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HomeMy WebLinkAboutVII(B) NW Sector Plan Scope of Services – Authorization for Staff to Negotiate Work Order Agenda 9-02-2003 Mayor ,S�e Centers Good LjItem VII B v�� Commissioners Y S. Scott Vandergrift !!'Y Danny Howell, District 1 E Scott Anderson, District 2 City ManagerRusty Johnson, District 3 Jim Gleason `' Nancy J. Parker, District 4 t STAFF REPORT DATE: August 22, 2003 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Commissioners FROM: Russ Wagner, AICP, Community Development Director / SUBJECT: Northwest Sector Planning Study ISSUE: Should the Mayor and City Commissioners authorize staff to negotiate an amendment to the Continuing Transportation Planning and Engineering Services contract with Renaissance Planning Group to conduct a Northwest Ocoee Sector Plan for a budget not to exceed $150,000? BACKGROUND: The City of Ocoee is facing increasing development pressures in its northwest area, which is arguably the largest remaining part of the city where substantial growth can occur in the future. Developments that have recently been approved or are in the pipeline include Westyn Bay, ForestBrooke, Wines Property, Ocoee Crown Point PUD, Eagles Landing and Faraway Farms. Formal requests and informal inquires have been made about changing the existing land use pattern of primarily low-density residential development to allow more intense commercial and residential development in the area. This reflects improvements in transportation access to the area due to construction of the Western Expressway, the presence of newer upscale residential subdivisions and large tracts of vacant or underutilized land. The City undertook two market studies associated with the acquisition and master planning of the former Coca-Cola property. The findings, which were specifically for that site, indicated the area was suitable for limited, neighborhood-oriented commercial development, and that its predominant market demand was lower density residential land uses. However, in recent months, other developers have approached the City with suggestions that a greater demand exists for more intensive residential and non-residential uses in the vicinity of the Western Expressway interchange at West Road. Accordingly, there is a lack of credible information about potential market demand in the area, and how that market may be affected by capital investments. The chief limitation on more intense development in the northwest area is a lack of utilities and other infrastructure, particularly sanitary sewer. There would be considerable capital cost to the City to extend and upgrade sewer facilities to serve anything but low-density development in the area. Although this area is adjacent to Orange County's utilities service area, neither the County nor the City has funds identified to extend infrastructure to serve the area. Additionally, if City of Ocoee• 150 N Lakeshore Drive •Ocoee,Florida 34761 phone: (407)905-3100•fax: (407)656-8504•www.ci.ocoee.fl.us The Honorable Mayor and City Commissioners August 22,2003 Page 2 of 2 Orange County extends to the area, it would likely preclude the City from benefiting from potential increases in property value. Furthermore, there is a growing, near-term need for traffic capacity improvements to Ocoee-Apopka Road and other roadways in the northwest area, but there are no funds identified for specific projects, leaving the City to negotiate in piecemeal fashion with developers to obtain needed rights-of-way or construct minor improvements. DISCUSSION: The City can continue to respond on a case-by-case basis to rezoning and development proposals in the northwest area, or it can take a strategic, long-term approach to determine the appropriate land use and development scenario that best meets the City's needs. A sector plan for the northwest area would provide a vision and financially feasible strategy for the area's growth. The sector plan will take into consideration existing conditions and trends, and will clarify the market demand for a study area that reaches from Franklin Street to the northern city limits, and from just west of East Crown Point Road to east of Lakewood Avenue. Most importantly, the sector plan would then undertake a market-based analysis of alternative land use/growth scenarios to identify the best scenario from an economic and neighborhood character perspective. One scenario will be a status quo alternative. A capital facilities plan to address associated utility and transportation infrastructure needs will also be completed. The sector plan will occur in a collaborative process with local property owners. Workshops will be held early and during the study with major landowners, the Planning & Zoning Commission, City Commission and the public to obtain input and reaction to the sector plan. Specific work products of the sector plan will include: • An analysis of market demand for northwest Ocoee • A strategic vision or game plan for long-term growth and public facility/services needs • An assessment of the impact of various growth scenarios on utility infrastructure, both within and outside the primary study area (this would include upgrades to lift stations/utility lines) • A short-and long-term transportation improvement plan • Definition of boundaries and definitions for the Interchange Impact Area per the City's Comprehensive Plan • A fiscal impact analysis demonstrating capital costs and revenue streams for the land use alternatives and preferred scenario. