Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Leonard Vialpando
Department: Resilient Environment Division: Urban Planning
Information
Requested Action
title
MOTION TO ENACT Ordinance, the title of which is as follows (Commission District 3):
AN ORDINANCE OF BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA, ADOPTING A SMALL-SCALE AMENDMENT TO THE BROWARD COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN; AMENDING THE BROWARD COUNTY MUNICIPAL SERVICES DISTRICT FUTURE LAND USE MAP OF THE BROWARD COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN; AND PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
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Why Action is Necessary
Board action is necessary to amend the Broward County Comprehensive Plan.
What Action Accomplishes
Adopts a proposed amendment to the Broward Municipal Services District (BMSD) Future Land Use Map, on the same Board agenda as the Public Hearing for a companion amendment to the Broward County Land Use Plan.
Is this Action Goal Related
No
Previous Action Taken
On September 21, 2021, the Board set a Public Hearing to consider adopting the proposed amendment (Item No. 22).
Summary Explanation/Background
THE RESILIENT ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT (RED) AND THE URBAN PLANNING DIVISION RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTION.
This item related to activities in the Broward Municipal Services District (BMSD), which consists of approximately 11.4 square miles with an estimated population of 15,345. The Board of County Commissioners is the governing body of the BMSD and the provider of its municipal services that include, but are not limited to, business development, building permitting and housing development, libraries and parks facilities, roadway maintenance, street enhancements, and zoning and code enforcement.
The 4.77-acre amendment site is located on Loxahatchee Road on the northwest corner of the County in the area known as “the Wedge”, which was annexed from Palm Beach County in 2009. The subject site abuts the City of Parkland to the south and east, and Palm Beach County to the north and west. The abutting Palm Beach County lands include canals, water conservation areas, and vacant agricultural lands north of the Loxahatchee Canal. An Emergency Services Broadcast Tower use abuts the site in BMSD. The site is currently the subject of an annexation petition within the City of Parkland. If approved, the annexation would be effective in September 2022.
The application has been processed as a small-scale amendment to both the Broward County Land Use Plan (BCLUP) and the BMSD Future Land Use Map. In 2019, TLH SABRA 2 LLC, applied to change the land use designation of the site to Medium High (25) Residential which would allow up to 119 residential units on the site. Subsequently, in July 2021, the applicant submitted a revised request and now seeks approval of Low (3) residential land use, permitting up to 14 residential units on the site (Exhibit 2).
Initially, the RED Local Planning Agency (LPA) and the Urban Planning Division staff recommended denial of the proposed amendment, due to the proposed density which was not consistent or compatible with the site’s location and surrounding land uses (Exhibit 1). However, the revised application, requesting a density of three units per acre, has addressed these concerns and is in accordance with the recommendation of the LPA. Therefore, staff now recommends approval of the revised application (Exhibit 4).
At a Public Hearing on August 26, 2021, the Broward County Planning Council recommended approval of the proposed Low (3) Residential, subject to the applicant’s voluntary contribution of $1 per square foot (gross floor area) of the proposed dwelling units towards the County’s affordable housing programs. The declaration of restrictive covenant will be submitted with the companion amendment to the BCLUP.
Source of Additional Information
Josie P. Sesodia, AICP, Director, Urban Planning Division (954) 357-6602.
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
No fiscal impact.