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) [email protected]