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M M 4. Impact on Surrounding Land Uses The fourth issue is the impact on area land use patterns. It is likely that a facility such as proposed would act as a catalyst for additional development in the vicinity. With the county's nodal approach, however, future commercial development would have to occur only in established nodes. There are also issues of compatibility which need to be,addressed. The first of these is the direct impact on residential areas adjacent to the project, including Wallace Acres and Rivera Estates. At a minimum, these areas will be protected by buffers required between commercial and residential districts. This can be augmented by site designs which maximize the use of landscaped green areas to ensure that these areas are not only screened visually but also buffered from lighting, traffic noise and fumes. Entrances, perimeter landscaping and external traffic improvements will need to be designed to not only provide for efficient and safe circulation but to lessen the impact on existing development along the external perimeter of the area. These issues are addressed more closely in the DRI development order. Relationship to Comprehensive Plan A land use change of the magnitude of that proposed is likely to change the condition and needs of other services and facilities that have been addressed in the comprehensive plan. These changes to other plan elements are influenced by the timing of the development associated with the proposed land use change as much as with the change itself. In this case, the improvements associated with this land use change will be required by 1995. An analysis of the effect of the change on other plan elements follows. ° Population Projections The proposed land use change will not greatly impact the overall population projections of the county or county sub -areas. Because of the magnitude of the proposed* project and the number of jobs created, the timing of residential population growth may be sped up. ° Housing Unemployment is moderately high in Indian River County. As of July 1990, the unemployment rate was 11.3% for the.. County. The proposed request will provide approximately 2,329 new jobs for the area. It can be expected that the proposed project will provide jobs -for some of those presently unemployed as well as providing opportunities for secondary wage earners currently unable to find jobs. Both factors- may favorably affect the affordable housing problems by increasing household income. Housing Element Objective 1 of the comprehensive plan states that the county shall provide means to reduce the cost of housing development and construction such that affordable housing is available to 60% of the very low, low and moderate income groups by 1990. The result of the proposed request will be an increase in job opportunities for income groups of the very low to moderate range. This is consistent with Objective_ 1 of the comprehensive plan. Recognizing that the proposed project will create the need for some additional affordable housing, the DRI development order requires the applicant to assess housing needs created by the proposed project and develop a.plan to address these needs. SEP23 51990 23 BOOK 81Ala 4 1521,