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While all Comprehensive Plan policies are important, some have more applicability than others in reviewing plan amendment requests. Of particular applicability are the following policies: - Future Land Use Policy 13.3 The most important policy to consider in evaluating a plan amendment request for consistency with the county's Comprehensive Plan is Future Land Use Element Policy 13.3. This policy requires that one of three criteria be met in order to approve a land use amendment request. These criteria are: • a mistake in the approved plan; • an oversight in the -approved plan; or • a substantial change in -circumstances affecting the subject property. Staff's position is that this land use amendment request meets Policy 13.3's third criterion. When the county's comprehensive plan was adopted in 1990, the subject property and all surrounding land were correctly designated for residential uses. Since that time, however, the plan has been amended to allow the development of an approximately 1,500,000 square foot regional shopping center, including a regional mall, on land abutting the subject property on the north, east and west. That project received Development of Regional Impact approval, and the associated regional mall has opened. For several reasons, the subject property was not considered for redesignation when the plan was amended to allow the regional shopping center. First, the subject property consisted of single- family homes. Second, there was no indication that residents of the subject property wanted to convert their property to commercial. Finally, the developer of the regional shopping center project did not have control of the subject property. Although the applicants for the subject request did not raise objections to the regional shopping center land use plan amendment when it was approved, the county did consider the shopping center's impacts on the subject property. At that time, the county determined that, while the C/I designation may be preferable for the subject property, required buffers would somewhat mitigate impacts on the subject property. Nevertheless, adoption of the plan amendment associated with the regional shopping center caused the subject property to become a residential enclave that is nearly surrounded by commercial uses. The subject request is an opportunity to eliminate that enclave and create a more consistent land use designation pattern in this area of the county. Therefore, the commercial development of land abutting the subject property on the north, east and west constitutes a substantial change in circumstances affecting the subject property. For that reason, the third criterion of Future Land Use Element Policy 13.3 has been met, and the proposed amendment is consistent with Future Land Use Element Policy 13.3. - Future Land Use Policy 1.23 Policy 1.23 of the Future Land Use Element states that no node should be considered for expansion unless 70% of the land area (less rights-of-way) is developed, or approved for development, with non-agricultural and non-residential uses, unless otherwise warranted. The intent of Future Land Use Policy 1.23 is to establish specific criteria for node expansion. Without such criteria, decisions are often arbitrary and inconsistent. The 70%r standard, then, is a measure of whether a node needs to be expanded. According to the County's Commercial/Industrial Data Source, the subject node is 72.5 developed. Therefore, the proposed amendment to expand the node is consistent with Future Land Use Element Policy 1.23. - Future Land Use Policy 1.20 Future Land Use Policy 1.20 states that node size shall be based on population and other demand .characteristics within the general market area of the node. The fact that the subject node is already 72.5% developed and is the fastest developing node in the county demonstrates that there is demand for additional land in that node. For those reasons, the request is consistent with Future Land Use Policy 1.20. MARCH 189 1997 61 600K 100 Face 934 L