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Land development regs signed into law
By KATHY FERGUSON
| Article published on Wednesday, April 26, 2006 |
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SEMINOLE – Two ordinances passed into law on April 11 will dramatically change how the city deals with future land development and zoning requests.
One amendment to the land development code will open the door for city officials to negotiate and approve agreements with developers. The amendment will allow items such as affordable housing, architectural style and on-site as well as off-site improvements to be placed on the bargaining table before any work goes forward.
Agreements would hold for 10 years. Any amendments would need city council approval, after two public hearings are held. But how those agreements are folding out into the community will be looked at annually by city staff.
The hammering out of such an agreement could be called for any time developers request work that would require a change to the future land use or zoning maps. Another reason might be if developers ask for the conversion of rental housing or apartment complexes to any other use. One could also be required if developers request large-scale demolition of structures or seek approval for the redevelopment or reuse of abandoned structures.
Some ideas that city officials might like to negotiate with developers before the first shovel of dirt is tossed would include:
• A certain mixture of housing types and densities that would assure harmonious groupings of structures.
• The preservation of natural features that might include leaving certain topographies alone or adding landscaping.
• The addition of sidewalks or roadways.
• Improvements to drainage and on-site retention.
Probably one of the major elements of the agreement process is the city’s attempt to pave the way for its streetscaping and community development. Begun in November of last year, officials are working with the Renaissance Planning Group to create a unified, distinctive look for Seminole with a potential of creating a city center.
To support that effort, developers could be asked to provide screening and buffering, architectural theme and building finish, consistent roof lines, controlled access, street design and building height, setback or orientation.
The other significant portion is the affordable housing implications. A density bonus for residential developments, up to 33.3 percent beyond the city’s plan limits, could be approved. But only when that increase is to provide affordable housing, probably for those misplaced by the new development.
Several incentives are laid out to encourage developers to provide affordable housing. Those might include faster permit processing and waiving of certain impact and other review fees. The city could also promise to help find homebuyers and renters for those units in coordination with Pinellas County. The income eligibility would be the same ones used by the county.
Also, the council approved changes to the land development code dealing with parking spaces for multi-family uses. The ordinance revises the number of parking spaces for multi-family projects from the current one-and-a-half spaces per unit to two. Future developers will have to adhere to this change.
In addition, an ordinance was passed that will establish the maximum number of parking spaces that would be allowed, prior to the okay of a site plan for development or redevelopment. This ordinance states that the city will “be able to better address such items as mass transit, alternative means of transportation, landscaping, aesthetics and open space” as examples.
At the April 11 session, no comments were made by the council or audience before the second and final approval of the new ordinances. But at a February city meeting, Councilor Pat Hartstein said, “This is a first step in the right direction. This will start to guide us in how to help our community.”
A key issue still seems to be the spiraling costs of homes in Pinellas County and how people, of many income levels, can’t afford them.
“According to these guidelines, I can’t afford affordable housing,” Hartstein added.
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Article published on Wednesday, April 26, 2006
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