BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS LEON COUNTY, FLORIDA

History
PCT130109 Steep Grades
Since the City adoption of off-site mitigation options for significant grades in 2004, three different
citizen committees have reviewed the steep grade provisions in the Comprehensive Plan. A
summary of the work conducted by each group is included below along with the names of the
citizens that participated in each group.
2005 City Focus Group
Since late 2003, the City Commission has expressed interest in investigating regulations that
potentially inhibit the 18-hour downtown concept and the Comprehensive Plan policies that
encourage higher density development inside the Urban Service Area. In March of 2005, the City
Commission directed staff to focus on four “community standards” for potential amendment. One
of these community standards topics was regulation of steep slopes as conservation/preservation
features.
On April 20, 2005, the City Commission directed staff to establish a focus group to review the
regulation of slopes. The membership of this focus group included:
- Tom Asbury - Laurie Dozier
- Zoe Kulakowski - Charles Pattison
- Cliff Lamb - Nancy Miller
The focus group provided comments on their views of the purpose and intent of slopes regulation
(Attachment 4). These comments were presented to the Long Range Target Issues Committee
(Commissioners Mustian and Gillum) on September 28, 2005. Work with the slopes focus group
was then discontinued after Florida Senate Bill 360 became effective. The 2005 legislation marked
the most significant changes in Florida’s growth management laws since 1985. Staff resources
were reallocated to work on implementation of the complex requirements imposed on local
governments. However, in 2009 staff did bring forward an amendment to address redevelopment
and infill goals in the Downtown area. The amendment, adopted on October 13, 2009, created the
Downtown Overlay and exempted all development with in this area from the significant and severe
slope policies in the Comprehensive Plan.
2005 County Blue Ribbon Committee
On June 8, 2004, the Board of County Commissioners directed staff to review the permitting
process and recommend revisions to streamline the process. As a result, the Board conducted a
workshop on permit process and development initiatives on April 26, 2005 and voted to establish a
Blue Ribbon Committee, also known as the Growth and Environmental Management Permitting
Process Improvement Citizen Focus Group. The following individuals were appointed to the focus
group:
- Wendy Grey - David Walmsley
- Terry Fregley - Russell Price
- Ted Thomas - Ben Wilkinson Jr.
- Carolyn Bibler - Nancy Miller
- Rick Bateman - Millard Noblin
- Carman Green - Pam Hall
- Kathy Archibald - Neil Fleckenstein.
Page 346 of 622 Posted at 5:00 p.m. on April 1, 2013
3