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Based upon the information discussed above, City staff's findings are that a sector plan for the northwest area will provide needed clarity and guidance for development requests to the City. The plan will assist staff and the City Commission, as well as the development community, with information to evaluate development and infrastructure needs in the northwest area. This study is eligible for funding outside of the general fund from Road Impact Fees and Utility Enterprise Funds. As such, staff requests authorization from the Mayor and City Commissioners to negotiate an amendment to the contract with Renaissance Planning Group to conduct a Northwest Ocoee Sector Plan for a budget not to exceed $150,000. Attachment: Draft Outline for the Northwest Sector Plan Scope of Services O:\Staff Reports\2003\SR03075 CC.doc RENAISSANCE PLANNING GROUP CITY OF OCOEE PROPOSED NORTHWEST SECTOR PLAN Draft Scope of Services August 22, 2003 INTRODUCTION Northwest Ocoee is facing pressure to change the existing land use pattern of primarily low- density residential development to allow additional non-residential uses and more intense development in the area. The pressure reflects improvements in transportation access in the area, the presence of newer upscale residential subdivisions and large tracts of vacant or underutilized land. The City's Comprehensive Plan recognizes those pressures with the objective of designating an Interchange Impact Area to guide future development. However, a lack of sewer facilities, a constrained transportation network and an unknown level of market demand raise questions about the economic feasibility of changing the development intensity in this area. The purpose of the Northwest Sector Plan is to prepare a market-based assessment of alternative land use scenarios to defme a vision for the area that is economically viable. A primary objective is to work in partnership with landowners in the area to determine the financial feasibility and potential funding sources to provide public facilities sufficient to support a level of development intensity. The primary study area is generally Primar Stud Area bounded by the SR 429/Western Expressway to the north, Silver Star Road to the south, East Crown i.• . .• .. Point Road to the west, and Lakewood Avenue to the east. The transportation analysis will reflect impacts resulting from regional and local demand within the study area. The figure at right shows the primary study area. West R ', gattia..),w.Rd The preparation of the Northwest Ocoee Sector Plan ; f �«Cross Rd would satisfy policies in the city's adopted Comprehensive Plan to defme and establish an Interchange Impact Area to guide growth that best W�� fits the character of the area. This project will result 1 8 in definition of a boundary, future land use and a public facility/service needs for the Interchange a "Palm Dr Impact Area. The benefit of completing this study is W /4",, to provide a degree of development certainty for F a landowners, and an expectation of required public �1 facilities and services that would need to support any change in development intensity. Upon approval by the Ocoee City Commission, a refined scope of services and cost estimate will be developed in consultation with city staff. Renaissance Planning Group, the city's continuing planning services consultant, would perform the scope of services, with support by Real Estate Research Consultants for the market assessment and financial tasks, and by DRMP, Inc., for assistance with utilities and civil engineering tasks. - 1 - RENAISSANCE PLANNING GROUP SCOPE OF SERVICES Task 1—Data Collection,Inventory and Analysis of Conditions This task entails an inventory and review of existing and future land uses, public facilities and services (including police, fire, parks/recreation, sewer and water), traffic characteristics, aerial photographs and environmental features in the study area. A contact list of landowners in the area will be created for use during the study. Much of the data needed for the study is readily available or has been collected through other efforts, but will be organized and summarized to ensure efficient completion of subsequent study tasks. One new step will be to review and update the 2025 socioeconomic data developed by MetroPlan for use in the modeling task. Task 2—Market Assessment An assessment of anticipated market demand in the Northwest area is needed to determine the potential feasibility for various types of land uses. Previous market studies that have been undertaken for the former Coca-Cola property will be used as a basis for this task. The issues to be addressed relate to the City's expectations about the probable nature of uses demanded in the study area over a foreseeable planning horizon that may be defined as near term(1-5 years)mid- term (5-10 years), and longer term (10+ years). Socioeconomic data projections through 2025 will be considered in this analysis. This task would evaluate the general type of use(s) or user(s) likely to locate here,the threshold space requirements for these, and their timing. In this context, general is construed to mean office, retail, residential or other land use categories suited to the level of data that can be generated at the city and regional level. The research will rely on general growth conditions, demographic data, patterns of observed development, and typical requirements for users. Specific tasks include: • Define the market area for the analysis; • Review prior work that relates to this effort; • Identify socioeconomic trends that have a bearing on