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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-29-1996 MINUTES OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING HELD WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 1996 (ACTING AS LOCAL PLANNING AGENCY) CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chairman Switzer at 7:35 p.m. followed by a moment of silent meditation and the pledge of allegiance. A quorum was declared present. PRESENT: Chairman Switzer, Members Hopkins, Jones (arrived 7:52 p.m.), Landefeld, Miller and Rhodus, and Alternate Members McKey and Williams (arrived 7:45 p.m.). Also present were Planning Director Wagner, Concurrency Analyst Resnik, Assistant City Attorney Formella and Deputy City Clerk Green. ABSENT: Vice Chairman Bond NEW BUSINESS Chairman Switzer announced that the board would be meeting as the Local Planning Agency to consider the proposed ordinance. ORDINANCE NO. 96 -09, PROPOSED CONCURRENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM REVISION TO ARTICLE IX OF THE OCOEE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE - PUBLIC HEARING 'taw Concurrency Analyst Resnik presented the staff report, advising that the proposed revision would allow for alternative methods of Level of Service (LOS) analysis on roads which have reached the maximum Average Daily Trip (ADT) capacity at LOS D. She explained that segments of Silver Star Road, Good Homes Road and State Road 50, which are state or county roads, are the area roads which have reached that capacity. Under the revision, if a proposed development is located in an area where a road segment is over capacity using ADT counts, developers would have the option of submitting special traffic studies based on alternative methods of measuring traffic, such as travel time delay studies. The studies would provide a measure of flexibility but would remain within standards that are accepted by the state. She said travel time analysis would be provided by the applicant at no cost to the City. Staff will be proposing a resolution which will incorporate an application, an application fee and consultant review costs. In discussion about a future possible change to LOS E on roads at capacity for LOS D, Ms. Resnik said it was LOS F, not LOS E, that included gridlock. She explained that LOS E would allow more flexibility to allow development to continue while the state found funds for improvements to SR 50. SR 50 is not on the state five year plan for improvement. Silver Star Road is in their five year capital improvements plan to start right of way acquisition and just outside the five year plan to start construction. She said a change to LOS E would lower the level of service, but it is the same LOS as the state, county and other cities that are impacting the road as it goes through Ocoee's jurisdiction. Chairman Switzer said he thought it was unfair to the developers who want to develop in the Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting May 29, 1996 City not to have the same LOS as surrounding entities. Planning Director Wagner cited examples of proposed development of properties in Orange County along SR 50 and Silver Star Road for which minimal consideration has been given to impacts to roads. He said that development which might otherwise occur in the City would be nearby, causing Ocoee to experience the impact of the traffic without the benefit of impact fees. Mr. Wagner pointed out that the proposed revision would retain the current LOS D on City roadways. Member Rhodus asked if agreeing to another method to count traffic was not "giving in." Mr. Wagner said that, simply put, it would not be "giving in," but acceding to reality. If the county and state with lower levels of service give permits anyway, it would be more beneficial to the City to receive the impact fees in order to make improvements over which it has some control. Chairman Switzer said Ocoee would have the same set of rules as Orange County, Winter Garden, and Apopka. Mr. Wagner said that concurrency management was a good idea that has not worked very well in reality because the state has not adopted a uniform method of measuring it and undertaking it. He said the state has allowed each community to determine its own system without state review. The concurrency management system has not worked for traffic on a regional basis. Member Landefeld asked if analyzing traffic by another method might mean there could be 50,000 cars (per day) on SR 50, or that 10,000 more cars could be added. Ms. Resnik said that in the studies engineers would analyze when the traffic is occurring, how far it is spread out, the amount of time it takes to travel a given segment of road and other criteria, such as time of day, overall impact on the road on a daily basis, and what the road looks like on an average basis. Ms. Resnik said it would depend on several variables. She explained that the addition of an intersection to SR 50 actually decreased the LOS of the road because it slows traffic. The road segment which is being measured, the proposed location of the project, and the size of the project would determine the difficulty a developer would encounter in meeting the state standards. It may or may not work. Member Miller asked the LOS of the City's portion of Maguire Road. Ms. Resnik said it was probably bordering on LOS C to D as 17,400 is considered 100% of LOS D for Maguire. Ms. Miller said that the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County were in this situation 10 to 15 years ago. They began changing their level of service and are now at gridlock. ,► 2 Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting May 29, 1996 Ms. Resnik said Maguire Road is on the list of capital improvements projects to be widened, and several other widening projects are being planned. She said the City has kept pace with the growth on City roads, and none are at capacity. It is the state and county roads that have begun to cause the problem. A change in the City's concurrency management system is needed if growth is to be allowed to continue in the City. Member Rhodus said a yes vote seemed to be their only option. Ms. Resnik said she thought, eventually, especially with the mall, there would be pressure on the state to fund the widening of SR 50 and to include the project in their capital improvements program. In the period before SR 50 can be included in the City's concurrency management system as a funded project, as a widened facility, the City must determine whether or not to allow growth to continue in that area. Member Miller said the County was looking at an alternate north/south route on Apopka - Vineland and may not improve Good Homes Road. Mr. Wagner pointed out that the state never has enough funds to go around, so it rarely funds a project before it becomes critical. The public hearing was opened. Mr. Brad Rush, 1833 Sparkling Water Circle, expressed concern that impact fees to be collected if the revision is approved and if the standard is lowered to LOS E could not be used to relieve the congestion on the roads now at capacity, especially Silver Star Road. Ms. Resnik explained that the road impact fee system is a City -wide system. She said road impact fees collected when developers elect to build on SR 50 would be used for City roads, such as Maguire Road. Ms. Resnik said Staff will be bringing the issue of changing the Level of Service from LOS D to LOS E, along with several other transportation related issues, to the Joint Workshop with Planning and Zoning Commission and City Commission on July 9th. The public hearing was closed. Chairman Switzer seconded by Member Landefeld, moved to recommend an 'royal of Ordinance No. 96 -09, Proposed Concurrency Management System Revision to Article IX of the Ocoee Land Develo.ment Code. Motion carried 5 -1 with Member Miller votin. "No." (Vice Chairman Bond was absent.) 3 Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting May 29, 1996 OLD BUSINESS - None. Planning Director Wagner said in the last meeting he had discussed briefly a list of future transportation projects, and had suggested members bring any questions about them back to this meeting. He said the Joint Workshop will be July 9th, the regular P & Z meeting night, at 7:30 p.m. If there is any business to come before the P & Z Commission, a meeting will be held before the Workshop. Items to be considered in the Workshop will be the transportation projects (in greater detail), impact fees, and concurrency. He said the presentation will help members to see the complexity of what the City is facing in the future and the costs. The City in and of itself will never be able to pay all the costs, so it is important to acquire funds from the state and to have county participation. Chairman Switzer asked if anything had been done about allowing traffic coming from the north on the turnpike to be able to exit near the West Oaks Mall area. Mr. Wagner said that in a meeting with the Expressway Authority, Joe Berenis had said that they could not undertake the $40 to $50 million project without significant state and federal funding. Mr. Wagner said an additional complication is the leg coming up to that from the turnpike is actually owned by the Turnpike Authority. The Expressway Authority will begin looking at the possibility of making the Good Homes Road exit a full diamond, so that people could exit at Good Homes and return to the mall on SR 50. Member Miller asked if the City had an estimate of how much the local option gas tax would be. Mr. Wagner said he understood there would be a $360,000.00 per year increase. OTHER BUSINESS - None. COMMENTS - None at this time. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m. k p At ) 4,11.11LI /XI Marian Green, Deputy City Clerk Harold Switzer, Chair r ,,. 4