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1976 City of Atlantic Beach Comprehensive Plan Land Use and Zoning Ordinace (2)t`E s• COMPREHENSIVE PLAN r VOLUME II COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Atlantic Beach, Florida June, 1976 r r r r LI FOR AND UNDER THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF THE PREPARED BY r Florida Department of Community Affairs Milo Smith + Associates, Inc. Division of Technical Assistance Planning Consultants Bureau of Local Assistance Tampa, Florida Published June, 1976 Prepared by Milo Smith + Associates, Inc., under contract with the Florida Department of Community Affairs. The preparation of this report was financed in part through a Comprehensive Planning Assistance Grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, under the provisions of Section 701 of the Housing Act of 1954, as amended. 1 f r r C CITY COMMISSION William S. Howell, Mayor- Commissioner James E. Mhoon Alan C. Jensen E L. W. Minton, Jr. Robert B. Cook, Sr. I ADVISORY PLANNING BOARD R. L. Wardrep, Chairman r Richard Rigsbee j, Jan Tierney John F. Andresen r s Alan C. Jensen r CITY MANAGER R. C. Vogel L C.i L Addition REVISIONS AND ADDITIONS TO VOLUME 2 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ATLANTIC BEACH, FLORIDA NOVEMBER, 1977 Prepared by Kellum, Patterson $ Bell, Inc. , Planning Consultants, Tampa, Florida, under contract with Atlantic Beach, Florida. This page is an addition to Volume 2 and is inserted preceding the Table of Contents. Addition r CITY COMMISSION William S. Howell, Mayor-Commissioner James E. Mhoon Alan C. Jensen L. W. Minton, Jr. Catherine Van Ness ADVISORY PLANNING BOARD John F. Andresen, Chairman Alan C. Jensen Richard Rigsbee Harold E. Mullins Donna Ross CITY MANAGER R. C. Vogel Revision r REVISED TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LAND USE PLAN 1 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 1 Introduction . 1 Definitions 1 Statement of Community Goals 2 General Development Objectives 3 CONCLUSION 7 CONCEPTS AND POLICIES 7 URBAN DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT 7 Neighborhood Units 8 City Unit 11 GENERAL DEVELOPMENT POLICIES 15 LOCATION & GENERAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS 18 Principal Buildings F Individual Lots 19 Residential Land Use 19 Commercial Land Use 20 Industrial Land Use 23 All Land Uses 24 Environmental Health f, Natural Resources 25 LAND USE SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT STANDARDS 25 Residential Areas 26 Commercial Areas 26 Industrial Areas 27 Planned Development Projects (PDP) 27 FUNCTIONAL DESIGN CRITERIA 30 LAND USE CHANGE AND PLAN CONTINUITY 33 Planned Development Projects 34 Special Exception Uses 34 Mobile Home Parks 34 THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP revision) 39 SUMMARY revision) 41 TRAFFIC CIRCULATION PLAN (TRANSPORTATION PLAN) 43 INTRODUCTION 43 Purpose 43 Benefits 43 Existing Transportation System 43 Plan 45 Methodology 45 Street Classifications 45 Street Standards 46 Arterial Streets 46 This page is an insert to Volume 2 and supercedes and replaces the original page i. Revision r Page Collector Streets 46 Local/Minor Streets 47 Parking Lots 48 Goals and Objectives 48 Plan and Recommendations revision) 52 APPENDIX GUIDELINES FOR SELECTED TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES 57 COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN revision) 61 INTRODUCTION revision) 61 Purpose revision) 61 GENERAL SANITARY SEWER, SOLID WASTE, DRAINAGE AND POTABLE WATER ELEMENT revision) 63 INTRODUCTION revision) 63 INVENTORY OF EXISTING FACILITIES revision) 63 Sewerage Treatment revision) 63 Solid Waste revision) 64 Drainage revision) 64 Water System revision) 65 NEED AND RESPONSIBILITY revision) 65 PLANNING OBJECTIVES revision) 65 Sanitary Sewers and Potable Water revision) 65 Solid Waste revision) 66 Drainage revision) 66 GENERAL SANITARY SEWER, SOLID WASTE, DRAINAGE AND POTABLE WATER PLAN revision) 66 Standards revision) 66 POLICIES revision) 69 Sanitary Sewers and Potable Water revision) 69 Solid Waste revision) 70 Drainage RECREATION AND OPEN SPACE ELEMENT revision) 71 INTRODUCTION revision) 71 EXISTING FACILITIES revision) 71 NEED AND RESPONSIBILITY revision) 72 PLANNING OBJECTIVES revision) 72 RECREATION AND OPEN SPACE PLAN revision) 72 Standards revision) 72 Recommendations revision) 73 POLICIES revision) 73 STANDARDS FOR SPECIAL FACILITIES revision) 74 STANDARDS BY CLASSIFICATION AND POPULATION RATIO revision) 74 This page is an insert to Volume 2 and supercedes and replaces the original page ii. 44 Addition e- Page UTILITY ELEMENT revision) 75 INTRODUCTION revision) 75 EXISTING FACILITIES revision) 75 PLANNING OBJECTIVES revision) 75 UTILITY ELEMENT PLAN revision) 76 Standards revision) 76 Policies revision) 76 PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND RELATED FACILITIES ELEMENT • • • • (revision) 77 INTRODUCTION revision) 77 INVENTORY OF EXISTING FACILITIES revision) 77 Police Department revision) 77 Civil Defense revision) 78 Fire Department revision) 78 Public Building - City Hall revision) 78 Public Library revision) 79 Public Educational Facilities revision) 79 NEED AND RESPONSIBILITY revision) 79 Police Department revision) 79 Civil Defense revision) 79 Fire Department revision) 80 Public Building - City Hall revision) 80 Schools revision) 80 PLANNING OBJECTIVES revision) 80 Police Department revision) 80 Fire Protection revision) 80 Schools revision) 80 Public Buildings - City Hall revision) 80 PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND RELATED FACILITIES PLAN revision) 80 Standards revision) 81 POLICIES addition) 81E APPENDIX 83 LAND USE PLAN - ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT STATEMENT 85 HISTORIC PRESERVATION ASSESSMENT 89 CITIZEN PARTICIPATION 95 PRESS RELEASE 99 ADDENDUM 4, CITIZEN PARTICIPATION addition)101 PRESS RELEASE #2 addition)102 ADDENDUM 5, CONSERVATION ELEMENT addition)105 INTRODUCTION addition)107 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT SHAPE THE CONSERVATION ELEMENT (addition)109 Air addition)109 Water addition)110 Land addition)112 This page is an addition to Volume 2 and is inserted after page ii. Revision 1980 Page CONSERVATION ELEMENT OBJECTIVES addition) 114 Air addition) 114 Water addition) 114 Land addition) 115 Amenities addition) 115 CONSERVATION ELEMENT STRATEGY addition) 116 Alternatives addition) 116 Summary addition) 119 MANAGEMENT POLICIES FOR CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT AREAS addition) 119 All Areas Policies addition) 120 Development Area Policies addition) 120 Conservation Area Policies addition) 121 GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTATION addition) 123 Local Government Comprehensive Planning Act addition) 123 Development of Regional Impact (DRI) addition) 123 Areas of Critical State Concern (ACSC) addition) 124 Coastal Zone Management Program addition) 124 Areawide Waste Treatment Management Plans addition) 125 Local Development Regulations addition) 126 Private Developers addition) 127 Conclusion addition) 127 ADDENDUM 6, INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION ELEMENT .addition) 131 INTRODUCTION addition) 133 Analysis Approach addition) 133 ANALYSIS OF PLANNING IMPACTS AND INTERRELATIONSHIPS addition) 134 Population and Economic Growth and Development . . . (addition) 134 Surface Water Quality Management and Protection . . . (addition) 136 Provision of Community Facilities and Services . .addition) 139 Traffic Circulation addition) 141 Housing addition) 142 Land Use Compatibility in Urban Development Patterns (addition) 143 INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION PROGRAM addition) 144 Mechanisms for Intergovernmental Coordination . . .addition) 145 Summary of Intergovernmental Coordination Activities (addition) 146 ADDENDUM 7, COASTAL ZONE PROTECTION ELEMENT addition) 153 CZPE and Other Comprehensive Plan Elements addition) 154 The Coastal Planning Process addition) 154 Inventory and Analysis addition) 154 Inventory of National Resources addition) 155 Problems and Opportunities addition) 159 Coastal Protection Goals and Objectives addition) 159 Policies addition) 160 l V Revision 1980 REVISED LIST OF MAPS FUTURE LAND USE PLAN MAP revision) 37 TRAFFIC CIRCULATION PLAN MAP revision) 51 COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN MAP addition and revision) 81F SPECIAL HISTORICAL DISTRICT MAP 91 CONSERVATION MAP addition) 129 v Addition FUTURE LAND USE ELEMENT The following section entitled "Land Use Plan" constitutes the Future Land Use Element required by the Florida Local Government Comprehensive Planning Act of 1975. (This page is an addition to Volume 2 and is inserted before page 1.) I LAND USE PLAN I- FGOALS AND OBJECTIVES FIntroduction l The Comprehensive P/an for the City of Atlantic Beach Planning Area is designed to rpromote orderly growth and development within the Planning Area and to provide the necessary and desirable coordination of land use, major streets, community facilities, and housing within the community. The Plan is based on the information C developed in the Basic Research and Analysis phase and is intended to accomplish the following: Provide overall goals and objectives designed to achieve coordinated and compatible development. Establish general policies and standards which will serve as guidelines for Ifuture growth and facilitate the orderly and systematic review required in the City's land use and development regulations. Set forth a desirable spatial arrangement of the various categories of land which will be necessary to sustain the City's future land use needs. 1 Provide a compatible network of major streets that are designed to meet existing and anticipated future traffic needs of the area. t Establish a coordinated system of community facilities designed to provide the type, size, and general level of public services and activities necessary to serve the existing and anticipated population of the I. community. Provide a basis for establishing and implementing a systematic, E coordinated and desirable system of regulations, policies and priorities that reflect proper land utilization and enhance and improve the area's natural beauty and unique environment and resources. fDefinitions I Goals — General statements of preference. An aspiration toward which effort is directed and general purposes which would be desirable to attain. I Objectives —Specific statements of intent. A goal toward which effort is directed fand specific purposes which would be desirable to attain. t Policies — Definite courses or methods of action selected from among alternatives, and in light of given conditions to guide and determine present and future decisions. c c Statement of Community Goals Before any plan can be developed, or any specific standards or policies formulated, overall goals and objectives must be established to provide guidelines for what is wanted and needed. The determination of such goals and objectives is not an end in itself but rather then means whereby more specific standards and policies may be established and certain decisions can be made about the type of community in which one wants to live. Goals and objectives often change; however, these changes do not invalidate the original goals or objectives but rather indicate that the situation and environment has changed thereby necessitating a re-evaluation of existing goals and objectives and the establishment of new and more pertinent standards, policies, and regulations. C Based on the above assumptions and in order to promote the health, safety and general welfare of all Planning Area residents, the Goals for Atlantic Beach, Florida, are as follows: To secure the maximum physical, economic, and social welfare for the City and its residents through the thoughtful and planned use and development of land, buildings, streets, and public facilities. To encourage the establishment of appropriate planning programs, the provision of necessary facilities and personnel therefor, and the means required to implement and enforce all plans and regulations lawfully established and promulgated pursuant to the provisions of the Laws of Florida, the Florida Statutes, and the City's Charter. To encourage effective coordination and cooperation between the City, the County, and related