Land development codes may change

HIGH SPRINGS – On April 10 City Manager Ed Booth reported to the city commission that he has asked Scott Koons of the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council (NCFRPC) to review the city's current Land Development Code (LDC) with an eye toward eventually revising it. Land development codes generally guide various planning and development matter such as zoning, subdivision regulations, signage and landscaping.The current LDCs were modeled after one that had been devised for a larger city with a more urban population. Booth favors LDCs tailored more specifically to the size and type of population in High Springs.

NCFRPC representatives are expected to attend a meeting in May to talk about the process of updating the LDCs. Although Booth said the city has been able to accommodate the developers' needs so far, he said he can foresee situations in which there may be confusion and would like to address those issues in advance through the LDCs.

Revising the city's LDCs may take as long as 18 months to complete, explained Booth, as the process generally requires meetings with the public, revisions, more meetings and more revisions until a final draft of the LDCs are approved by the city’s planning board. Following their approval, the document is then sent to the city commissioners for their review and final approval.

Suggestions to combine the planning board with the commission for public input and review may be possible, said Booth, in order to speed up the process. However, NCFRPC will most likely advise the city whether that can be done according to state regulations.

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