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| A Publication of the Pinellas Planning Council |
A Publication of the Pinellas Planning Council
Updated Countywide Plan Ready for Adoption
On February 18, the Council passed PPC Resolution No. 04-2, approving and transmitting the final draft of the Updated Countywide Plan for Pinellas County to the Board of County Commissioners, acting in their role as the Countywide Planning Authority (CPA). It was a significant landmark for the project, which has been in development for several years. The original Countywide Comprehensive Plan for Pinellas County was adopted in 1979 and readopted with only minor changes in 1989. While some components had been added or revised in recent years, the plan itself had not undergone a major update since it was first created. Because the physical and social makeup of the county has changed a great deal in the past twenty-five years, the Council initiated the development of an updated, reorganized plan. The new document retains the historic content of the original plan, but also includes new issues, position statements, and strategies that reflect the current land use and intergovernmental challenges faced by the county. A new preface describes the rationale for and legal role of the plan, while a series of appendices provides updated data and analysis, glossary terms, references, and a listing of appropriate governmental entities for carrying out the new strategies. During the course of updating the plan, the Council has reviewed and discussed numerous research topics that have been incorporated into the update. A principal concern has been the approach of buildout and its implications for land use, transportation, the natural environment, and economic sustainability. The Council also focused on intergovernmental coordination, assessing the current environment and the challenges and opportunities it poses for redevelopment, regulation, governance, and service delivery. In addition, the appropriate regulatory role of the new plan was debated. As part of the review process, the Planners Advisory Committee provided input on the draft documents, culminating in several additions and refinements. A special discussion of the rationale for and legal standing of the plan was also introduced before the CPA, at their request, as a prelude to transmittal of the document as a whole. In conjunction with the plan update process, the PPC and CPA have arranged to hold a joint workshop in March to discuss a range of countywide planning issues. The plan itself is tentatively scheduled to be considered for adoption by the CPA during two public hearings in April. |
Second Redevelopment Summit is a Success
The Redevelopment Strategies and Policies Summit for the Pinellas Community, the second in a series of countywide redevelopment workshops, took place on October 24 at the St. Petersburg Hilton. More than 200 people attended, representing local governments, businesses, neighborhood and civic associations, and community groups from all areas of the county. Building on the December 2002 Opportunities Summit, which raised awareness of redevelopment issues and created consensus that further action is needed, participants discussed and debated specific policies that could be used to meet economic development and redevelopment goals.
The morning was devoted to a review of the demographic, land use, and economic factors affecting the county, with information presented by the consultant team of Prime Interests, Inc., POLICOM Corporation, and HDR Engineering. It was followed by lunchtime keynote speaker Richard Heapes, a representative of New York-based development firm Street-Works, LLC, who spoke about trends in mixed-use projects. The afternoon session featured presentations and panel discussions by a diverse group of speakers, including Commissioner Karen Seel, county staff members, representatives of the real estate and development communities, consultant team members, and others. The speakers introduced a number of broad, proactive redevelopment strategies, after which the audience was invited to participate in moderated small-group discussions and complete a detailed questionnaire.
The purpose of the questionnaire was to allow participants to examine a number of proposed redevelopment strategies and rank them according to importance. Items included incentives that should be offered to attract or retain high-wage businesses, criteria for determining when incentives should be offered, how regulatory codes should be structured, and what land use patterns should be created.
Responses to the questionnaire showed several significant points of consensus. A majority of participants, more than 90 percent in many cases, concurred with the following strategies:
• Incentives should be made available to attract new employers, particularly those that would increase the average wage, bring in most of their revenue from outside the county, and create a large number of jobs.
• The most appropriate such incentives are low interest loans and cash grants for equipment, abatement of property taxes, cash grants for the purchase or environmental clean-up of land, and infrastructure improvements.
• Regulatory processes should be flexible and streamlined, model regulations should be created, and there should be a structured process for intergovernmental coordination.
• Redevelopment should focus on mixed-used development, defined employment centers, increased densities near employment centers and transit stations, and a transition from surface parking facilities to parking garages. It should also be supportive of tourism.
The findings were compiled and published in a technical memorandum, and will ultimately serve as the basis of a draft Economic Development and Redevelopment Plan for the Pinellas Community. That document will be presented and considered at a third summit, tentatively scheduled for September 2004.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT |
PPC Assists Madeira Beach with Parking Study |
In a continuation of its local assistance activities, the PPC is helping the City of Madeira Beach prepare a parking study for its two main commercial areas. The project is focused on the designated Town Center, located between 150th and 153rd Avenues, and the John's Pass tourist district, both of which were identified as critical areas in the city's new Master Redevelopment Plan. (See “Madeira Beach Looks Forward to Tomorrow,” April 2002.)
