St. Augustine Comprehensive Plan 2040 Mapping Our Future Amy McClure Skinner, Deputy Director Planning and Building Department City of St. Augustine Area Workshops Spring(ish) 2019

Introduction Who are we? The Planning and Building Department is the City Department responsible for short and long term planning for the City. The Planning and Zoning Board (PZB) is the citizen board appointed by the City Commission to act as the land planning agency for the City. The Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) is the citizen board appointed by the City Commission to act as the review board for historic preservation issues and the design standards. The City Commission is the elected body to represent the community.

Concept of Planning Short term planning is the day to day operations, if you want to build something, open a business, put up a sign, for example Long term planning is thinking 5, 10, 20 years ahead, setting a direction for the future – 2040 What is a Comprehensive Plan? Comprehensive planning is a process that determines community goals and aspirations in terms of community development. The result is called a comprehensive plan which establishes broad goals, achievable objectives, and implementing policies. 1833 Vail Map Maps depicting change over a broad period of time in the historic downtown area. Comprehensive planning can inform how this change occurs based on the community’s goals.

The existing Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2011. There are 10 Elements or Chapters that make up the Plan; 9 are required 1 is considered optional by Statute. The Elements are: Future Land Use Transportation Infrastructure Housing Historic Preservation (optional) Conservation and Coastal Management Recreation and Open Space Intergovernmental Coordination Capital Improvements Public Schools and Facilities

The existing 2011 Comprehensive Plan maintained several assumptions: That the City was a living city; That mixed use developments and districts were encouraged; That commercial areas should be accessible to surrounding neighborhoods; That preservation focused on the core area of the city; That the City was mostly built out, and to expect scattered infill development; That due to physical and environmental barriers roads could not be widened; and That impacts on conservation areas required review. The zoning map is the basis for regulating current development projects and is one implementation mechanism of the Comprehensive Plan

What is the status and/or relevance of these assumptions? Are these assumptions still working for the City? Are the baseline conditions still the same? What are the baselines that have changed? What was not anticipated adequately, if anything, by the existing Plan? Do we need new underlying assumptions for the City moving forward to 2040?

2014 Community Vision St. Augustine will be a livable, authentic, waterfront city that builds upon rich history and environment to create a distinctive community character founded on a healthy vibrant economy, a diverse mix of people and experiences, and a valuing of its natural assets. The development and execution of the Vision Plan will consistently seek to develop and use a set of governing principles, practices, and processes that balance the interests of residents, businesses institutions, and visitors which contribute to a livable, authentic, character based, and vital community.

Comprehensive Planning Cycle: Every 7 years the City is required by the State to review the current Comprehensive Plan; The evaluation is an effort to look at updated data and analysis, identify relevant local issues that should be addressed; and, Determine if any changes to the statutes or state or regional planning impacts the City Plan. The Planning and Building Department worked with the Planning and Zoning Board (PZB), the Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB), and the public to review initial data, determine any required updates, and identify broad local issues that should be addressed in an update. Workshops were held from April through October 2018 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update City Commission Citizen Board review Community workshops Broad local issues and updates identified (2018) 2030 Comprehensive Plan Updated (2011)

What’s new since the 2011 update? The State of Florida Comprehensive Plan was reviewed as part of this evaluation process. The City’s Comprehensive Plan is consistent with the current State Comprehensive Plan. These items were identified as changes to the Florida Statutes that require an update to the existing Comprehensive Plan: Perils of Flood/Sea level rise Sustainability/Water supply planning Mobility Planning A map depicting potential sea level rise in the downtown historic district and presented in the recent Community Resiliency Workshop

What’s new since the 2011 update? The Northeast Florida Regional Council’s (NEFRC) updated 2014 Strategic Regional Policy Plan (SRPP) was reviewed as part of this evaluation process. The City’s Comprehensive Plan should be updated to be more consistent with the 2014 SRPP. The areas that need to be updated to be more consistent with the SRPP include: Affordable Housing, including options for all income, age and ability groups Economic Development, including education and retaining talent Emergency Preparedness and Resiliency, including vulnerability assessments Natural Resources of Regional Significance Regional Transportation, including mobility and multimodal networks Encourage preservation programs, revitalization, infill and redevelopment Sustainable development, multiple growth centers and walkable communities

Identified Local Issues What’s new since the 2011 update? Identified Local Issues These items were identified as key broad local issues that require an update to the existing Comprehensive Plan: Quality of life and balance issues Neighborhood environment Mobility Support alternative modes of transportation Creative strategies to deal with stormwater Need affordable housing and workforce housing Historic preservation, a core priority Conservation and environmentally sensitive lands Impacts of tourism, and County growth Are there any others?

