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• The goals, objectives and policies are the most important parts of the comprehensive plan. Policies are statements in the plan which identify the actions which the county will take in order to direct the community's development. As courses of action committed to by the county, policies provide the basis for all county land development related decisions. While all comprehensive plan policies are important, some have more applicability than others in reviewing rezoning requests. Of particular applicability for this request are Future Land Use Element Policies 1.11 and 1.12. - Future Land Use Element Policies 1.11 and 1.12 Future Land Use Element Policy 1.11 states that the L-2, Low -Density Residential -2, land use designation is intended for residential uses with densities up to six unitsiacre. In addition, that policy states that those residential uses must be located within an existing or future urban service area. Future Land Use Element Policy 1.12 specifically allows both single- and multiple -family residential development with densities up to six unitsiacre within the L-2 land use category. Because the subject property is located within an area designated as L-2 on the county's future land use plan trap and is located within the county's urban service area, and the proposed zoning districts would permit residential uses no denser than six unitstacre, the proposed request is consistent with Future Land Use Element Policies 1.11 and 1.12. While Future Land Use Element Policies 1.11 and 1.12 are particularly applicable to this request. other comprehensive plan policies and objectives also have relevance. For that reason, staff evaluated the subject request for consistency with all plan policies and objectives. Based upon that analysis, staff determined that the request is consistent with the comprehensive plan. For the subject property, environmental issues focus on the site's western portion, an area bisected by Jungle Trail. The rest of the site, being a citrus grove, has been disturbed and is not environmentally significant. The Jungle Trail area, however, contains mangroves, estuarine wetlands, and tropical hammock upland habitat. The County's adopted Jungle Trail Management Plan provides some protection to those habitats. That plan established a thirty foot wide protected area on both sides of Jungle Trail. Within that protected area. activities that may disturb plants or animals are severely restricted. Beyond the protected area, mangrove and wetland protection regulations are the same for both the agricultural and the residential zoning districts. Within residential zoning districts, however. there are more likely to be requests to build docks or marinas. Such docks or ma„mas would have to meet all applicable county, state, and federal permitting requirements. In contrast to mangrove and wetland regulations, protection of the tropical hammock habitat differs between the agricultural and residential zoning districts. While residential development is subject to the county's 10-15% native upland plant community preservation requirement, agricultural uses are exempt from that requirement. For these reasons. no significant adverse environmental impacts associated with this request are anticipated. Although currently zoned and used for agriculture, the subject property is anticipated to eventually be converted to residential uses. That fact is reflected in the subject property's residential fimnue land use designation. StaiTs position is that developing the entire site with single-family uses would ensure that potential incompatibilities are minimi ce Since the established development pattern of the area surrounding the subject property is single-family and since single-family is the exclusive use of the area south of the Jungle Trail Conservation Area to Old Winter Beach Road and west of SR AIA, except for the Baytree condominiums adjacent to SR AIA, the RS -6, single-family, zoning district would be more consistent with the existing development pattern in the area than the proposed RM -6 zoning. While single-family and multiple -family are different uses, they are within the overall residential use category. Generally, multiple -family buildings are taller and bulkier, and concentrate activities (such as parking and recreation) to a greater degree than single-family buildings. These differences, however, are not as significant as those between residential and commercial. In fact, multiple -family is often a transitional use, providing a buffer between more intense commercial uses or heavily traveled roadways and adjacent single-family areas. When well designed, multiple -family and single-family uses can complement each other and provide a diversity of residential options for the community. Through the Planned Development (PD) process, multiple -family uses can be compatibly integrated with single-family uses within a residential development project. In this case, staff encouraged the applicant to use the planned development option for the development of the subject property. SEPTEMBER 1, 1998 0 -31- BOOK 10 0 FACF 3).i;5