agencies, officials, developers, and residents of the area. To prepare and implement a Comprehensive Plan for the City which will serve as a guide for public and private actions and decisions to assure the development of public and private resources in the most appropriate relationships possible. To provide desirable goals, objectives, standards, policies, and regulations which will serve as guidelines for the physical development and economic and social well-being of the City of Atlantic Beach and its residents. The following statements are presented as development goals for the City of Atlantic Beach: A unified urban form that gives the community a sense of identity and uniqueness; An attractive and safe place to live; I A reasonable level of opportunity for residents to earn a reasonable r income given the limitations of Atlantic Beach's residential character; l A high quality natural environment; Economical and efficient use of the area's natural resources; A broad range of individualized and residentially oriented activity choices for all residents; A high quality level of public services for all residents at minimum cost to t the public; L A high degree of communication and interaction among residents of the community; A community that is a vital and integral element of the overall region, and whose unique role and character enhances the region. General Development Objectives Urban Form Goal: A unified urban form that gives the community a sense of identity and uniqueness. Objectives: Create an urban form that focuses on, enhances, and reflects the City's character as a quality urban center in a waterfront environment. Establish an urban infrastructure that permits the various subsystems to function in an orderly and efficient manner as a unified system. Within the overall urban structure, provide for the logical division of areas with unique identity according to types and intensities of activities and development styles. Create an urban form that can function effectively at the various stages of development reached throughout and beyond the planning period. Establish an urban form that anticipates foreseeable new technological L developments and can readily adapt to them. Environment for Living Goal: An attractive and safe place to live. Objectives: ICreate a quiet, village atmosphere for the City's people as a relief from the intense activity of the metropolitan area. l_ L_ r r r Encourage residential developments which recognize the need for and can provide safe homes and safe, quiet neighborhoods for their residents. Encourage residential construction that is aesthetically attractive and which adequately fulfills the functional needs of the residents. Create well defined residential neighborhoods at a scale that would permit them to function effectively as a physical unit, but would also preserve their intended human scale. Provide residential areas at a range of densities which would appeal to residents of different ages, income, and family situations and with varied life styles without creating problems of congestion or degradation of facilities within the area or its surrounding areas. Ensure the availability of a choice of housing styles at a range of prices that would permit all residents of the community an opportunity to afford suitable housing. Ensure good accessibility from residential areas to work, shopping, and leisure activity areas. Economy Goal: A reasonable level of opportunity for residents to earn a reasonable income given the limitations of Atlantic Beach's residential character. Objectives: Develop and maintain a sound and diversified base for the local economy to supplement the residential character of the community. Encourage a level of economic and light industrial activity which would alleviate any problems of substantial unemployment and under-employment among Atlantic Beach residents. Promote the development of financial, retail, and service facilities capable of meeting most of the residents' daily needs at the neighborhood and general community levels. Natural Environment Goal: A high-quality natural environment. Objectives: Minimize the impact of urban development on natural environmental systems of the locale and the region. Preserve areas of critical environmental importance, areas of high ecological sensitivity, and areas containing unique natural features. 1 r f_ Provide opportunities for local residents and visitors to observe in nonurban settings, ecological communities native to the area. Encourage a development pattern that provides local residents and visitors numerous opportunities to come in contact with and enjoy natural Cfeatures of the area during their everyday activities. Natural Resources Goal: Economical and efficient use of the area's natural resources. Objectives: Limit population and development activity to a level that will not place demands on the area's natural resources by exceeding their practical capacity or by causing a substantial decline in their quality. Protect and improve the natural distribution and replenishment systems of the area's water resources. Develop sewage collection and treatment facilities which prevent contamination of ground and surface waters. Preserve and protect marine life in shoreline waters. Prevent atmosphere pollution of any type which would adversely affect the environmental quality. Encourage a development pattern that recognizes developable land as a limited resource and uses it efficiently and effectively to provide adequate space for all activities in the area. Choice of Activities Goal: A broad range of individualized and residentially oriented activity choices for all residents. Objectives: Encourage the establishment of commercial areas at accessible locations offering varied ranges and types of goods and services and serving a defined market ranging from the neighborhood level to the general community in size. Promote the establishment and functioning of civic and cultural organizations offering activities for a population having a broad range of individual interests. Provide a variety of active and passive recreational facilities, and develop public recreational and cultural programs designed to meet the needs of all age groups. E. Public Facilities and Services Goal: A high-quality level of public services for all residents at minimum cost to the public. Objectives: Provide a range and level of public facilities and services which can meet the basic needs of all residents. Encourage development patterns that permit the economical and efficient development of networks of facilities, utilities, and services and provide for their orderly expansion. Ensure that networks of facilities, utilities, and services function at a high quality level and in the most economical manner possible. Communication and Interaction Goals: A high degree of communication and interaction among residents of the community. Objectives: Develop a transportation system capable of efficiently moving people and goods within and through the community. Encourage a level of activity and governmental responsiveness that permits regular or daily truck deliveries. Provide public transportation an an alternative for those, like the young or aged, who do not have easy access to private transportation. Encourage an inland "park and ride" bus system to beaches as part of regional public transportation system. Establish neighborhood focal points that generate interaction among residents of each neighborhood. Establish community focal points that generate interaction among all residents of the community. Provide opportunities for family interaction and activities. Provide opportunities for a high degree of citizen participation in cultural, civic, and governmental activities. Regional Goal: A community that is a vital and integral element of the overall region, and whose unique role and character enhances the region. Revision 1980 OBJECTIVES: Create a unique role and character for the Atlantic Beach Planning Area as an element in the regional framework in terms of its function as a residential and recreational center in conjunction with its potential as an employment center. Develop systems of community facilities and services that function as an integral part of the regional systems. Promote and support programs which attempt to develop a sound regional approach to region-wide problems. ANNUAL OBJECTIVES To measure the accomplishments of the goals and objectives, it is important to evaluate the plans and programs annually. In this initial stage of the planning program, the following annual objectives are proposed: 1. The L.P.A. shall update the Comprehensive Plan, get citizens input at open meetings on the Plan, and hold at least one Public Hearing prior to July 1, 1980. 2. The L.P.A. shall adopt and submit the Plan to the City Commission on July 1, 1980. 3. The L.P.A. shall make every effort to receive and review plans prepared, or under preparation, by other Beaches communities and Jacksonville, prior to public hearings in 1981. 4. The L.P.A. shall revise and update the land development regulations by July 1, 1981. 5. The City Commission shall adopt the Plan by January 1981. 6. The City will initiate actions to establish a formal mechanism with the Beaches communities and Jacksonville early in 1981 to coordinate the implementation of the various plans. 7. Following formal adoption of the Plan, at the end of each year from 1980 to 1983, the L.P.A. shall evaluate actions that have been taken during that year as they relate to land use planning, and recommend actions or strategies to be taken during ensuing years to carry out the objectives. Such evaluations might include but not be limited to: 1. Impact on capital improvements 2. Growth patterns 3. Energy efficiency Revision 1980 CONCLUSION In order for the Comprehensive Plan to be a continually effective instrument within the community, certain factors need to be considered. A major consi- deration to be remembered is that the Plan affects all residents of the community. The Plan should, therefore, be a positive instrument for achieving the goals and aspirations of the entire community and should always be developed through a cooperative endeavor involving all residents of the Planning Area. The Plan should reflect both present and future needs of the community and be broad enough in scope to cover development of the entire community. Finally, the Comprehensive Plan should provide for a certain degree of flexibility in order that adjustments can be made when necessary and when appropriate to the overall development of the community. CONCEPTS AND POLICIES The community's goals and objectives for land use and development having been stated, the next step is to develop more definite courses or methods of action for guiding and determining decisionmaking. This requires the statement of a set of policies. So that these policies will have greater clarity and meaning, several land use planning concepts will be discussed in the following section. These concepts are basic to an understanding of the policies, location and development standards, and design criteria that will follow them. Furthermore, the concepts should be considered an integral part of the policies of the Land Use Plan and should carry equal weight in terms of the interpretation and application of policies and standards in controlling land use and development. URBAN DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT If monotonous urban sprawl is to be avoided and a high-quality living environment is to be achieved, it is important to have residential areas with distinct boundaries and clear identities. This cannot be done if housing areas are developed by the process of platting a single-family subdivision next to another just like it -- and so on in a continuous progression of sameness. This approach to residential planning brings about monotony, lack of functional open space, inefficient traffic circulation patterns, and an absence of true neighborhood or community identity. 