The city has been contemplating such a study for a number of years. The need has arisen from several factors, including complaints from commercial businesses and their customers about the lack of convenient parking, objections from nearby residents whose streets are frequently clogged with parked cars, and safety concerns about visitors crossing Gulf Boulevard after parking on the opposite side. Additional parking areas are difficult to create due to the city's built-up condition and the high cost of land, and many new businesses have been unable to provide the number of spaces required by the city land development code.
To evaluate needs and opportunities for additional parking, PPC staff is reviewing land development regulations, comprehensive plan policies, the Master Redevelopment Plan, Florida Department of Transportation plans to replace the John's Pass Bridge, and other documents. An inventory of existing facilities is being prepared, including the location and number of spaces, and whether parking is restricted to specific days and times, by length of time, or to patrons of specific businesses.
In addition, PPC staff is conducting focus groups with property and business owners, employees, and residents from within each of the two study areas. Participants are being asked to identify the parking problems directly affecting them, the perceived causes of the problems, and specific improvements they would like to see considered. This input will be incorporated into the analysis and recommendations. It is anticipated that a final report will be presented to the City Council in April.
Distinguished PPC Member Steps Down
Mayor Frank DiDonato
City of Tarpon SpringsAfter five years of distinguished service, Tarpon Springs Mayor Frank DiDonato is stepping down from his position as his city's representative on the Council. An active PPC member since 1999, he served as treasurer in 2003. In addition, he is past president and current treasurer of the Pinellas County Mayors' Council, and has served as co-chair of the Pinellas Assembly. His thoughtful and insightful contributions to Council discussions will be sincerely missed.
Mayor DiDonato was born in Live Oak, Florida, and moved to Tarpon Springs in 1976. He served in the U.S. Navy as an operating room technician in Vietnam, and later graduated from the University of Central Florida and Palmer Chiropractic College. Originally serving as a city commissioner for four years, he has been mayor since 1998. He has an active chiropractic practice, is past president of the Florida Chiropractic Association and the North Suncoast Chiropractic Society, and was voted Chiropractor of the Year by the former association in 1994. He has two sons.
Welcome New Officers
Mayor Robert E. Jackson, Ph.D.
Chairman
City of LargoMayor Jackson was born in Colebrook, New Hampshire, and moved to Largo in 1968. He served in the U.S. Army and received a bachelor's degree from Plymouth State Teachers College, a master's degree from the University of Florida, and a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida. After spending twenty-nine years as principal of three Pinellas County schools, he retired in 1997. He served nine terms as a Largo City Commissioner, beginning in 1974, and has been mayor since 2000. He and his wife Lucille have four children and seven grandchildren.
Commissioner Calvin Harris, Ed.D.
Vice-Chairman
Pinellas CountyCommissioner Harris is a native of Clearwater. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida, a master's degree from Truman State University in Missouri, and an Ed.D. from Nova University in Ft. Lauderdale. Appointed to the Board of County Commissioners by the Governor in 1997, he was re- elected in 1998 and 2002. Prior to his career in county government, he served for fifteen years as director and provost for a number of programs at St. Petersburg College. He and his wife Ruth have three children and two grandchildren.
Councilmember Bill Foster
Secretary
City of St. PetersburgCouncilmember Bill Foster is a native of St. Petersburg. He was appointed to the City Council in 1998 and re-elected in 1999 and 2003. Prior to his appointment, he served on several city boards and committees, including the Community Focus Group on Downtown Development and the Codes Compliance Committee. He holds a bachelor's degree in public administration and a law degree, both from Samford University in Alabama. He has practiced law in St. Petersburg for 14 years and is a partner with the law firm of Foster and Foster. He and his wife Wendy have two children.
Councilmember Hoyt Hamilton
Treasurer
City of ClearwaterCommissioner Hamilton is a lifelong Clearwater resident. Elected to the City Commission in March 2001, he is a past president and current member of the Clearwater Beach Rotary Club, and has served on the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He received a bachelor's degree in industrial management from the Georgia Institute of Technology. In addition to his activities on the City Commission and PPC, he is the general manager of the Palm Pavilion Inn on Clearwater Beach. He and his wife Sheryl have two sons.