Review and Evaluate Identified Themes Over the course of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan evaluation five (5) themes were identified from the citizen and Board feedback: “Preservation” of St. Augustine is important. This includes historic preservation, preserving quality of life, infrastructure, heritage, neighborhoods and the environment. Consideration of impacts on the environment is important. This includes sensitive lands, perils of flood and sea level rise, conservation zone developments, and conservation and water supply issues. Mobility issues in and through the City are important. This includes forms of mobility, parking and people moving, actual “wear and tear” impacts on the City infrastructure and residents, and the potential “critical mass” implications for a small town that functions like a real urban area.

Identified Themes, cont’d Over the course of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan evaluation five (5) themes were identified from the citizen and Board feedback: Recognition of development pressures is important. This includes infill development, redevelopment, compatibility, affordability, and density and intensity issues. Recognition of the impacts of increased tourism and population growth in St. Johns County on the City is important. This includes physical, preservation, infrastructure, affordability, quality of life, and mobility concerns. Are there any others?

Define Terms Livability is the sum of the factors that add up to a community's quality of life—including the built and natural environments, economic prosperity, social stability and equity, educational opportunity, and cultural, entertainment and recreation possibilities. Quality of life is the general well-being of individuals and societies, outlining negative and positive features of life. It observes life satisfaction, including everything from physical health, family, education, employment, wealth, safety, security to freedom, religious beliefs, and the environment.

What Does success look like? If St. Augustine is Livable? Describe success: If St. Augustine maintains a high quality of life?

Define Terms Sustainability is the process of maintaining change in a balanced environment, in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations. Resiliency is the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.

What Does success look like? If St. Augustine is sustainable? Describe success: If St. Augustine is resilient?

Define Terms Mobility - capable of moving or being moved readily. Walkability is a measure of how friendly an area is to walking. Walkability has health, environmental, and economic benefits. ...Walkability is an important concept in sustainable urban design. Urban means "related to cities." It may refer to: Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas; Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities.

What Does success look like? Successful mobility includes what in St. Augustine? Describe success: If St. Augustine is walkable? Is St. Augustine an urban area? If so, what makes it so? Can it succeed?

Define Terms Mixed-use zoning allows for the horizontal and vertical combination of land uses in a given area. Commercial, residential, and even in some instances, light industrial are fit together to help create built environments where residents can live, work, and play. Mixed-use development or often simply Live-work space is a type of urban development strategy for living spaces (housing) that blends residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment uses, where those functions are physically and functionally integrated, and that provides pedestrian connections. Eclectic - an eclectic group of people, things, or ideas is interesting or unusual because it consists of many different types. an eclectic mix/collection/variety.

What Does success look like? What is the right mix of uses in St. Augustine? Describe success: What does eclectic mean? Are there other better ways to describe St. Augustine? What is a healthy economy in 2040 for St. Augustine?

Define Terms Historical: such as. a : famous or important in history. b : having great and lasting importance. c : known or established in the past. d : dating from or preserved from a past time or culture, historic buildings, historic artifacts. Preservation: the act, process, or result of preserving something: such as. a : the activity or process of keeping something valued alive, intact, or free from damage or decay, preservation; preservation of an old tradition; buildings; artifacts

What Does success look like? How are we going to preserve St. Augustine? Describe success: What is the right balance? Preservation/livability Mobility/transportation Culture/economy Protection/development

What is good about St. Augustine that already exists that we should encourage, focus on, and build on?

Thank you for all of your input and thoughts, please stay engaged with this process and continue to provide your perspective and insights. The City will be putting out a survey to provide additional opportunity for input starting March 1st. There will be additional Area Workshops throughout the Spring, and Public Hearings throughout the Summer where we begin to review actual draft language to be submitted to the State by November!

Additional Discussion / Questions? Amy McClure Skinner Deputy Director Planning and Building Department City of St. Augustine askinner@citystaug.com