7A C I r The residential development concept in this plan calls for a framework with neighborhood and city units. The living areas are properly unified with work, commercial, institutional, and recreational areas by the thoroughfare system and other elements of urban design. By treating residential districts as discrete units, they can be related to their residential modules and different urban activities in a compatible and effective manner. Neighborhood Units l Neighborhoods, as the primary planning units in residential development, should be l clearly delineated by physical boundaries such as streets, and open space areas, in order to be workable planning units. In terms of area, the neighborhood unit should ideally contain approximately one square mile and house between 3,000 and 5,000 L people. The neighborhood units defined by streams, major collector streets, and arterial streets in the Atlantic Beach Planning Area are generally smaller than this. The neighborhood unit fulfills the primary function of providing residential space for community inhabitants, but a well-planned neighborhood should also contain basic recreational opportunities and facilities for social and educational activities. It is also possible to permit a limited amount of commercial activities geared to the daily convenience of residents, but the degree of commercial development should not become so great as to detract from the residential character of the neighborhood. The type of neighborhood commercial referred to should include such small scale enterprises as a convenience food store, barber or beauty shop, laundromat and/or dry cleaning pickup facility, small professional office, and j perhaps a neighborhood recreational/meeting hall — all of compatible and attractive r design, well-landscaped and buffered, and clustered in a single complex. EAs the smallest urban planning unit, the neighborhood is related more closely to the needs and activities of individuals than to those of large groups. Therefore, the major design elements in the neighborhood units consist of physical boundaries, homes, L the local street system, parks and playgrounds, possibly a neighborhood elementary l school, provisions for pedestrian activities, and small topographic features. The physical boundaries defining the neighborhood unit commonly take the form of arterial or collector streets, thereby preventing the penetration of high traffic L_ volumes within the living space of the neighborhood unit. Other effective neighborhood boundaries are topographic features such as streams, natural vegetation stands, and perpetual open space areas. The natural boundaries are in many cases better than those formed by major streets, because they permit a definition of the planning unit while providing a larger and quieter buffer between the residential area and other land use activities on the outside. Homes, anotherjurbandesignelement, can be used to express varying development patterns within the neighborhood. If a conventional single-family subdivision is developed, the overall density will be uniformly low, and the urban design concept will be much i r C more loosely structured than would be the case if a mixture of single-family homes and apartments was used. By permitting apartments and other higher density l residential types in selected locations, a more discernable structure can be provided l within the neighborhood unit. However, the use of high-density residential development in the neighborhood unit necessitates the provision of larger amounts of functional open space to lower the overall density level. Land adjacent to stream valleys, open water bodies, and perpetual green spaces make ideal locations for higher density residential development within the neighborhood. The local street system is probably the strongest neighborhood design element. It not only determines the circulation pattern of automobile traffic, but a collector street within the unit can actually divide it into two subneighborhoods. The setback of homes and other structures from the street system is a reflection of its pattern, and its influence is further felt in the location of major neighborhood gathering places such as schools or social centers. Another form of neighborhood circulation is l pedestrian movement. Pedestrian ways commonly take the form of sidewalks built adjacent to local streets, but modern cluster platting also stresses the utilization of block interiors for major pedestrian movements. When the interiors of blocks are iutilized for this purpose it is possible to further separate the walker from the automobile and maintain a higher level of traffic safety. When properly designed, the pedestrian ways can connect homes with the neighborhood parks and elementary school with a minimum of street crossings for children in the morning and afternoon. These pedestrian ways also can be effective in providing additional recreational space and reducing the overall development density within the neighborhood unit. Two other related urban design elements in the neighborhood unit are school I facilities and parks and playgrounds. Both of these land uses have an open character and are frequently social focal points within the neighborhood. In fact, a more efficient utilization of available financial resources can be brought about by combining the educational and recreational facilities into a larger, common site. The t . classic neighborhood concept specifies that the park and school facilities should be located in approximately the center of the neighborhood unit, but this does not hold true in all cases. The important consideration in the location of these facilities is that there be a high degree of safe access from all segments of the neighborhood with a minimum of dangerous crossings of busy streets. Small topographic features such as streams, lagoons, and low ridges also can be utilized in the design of a neighborhood. Each of these topographic features can serve to separate one neighborhood from another and to give more structure to the unit. When properly utilized, these topographic features can bring about a neighborhood image or identity which can serve an important agent in increasing property values. Since the neighborhood unit must be efficiently linked with places of commerce and employment, there is a critical relationship with the transportation system. First, the neighborhood unit must have a good access to the major thoroughfare system and this is usually accomplished by using arterial and collector streets as neighborhood unit boundaries. The interior street system is comprised mainly of local streets with the minor collector being the highest-order street permitted inside the unit. It is important to maintain a very low traffic volume and a high degree of traffic safety in the quieter living areas of any community. In sum, the residential character of the neighborhood unit dictates that it be an "island" in the community-wide traffic circulation stream. The primary residential function of the neighborhood unit makes it intimately related to other living areas. A particular neighborhood should be related to adjacent living areas in a unified manner and should express compatible design characteristics. That is, the design characteristics of one neighborhood should not adversely affect the living environment of an adjacent area. The use of multi-family development in neighborhood units is a good example of a situation in which care should be taken in maintaining compatible relationships; the multi-family areas should be separated from other lower density development by open space or some other effective buffering device. The circulation system constitutes another important factor in these relationships. For instance, a collector street penetrating one neighborhood should be properly aligned with its continuation through another unit rather than being reduced in status to a local street when crossing from one neighborhood unit to another. Il It is necessary to provide rapid access from living into working areas for convenience of daily trips to and from work. However, it is also necessary that the residentialt area be adequately separated from the higher intensity employment centers. This separation must be sufficient to reduce or eliminate any adverse impact of these incompatible, higher intensity land use activities on the neighborhood area. This can be accomplished by actual physical separation of the different parts of the community or by sufficient buffering through the use of open spaces, topographic features, and water bodies as boundary features between the neighborhood unit and employment centers. In terms of the relationship of neighborhoods to shopping areas, only minor amounts of commercial activities should be permitted within the neighborhood boundaries. These neighborhood commercial activities should be of a type which serves only the daily conveniences of housewives and other shoppers, and this commercial development should be clustered in one specific area rather than scattered throughout the neighborhood unit. It, further, should be planned and screened to prevent any interference with the normal daily living activities taking place within the neighborhood. Care should be taken to reduce any possible conflict between automobile traffic and pedestrian movements in the vicinity of the neighborhood commercial area, and such factors as illumination, noise, vibration, and other blighting influences should be kept to an absolute minimum. The neighborhood unit must be further related to the larger shopping area of the City. Good access must be provided to these shopping facilities so that the local residents can draw upon an effectively larger business area. However, it is equally important that the neighborhood unit be adequately separated and buffered from I F r the larger commercial complex in order to reduce the inevitable conflicts which r would result from the adjacent placement of these basically incompatible land use activities. A limited amount of recreational space must be provided within the neighborhood to serve the needs of small children who need safe access to such facilities as playgrounds and tot lots. In some neighborhoods, adult recreation areas are appropriate, but these are those areas which are populated predominantly by mature l adults and retirement-age people. The higher degree of mobility and added maturity of the adult population brings forth a need for good access to major community and regional recreational centers outside of their own neighborhoods. These centers C should contain a wide variety of recreational opportunities which can be utilized by children as well as the adult population. They, in turn, serve a much wider service area than the limited facilities provided within the neighborhood unit for immediate daily activities. In higher density neighborhoods the open space areas can be utilized to provide not only recreational facilities for children and adults but they can also be used to reduce the overall effective density of land development within the unit. City Unit The city unit is a composite of neighborhood units and contains an employment and town center. The city scale also includes open space and recreation of wider importance and a system of social, institutional, educational, and governmental services. The city unit exhibits a level of autonomy not found in the neighborhood unit. The town center contains the more extensive and diversified groupings of commercial facilities. In Atlantic Beach, the town center will become increasingly r able to perform this function if sufficient reorientation and redesign occurs. It is t[ important to prevent haphazard commercial growth on the fringes of the established town center, usually referred to as the Central Business District (CBD). Such growth both intrudes upon the residential character of surrounding areas, and detracts from the cohesiveness of the "downtown" area. t Unlike the neighborhood unit, the optimum size of the city unit is variable and E cannot be stated in concrete terms. Instead it must be sufficient in size to perform many functions such as provision of living space, establishment of a center of employment and shopping, inclusion of open space and recreational functions of areawide importance, and provision of a primary system of social, institutional, educational, governmental and other urban services necessary to maintaining a modern urban area. In short, the city unit must exhibit a level of autonomy not found in the neighborhood unit. This autonomy must include a balanced population composition, and viable retail and services bases. The major design scheme at the city unit scale is comprised of several neighborhoods linked in