March 24, 2021
There is currently some incorrect information being circulated about materials included with the March 23, 2021 Joint Workshop on the Consultant Services for the Land Use and Mobility Element. Please see below for some short, relevant facts about this Workshop and then scroll down for a full project history that includes all public documents dating back to 2015.
What is the Land Use and Mobility Element Update and who initiated this project?
In 2014/2015, the City and County Commissions directed staff to update the Land Use Element of the Tallahassee-Leon County Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan). The Comp Plan was originally adopted in 1990 and, after years of amendments, this element was due for update and revision. Because land use and transportation are inherently linked, the update expanded to include Mobility as well.
What was the purpose of the March 23, 2021 Joint Workshop on the Consultant Services for the Land Use and Mobility Element?
To discuss hiring a consultant to, over the next two years, review staff’s work to date on this project, conduct additional analysis, and hold additional public outreach. At the end of this process, the consultant would propose changes to the Comp Plan, which would then be advertised for public hearings consistent with Florida Statutes.
Why was a 64-page attachment showing draft Goals, Objectives and Strategies included with the Consultant Services agenda item?
To place all staff work-to-date in the public record so the consultant can consider it in their review. This was a multi-year project, with work on Community Values in 2016, Goals in 2017, Objectives in 2018, and Implementing Strategies in 2019. The most recent community workshops were held in 2019 to guide drafting Strategy statements. Staff maintained a working document in response to feedback from each workshop. Also in 2019, the City and County Commissions gave direction to procure a consultant. Staff completed work planned for 2019, then paused to wait for the consultant to come on board. The last draft was therefore never released for public feedback. No work was done in 2020 due to COVID19.
Will the consultant be required to use the draft Goals, Objective and Strategies?
No. The consultant may choose to use some, all, or none of this prior draft. It is being made available to the consultant out of respect to all the citizens who participated in the process to date. The consultant budget will also be finite, so any sections they can reuse means more of their time can be spent on deeper analysis and outreach.
Was staff proposing major changes in the density and land uses of existing neighborhoods in the draft referenced above?
No. There appears to be confusion about the potential General Urban land use category referenced in the working draft documents. Neighborhoods near Downtown ARE NOT shown as General Urban. Instead, neighborhoods that currently have Residential Preservation zoning are shown as General Urban Neighborhood, a separate category shown in a lighter shade of blue on the map. General Urban Neighborhood standards were not included in the draft. This is because other staff was working with the Alliance of Tallahassee Neighborhoods on residential compatibility standards, and we wanted to make sure the General Urban Neighborhood language supported those compatibility standards.
One final note:
The Planning Department greatly values public outreach, as evidenced by the more than 26 public meetings and various online opportunities to provide input on the Land Use & Mobility Element Update. Public input will continue to be a cornerstone of this and all projects. Every planner in the Department chose this line of work out of love and respect for our community, the environment, and the power of good planning to impact the quality of life for this and future generations. It is and will always be an enormous challenge to balance numerous competing demands within our community. The key to finding that balance is respectful communication. To that end, we frequently update the materials on our website, and every agenda item includes the name of the project manager. If you ever have questions or concerns about any project, we welcome a phone call or email to discuss it in more detail.
Sincerely,
Cherie Y. Bryant, AICP, Director
Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department
The goal of the Land Use Element Update project is to align the land use and development plan with established community priorities, beginning with a comprehensive assessment and revision of the Land Use Element. This update to the Land Use Element is an opportunity to incorporate new community priorities, as well as address the structural and content-based issues. Other Elements of the Comprehensive Plan will be updated in the future.
As this project progresses, additional documents and information will be available in this section.