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B0(11( 10 1' Pili <br />development intensity. Although the county does not currently have an established FAR in its <br />Comprehensive Plan, non-residential land use intensity is controlled in other ways. Through its land <br />development regulations, the county has established standards for minimum open space, maximum <br />building coverage, maximum building height, and minimum parking, as well as setback and <br />stormwater requirements. Together, these standards effectively limit non-residential development <br />intensity. <br />Because Objection A does not apply specifically to the proposed amendment, the appropriateness <br />of that objection within an ORC Report for the proposed amendment is questionable. A clearly more <br />appropriate opportunity to raise that objection would have been during the recently completed <br />evaluation and appraisal report (EAR) of the entire Comprehensive Plan or subsequent EAR based <br />amendments. <br />Nevertheless, the county has already taken actions to address the DCA's objections. Recently, the <br />DCA raised similar objections in regard to Indian River County Comprehensive Plan Amendment <br />No. 98-D1. In response to those objections, the Board of County Commissioners instructed planning <br />staff to initiate a Comprehensive Plan text amendment during the July 1998 amendment submittal <br />window. That county initiated amendment will establish land use intensity standards for the C/I land <br />use designation. In a letter to Ray Eubanks, dated June 4, 1998, the DCA was informed of that <br />action; therefore, the DCA should not have found it necessary to raise the same objections again for <br />Indian River County Comprehensive Plan Amendment No. 98-2. <br />During the July 1998 Comprehensive Plan amendment application submittal window, a county <br />initiated Comprehensive Plan text amendment was submitted. On October 8, 1998, a public hearing <br />on that text amendment will be held before the Planning and Zoning Commission. Following a <br />transmittal public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners, expected to be held three to <br />five weeks after the Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing, the Comprehensive Plan text <br />amendment, which will establish land use intensity standards for the C/I land use designation, will <br />be forwarded to the DCA for its review. That should then resolve the DCA's specific <br />commercial/industrial density/intensity standard objection. <br />Since objections A, B, C, and D relate to the same issue, the actions taken by the county to resolve <br />DCA's objection A will also resolve the DCA's objections B, C, and D. With specific <br />commercial/industrial density/intensity standards, the most intensive level of development allowed <br />for the C/I land use designation will be defined and then applied to the public facilities analysis of <br />future staff reports. Applying those density/intensity standards to the public facilities analysis will <br />enable staff to correctly analyze the availability of public facilities for proposed amendments, to <br />support proposed amendments with adequate data and analysis, and to ensure that the proposed <br />amendment is consistent with the goals, objectives, and policies of the county's Comprehensive <br />Plan. Therefore, the actions which the county is taking to resolve the density/intensity standard <br />objection will adequately resolve DCA's objections relating to the analysis of public facilities, <br />provision of data and analysis, and demonstration of internal consistency. <br />Based on the analysis and the fact that the county has initiated a Comprehensive Plan text <br />amendment to set density/intensity standards for the C/I land use designation, it is staffs position <br />that this report addresses DCA's ORC Report objections and provides justification for the DCA to <br />find the proposed amendment "in compliance" with state law. <br />This site is located within the county Urban Service Area, an area deemed suited for urban scale <br />development. The Comprehensive Plan establishes minimum development standards for. <br />Transportation, Potable Water, Wastewater, Solid Waste, Drainage, and Recreation (Future Land <br />Use Policy 3.1). The adequate provision of these services is necessary to ensure the continued <br />quality of life enjoyed by the community. The Comprehensive Plan and Land Development <br />September 22, 1998 <br />0 <br />