Wednesday, December 05, 2012 - Regular Planning ... - Polk County

A. Location:
The County’s Northeast Regional Park is located at 1317 U.S Highway 27, less than 1¼ south of
US Highway 192.
B. Services:
There are six lighted soccer/football fields, five lighted baseball fields, basketball, tennis, and
racquetball courts, concession facilities, boat access, as well as playground facilities for children
and dog walks.
C. Planned Improvements
There are no further recreation improvements scheduled for this quadrant of the County at this
time.
Economic Factors:
Polk County has made a significant investment in the
northeast corner of the county to meet the needs of
development that is stimulated by the economic
activity caused by the tourism industry in Orange and
Osceola County that has impacts spilling across the
borders into Polk. All development must have, at a
minimum, access to markets, water, and a means of
disposing of waste (solid as well as liquid). While
U.S. Highway 27 and I-4 have provided access to
many, it is the county that has provided everything
else in the area, water being one of them. Without
expansion of the water facilities in this area, there will
be no further expansion of development.
This expansion of the Edgehill plant is one piece of a greater system and its ongoing
improvements. The Northeast Utility Service Area (NERUSA) potable water system is made up of
eight (8) different water treatment plants (WTPs) interconnected through one master network of
transmission lines. Some plants have additional raw water wells feeding into them, as is the case
with the proposed improvement to Edgehill. This diversification not only ensures a safe back-up
system and consistent flow and pressure, but also protects the area surrounding the wells from the
adverse effects of overburdening one well source within the system. Through this networked
system, the County is able to increase or decrease drawdown at any one point to balance out the
system and avoid environmental damage or catastrophe.
Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan:
The Comprehensive Plan allots the Institutional (INST) category for private and public-service
structures. But, also affords significant flexibility by allowing them to locate in all other land use
categories with board approval through POLICY 2.125-D1 and POLICY 2.116-A3 of the
Comprehensive Plan, which requires “the following factors shall be taken into consideration
when determining the appropriateness of establishing new Institutional areas on the Future Land
Use Map Series, or in approving the location for an institutional use not located within lands
classified as Institutional:
DRC Findings/Recommendation Page 10 of 15
Level 4/eep 11/14/2012 9:54:59 AM CU 12-21 December 5, 2012