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Comprehensive Plan Amendment Review Procedures Although the number of plan amendments that a local government may consider is not limited, the frequency with which local governments can amend their comprehensive plan is regulated by state law. According to Florida Statutes, plan amendments are limited to twice per calendar year. For that reason, the county accepts general plan amendment applications only during the "window" months of January and July. In this case, the subject application was submitted during the July 2001 window. The procedures for reviewing comprehensive plan amendments involve several steps. First, the Planning and Zoning Commission, as the Local Planning Agency, conducts a public hearing to review the request. The Commission has the option to recommend approval or denial of the Comprehensive Plan amendment request to the Board of County Commissioners. Also, the Planning and Zoning Commission may recommend approval of or deny any associated rezoning request. If the rezoning request is denied, only the land use amendment request is forwarded to the Board, unless (as in this case) the denial to rezone is appealed. Following Planning and Zoning Commission action, the Board of County Commissioners conducts two public hearings. The first of those hearings is for a preliminary decision on the land use amendment request. At that hearing, the Board determines whether or not the land use amendment warrants transmittal to DCA for further consideration. A Board of County Commissioners decision not to transmit the land use amendment to DCA constitutes denial of both the land use amendment and rezoning requests. If the land use amendment is transmitted, DCA conducts a review which includes soliciting comments from the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, several state agencies, and neighboring local governments. After its review, DCA compiles its objections, if it has any, in an ORC Report, and transmits that report to the county. After staff addresses any issues that were raised in the ORC Report, the second and final Board of County Commissioners public hearing is conducted. The Board takes final action to approve or deny the land use amendment and rezoning requests at that time. If the Board approves the requests, the amendment is transnutted to DCA for a final determination of compliance with state law. The effective date of the amendment adoption ordinances is when the amendment is found "in compliance" by DCA. Existing Land Use Pattern The subject property is zoned A-1 and consists of citrus groves and several agricultural buildings. Properties to the north, south and east are also zoned A-1. Citrus groves with an occasional single- family residence or storage building exist on land abutting the site on the north and east. Between 90`h Avenue and 58`h Avenue, CR 510 is the boundary of the Urban Service Area (USA) with land north of CR 510 being in the USA and land south of CR 510 being outside the USA. Although the land directly south of the subject property, across CR 510, is outside the USA, that land is the site of a north county elementary school that is currently under construction. East of the school site, on the south side of CR 510, citrus groves are the primary land use. To the west of the site, across a 275 foot wide drainage canal right-of-way and 90`h Avenue, land is zoned RS -3 and contains the Vero Lake Estates Subdivision of single-family residences. At this time, the majority of lots in that approximately 2,500 acre subdivision are vacant. Immediately north of Vero Lake Estates, on the west side of 90th Avenue, is Sebastian River High School. November 13, 2001