Bills could weaken growth oversight, worsen sprawl

Bills could weaken growth oversight, worsen sprawl

By Deborah Nelson
May 21, 2009

A pair of growth management bills on Governor Charlie Crist’s desk could weaken oversight of growth planning and worsen sprawl, critics charge. The bills will potentially allow developers to bypass existing permitting requirements, including in currently undeveloped areas.

The first, SB 360, would reduce permitting requirements and developer costs for large “development of regional impact” subdivisions.

The measure allows local governments to establish “dense urban” boundaries in areas with 1,000 residents per square mile. That works out to 1.5 homes per acre, according to opponents, who fear the change could worsen sprawl in undeveloped areas.

“This would allow many low-density suburban communities and rural towns to fit into this generous definition of dense urban land areas,” according to the Sierra Club.

Such “dense urban” areas, along with Community Redevelopment zones, urban service zones, and locally-designated “urban infill” areas could bypass state review.

The bill would also allow local governments to exempt developers from roadway “concurrency” requirements inside “dense urban,” urban infill, urban service and Community Redevelopment areas.

State concurrency rules presently mandate that road capacity must be in place or planned before new construction may be approved.

“This new policy could encourage so many requests for exceptions that it
would lead to a wholesale abandonment of state transportation concurrency requirements,” a Sierra Club release notes.

Without concurrency requirements to corral growth towards areas with the capacity to handle it, say critics, taxpayers would end up footing the bill for new roads and other infrastructure needed by sprawling new development.

A separate bill, SB 2080, would remove authority for requests to take water from aquifers, lakes and other bodies from Water Management District oversight.

“Instead, the districts' executive directors would make those decisions — and largely out of view of the public, which now is allowed to attend regularly scheduled board meetings,” according to the League of Women Voters of Florida.

“We are deeply concerned that Board members get to weigh in only if the district's executive director decides the permit is harmful and denies it. In other words, developers who are denied withdrawals would get a last chance to plead their case to board members.”

To contact Governor Crist, call 850 488-4441.