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Future Land Use Policy 1.40 states that the county shall collocate public facilities. In this case, the proposed Gifford Health Center will be located adjacent to the Gifford Middle School and a county park. Due to the collocation between the school and health center, the proposed rezoning is consistent with policy 1.40 Future Land use Policy 2.8 states that public health facilities should be located within downtown or other areas providing easy access for county residents. The proposed Gifford Health Center will be located in an area of the county with some of the highest residential densities, where there is high demand for public health clinic services, and which will enable easy access for many existing and future county residents. In addition, the subject site is located only 800 feet north of 45th Street which is designated as a collector road on the county's Thoroughfare Plan Map. As a result of the surrounding high residential densities and the proximity of the subject site to 45th Street, the proposed rezoning is consistent with policy 2 8 Future Land Use Policy 4.1 states that land use districts shall be located in a manner that concentrates urban uses, thereby discouraging sprawl. The subject property has existing residential or institutional uses along all property lines and lies within a high-density area. In addition, the proposed site is located within an established neighborhood with an existing concentration of residential, commercial, and institutional uses. Since development of the subject property fora new health center will enhance the neighborhood, continue a health clinic use in the immediate area, and contribute to a concentration of institutional uses in a high-density area, the proposed rezoning is consistent with policy 4.1. Future Land Use Policy 5.4 encourages the use of the Planned Development (PD) overlay district to provide design flexibility. The PD overlay zoning district provides the ability to narrow the range of uses allowed on site and control site development and appearance. In this instance, the PD district will allow the office and medical services clinic use to operate on the subject property in a manner compatible with the surrounding area Since the subject PD re -zoning and plan incorporate PD overlay district design flexibility to provide for a specific site -appropriate use with sufficient design controls, the proposed rezoning is consistent with Policy 5.4. Based on the above referenced specific policies and the land use plan, the request is consistent with the comprehensive plan. COMPATIBILITY Staffs position is that granting the request to rezone the property to the proposed PD district will result in development that will be compatible with the surrounding areas. Existing public facilities exist to the east and south of the subject property. The Gifford Middle School and current health clinic are located east of the subject property, across 28th Court, and a park is located south of the subject property. Therefore, the proposed development will be compatible with those two adjacent uses. Existing single-family residential units exist to the north across 47`h Street and immediately west of the subject property To ensure compatibility between the subject site and the adjacent houses, landscape buffers will be required along the north and west property lines. Along the north property line the applicant will be required to install a Type D/local roadway landscape buffer. Along the west property line, the applicant will be required to install a type C landscape buffer. While 47th Street provides good separation from the houses to the north, a special 50 -foot setback is being established through this PD process to provide more separation between the site improvements (building, parking, and driveways) and the residential lots to the west. For those reasons, the proposed development of the subject property will be compatible with surrounding areas. iNovember 5, 2002 64 i Is