a unified system along the major thoroughfare circulation system. In the case of Atlantic Beach, the major circulation system consists of existing arterials and major collectors of the primary thoroughfare system. E. c r r The city unit scale also focuses on the largest commercial and employment centers. The overall design must include the proper location and interrelationships of retailing, personal and professional services, the government center, manufacturing areas, and numerous other urban activities. Their location must provide for efficiency and economic viability while avoiding the creation of adverse influences on residential areas and open spaces. Another major design element of the city unit is the largest-scale portions of the open space system. Large bodies of water, streams, major parks, and other similar features are all important design elements at this scale. Even though a balanced system of open space and recreation areas is necessary in good urban design, only the major elements are critical factors at this scale. Major topographic features are also important in determining the overall shape and, in some cases, the internal structure of urban areas. In Atlantic Beach, the shoreline is the most important topographic feature affecting the pattern of urban growth by restricting development at the water's edge. Other topographic features such as t ridges, creeks, unbuildable land, lagoons, and ponds can be important urban design l developments in other locations, but this is not the case in Atlantic Beach. Some creeks and wetlands exert a limited influence on the shape of the overall urban form, but the major influence is that of the shoreline. The transportation system is particularly important at this scale, because the City is structured to a large degree by its highways, major arterial streets, and major collectors. These facilities should be designed to provide rapid and safe access to working, shopping, and recreational areas from all residential districts. Futhermore, major traffic generators such as the town center, high-density residential complexes, and industrial areas should be connected by major thoroughfares adequate to handle the necessary traffic loads during the peak periods. The arterial system must further connect the city with other urban areas within the region in order to expedite long distance movements throughout the urban region. And finally, the transportation system is keyed very closely to the overall urban expansion objectives. If urban growth policies call for expansion in one area as opposed to another, road improvement programs in the proper locations can stimulate development in a manner to help accomplish the general public objective. In addition, if certain areas are to be developed as low-density residential areas, lower capacity streets can be constructed which will discourage the heavy traffic volumes associated with commercial and industrial development; and those areas earmarked for future development of land use activities with high traffic generation rates can be provided with high capacity thoroughfare facilities to stimulate development of the proposed land uses. Even though the city unit contains many different types of land use activities, the predominant type remains residential; therefore, serious consideration must be given to planning reotoverall city ms d.districts should sidential be adequatelyareas in bufferedrelatinshipfromto incompatiblehe nonresidentialfor . Resiareas Which will adversely affect the living environment of its residents. This requires L 1'1 U 1 adequate separation of residential districts from such incompatible land uses as the major commercial area, industrial areas, and such other nonresidential activities which would have a harmful effect on the residential districts. C The residential areas should generally occupy the most aesthetically desirable land and be furnished with all necessary urban services and public facilities. The keystone for sound residential planning is quality. And quality cannot be maintained if preference is not given to aesthetic siting of residential areas and the provision of all facilities and services necessary to prevent blight and decay. Employment centers can be dispersed throughout the city unit according to function and location of labor market. The primary employment center, however, is best located where it can be connected with residential areas by efficient transportation facilities. This location is usually found in the town governmental and commercial center. The various employment centers located within the city unit serve different labor pools, e.g. blue collar, clerical, professional, etc. Of these, the blue collar workers will be more concentrated in terms of their residential location to their employment place. The relative position of blue collar employment centers and moderate cost housing should be carefully considered in any planning decisions. On the other hand, white collar, managerial, and professional employment is experiencing a decided trend toward decentralization from their employment centers. This trend and the higher incomes of these workers tend to make their residential location relative to their place of employment less important than that found in the blue collar labor force pools. The heavier types of business and industrial activity requiring large numbers of employees should be separated into districts of similar land uses and sufficiently removed from residential areas to prevent the blighting influences of these higher intensity land uses from eroding residential quality. However, planned suburban office parks and research industrial installations can be located much closer to nearby residential areas if appropriate buffering is provided. At the city scale, the town center contains the most extensive and diversified grouping of commercial facilities which serve the general community market area, while neighborhood shopping areas serve the smaller markets within the city unit. Merchandise lines are more limited in the smaller shopping areas than those in the town center, and the possibilities for comparative shopping are much more strictly curtailed. In neighborhood commercial centers, only the most common lines of convenience goods and services are provided in order to meet the daily demands of a small market area. Comparison shopping is primarily a function of town center commercial districts and regional commercial complexes. Development of specialized commercial and service areas also is not possible at the neighborhood level. These shopping facilities are usually found in town centers or special commercial districts close to a town center. L_ r F r Since commercial areas must be properly integrated with neighborhoods at the city unit scale, their location is of critical concern. In general, the commercial pattern at this scale will be characterized by a major commercial complex within the town center and satellite neighborhood facilities surrounding the town center. Highway oriented commercial facilities should be discouraged because of the residential nature of the Atlantic Beach Planning Area and because of the traffic hazards they create on major thoroughfares. In terms of recreation and open space areas at the city unit scale, the needs for a balanced system extend from neighborhood play facilities to city parks serving the entire populace. However, within the city unit, the plan must deal with the largest-scale considerations of open space and recreational facilities within the urban area. The open space system is a valuable tool in structuring the entire urban area and properly separating major land use districts from one another. All residential areas should be readily available to major recreation centers and open space areas. When this is done the recreation and open space system actually improves the quality and value of residential areas. In this period of widespread concern over the natural environment, large open areas within the city unit can have many positive effects upon ecological preservation. Oxygen generation in the open space areas helps reduce the amount of air pollution resulting from increased automobile use in urban areas, and these areas alsohelp to moderate temperature changes in nearby residential districts. Large open space areas also provide the opportunity to initiate effective soil, water, and wildlife conservation programs, as well as provide the basis for effective flood control programs within the urban area. Before proceeding to the next section, it would be useful to digress at this point and discuss the Atlantic Beach CBD (Central Business District) in terms of its function as a town center. L Atlantic Beach does not really have a singular, strong identifiable town center. Rather, it has several scattered governmental and recreational activity sites, and its commercial areas are mainly stripped out along Mayport (S.R. AIA) and Atlantic Boulevard (S.R. 10). Over the next 25 years as the Atlantic Beach Planning Area r develops and fills up, the need for a strong identifiable centrally-located CBD will emerge. The absence of a consensus regarding the location of such a center will result in a continuation of the existing "stripped and scattered" pattern. This pattern is diseconomic and tends to result in greater urban congestion and blight. The tax base deteriorates and both public and private sectors of the economy suffer. Consequently, the importance of a community decision to counter this problem cannot be overstated. F 1- I A r t r r GENERAL DEVELOPMENT POLICIES The preceding sections have discussed the goals and objectives for land development in the Atlantic Beach Planning Area and have explained two different urban unit concepts as a framework for evaluating developments and functions in the Planning Area. This section will detail the policies for guiding and determining present and future decisions on land development. General policy formulations, as a guide in decisionmaking, are useful in altering or initiating implementation procedures for land use regulations as conditions change or community goals and objectives shift. They have further utility when standards relating to planning, zoning, and planned development project concepts are formulated. Policy statements, as indicators of governmental intent, form bases for innovative techniques designed to preserve natural and man-made amenities and provide a better environment for present and future populations. General development policies of the City of Atlantic Beach in controlling development and land use in its Planning and Service Area are that: The Natural Environment Should Be Conserved By: Ensuring that all development within the Planning Area harmoniously fits into the existing natural environment; and, Does not adversely affect existing uses, scenic character, natural resources or property values in the surrounding areas; and, Meets federal, state and local air and water pollution control i_ standards; and, Includes adequate provisions for solid waste disposal, the control of offensive odors, and the securing and maintenance of sufficient and healthful water supplies necessary to serve the population densities or land use intensities proposed; L r r Preserving the ecological balances which are at work in the Planning Area r by; Restricting development in areas prone to excessive flooding and tidal action; Retaining open space and conservation uses in areas near marshes, and wetlands; Preserving irreplaceable shoreline resources for outdoor recreational uses; Locating development in relation to physiographic constraints and limitations; Promoting conservation oriented development and techniques which utilize land more efficiently; Compatible and Coordinated Development Should Be Facilitated By: Encouraging future growth to take place in compact clusters supported by adequate transportation facilities and related community facilities; Promoting the grouping of related nonresidential activities in compact activity centers conveniently located to the persons served rather than permitting such activities to occur in a linear or strip fashion along major traffic routes; Requiring adequate space for off-street vehicular loading, parking, and circulation as well as properly located access points and suitable roads and streets designed to carry the anticipated