the possible uses that are envisioned in the study area; • Identify threshold levels of demand for these uses based on past and reasonably foreseeable trends within the time context noted; • Inventory available properties where development might occur in the study area; • Identify physical or regulatory issues influencing possible development; • Identify competitive or comparable concentrations of development that might have a bearing on concepts envisioned in the study area, and • Document findings in a memorandum. -2 - RENAISSANCE PLANNING GROUP Task 3—Develop Alternative Land Use Scenarios Based on the findings from the market assessment and a workshop with major landowners in the study area, this task will define up to three alternative land use scenarios that convey different levels of development intensity. The scenarios likely to be evaluated include: • Low intensity—primarily low density residential with limited neighborhood commercial development, such as planned for the former Coca-Cola property; • Medium intensity — a moderate increase in the amount of commercial, industrial and/or multi-family land uses anticipated in the area, and • High intensity—a conversion of existing vacant low-density residential lands near the SR 429 interchange to a combination of mostly commercial, industrial and multi-family residential development. Each of the scenarios will entail a conceptual future land use map and perspective drawings/illustrations to depict the level of intensity and density associated with each alternative for residential and non-residential land uses. Types of development comprising the alternatives will be defined in terms of their socioeconomic characteristics and density/intensity, and converted into Equivalent Residential Units to identify associated infrastructure/service needs. Task 4—Evaluate and Recommend Preferred Land Use Scenario In this task, each of the scenarios will be evaluated in terms of their costs and benefits. Facility impacts and costs will focus primarily on needed transportation and sanitary sewer capacity, but will consider other facilities and services as well. Benefits will consider level of service improvements and revenue generated from various sources (impact fees, connection and service fees, etc.) to pay for needed capacity and expansion of the City's tax base. Metroplan's new regional traffic model will be refined to perform the transportation analysis in terms of the study area roadway network characteristics and growth projections for the Ocoee JPA through 2025. Each of the three scenarios will be evaluated for impacts on the capacity of existing sewer and transportation system facilities, and a land use scenario will be recommended based on the assessment of costs and potential revenues, consistent with anticipated market demand. The analysis will entail development of an access management and improvement plan for area roadways, including Ocoee-Apopka Road, extension of Wurst Road and consideration of needed improvements or relocations to Pine Street and Palm Drive. A workshop will be held with the public to present the results of the evaluation, and to refine the recommended alternative for consideration by the City Commission. Task 5—Prepare Capital Facilities Plan A phased implementation plan will be developed for transportation, sewer, and other facilities and services, as necessary, to support the recommended alternative. A financial plan that considers potential revenue streams associated with the preferred land use scenario will be developed to guide the implementation schedule. - 3 - RENAISSANCE PLANNING GROUP Task 6—Plan Adoption and Documentation Results of the Northwest Ocoee Sector Plan will be presented to the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Commission for consideration and adoption. The findings will be documented in a report with maps suitable for distribution and reproduction. The report will document boundaries and preliminary recommendations for a future special development plan for the Interchange Impact Area to be adopted as an overlay district, per the Comprehensive Plan. Following adoption of the Northwest Sector Plan by the Ocoee City Commission, the consultant will assist staff with preparation of any necessary Comprehensive Plan text or map amendments and/or Capital Improvement Program modifications. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT The process will entail two workshops/discussion forums with major landowners in the study area. The first workshop will occur upon completion of the market assessment task and at the initiation of the development of alternatives task. This workshop will seek to obtain input and guidance from property owners into the potential land use scenarios. The second public workshop would be held following the evaluation of alternative land use scenarios to refine the analysis and help select a preferred alternative. A community workshop advertised to the general public will be held at the conclusion of Task 4, in which the evaluation and recommendation of an alternative will be presented for comment and refinement. SCHEDULE The Northwest Sector Plan will be completed within six months, with a target completion of Spring 2004. A detailed schedule by task will be prepared before notice to proceed. BUDGET The estimated cost to prepare the study, including public workshops and preparation of Comprehensive Plan amendment(s),will not exceed$150,000. A more detailed scope of services and cost estimate by task may reduce that amount. O:\Renaissance\Draft of Scope of Services.doc -4 -