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BOOK 108 PAGE 669
<br />trails, hiking trails, canoe launches, observation towers, scenic areas, wildlife sanctuaries, wildlife
<br />feeding stations, and picnic areas) and support facilities (such as bathrooms and parking facilities).
<br />Such uses are specifically intended to allow public access and education without impacting
<br />environmentally sensitive areas. Additionally, this group of changes limits the intensity of such uses
<br />by setting a maximum FAR of 0.25.
<br />The other changes to this policy clarify that C-1 designated parcels are publicly owned or controlled,
<br />and that publicly owned spoil islands in the Indian River Lagoon are designated C-1.
<br />This change sets a maximum land use intensity standard of 0.35 FAR for non-residential uses that
<br />are allowed within residentially designated areas. That standard is compatible with the county's
<br />development pattern. This proposed change works to ensure that Policies 1.12 and 1.14 will be
<br />consistent with Policies 1.31 and 1.37 and with state law.
<br />Consistent with state law, these proposed changes add land use intensity standards for the
<br />Commercial/IndusuW, Public Facilities, and Recreation land use designations. For residential land
<br />use designations, land use intensity standards, in the form of maximum densities, are already found
<br />in the plan.
<br />The generally accepted intensity standard for non-residential development is Floor Area Ratio
<br />(FAR). FAR is a measure of non-residential land use intensity expressed as the ratio of building
<br />floor space on a parcel to total parcel area For example, a 10,000 square foot building on a one acre
<br />parcel has a.23 FAR (10,000/43,560 =.23). In such a case, a 5,000 square foot second story would
<br />increase the FAR to .34 (15,000/43,560 = .34).
<br />Although the county has not had an established FAR in its Comprehensive Plan, Future Land Use
<br />Element Policy 1.17 and other plan policies require the county to adopt land development
<br />regulations that regulate the mass and height of buildings, the amount of impervious surface, the
<br />amount of parking, and the amount of open space. These land development regulations have been
<br />adopted and have effectively controlled non-residential land use intensities.
<br />Within Indian River County, most non-residential developments generally have FAR's within the
<br />0.1 to 0.2 range. The highest FAR is approximately 0.45, while the lowest FAR is approximately
<br />0.07. Therefore, the county's land development regulations generally result in development
<br />occurring at an intensity of less than a 0.45 FAR.
<br />Different non-residential uses, however, have different impacts on public facilities and services, and
<br />on surrounding areas. For example, according to the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE),
<br />1,000 square feet of retail uses, 6,000 square feet of general office uses and 14,000 square feet of
<br />general industrial uses all generate 98 peak hour trips. Therefore, one FAR limit is not appropriate
<br />for all non-residential uses. In fact, to equally limit the impacts of different uses, it is necessary to
<br />allow a greater FAR for general industrial use than for office uses, and a greater FAR for office uses
<br />than for retail uses.
<br />For that reason, the proposed changes to Policy 1.16 set a three tiered FAR limit. Retail uses are
<br />limited to an FAR of 0.23, office uses are limited to an FAR of 0.35, and industrial and storage uses
<br />are limited to an FAR of 0.50. Policy 1.29 limits development within the Recreation land use
<br />designation to an FAR of 0.25. Those levels of intensity are consistent with the low-density, low-
<br />rise character of the county.
<br />Additionally, by requiring applicants for mixed use projects to assign a portion of the total
<br />development area to each use, Policy 1.16 prohibits the "stacking" of uses. To encourage walking
<br />and transit use, Policy 1.16 allows an exception to this requirement for accessory residential
<br />development.
<br />Finally, changes to these policies more specifically describe the types of uses allowed in the
<br />Commercial/Industrial and Recreation land use designations.
<br />Policy 122
<br />The proposed amendment sets specific cn%ria for node expansions where the subject node is less
<br />than 70% developed and where the node expansion involves the following:
<br />• land use designation swaps involving more than one node; and
<br />• corrections of mistakes or oversights affecting residentially designated property.
<br />MARCH 16, 1999
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