traffic generated by the development; Encouraging all development to employ good design and high standards as well as to utilize the natural environment to its best advantage; Ensuring that all development which takes place is properly located on soil types which are suitable to the nature of the undertaking and that the f development will have a minimal adverse impact on the natural tl environment and its surroundings; Maximizing the overall advantages of the natural topography and Lphysiographic character of the Planning Area; Ensuring that all development within the Planning Area reflects the overall location standards and principles of land use arrangement and design as set forth in the City's Comprehensive Plan and especially the Land Use Plan. c Revision 1980 Development Costs Should be Minimized by: Encouraging planned development projects and by the clustering of develop- ment within certain designated growth areas; Balancing initial development cost with future maintenance expense by requiring that all developments be provided with essential improvements and services such as water and sanitary sewer facilities, park and recreation areas, paved streets and storm drainage facilities at the time of their development rather than at a later date through special assessments or general public revenues; Encouraging the development of compact residential areas that are cohesive neighborhoods supported by appropriate community and neighborhood facilities and bounded by major streets or natural topographic features; Extending and providing public water, sewer, and other such community facilities and services only within certain designated growth areas in order to guide land development and to prevent the premature development of areas to which it is not economically feasible to provide public facilities and services at the present time. Desirable Variety of Land Uses Should be Promoted by: Encouraging a variety of housing types to be constructed so as to maximize the advantages of open space, recreational areas, and other related and supporting facilities; Linking open space in appropriate planned development projects with surround- ing public recreation and conservation areas in order to maximize the recreational/leisure advantages of the Planning Area; Introducing uses which are essential and would promote the character of the neighborhood under certain conditions by requiring that such special exception uses meet the required conditions and standards necessary to preserve the integrity of the neighborhood; Encouraging planned development projects consisting of a complex of structures and uses planned as an integral unit of development in addition to the typical single lot principal building type development. Establishing development densities for residential land use in three categories: 1. Low density - 0 - 4 units per acre 2. Medium density - 5 - 10 units per acre 3. High density - 11 - 20 units per acre Encourage residential growth in areas provided or planned to be provided with public facilities. Encourage commercial and industrial growth in areas which are conveniently located to the areas to be served and located primarily on arterials provided with public services. 17 Revision 1980 r Open Space Should be Secured and Sensitive Ecological Systems Protected by: Ensuring that all developments in the Planning Area: Provide adequate areas for the location of recreational facilities, if necessary; Protect valuable natural resources; Preserve distinct geologic and botanical sites; Create buffer areas separating incompatible types of land use; Adopting governmental regulations for the Planning Area which: Preserve water bodies, and floodplains; Provide scenic easements when significant, along roadways, streams, and shorelines to curtail development and restrict land use types; Provide useable open space bonuses when developments are planned deeelopment projects or have a high density; Provide fiscal and tax inducement for private land owners to permanently preserve open areas; Provide regulatory procedures within development ordinances necessitating and encouraging open space preservation. Short Term Policies 1. Adopt the Comprehensive Plan by January 1981. 2 Adopt land development regulations to implement the Land Use Plan by July 1, 1981. 3. Establish priorities from Comprehensive Plan and include in the capital improvements program beginning the 1980-81 budget year and update each ensuing year. 17A LOCATION AND GENERAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS This section represents the next step in the planning continuum that began with general statements of preference in the section on Goals and Objectives. That section was followed by more specific statements on definite courses of action to be pursued in achieving the goals and objectives. These specific statements are found in the preceding section of Policies. The policies having been established, it is now necessary to formulate detailed criteria against which development can be evaluated to ensure that the policies are carried out. This is accomplished through the Standards of this section and following sections. Standards, by definition, are criteria established by custom, usage, and general consent as desirable models or examples, substantially uniform and widely recognized as acceptable. Standards further serve as the basis for the last step on the planning continuum, Regulations. Regulations are requirements, actions, or procedures officially established as laws by the legislative action of the governing body, which in Atlantic Beach is the City Council. In implementing comprehensive plans, regulations generally take the form of zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, and various building codes. Establishment of location and general development standards is further necessary in order to provide a basis for spatially allocating land uses within the Planning Area. The location and general development standards contained herein will also serve as guidelines for establishing new zoning district boundaries and land use regulations. In addition, these standards will enable the land required to support the projected planning area population for 2000 to be located and developed in the most desirable and appropriate areas. The following standards are presented in summary and outline form and are designed to reflect the most recent and generally accepted 18 r r principles relating to land use planning and development techniques. The inclusion of standards relating to a variety of commercial and industrial land use types should not be interpreted as indicating Atlantic Beach's intent to encourage all of these types of land use. On the contrary, certain land use types may be undesirable and incompatible with Atlantic Beach's character. Principal Buildings And Individual Lots Only one principal building and related accessory structures should be erected on any individual lot except for approved planned development projects and certain special exception type uses. All principal buildings constructed for occupancy by human beings should be connected to water and sewer mains wherever such systems are Creasonably available. No building or other obstruction should be so located on corner lots as to impede vehicular visibility at street intersections. All buildings and structures should be located an adequate distance from all public streets and adjoining property lines. Principal buildings located on individual lots should be provided with adequate and desirable yards, open space, and off-street parking areas. Vehicular access to off-street parking areas serving principal buildings located on individual lots should be properly spaced and designed in regard to width, number, and overall location. Residential Land Use Residential development should: Occur in areas where the terrain is varied, ranging from level land to gently rolling and waterfront sites. Be restricted in areas where the land is extremely unstable, poorly drained, or subject to flooding. Encouraged in areas where the terrain is best suited for development of the soundest and most aesthetically pleasing neighborhoods. Provide a variety of housing types including single- and multiple-family dwellings, townhouses, garden apartments, and high-rise apartment buildings. 1 1 - f i r l C Residential areas should: Provide a choice of densities ranging from lower single-family densities to higher density multiple-family apartments located close to permanent open space, major streets, and neighborhood serving shopping facilities. Be provided with water and sanitary sewer facilities, sidewalks, paved it streets, and storm drainage facilities. Be provided internally with a system of minor collector and local l streets and bounded but not penetrated by arterial and major C collector streets. Be located in close proximity to neighborhood recreation and shopping facilities, schools, and churches. Have convenient and easy access to arterial streets with direct t connections to major recreation, shopping, and working areas. Be located and developed in such a manner so as to protect them from noise, dirt, fumes, and safety hazards of major streets, commercial areas, and industrial areas. Be free from the influence and possible encroachment of incompatible land uses. Mobile homes should be located within planned mobile home park development projects. Planned mobile home park development projects should be: Subject to standards similar to those required for single-family homes and residential subdivisions. Limited in terms of maximum overall unit density per gross acre and minimum land area required for mobile home park development. Provided with desirable community facilities, including recreational areas and open space, as well as adequate screening and permanent buffering from abutting and incompatible land uses. Commercial Land Use Commercial areas in general should be: Centrally located to the particular trade area they are designed to serve. r L CLocated, designed, and developed in a compact and economic E manner with adequate off-street parking, loading and unloading space, and internal walkways designed for pedestrian convenience and safety. Located and developed so as to be easily accessible from different directions and should be bounded but not penetrated by major rstreets. Designed to provide for as much separation of pedestrian and vehicular traffic as possible. Separated from incompatible land uses by means of a buffer strip including streets, open space, plantings, and setbacks. Restricted from developing in a strip commercial manner. General commercial districts should: Be located so as to have access to two or more major streets having f connections to nearby arterial streets. Be bounded but not penetrated by major streets with carefully and conveniently designed access points to off-street parking facilities. Contain stores and shops offering a wide selection of shopping and comparison goods designed to meet the needs of both local and regional trade areas. Be pedestrian oriented with stores and shops located in compact groupings along streets and malls designed for leisurely shopping and attractive surroundings. Contain retail stores, restaurants and entertainment facilities, t professional offices, financial and related services that are located in compact subcenters designed to form an integrated and compatible relationship of functional land use. Community shopping centers should: r Be located in one quadrant of an intersection of two major streets or on one side of a major street. Provide a wide selection of convenience goods and a limited selection of shopping and comparison goods designed to serve a community-wide trade area. r r r CNeighborhood shopping centers should: Be located in one quadrant of an intersection of a collector and minor street or on one side of a collector street. Provide a variety of convenience goods designed to serve an immediate residential neighborhood. All shopping centers should: Be planned, designed, and developed as a single compact unit of rcommercial activities and should be carefully planned and located t with regard to streets, access points, and adjacent noncommercial land use. Provide adequate off-street parking, loading, and unloading space on the site designed to serve all of the establishments within the center in the most convenient