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residential districts, but is reNcted in various ways. The restrictions are applied to incidental to construction mining activities to protect the environment, address road impacts, and to tightly limit the length of time and time of day that such mining and hauling activity is allowed to impact surrounding properties. At the September 21st workshop, engineer Dean Luethje presented a proposal to create a ±40 acre stormwater management and irrigation lake at the western portion of the Bent Pine development. Creation of'such a lake would respond to the St. Johns River Water Management District's stated desire for the Bent Pine golf course to be irrigated from a source other than by high chloride Floridan Aquifer well water. Creation of the lake would produce an enormous amount of excess fill to be hauled off-site. Mr. Luethje asserted that such a proposal could not be approved under the current county LDRs because of the following: 1. The site -does not have the proper zoning (agricultural) for a long-term commercial mining operation, and 2. The incidental to construction provisions limit excavation and hauling off-site to a 2 month timeframe, and lakes are limited to a 12' depth. Under Mr. Luethje's proposal, more time and greater lake depth would be needed. At the September 21st workshop, staff expressed concerns about impacts of excavation and hauling that are inherent with such activities. The purpose and intent of the current incidental to construction mining provisions are to balance the concerns and needs of developers with those of surrounding residents. Thus, the incidental to construction provisions recognize and accommodate the legitimate need to haul excess fill from certain construction sites. Since more and more lakes are likely to be dug to satisfy stormwater management requirements for new development projects, there may be more development. projects that will "produce" large quantities of excess fill -material. Incidental to construction mining operations are not restricted to agriculturally zoned property and can occur in any zoning district, including residential zoning districts. Thus, such operations are allowed in higher density areas where more residents can be impacted by the mining operation. In effect, the 2 month time limitation is intended to minimize the amount of time nuisances from off-site hauling are allowed to impact an area. However, the current 2 month limitation may not accommodate large development projects that may involve hauling large quantities of excess fill material off-site. The existing 12.1 lake depth limitation on incidental to construction mining is to ensure that resulting lakes, which will be integrated into development projects, will more easily function.. as viable lakes. •According to St. Johns River Water Management. District staff, lake depths below 12' can result in oxygen depleted "dead zones" at lake bottoms. Such oxygen depletion can be addressed by aeration and circulation techniques; however, those techniques can require a high degree of maintenance. Therefore, the 12' depth limitation serves the purpose of ensuring that the resulting lake will function well without a high degree.'af maintenance by project residents or owners. It should be noted' that PSAC members and the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously agreed that the current 12' limitation should be retained, since exceeding the 12' depth is not necessary to provide for stormwater management. Planning staff's position is that the existing 12' lake depth is justified for the reasons previously described. Therefore, no changes to the 12' criterion should be made, and none are proposed. It is also staff's opinion that extending the current 2 month time limitation is justifiable under certain conditions. Such conditions include: • Limiting the extended timeframe to development project sites over 350 acres in size. Limiting the quantity of fill hauled off-site and the amount of time allowed for such hauling to what is necessary in the project's design to comply &ith stormwater management or environmental requirements, or to implement recommendations of jurisdictional agencies. • Limiting timeframes to an initial 4 month period, a possible initial extension. of 6 months, and a possible second extension of 4 months, for a total maximum timeframe of 14 months. • Allowing the public works director to attach special conditions relating to road repair or guarantees for road repair. The proposed section 22 amendments establish an extended incidental to construction mining activity timeframe with the conditions described above. Sections 23. - 26. These sections contain standard legal wording contained in all LDR amendment ordinances, and do not actually change development.regulations. 11 BOOKP,+;��,�� FEBRUARY 13, 1996 9 7