5/24/1994 - Laserfiche WebLink

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MAY 241994,. DESCRIPTION AND CONDITIONS moK 92 Farr 465 Earlier this month, the Board of County Commissioners received letters from the Pelican Island Audubon Society, Friends of St. Sebastian River, and the Pelican Island Preservation Society, requesting that the Board adopt a resolution endorsing federal acquisition of the "Kennedy Tract" on north Jungle Trail. The purpose of the acquisition is to provide a protective buffer for the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (PINWR). Attached for the Board's consideration is a proposed county resolution supporting the federal acquisition. Kennedy Tract Description The Kennedy Tract is approximately 90 acres in size, bordering the Indian River Lagoon (and PINWR) on the west side of Jungle Trail, north of Windsor Development (see attached map). The property consists of mangrove wetland and citrus grove. The property is presently zoned A-1, Agriculture (1 unit/5 acres) and RS -1, Single -Family Residential (1 unit/acre), with a comprehensive plan future land use designation of L-1, Low Density Residential, up to 3 units/acre. Wetlands on the property have a future land use designation of Con -2, Wetland Conservation, 1 unit/40 acre development density (1 unit/acre density transfer credit). The Kennedy Tract abuts the +132 acre Korangy property to the north, which is under negotiation for county acquisition as part of the county environmental land acquisition program. ALTERNATIVES & ANALYSIS The proposed resolution supports federal acquisition of the Kennedy Tract, and does not entail county contribution to acquisition funding. The subject property was once included on the Land Acquisition Advisory Committee's (LAACs) list of sites under consideration for county acquisition, as part of a bigger area on north Jungle Trail that included the Korangy property. The Kennedy Tract was eventually dropped from LAAC consideration,' due to the uplands portion of the property being largely citrus grove. Notwithstanding LAAC's withdrawal of the property from county acquisition consideration, federal purchase of the property,would afford an important buffer to the Pelican Island Refuge, including the elimination of the possible proliferation of waterfront structures if the tract was developed as a residential community. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the attached resolution in Kennedy Tract to provide National Wildlife Refuge. Board of County Commissioners adopt the support of federal acquisition of the a protective buffer to the Pelican Island 20