and economical way possible. Be separated from surrounding streets and uses by curbs, islands, landscaping, fencing, and setbacks in order to protect and preserve the integrity of both the shopping center and surrounding land uses. Be planned, designed, and developed in such a manner so as to result in an integrated and functional commercial area that is compatible and desirable with the surrounding environment. Highway commercial development should be: f Limited to include only those establishments that depend upon, tprovide for, and are designed to serve vehicular rather than pedestrian traffic, or to single large retail establishments that f generate their own traffic independent of other retail establishments and must have large amounts of space. l Restricted to areas in which adequate land is available to provide for deep setbacks of buildings, adequate off-street parking, loading and unloading spaces, and where there is no conflict with surrounding streets and land uses. Required to meet certain specified conditions and standards prior to approval such as proper highway access and egress points, frontage roads, adequate lot depth and width, adequate setbacks and side yards, off-street parking design, landscaping, buffer strips, and overall compatibility with surrounding streets and land use. l_ f_ I f r Confined to compact clusters located in depth rather than length along major highways in areas where such location is desirable and compatible with street patterns, traffic movement, existing and proposed land uses. Unplanned, uncontrolled, and ill-conceived strip commercial development along highways should be discouraged because: Strip development on both sides of a busy street makes pedestrian crossing difficult and hazardous as well as impedes successful merchandising. The additional traffic generated often results in the need to make major street widenings requiring public purchase of expensive commercial frontage; interrupts through traffic and creates serious traffic hazards by causing vehicles to enter and exit at many uncoordinated and improperly located access points; and, complicates off-street parking design and pedestrian accessibility. t In many instances, businesses located in strip development are of a marginal nature and add little to the shopping selection and tax base of the community. The mixture of homes and commercial uses that normally accompanies strip commercial development depreciates the land for both purposes. Speculation and inflated land values result in a large amount of dead or unproductive vacant land. Strip commercial uses are at a definite disadvantage when competing with grouped commercial concentrations. Industrial Land Use Industrial development should: Occur in areas where the terrain is well drained, free from flooding, and has a good soil bearing capacity. Provide a variety of desirable sites which are relatively level, regular in shape, and provided with, or easily accessible to, basic utilities such as water, sewers, and electricity. Industrial areas should: I Have direct access to one or more major transportation systems including highways, railroads, airports, and water facilities. L 1 r r r Be located within easy commuting distance of employees. Have direct access to major streets which in turn are connected with major residential areas. Be located so as to avoid forcing major traffic through residential neighborhoods. Be properly located in regard to prevailing wind directions and existing and proposed land uses. Provide a choice of desirable site sizes and locations ranging from close-in higher density urban areas to outlying lower density rural areas. Contain developable sites which are controlled by title, option, or agreement so that firm land cost and availability can be established. Be located and developed properly in regard to street access, off-street parking, loading and unloading facilities, and open space. Be separated from adjacent and incompatible land uses by a buffer strip including streets, parks, open space, plantings and building setbacks for the mutual protection and desirability of both industrial and nonindustrial land uses. All Land Uses Nonresidential activities should be readily accessible to major population concentrations but should not infringe on the overall environmental character of residential neighborhoods. Activities which may emit noxious odors and other pollutants should be located so as to minimize any possible adverse effects on surrounding areas. Functional and related activities should be located together in coordinated and compatible clusters of development. Unplanned, uncoordinated, and unrelated strip development of any kind should be prohibited, especially along major transportation routes. Nonresidential activities should be adequately separated from residential areas by landscaping or other appropriate buffering methods. Recreation and open space areas should, when appropriate, be designed and located to spatially separate land use activities which are not compatible with one another. r r r Environmental Health and Natural Resources Individual water and sewage disposal facilities should be permitted only on a temporary basis and should be abandoned as soon as area-wide and sanitary sewer systems are available. Individual sewage disposal facilities should not be permitted in areas having unsuitable soil characteristics. Dredging and filling of any saltwater tidal marsh or swamp area should be carefully considered in light of the many valuable benefits accruing to the area from the presence of these land types. Swamp and marsh areas should be conserved for surface water impoundment and groundwater recharge purposes as well as to provide recreational areas for both persons living in and visiting the area. Principal natural drainage corridors should be maintained in an open and unobstructed condition in order to conserve their function, prevent flooding and provide for the safety of area residents. Outstanding and irreplaceable areas of natural scenic beauty and unique shoreline areas should be reserved for public use and surrounding areas should be developed at extremely low overall densities in order to preserve these resources in as near their natural state as possible. r LAND USE SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT STANDARDS While land use planning should be considered primarily a process involving the evaluation and application of policies and standards in terms of land use and development goals, resources, and needs, the necessity for a graphic illustration of this process as it applies to the Planning Area at a given time is often useful by way of explanation of the process and its effects. The Land Use Plan Map fulfills this necessity. However, because the Land Use Plan Map can represent only the application of information at a single moment in time, its utility decreases with time, changing situations, and new input from the community. That is why the land use planning process of changing and applying policies and standards is preferred for long range planning. Land use plan maps are either too tied to the present situation or too heavily dependent on future predictions and ideals to have long range utility and remain realistic. The Land Use Plan Map enjoys its greatest usefulness at the time of its preparation by explaining within the context of the current situation the various relationships among land use types in terms of scale, policies, standards, spatial arrangements, and design criteria. In developing the Atlantic Beach Land Use Plan Map, the above relationships are considered. I t r The following standards for the spatial arrangement of land use are taken into consideration in developing the Land Use Plan Map. However, not all of the standards are necessarily used or represented on the Map. They are all included here, however, by way of background information on the function of land use types and as standards against which to evaluate and understand future development and land use proposals. Residential Areas Low-density residential areas are designed primarily to encourage, protect, C and designate areas of single-family development within the Planning Area. Medium-density residential areas are designed primarily to encourage, L protect, and designate single lot principal building residential development consisting of both single-family and multiple-family dwellings. These are primarily duplexes, townhouses, cluster homes, and patio homes. High-density residential areas are designed primarily to encourage, protect, and designate areas reserved for high-rise dwellings and multiple-family garden style apartments and condominiums. Commercial Areas L General Commercial Areas are designed to indicate commercial areas intended to serve a relatively large trade area and include major shopping facilities and goods oriented to pedestrian shoppers on a site sufficiently large enough to meet the needs of several types and varieties of general commercial activities. In the case of Atlantic Beach, this land use applies primarily to the CBD. Development of other General Commercial Areas in the Atlantic Beach Planning Area is not in keeping with the community's Goals and Objectives. Highway Commercial Areas are designed to indicate the development of commercial areas at appropriate locations on major highways and are intended to meet the needs of motorists and other consumers through the provision of automobile oriented commercial activities located in a desirable grouping rather than in a strip or linear fashion along the highway. Development of this type of commercial area, like the previously discussed General Commercial Area, is not limited for the Atlantic Beach Planning Area. Neighborhood Commercial Areas are designed to indicate the development of local commercial areas which are properly located in regard to both adjacent streets and surrounding residential areas and are intended to serve local neighborhood needs through the provision of easily accessible convenience goods and personal services. This area is most compatible with the residential character of the Planning Area. C rIndustrial Areas Industrial Areas are designed to indicate the development of coordinated and related industrial complexes in areas large enough to meet the needs of several types and varieties of industrial activities. Only a limited amount of industrial activity is desired in the Planning Area. Development in the predominately vacant and undeveloped areas of the Planning Area should take place primarily in the form of planned development projects. This is desirable in order to make the development more compatible with surrounding land uses and to provide for the more economical and efficient use of land and streets. In addition, it enables all such developments to be properly reviewed and evaluated in regard to overall project suitability and especially in regard to the natural environment and general environmental compatibility. Planned Development Projects (PDP) Planned development projects, sometimes referred to as planned unit developments PUD), provide a desirable method of expanding development opportunities and variety as well as encouraging and facilitating innovative approaches to overall land utilization. The technique of cluster development, which may be permitted in a planned-development project, is unique in that principal structures may be arranged in closely related and compact groups rather than being uniformity spread out over a given area or tract of land. Planned-development projects may range from a commercial shopping center, industrial park, or clusterof detached houses and apartments with their own recreation and open space to a whole new town with a variety of land uses and community facilities. In general, planned-unit and cluster development techniques provide the following advantages: Permits flexibility Stimulates a more creative approach to land utilization and development. Encourages a more efficient and desirable use of open space. Reduces both original installation cost and long-term maintenance expense for streets, utilities, and related improvements. i Enables the developer to maximize land utilization while at the same time preserve overall density, land use intensity, and natural amenities within the area. Provides a more desirable overall environment than could ordinarily be