A CLOSER LOOK AT PLANNING ISSUES How Fast is the Population Growing?
Recently, concerns have been expressed regarding the population projections being used by the countywide redevelopment initiative. It has been noted that they are higher than the official projections used by the Pinellas County Planning Department, and that the disparity has not been fully explained. This article will attempt to clarify the issue.
The County Planning Department maintains a set of official population projections, updated every three years, which is used to guide the planning activities of Pinellas County Utilities, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Pinellas County School Board, and other agencies. This methodology has been endorsed by the Florida Department of Community Affairs, and is used in local comprehensive plans. The projections are conservative, assuming that vacant land will continue to be developed at permitted densities, with redevelopment potential limited to areas where it is specifically encouraged by local governments. The assumption is that growth will slow dramatically as buildout approaches, and that redevelopment will not significantly alter this trend.
The State of Florida, however, maintains its own set of official projections for each county, created by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) at the University of Florida. These are less conservative, projecting growth based on rates observed in the recent past, rather than on limits posed by existing development. The methodology assumes that some growth will be accommodated by redevelopment.
There is already some evidence that the higher rate of growth projected by BEBR is occurring. Redevelopment of underutilized parcels, along with the conversion of non-residential land to residential uses, is being observed throughout the county. The population is also losing retirees and gaining more families with children, increasing the average household size. Given these trends, the county projections—while appropriate for the short-term planning efforts for which they were devised—may not reflect the true long-term population growth rate. The redevelopment initiative has therefore endorsed the BEBR projections for long-range planning purposes.
One drawback of the BEBR numbers is that they include only the permanent population. The County Planning Department, however, also projects the increase in the seasonal residents and tourists, which have the equivalent impact of additional permanent residents. These groups are projected using a methodology that is different from, and therefore does not generate the same concerns as, the county's permanent population projections.
The table below shows the combination of the BEBR permanent and County Planning Department seasonal/tourist projections. These numbers, taken together, are being used as the official population projections for the redevelopment initiative.
| 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2020 | 2025 | |
| Permanent | 921,495 | 953,719 | 985,500 | 1,017,600 | 1,050,200 | 1,081,700 |
| Seasonal/Tourist | 131,204 | 133,369 | 134,755 | 135,752 | 136,449 | 136,941 |
| TOTAL | 1,052,699 | 1,087,088 | 1,120,255 | 1,153,352 | 1,186,649 | 1,218,641 |
| Source: | BEBR, July 2002 and October 2002; Pinellas County Planning Department, February 2001 |
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Upcoming Public Hearing and Meeting Schedule
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The Pinellas Planning Council
| • | Mayor Robert E. Jackson, Ph.D., Chairman |
(Largo) |
| • | Commissioner Calvin D. Harris, Ed.D., Vice- Chairman |
(Pinellas County) |
| • | Councilmember Bill Foster, Secretary |
(St. Petersburg) |
| • | Councilmember Hoyt Hamilton, Treasurer |
(Clearwater) |
| • | Councilor Pete Bengston | (Group C Communities: Belleair, Belleair Bluffs, Gulfport, Kenneth City, Seminole*, South Pasadena) |
| • | Mayor Jerry Beverland | (Oldsmar) |
| • | Mayor Beverley Billiris | (Tarpon Springs) |
| • | Councilmember Sandra Bradbury | (Pinellas Park) |
| • | Mayor Tom De Cesare | (Group A Communities: Madeira Beach*, St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island) |
| • | Mayor Robert H. DiNicola | (Group B Communities: Belleair Shore, Belleair Beach, Indian Rocks Beach*, Indian Shores, North Redington Beach, Redington Beach, Redington Shores) |
| • | School Board Chairman Jane Gallucci |
(School District of Pinellas County) |
| • | Commissioner Robert Hackworth | (Dunedin) |
| • | Commissioner Nadine S. Nickeson | (Safety Harbor) |
* Councilmember serves on this governing body.
The Countywide Planning Authority
Commissioner Susan Latvala, Chair Commissioner John Morroni, Vice-Chair Commissioner Calvin D. Harris, Ed.D Commissioner Karen Williams Seel Commissioner Robert B. Stewart Commissioner Barbara Sheen Todd Commissioner Kenneth T. Welch
The Pinellas Planning Council Staff
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If you have any questions or comments about this newsletter, please feel free to email us, call us at 727-464-8250, or write to us at: Pinellas Planning Council |
