Pirates, Pigs + More People: Planning Challenges and Opportunities in a Growing Coastal/Rural County

APA Florida Annual Conference

September 13, 2018

Taco Pope, AICP, DirectorAdrienne Burke, Esq., MSAS, Assistant DirectorKailey Saver, MURP, Planner II/Bike + Ped Coordinator

Meet Nassau County

• Where is it? FlorgiaGateway to Florida

• Approx. 726 square miles

• Only three incorporated municipalities: Fernandina Beach, Callahan and Hilliard

• Nassau County Planning Department responsible for significant land area + increasing demands for municipal-level planning services

• Thousands of years of pre-European history

• c.1562: French arrival

• c.1824: Becomes a County

• Industry, agriculture, rail, early tourism

• Names familiar to Florida history: Yulee, Plant, Kingsley, Reed, Delaney, Lewis

Meet Nassau County

Meet Nassau County

Planning Context

• Planning Heritage… or lack thereof

• Local Pride

So what’s changed?

• Got what they asked for - Yulee

• New blood

• Political environment

• Baseline Consensus -Growth Trends Reportwww.nassaucountyfl.com/planningstudies

What We Know

• Job Centers

• Schools

• Beaches

• Crime Rate

• Tourism

What We Know

40k 40k

45k

70k35k

50k

40k

80,456 Full-time Population 2017 (BEBR)

82,721 Full-time Population 2017 (US Census)

40k

What We Know

Reasonable Assumptions

Example Growing Pains: Schools + Roads • Schools

• Ex: Wildlight over capacity at one year old • Limited future siting plans

• Dirt Roads• 144 miles of County-maintained roads are

dirt• Challenge with private dirt easements

• Significant floodplain + wetlands throughout County

• Large portions of the County do not have BFE’s established

• Backlog of work orders related to drainage and flooding complaints

• Sea level rise

• Applied for DEP Resilience Planning Grant: Phase I Vulnerability Assessment

Growing pains: Flooding + Resiliency

So what do we do?

• Three big themes incorporated into all planning efforts:• History and community identity• Natural environment and resiliency• Shifting the planning and development culture/mindset

• Currently have 26 long-range/strategic planning or planning-related initiatives underway

• PEO Staff = Eight FTE

• Outreach!

William Burgess District• William Burgess District Overlay

• Historical railroad context

• Materials and architecture

William Burgess District • Resiliency Planning

• Sea level rise

• Flood zone management

• Future Planning Initiatives

• Natural Resource Preservation • Minimal impacts to wetlands

• Buffer

William Burgess District • Shifting the planning

mindset • Social Nucleus

• “Today we must treat the social nucleus as the essential element in every valid city plan” – Lewis Mumford

• Transportation • Emphasis on multi-modal

transportation

• Public-Private Partnership

• 1999-2004

• 3,500+ dus

• 1 original land owner

• Not a DRI?????

• No school

• No parks

• No fire station

• No interconnectivity

• Drainage problems

• Traffic problems

• School capacity

• Park capacity

William Burgess District

The overlay evolution and planning mindset shift

Fractured ownership

Future corridors

Village centers

Place based themes and vernacular

Unified signage and lighting

• 519 square miles

• Asset-based

• 18-24 month cycle

• Outcome: Comp Plan Policies, Specific Area Plans

• Year 1: Significant public outreach

• Related: applied for DHR Grant -Countywide Historic Resource Survey

Western Nassau Heritage Preservation Project

www.nassaucountyfl.com/westernnassau

Learning from Other Communities: Sarasota County

• Resource Management Areas• Agricultural

Reserve• Rural

Heritage/Estate• Greenway• Village/Open

Space• Economic

Development• Urban/Suburban

• Urban ServiceBoundary

• Environmentally Sensitive Land Protection Program and Neighborhood Parkland Acquisition Program

Planning Toolbox• Urban service v. urban growth boundaries

• Overlay districts

• Density limits or increases in certain areas

• Traditional zoning/future land use changes

• Design standards and guidelines

• Rural Land Stewardship Areas (Florida Statute 163.3248)• Transfer of development rights program

• Other TDR Programs

• Land acquisition programs

• Historic preservation

• Conservation easements• Rural and Family Lands Protection Program• North Florida Land Trust

• Scenic byways

• Viewshed protections

• Floodplain management/resilience planning

• Nassau County currently does not have:

• Parks and Recreation Department

• Conservation land acquisition fund or program

• Historic preservation/cultural resource program

• Current recreation provided by the County is limited and typical of rural counties: boat ramps, ball fields, beach access

• Increasing demand from residents for increased recreational amenities

• Increasing concern from residents about rapid development and loss of trees, wildlife habitat, history, wetlands and increased flooding

Recreation + Land Conservation

Conservation Land: How We Measure Up

Hardee – 1%

Calhoun – 2%

Jackson – 3%

Gilchrist – 4%

Holmes – 4%

Madison – 4%

12 of the 67 Florida Counties have less than 10% in conservation: local, state, federal, private holdings (as of 2014)

Average among remaining 54 counties = 29.5% of land is in conservation*does not include Monroe which has 96% of land in conservation

Suwannee – 5%

Union – 5%

Gadsden – 6%

Nassau – 7%

Hamilton – 8%

St. Lucie – 9%

Existing County Parks/Rec Land:• 159.64 Developed• 183.98 UndevelopedTotal = 342.62 acres

Conservation Lands:• Direction to continue preliminary priority

mapping• Forming Technical Expert Task Force• Eye towards 2020 Referendum

Recreation:• Currently beginning update to impact fees• Direction to update Comprehensive Plan and

Land Development Code• Goal: work towards LDC standards for local

park construction as requirement for new development

Citizen Empowerment and Outreach• Get citizens involved in planning

to protect places they love

Town of Callahan August 6

Town of Hilliard August 16

4-H Open House August 23

West Nassau Historical Society August 23

Regular WNHPC Meeting (cancelled) August 28

Bryceville Community Meeting September 19

Callahan Community Yard Sale September 22

Regular WNHPC Meeting September 25

Hilliard Library September 27

Callahan Library October 9

FSCJ Career Fair October 11

Regular WNHPC Meeting October 23

Chamber Westside Council Luncheon November 1

Car Show November 3

Veterans Day Celebration (tentative) November 10

Fairgrounds Town Hall November 13

West Nassau Historical Society Smithsonian Exhibit

October 28-December 8

Regular WNHPC Meeting November 27

Callahan Christmas Parade/Arts Fair (tentative) December 1

School Board Presentation December 13

Taco Pope, AICPDirector

Adrienne Burke, Esq., MSASAssistant Director

Kailey Saver, MURPPlanner II/Bike + Ped Coordinator

(904) 530-6300planninginfo@nassaucountyfl.com