achieved through strict adherence to only principal building single lot type of development. C. - L r I Residential Planned Development Projects. Residential planned development j projects are normally regulated in regard to overall density and land use intensity by standards which are designed to achieve a desirable structural mass and open space relationship on the developed property. Basically, the standards are designed to correlate the amount of floor area, open space, livability space, recreation space, and car storage space of a property with the size of its site or land area. Residential planned development projects also require extensive site plan review and Cconstruction approval. Several of the housing types and variations which may be achieved through planned development projects are discussed below. In order to fAcilitate such innovative t approaches to residential development, the local land use and development regulations must include adequate planned development project standards and provisions as well as the conventional principal building single lot development l standards and requirements. l General characteristics of the various housing types that can be provided in r residential planned development projects are as follows: Apartment Complexes which: house several families in one building; are rental units; are well landscaped; 1 are maintained by the management; have off-street parking away from traffic; have nice swimming-recreation areas away from traffic; may be either garden style or high-rise construction. Condominium Complexes which are the same as apartment complexes except that they are: sales units; maintained by an association formed by the owners. Townhouses which: are single-family homes for sale or rent; are usually two story; are on their own lots; have private yards; have no side yards; C front on large play areas away from traffic; provide off-street parking away from traffic. Patio Houses which: are single-family homes for sale or rent; are on their own lots; L r are normally one story; have only one side yard; have private patio-yards; have off-street parking away from traffic; have access to common play areas away from traffic. Mobile Home Park Complexes which: have single-family detached mobile home units for sale or rent; have each unit on their own lot; have private yards for each unit; have front, rear, and side setbacks for each unit; have common play and recreation areas easily accessible and away from traffic; have adequate off-street parking spaces for each unit and additional spaces for visitors; are well-landscaped; C provide extra open space; allow adequate access and maneuverability of mobile units to, from, and on each lot. rprovide imaginative, variable site layout. In addition, residential planned development projects provide the following general living and environmental advantages, particularly when a variety of dwelling types are used: L May compact the typical required yard area into a single usable yard area. Conserves land but still offers a maximum of privacy and quiet livability. r Outdoor living space may be enclosed by walls or included as part of the indoor living area. Walls or other enclosures may be utilized to provide individual privacy and protection against prowlers. Dwelling units may be freestanding, attached, semi-attached or clustered in rows, groups or blocks. Off-street parking space may be provided within the individual unit or in nearby common parking areas. Individual dwelling units may be luxurious and expensive or modest and economical. The occupant, whether owners or renter, may exert his own influence within the enclosed living area of the unit and he need not conform to the life style or tradition of his neighbors unless he so desires. f n r Nonresidential Planned Development Projects. Planned development projects of a nonresidential nature may include a variety of related and compatible activities ranging from retail shopping and convenience goods stores to professional offices and industrial parks. Such projects require detailed site plan review and approval as well as specific regulations designed to ensure sufficient site area, adequate street tfrontage, proper access, building setbacks and appropriate separation strips necessary for the achievement of a compatible development, both on the site and in relationship to adjoining properties. In general, developers of nonresidential planned development projects should be required to: Initiate and complete all construction within a reasonable period of time; Provide and permanently maintain suitable and necessary areas for landscaping and buffering purposes; Comply with any reasonable special conditions or actions necessary to ensure that the project is tailored to the topography and neighboring land uses; Provide adequate off-street parking, loading, and unloading space which is properly located and designed in regard to both pedestrian circulation and vehicular access and egress; Substantiate that the tract of land is suitable for the type of project being proposed by virtue of its location, shape, topography, and the nature of surrounding development; Comply with minimum land area and dimension regulations. FUNCTIONAL DESIGN CRITERIA Functional design considers the three-dimensional manifestations of land development and its impact on urban form and the total environment. The design criteria are standards that are particularly well suited for evaluating the details of present land development and of future development proposals. When adhered to, the following design criteria provide a basic framework of organizing the physical elements of land development to achieve proper vehicular and pedestrian circulation, open spaces, and building arrangement in order to attain sound, attractive, and aesthetic development within the Planning Area. These criteria are particularly useful in evaluating planned development projects. The overall functional design objectives of land developers should be to: Provide a framework of land development that effectively links residential and nonresidential land uses in a functionally and aesthectically pleasing manner. on r E Consider existing and unique design features of the area as well as the visual needs of both pedestrian and vehicular movement. Recognize and provide within the area the diversity and vitality characteristic of urbanized living. Relate the design features of land being developed to surrounding and adjacent areas which are not included in the site but still l physically related. l All development should be properly designed to reflect that: Each building is an integral element of the overall site design and reflects and complements the general character of the surrounding area. All individual buildings and related structures are coordinated with overall neighborhood facilities and that major activity centers are l linked and related to other such centers and community facilities. r Sufficient open space is provided in conjunction with the proper tsiting of buildings and arrangement of off-street parking areas so that the resulting development is conducive to good living conditions and creates a desirable residential environment. Nonresidential buildings are located so that they are compatible with surrounding residential areas as well as complementary to adjacent buildings in both amenity and appearance. Internal open spaces are created which utilize the maximum advantage of natural features such as existing vegetation and topography to satisfy both recreational and psychological needs. All public and private utilities are installed underground where possible and that supporting equipment which of necessity is located above ground is developed in an attractive manner in harmony with adjacent development. Streets, pedestrian walks, and open spaces should be designed so that they are: l Integral parts of the overall site development. Properly related to adjacent buildings both existing and proposed. Appropriately landscaped and adequately lighted. L r C Easily maintained and include paving, lighting fixtures, retaining walls, fences, curbs, and benches which are durable and well designed. Public Streets, sidewalks, and open spaces should be: Consistent with the overall design of adjacent private development. Designed to preserve and/or provide trees within public rights-of-way where feasible and appropriate. Harmonious with the surrounding environment and include street and park furniture, signs, and lighting facilities which are attractive in appearance and meet modern and compatible standards of design. Pedestrian walks should be: Provided along the lines of most intense use, particularly from building entrances to streets and from off-street parking areas to adjacent buildings. Landscaped, designed, and located to provide for maximumP9 pedestrian safety and separation from vehicular traffic. Landscaping should: Be based on an overall landscape design plan indicating the location, size, and quantity of the various plants and materials to be used. Consist of shrubs, ground cover and trees appropriate to the character of the site as well as carefully designed hard-surfaced and paved areas for paths, plazas, and other points of maximum development and use concentration. l_ Preserve existing trees and consist of new materials selected on the basis of their appropriateness to local growing conditions and the specific development site. Be located to provide maximum usability and to create a harmonious relationship between buildings, streets, and open spaces throughout the area. Off-street parking and loading facilities should be: L_ Planned and coordinated to minimize interference with pedestrian walkways and to limit the number of entrances and exits on public streets. L l_ f kLocated and designed, where possible, for joint use of surrounding and adjacent buildings even when such buildings are not in common ownership. Unobstrusive, appropriately screened, and landscaped to blend harmoniously with adjoining areas including the screening of such areas from adjacent or opposite residential uses by the use of planted and opaque materials. Landscaped to the extent necessary to eliminate the dreariness and F monotony of large paved parking areas including the use of planting pockets within the paving expanse. r Designed so that extremely large parking areas are physically and t visually divided into smaller areas by landscaped separation strips and walkways. Paved with a hard dust-free surface and properly curbed with a durable material including any island used for dividers therein. Designed so that pedestrian access from parking spaces to buildings and uses served is direct and not in conflict with vehicular traffic. r Signs should be: Attractive in appearance and generally consistent in regard to size, location, and type. Located only on the premises for which they are directly related. Designed so that they do not constitute a safety hazard or hindrance because of light, glare, focus, animation, flashing, or intensity of illumination. Located and designed so as to prevent direct glare or hazardous interference of any kind to adjoining streets of properties. Adequately maintained including alignment, readability, and preservation of the structure. LAND USE CHANGE AND PLAN CONTINUITY Planning is a continuous process which must be adaptable to change. In order to meet unforeseen needs and desires of the community, as well as anticipated future needs, it is necessary to establish procedures whereby the Land Use Plan may be amended yet still retain its overall continuity and purpose. These procedures should 0 1/1 r I also be relfected in the City's overall development regulations in order to provide the legal means whereby implementation of the Comprehensive Plan may be achieved. Planned-Development Projects The most logical approach to provide for change and to amend the Land Use Plan is through the use of planned development projects. This procedure generally requires r the submission of a development plan which sets forth a detailed statement of intent E[ including proposed use of the land, traffic circulation and access, buildings arrangement and location, and overall site layout. The development plan is then considered in regard to its compatibility with neighboring uses, street and highway systems, community facilities, and current