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Staffs position is that these different types of plan amendments warrant different standards of review. Since the typical type of amendment can be justified only by challenging the projections, need assessments, and standards used to prepare the original plan, a high standard of review is justified. For amendments involving just shifts in land uses and no intensity/density increase, less justification is necessary. This recognizes that no single land use plan map is correct and that many variations may conform to accepted land use principles and meet established plan policies. All of the sites comprising this request are located within the County Urban Service Area, an area deemed suited for urban scale development. The comprehensive plan establishes standards for: Transportation, Potable Water, Wastewater, Solid Waste, Stormwater Management, and Recreation. The adequate provision of these services is necessary to ensure the continued quality of life enjoyed by the community. To ensure that the minimum acceptable standards for these services and facilities are maintained, the comprehensive plan requires that new development be reviewed. For land use designation amendment and rezoning requests, this review is undertaken as part of the conditional concurrency determination application process. As per section 910.07(2) of the Concurrency Management Chapter of the County's Land Development Regulations, projects which do not increase land use density or intensity are exempt from concurrency requirements. For the subject request, the size of the C/I node will not change, although the node's shape will be reconfigured. Therefore, this land use amendment and rezoning request is exempt from concurrency review because the requested land use designation and zoning changes would not increase the potential land use intensity that the sites could accommodate. It is important to note that approval of this request will not affect service levels for any public facility. In this case, a detailed concurrency analysis will be done in conjunction with site development. That concurrency analysis will address facility service levels and demand. Compatibility with the surrounding area is not a major concern for this request. Most incompatibilities occur where commercial/mdustrial land abuts residential land. With respect to the subject request, two factors work to mitigate potential incompatibilities in those areas. The first factor relates to county land development regulations. Those regulations require all commercial/industrial development to go through the site plan review process. That process can often mitigate potential impacts through setbacks, buffers, and site design. The subject properties, however, are also subject to other requirements. In addition to normal setback, buffer, and site design requirements, all new commercial/mdustrial development in this area of the county is subject to the provisions of the Wabasso Corridor Plan. That plan includes special standards for signs, roofs, building colors, buffers, and landscaping. Another factor that works to mitigate potential incompatibilities in this area is potentially more important. That factor relates to the ownership of land in this area of the county. Most of the land surrounding the subject properties is owned by the applicant. The exceptions are the CL zoned areas north of Subject Property 1 and south of Subject Property 3, and the CG zoned areas west of the subject properties, across US 1. Given the property ownership characteristics of the subject property and surrounding property, the proposed amendment would not result in any C/I designated land abutting any residentially designated land not owned by the applicant. Generally, commercially designated sites that front on major roads may be appropriate for any one of several different commercial zoning districts, including CL, CG, and CH. In fact, this area of the county already somewhat reflects that type of mixed zoning. For that reason, both the CL and the CG zoning districts are appropriate for most land within the US 1/CR 510 commercial/industrial node. Applying either of those zoning districts to Subject Properties 2 and 3 would result in development that is compatible with surrounding property. Land use amendment and rezoning requests are reviewed for consistency with all policies of the comprehensive plan. As per section 800.07(1) of the land development regulations, the "comprehensive plan may only be amended in such a way as to preserve the internal consistency of the plan pursuant to Section 163.3177(2), FS." Amendments must also show consistency with the overall designation of land uses as depicted on the Future Land Use Map, which includes agricultural, residential, recreational, conservation, and commercial and industrial land uses and their densities. JULY 79 1998 -21- C()J F� �F,