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r MAY 25 1993 BOOK 89 MUF62,77 The expansion of nodes„meeting the 70% developed requirement is allowed even though,_ d on population projections, the county has overallocated C/I designated land. Policy 1.23 reflects the position that the percent of developed land in each node is an indication of local demand in that specific portion of the county. With respect to the countywide overallocation of C/I designated land, there are several reasons for the overallocation. First, there are both wetlands and native habitat preservation areas within existing nodes. Since, much of that land is protected by county, state, and federal regulations and cannot be commercially developed, the effective node acreage is less than that identified. Second, the overallocation of C/I designated land is mostly due to the existence of large, nearly vacant nodes near I-95. These nodes are important parts of the county's overall business attraction strategy and economic development policies. They were created to attract clean, high paying, high technology companies. Research indicates that these companies prefer the large campus - type facilities, for which these nodes are well-suited. These companies locate where there is easy, efficient access to markets, materials, and related businesses and companies. While these nodes are presently nearly vacant, the county anticipates that they will eventually accommodate large employers. Until that time, the county must also provide sufficient land to meet the demand of retail and smaller companies in more populated parts of the county. For these reasons, despite the overallocation of C/I designated land throughout the county as it whole, the county allows node expansion that meets certain criteria, including a demonstrated demand for additional C/I designated land. In this case, the -subject commercial/ industrial node meets these criteria. According to staff analysis, approximately 69% of the node is developed. This development percentage demonstrates a demand for additional C/I designated land in this area of the county and is sufficient to meet policy 1.23's requirements for node expansion. Therefore, the subject request is consistent with Future Land Use Policy 1.23. - Future Land Use Policy 1.24 Future Land Use Policy 1.24 states that any property redesignated commercial through a land use plan amendment shall revert to its former designation if construction on the site has not commenced within a two year period, unless such timeframe is modified by the Board of County Commissioners as part of a development agreement. This policy decreases land speculation, and helps ensure that demand for additional C/I designated land is present before requests to expand nodes are approved. It also allows for the correction of nodes mistakenly expanded in the absence of demand for more C/I designated land. - Economic Development Objective 1 Economic Development Objective 1 states that the county will reduce its unemployment rate. By increasing the size of a developing node, the subject request will allow more businesses to locate in an area where there is high demand for commercial land. This is an incentive for businesses to locate or expand in the county, resulting in a lower unemployment rate. For that reason, the subject request is consistent with Economic Development Objective 1. 26