2/13/1990 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Director Keating commented that it could be considered the 25% problem or 25% opportunity. He agreed that this unquestion- ably is the issue on which we have had the most comment. He continued that the one valid objection we got from the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council is in regard to the fact that our Plan exempted Agricultural operation, and the RPC felt it should include agriculture. Since we have gotten the RPC review and the state review, we have made some revisions and have come up with Alternative Policy 6.12, which does provide a sliding scale as recommended both by the RPC and 1000 Friends of Florida. Alternate Policy 6.12 is as follows: Conservation Element Alternate Policy 6.12 Policy 6.12: The county shall adopt regulations whereby develop- ment projects 5 acres or largerincluding agricultural operations, _shall set aside, through selective clearing and micro -siting of buildings and construction :activities, a minimum percentage of the total cumulative acreage of native plant communities which occur on site (e.g. flatwoods, xeric scrub, coastal/tropical hammock, etc.). The minimum percentage set aside area shall be as follows, based on development type: Agricultural operation: 20% of the total cumulative native plant community acreage Residential development: 25% of the total cumulative native plant community acreage Commercial development: 20% of the total cumulative native plant community acreage Industrial development: 20% of the total cumulative native plant community acreage. . Such set aside areas .shall be preserved in viable condition with intact canopy, understor-S�, and ground cover, and shall be protect- ed by the filing of conservation easements. The preserved set aside areas(s) shall be allowed as credit toward other county land development regulations such as landscape, buffers, open space requirements and minimum yard setback requirements. Where preservation of the referenced percentage of the native plant communities on-site is not feasible given site specific characteristics, the county shall consider off-site preservation and/or habitat creation (type -for -type) as an alternative to on-site preservation. Moreover, as an incentive to preserve contiguous tracts which provide more habitat value than linear buffer set aside areas, the county shall allow a 5 percentage point reduction in the set aside percentage of the cumulative native plant community acreage, for those preserve areas set aside as a contiguous tract. 30