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• Passing the concurrency test justifies the proposed land use amendment only ifthe proposed land use designation is consistent with all other comprehensive plan policies and compatible with surrounding areas In Indian River County, available capacity for services does not dictate development patterns; rather, the comprehensive plan dictates the location of services. Consistency with Comprehensive Plan Comprehensive Plan amendment requests are reviewed for consistency with all policies of the Comprehensive Plan. As per section 800.07(1) of the County Code, the "Comprehensive Plan may only be amended in such a way as to preserve the internal consistency of the plan pursuant to Section 163.3177(2), F.S." Amendments must also show consistency with the overall designation of land uses as depicted on the Future Land Use Map, which mcludes agricultural, residential recreational, conservation, and commercial and industrial land uses and their densities. The goals, objectives and policies are the most important parts of the comprehensive plan. Policies are statements in the plan that 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 decisions including plan amendment decisions While all comprehensive plan policies are important, some have more applicability than others in reviewing plan amendment requests. Of particular applicability for this request are the following objectives and policies: Urban Service Area Expansion Policy In the past two years, the Board of County Commissioners has spent considerable time addressing the issue of urban service area expansion. This issue arose with the January, 2000 Clontz comprehensive plan amendment request, and was resolved with the October, 2001 plan amendment establishing a T, Transitional, land use designation category. The adoption ofthat land use designation established the county's urban service area expansion policy. After considering several alternatives, including one which would have expanded the urban service area boundary to include the subject Buettell property and other land bordering roads having utility lines and serving as urban service area boundaries, the Board set a narrow urban service area expansion policy That policy allows urban service area expansion only for properties abutting a commercial/industrial node where that node is more than 70% developed. Although the subject property does abut a commercial/industrial node, that node is only 25% developed. Therefore, this request is not consistent with the county's urban service area expansion policy. Future Land Use Element Policy 14.3 One of the most important policies to consider in evaluating a plan amendment request for consistency with the county's Comprehensive Plan is Future Land Use Element Policy 14.3. This policy requires that at least one of four criteria be met in order to approve a land use amendment request. These criteria are: • the proposed amendment will correct a mistake in the approved plan; • the proposed amendment will correct an oversight in the approved plan; • the proposed amendment involves a swap or reconfiguration of land uses at separate sites, and that swap or reconfiguration will not increase the overall land use density or intensity depicted on the Future Land Use Map, or • the proposed amendment is warranted based on a substantial change in circumstances affecting the subject property. JULY 16, 2002 -69- t ) i 0 •