development standards. If the development plan is found to meet the above criteria, is appropriate to the existing and anticipated community growth pattern, and can be completed in a reasonable time, it is approved and becomes a part of the Land Use Plan. If the development plan is found to be incompatible with the goals and objectives of the community and does not meet the current development standards, it is not approved. f Planned development projects may include residential, commercial, or industrial uses or a combination of compatible uses. A planned development project is generally defined as a complex of buildings and related structures which are planned as an integral unit of development rather than as single buildings on single lots. Such projects are designed to prevent scattered and unrelated or strip development while at the same time providing necessary and desirable facilities and land uses. Planned developments enable utilities, services, streets, and other facilities to be provided in a more economical and efficient manner thereby reducing the overall cost of land r development. Special Exception Uses Certain activities and land uses which are desirable within the community only if they meet certain conditions may be provided for through the issuance of special exception use permits. Such permits may require that certain conditions such as performance standards, screening, or landscaping as well as time limitations, requirements that one or more things be done before the request can be initiated, or conditions of a continuing nature may be required. Special exception use permits should be reviewed on a regular basis to ascertain that the landowner is complying with all of the conditions stipulated in the permit. If noncompliance is found, the permit should be revoked unless corrected by the permit holder. Mobile Home Parks The mobile home has become an accepted form of housing; and mobile home parks, if developed according to recognized standards could represent a desirable addition to the housing opportunities within the Atlantic Beach Planning Area. The uncontrolled and indiscriminate mixing of individual mobile homes throughout the 34 Planning Area is, however, undesirable and tends to be incompatible with ordinary single-family housing structures. For this reason all mobile homes within the Atlantic Beach Planning Area should be encouraged to locate within mobile home parks which meet accepted site requirements and health and sanitary standards. This will result in compatible groupings of mobile homes which are designed to increase the amenities of mobile home living and preserve the normal character of residential areas. 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M/ 1 III i / 7:::-...---..r.11,....----...../:._.-' „,....._.. ;,.:..,._-,..'••:......., ...., , cly \ 1 0I J J r 1., Revision f THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP The Future Land Use Plan is more than the graphic representation depicted on the accompanying map. It is primarily a public policy statement regarding the official development objectives of Atlantic Beach. The map cannot stand without joint application of the development guidelines set forth in the pre- ceding sections. In scope, the Future Land Use Plan seeks to coordinate the major physical development aspects of the City in a manner that will create an environment which will yield the greatest benefits to the population, while simultaneously minimizing social and economic cost to the residents. The major elements of the Future Land Use Plan are discussed in greater detail below. The discussion of these elements is to be considered as a statement of intent rather than as the plan in itself. The discussion of each element when coupled with the recommended development guidelines set forth in the previous sections will result in a clear picture of the manner in which each element should be developed during the next several decades. The Future Land Use Plan Map represents a refinement of the policy plan in clarity and detail, just as the Zoning and Subdivision Regulations will more clearly define the Future Land Use Plan. As has been noted previously, the most important factors in shaping development in Atlantic Beach are the Ocean, Intracoastal Waterway and the adjacent wetlands, the existing development pattern, and the new residential developments in the Planning Area. The population of the Atlantic Beach Planning Area is projected to increase to more than 12, 100 persons by 1995. That represents almost a 30 percent increase from the 1975 figure. An increase in the amount of land devoted to residential use will necessarily result from the population increase. The distribution of this expanded population has a significant impact upon all categories of land use in the Planning Area. The Land Use Plan Map depicts the Atlantic Beach Planning Area in a state of total development. It is a reflection of the pattern of development which is expected to prevail in the Planning Area if the goals, objectives, standards, and policies of this report are followed. The map, itself, is a graphic illustration of the relationships of the land uses. The delineation of various land uses on the map is not a strict mandate regarding location or boundaries. It represents a rational system of future development corresponding generally to the policies of the plan. The map shows the land which is adjacent to the Intracoastal Waterway as being open space land. This area is the environmentally sensitive wetlands area. It is recommended that development be discouraged in this part of the Atlantic Beach Planning Area because of the sensitive nature and ecological importance of this environmental system. This page is an insert to Volume 2 and supercedes and replaces the original page 39. Q Revision This area is characterized by frequent flooding and poorly drained soils. It is an area which imposes many constraints upon development. The full value of the wetlands area as a part of the total ecological system dictates that devel- opment be discouraged in the area. That essentially more narrowly defines the future growth areas of Atlantic Beach. It imposes a limit to the western expan- sion of the urbanizing trends of the City. The predominant residential character of the City of Atlantic Beach is mani- fested in the majority of land being shown as residential on the Future Land Use Plan Map. Over 50 percent of the entire Planning Area acreage is devoted to residential development on the Land Use Plan Map. This corresponds to the existing land use pattern, and it emanates from the set of goals and objectives specified for the Planning Area. The development pattern envisioned on the Future Land Use Plan Map depicts the extension of those areas characterized by low density residential use as a sig- nificant aspect of future development. Since much of the existing development in the older neighborhoods is low density residential, future development in those areas is assumed to conform to that standard. The area to the west of Main Street is shown as low density residential. This is the major undeveloped section of the Planning Area, and the land there is of a marginal nature with respect to development. Therefore, rather stringent regulations should be mandated for developments in that area. Low density residential is recommended for that area west of Main. A higher intensity use can be achieved within Planned Unit Developments (PUD's) in the area, but adverse environmental effects upon the adjacent wetlands should be avoided. It is also essential that mobile home development in that area be restricted to mobile home parks or subject to stringent restrictions and regulations. The Future Land Use Plan Map designates certain areas as medium density resi- dential. This land use type primarily consists of duplexes, townhouses, cluster homes, and patio homes. Those areas which are shown on the map as medium density residential are situated where adequate access to major collectors and arterials is available. Medium density residential development is a more intensive use of the land than low density residential. It is frequently favored as a more economic and suit- able replacement use in those areas presently containing a number of substand- ard structures. In many of the places that it is shown on the map, it represents a redevelopment of blighted areas to a higher intensity use. Atlantic Beach, as has been noted, is primarily a residential area. Basic economic activity in the Planning Area is not substantial. There are few industrial and wholesaling operations. This trend is expected to continue. Most new economic activity will be reflected in additional commercial land use acreage. This commercial activity will primarily serve the resident popu- lation and the tourist trade. Commercial and office-professional land uses are shown in defined areas along the major arterials. The primary aim of planning these land uses is to This page is an insert to Volume 2 and supercedes and replaces the original page 40. 40 Revision establish concentrations of compatible activities on lots of sufficient depth to allow safe access on and off the arterials and to provide adequate parking.Frequent unsafe curb breaks, shallow lots, and the impression of interminable strip" development are to be avoided. The commercial, office, and medium density residential land uses are depicted on the map abutting the major arte- rials to promote accessibility and to prevent large traffic volumes from entering lower intensity use neighborhoods. The most significant increases in commercial and office development on the map are planned along Mayport (S.R.A1A) south of Church Street. They are shown in alternating clusters and in suffi- cient concentrations to create the effect of a commercial focal point for the City. This commercial district may in the future emerge as a new town center as the area west of Mayport highway develops. A large amount of land is shown as industrial on the Future Land Use Plan Map. This land is located near that area shown as an emerging commercial core of the City. It represents a significant extension and concentration of the existingindustrialactivityintheAtlanticBeachPlanningArea. In concentrating allindustrialdevelopmentinonesection, the possibility of conflicting and incompatible land uses is reduced. The park, recreation, open space, and public/semi-public land uses are treated with more detail in the Community Facilities element of the plan. They are shown on the Future Land Use Plan Map in relation to the other land use types. A system of major parks are shown at key sub-central locations throughout the Planning Area. In addition to their recreational utility, they act as a buffer among developments and as a desirable neighborhood amenity. SUMMARY The purpose of the Future Land Use Plan is to set forth a desirable spatial arrangement of the various categories of land which will be necessary to sustainAtlanticBeach's land use needs by 1995. The Future Land Use Plan provides a guideline for future land utilization and establishes the standards and prin- ciples by which future development should take place. The intent of the Future Land Use Plan is to facilitate the economic forces which determine land use, while at the same time establish an overall framework in which economic forces and desires can be balanced and integrated to attain the best utilization of the area's resources. The Future Land Use Plan serves as the basis for establishing and reviewing land use and development regulations and zoning districts and pro- vides a guideline for future land utilization and development. The Future Land Use Plan and the Future Land Use Plan Map contain and represent the goals and objectives of the City regarding future growth, development, and land use. These goals and objectives are implemented through statements of policies which in turn, serve as the basis for the standards and criteria stated in the Plan for evaluating specific proposals and projects. By constant reference to this Future Land Use Plan, the City Commission, Planning Commis- sion, and administrators, who are the policy makers and decision makers for Atlantic Beach, can effect a better living environment for all Planning Area residents. This page is an insert to Volume 2 and supercedes and replaces the original page 41.