing usage and there is a need to encourage redevelopment. It was reported there are no provisions for variances to density and that if the City wishes to recognize existing densities, the land development code will need to be amended. It was indicated there are three redevelopment areas on Clearwater Beach and one on Osceola on the Bayfront. Fortunately, there is a significant amount of infrastructure already in place for these areas. Ms. Papandreas stated the advisory committees' recommendations regarding rebuilding in a post disaster situation include: 1) provisions to expedite development processes, 2) post disaster redevelopment in high hazard areas, if destroyed more than 50 percent, must comply with current City requirements. A concern was expressed regarding the ability to replace washed away land. It was indicated if the land is gone, it is lost unless permits can be obtained for dredge and fill. The City Attorney expressed concern regarding condominiums in which the density is higher than that by the zoning code and how the City would determine which units to replace. Mr. Healy indicated if the City is serious about correcting the density problems, it must address this issue. The policy should be implemented by change in the land development code. A question was raised regarding individual disaster versus a community disaster and it was indicated there is no distinction. A concern was expressed that modern structures could survive a storm but land may not be there. It was indicated the State will be establishing a 30 year erosion control line. The City's ability to produce potable water was discussed. It was indicated we have 30 wells that produced 6 million gallons of water in 1988 however, we had to buy 10 million gallons from the County. Discussion ensued regarding the need to implement conservation efforts. It was also indicated that deterioration of fixtures is placing metals in the water and staff is monitoring for salt water intrusion. In response to a question regarding PHM's in the water, it was indicated the City made changes two years ago and we are now within the standard required. Discussion ensued regarding a policy regarding irrigation restrictions and concerns were expressed that it would be difficult to enforce if only the City had the alternate day restrictions. Staff is also investigating the use of a second water system which would bring treated effluent to residential areas for irrigation use. Concerns were expressed regarding the proposal to permit shallow wells if we are encouraging their use. It was indicated that permitting would provide for proper location of the wells. Mr. Hilton reviewed the conservation element stating that it does include protection of the wells. It was indicated the State requires conservation areas and the City will rely on transfer of development rights. A question was raised regarding retention areas being prohibited within proximity of a well and it was indicated this is in litigation. A question was raised regarding why this would be a problem and it was indicated that if a retention area served a parking area, contaminants from that parking lot could gradually infiltrate into the ground water. Mr. Hilton indicated the Florida Administration Code requires historic boundaries and that wetlands and mangroves be retained. The conservation element also incorporates scenic vistas. There will need to be coordination with the SWIM program. Ms. Harvey reviewed policy 22.5.1 which provides for mitigation of the conservation areas in the State. The Planning and Zoning Board recommended the statement "except through mitigation established by the City of Clearwater" be added. The advisory committee for the conservation element prefers the statement as is. She indicated policy 22.3 needed to have the date changed to 1991 and policy 23.1.5 regarding the settlement with Brooker Creek needs to make a policy statement. Intergovernmental Coordination was addressed by Chris Papandreas saying that we track day to day activities of coordination. Concerns were expressed regarding annexation and the term "service area" as opposed to the term "planning area". The recreation and open space element was reviewed by Jeff Pruitt of Planning and Development. He stated 4.6 percent of the land area is recreation open space which the City wishes to maintain. He stated the minimum level of service for the City of Clearwater is 4 acres per one thousand people. He reviewed the various park needs. Discussion ensued regarding impact fees and restrictions that are placed on their uses. Regarding the capital improvement element, Mr. Pruitt indicated concurrency management takes into consideration those things required by the other elements. Capital improvement programs will provide those things needed for concurrency. In response to questions regarding allusions to increase in taxes and other revenue sources, it was indicated we have to show the fiscal capacity to meet the plan. It was indicated zoning amendments will be built into concurrency regulations and with the exception of state roads, the intention is to have locally adopted standards. Staff was complimented for their efforts on the comprehensive plan. The meeting adjourned at 1:05 p.m.