2008-152 A - Laserfiche WebLink

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SECTION I - INTRODUCTION The City of Fellsmere and Indian River County are individually and collectively furthering the directives adopted in both of their Comprehensive Master Plans by acquiring the Fellsmere Trailhead Preserve, a vacant 88 . 5 acre site for natural resource protection, passive outdoor recreational and a trailhead facility. The Preserve will provide outdoor recreational facilities and services to the adjacent 22 ,000 acre St. Sebastian State Buffer Preserve and the County ' s future Rail Trail Greenway multi-use Greenway recreational trail running east to west close to the center of the Project site. The Greenway trail will safely provide public access to the C- 54 Primary Drainage Canal , the St. Sebastian River and the Buffer Preserve surrounding the Preserve on the north and west sides . The proposed Trailhead/Welcome Station will be located adjacent to the paved County Road 512 . The facility will be designed and managed to enhance the public 's access to the environmentally sensitive natural resources located in both the Buffer Preserve and Fellsmere 's new Park Preserve. Location and Ownership The Project site is generally located in unincorporated Indian River County. A small portion of the Project Site is located in the City' s Fellsmere 's Geographic Boundary and is identified to be located in the eastern portion of the City's Community Redevelopment District. The project site is located at the northwest quadrant of the I-95 and CR 512 Interchange surrounded by the St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park which borders the Project Site 's northern and western property lines . The vacant land around the other 3 quadrants of I-95 and Highway 512 Interchange is being developed into a built-up planned commercial and residential area. The project site is also located at the primary entrance into the center of the City of Fellsmere to the west and the Sebastian inlet is located to the east. (See Exhibit A) The Project Site 's Land Use and Zoning Regulations permits commercial use on the Project Site . It has been designated by FEMA to be in Flood Zones "A" & "X". New public water, sewer and sidewalks are being constructed at the southeastern boundary of the Project site along County Road 512 . Directly south of the project site, a three story hotel , retail shops and gas station is being constructed on eight acres of land. The Owner of the eight acre site was required during the permitting process to set aside 1 . 5 acres of land for Natural Preservation and Conservation purposes . The Owner has agreed to donate the designated Conservation area to the City of Fellsmere provided it is environmentally integrated into the City ' s proposed Preserve. A 3 , 500 acre DRI located at the south west quadrant of the I-95 and CR 512 Interchange is under review for governmental permitting. The Project Site is currently owned by two private parties . One party owns 5 acres located towards the center of the site and contiguous with the old Trans Florida Railroad ROW running east to west. The other party, a single property owner, controls the 82 . 1 acres of land located on both sides of the 5 acre ROW described above. Upon the Project Site 's transfer of title to the City of Fellsmere, the 1 . 5 acre Conservation Easement will also be transferred to the City for a total of 88 .6 acres comprising the Fellsmere Preserve Park. Background Information The project site is located within a Strategic Habitat Conservation Area (SHCA) . (FCT review Comment #2). The City of Fellsmere, with the assistance of Indian River County, is primarily interested in the conservation and outdoor recreational enhancement to the 88 .6 acres of land due to its unique location adjacent to the 22 ,000 7