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11.A.1. EAR -BASED COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENTS - FINAL ADOPTION The Board reviewed a Memorandum of February 4, 1998: TO: James Chandler County Administrator FROM: Robert M. Keating, AICP R µ K - Community Development Director DATE: February 4, 1998 SUBJECT: FINAL ADOPTION OF EAR -BASED COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENTS It is requested that the information presented herein be given formal consideration by the Board of County Commissioners at its regular meeting of February 10, 1998. MAN oRs ►lM_� � On February 2,1998, planning staff received the state Department of Community Affairs' Objections, Comments and Recommendations (ORC) report on the County's Evaluation and Appraisal (EAR) report -based comprehensive plan amendments. The Board of County Commissioners had approved these amendments (which constitute a rewrite of the comprehensive plan) for transmittal to DCA on November 4. 1997. Now that the ORC report has been received, staff trust review the objections in the ORC, make necessary changes to the plan to address those objections, and schedule a final adoption hearing for the Board. Given the number and type of ORC report objections, staff can probably address the objections and make necessary changes to the comprehensive plan in the next four weeks. For that reason, staff has scheduled the comprehensive plan final adoption hearing for March 10, 1998, as part of a regular Board meeting. Since the Board's decision to transmit the EAR -based plan amendments to DCA for review, several comprehensive plan related issues have arisen. One such issue is residential density. A related issue involves rezonings and comprehensive plan consistency Finally, the issue of affordable housing still exists. With respect to those issues and the comprehensive plan generally, one commissioner has suggested having a Board workshop on the comprehensive plan. At this time, it is necessary for the Board to decide whether or not to have a pre -adoption comprehensive plan Board workshop. Such a workshop could be held as part of a regular Board meeting prior to the March 10, 1998 adoption meeting, or the workshop could be held separately. If held separately, the workshop could be held either during the day or in the evening. In February of 1997, the Board had an affordable housing workshop to discuss affordable housing issues, and in October of 1997 the Board had a workshop on the EAR -based comprehensive plan amendments. Despite those workshops. affordable housing and comprehensive plan (particularly land use) issues still exist. While another workshop will probably not resolve policy differences regarding affordable housing, residential density, and other comprehensive plan issues, a workshop may be beneficial. If nothing else, the workshop will most likely make the adoption hearing less controversial. Although the comprehensive plan can be amended as often as twice a year, major revisions to the plan are done only every sic years — as a result of a formal evaluation and appraisal of the plan. For that reason and because ofthe plan's importance with respect to the County's growth and.development, it may be productive to have a Board workshop on the comprehensive plan, FEBRUARY 10, 1998 -38- • 0