Indian River County commissioners and members of the public gathered Sept. 9 to discuss the updates to the comprehensive plan for the county.
A comprehensive plan sets guidelines for land use, conservation, and various aspects of county living, and several environmental advocates urged the commission to take more time before moving forward.
Discussions kicked off with a presentation by Ryan Sweeney and Patrick Murphy of Planning and Development Services. They went over some of the significant changes which are being proposed as part of the mandatory Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) process which spawned the comprehensive plan changes.
Among those changes were future land use, transportation, housing, conservation, coastal management, recreation and open space, and more.
The key one on many member's of the public's mind, though, was land use. In particular, with the height limits on developments in the county,
County Administrator John Titkanich was the first among county staff to take the stage on the issue. He clarified the board's position, in that they fully support height limitations. He read a revised policy which cements that fact.
"The county shall maintain building height limitations in the LDR, respective zone district regulations, to preserve the county's low-density neighborhood character and protect low intensity commercial areas and nodes," he said. "We think that reflects the county's commitment to maintaining the building height limitations in the LDRs."
Commission Chair Joseph Flescher echoed Titkanich's statements.
"I want to be crystal clear, there are no changes to the height limitations," he said.
Titkanich further elaborated that even if they wanted to change height limitations, the BCC does not simply have the power to just do so as they please.
"All of the height limitations that were proposed in the policy back in 2008, have been adopted into the respective zoning district regulations and our current land development regulations, which any change to them would require two public hearings," he said.
Commissioner Laura Moss voiced opposition, echoing concerns she said had been raised by residents.
"It's not being moved from the comprehensive plan to the LDRs," she said. "LDRs are determined by Planning and Zoning, county commission, and staff. They're local. That can be changed anytime we want. The comprehensive plan is filed with Tallahassee. That requires approval amendments, and then the amendments have to be filed with Tallahassee."
Moss continued, "What does this accomplish? I'll tell you. That way the long-term standards that are highly valued by the community, for example, this, the height restrictions, belong in the comprehensive plan against any quick changes that may go unnoticed by this community."
Moss said that moving the height restrictions would be a mistake.
"We need to leave certain things, and this is one of them, must remain in the comp plan. And if they don't, it jeopardizes all of us, the lifestyle we have here, the community we love," she remarked.
Titkanich clarified that the comprehensive plan sets the foundational guide for land use. In the case of height limits, he said, it establishes the cap, meaning the LDRs must still comply.
Flescher then recounted a time he flew in a helicopter through the Treasure Coast and Brevard, and commented on the Indian River County difference.
"You can see what we have from thousands of feet above. We don't have to be here, but to be here is precious. We have to maintain the height limits," he said. "I don't think there should be anything in our com plan to suggest their is wiggle room for height."
Commissioners came to a consensus that the proposed revision be adopted, with its firm number height limit.
Members of the public then came forward to voice their opinions or concerns regarding the comp plan.
Mike Johannsen, chairman of the Indian River Neighborhood Association, one of the organizations pushing back against the original language. was the first of the public to speak.
"I did want to thank you earlier for resolving an issue we collectively had with the height limitations. Thank you for addressing that directly, head on, right up front," he said.
Another member of the public, Heather Wassell, an urban designer in Vero Beach, advised that the board continue to look at the LDRs, which the board went over earlier.
"We 're pointing all these things at the land development regulations, I don't know if there's anything in the works to clean those up, but I think that's the next step," she said. "The public process really needs to engage that as well, because you're going to hear people say that you're tying to slide things in."
The discussion of the EAR closed with a motion which passed 4-1 to transmit the updates to Tallahassee.