HEADLINES:
Rating The Alachua County Comprehensive Plan

The Alachua County comprehensive plan (comp plan) is the entry point for exploring the inner workings of what happens in this County. According to the Florida Statues the rules concerning County comp plans are as follows:
*The comprehensive plan shall provide the principles, guidelines,standards, and strategies for the orderly and balanced future economic, social, physical, environmental, and fiscal development of the area that reflects community commitments to implement the plan and its elements.
The State doesn't micro-manage the process. In other words, how a particular County chooses to implement a valid comp plan is their responsibility. As long as the minimum guidelines are met, the State leaves the rest entirely up to the County. The framework of the Alachua County comp plan though considered valid by the State is very ideologue centric in its implementation. It's the implementation piece that gets left up to local governments and in Alachua County that means pragmatic ideas are not the ideas of choice when it comes to comp plan implementation. Subsequently, the Comp plan has now become the de facto playbook for socially engineering the County.

Some local governments have good comp plans that serve the citizens very well, while others have bad comp plans that do the opposite. Bad comp plans are those that either contain elements that are too complicated to properly implement or elements that are unachievable for their locale. Both of which only result in a waste of time and squandering of resources.

Alachua County's comp plan is a grab bag of good and bad implementation ideas. Just because a comp plan contain all the State required elements doesn't necessarily make it a good comp plan. Again, having all the State required elements just makes the comp plan syntactically valid.
In order to have a good comp plan the implementation piece has to take several variables into consideration.

The key is to not get stuck with a comp plan that doesn't fit your County. Trying to emulate another County's comp plan is a bad idea. Trying to turn Alachua County into Broward County by means of the comp plan is madness.
We think the implementation of elements in the Alachua County comp plan should be reviewed on merits rather than on their description. The questions we should ask is: do we have the right implementation plan for each element? Is Alachua County's comp plan achieving the outcomes the state legislature intended for Florida Counties? The citizens review process is a barometer for measuring the effectiveness of the chosen and mandated elements of the Alachua County comp plan, and the methods by which we are implementing those elements.



*Florida Statues Chapter 163-Internal Govermental Programs      163.3177 Required and optional elements of comprehensive plan; studies and surveys.


Review Comprehensive Plan

Future Land Use Element

This Element contains a Future Land Use Map for the unincorporated part of the County that directs most new development to occur in the Urban Cluster surrounding the City of Gainesville.

PROs

-Can accelerate gentrification in some areas.

-Increases property values in some areas.

-Tries to takes advantage of existing infrastructure/facilities

-Can be the basis for TND or TOD framework

-Makes decisions on how and where to spend tax dollars easier for staff

CONs

-Must engage in picking winners and losers for funding infrastructure projects

-Can lead to serious shortfalls in infrastructure budget

-Can accelerate gentrification in some areas.

-Most decisions are made surreptitiously

-Developers must be incentivised to build in Urban Cluster.

-Incentive monies must be taken from general fund to support the Urban Cluster idea.

-Unicorporated areas receive very little return on their tax dollars when funding Urban Cluster model.

      (Reviews 4 )

Transportation Mobility Element

This Element contains a Plan to provide for a safe, convenient, and efficient multi-modal transportation system for all users, including automobile, transit, bicycle and pedestrian mobility.

PROs

-Very robust in theory

-Can incentivise developers

-Good for recreational bike riders

-Good starting point for planning a green strategy

CONs

-Requires a mass transient system to be effective

-Ecourages less gas usage resulting in less revenue

-Will require continuity from elected officials for decades before results can be measured

-Requires private sector involvement

      (Reviews 4 )

Conservation and Open Space Element

This Element is responsible for maintaining the County's ecological health and diversity by protecting wetlands, listed species habitats, and strategic ecosystems.

PROs

-Sounds good

-Can generate tax revenue

-Can be the gate-keeper of local lands

-Can be a way to help manage growth

CONs

-Requires a high level of preeminence in order to implement properly

-Requires ample regulations

-Hampers economic growth

-very divisive

      (Reviews 3 )

Historic Element

This Element includes policies to protect Alachua County's historical assets and calls for development of a Historic Preservation Master Plan to protect historic resources.

PROs

-Can Preserve County's history

-Serves as a way to measure County's progress in certain areas

-Should be able to keep track of promises made to taxpayers

CONs

-Can distort County's history if not implemented diligently

-Can be used as a tool to exalt symbolism

-Doesn't generate much community interest

-Can be divisive and/or controversial

      (Reviews 2 )

Recreation Element

This Element provides for Activity-based facilities, which include ball fields, playgrounds, public pools; and Resource-based facilities...pretty standard stuff.

PROs

-Provides places for outdoor activities

-Can contribute to the health of a community

-Can add wealth to a community

CONs

-Every community wants the best for themselves

      (Reviews 3 )

Capital Improvements Element

This Element sets a policy framework for meeting the public facility needs of the community. This includes priorities for funding investments in physical assets, such as transportation facilities, parks and solid waste disposal facilities.

PROs

-The 2nd most influential of all the elements

-Can stimulate the health of a community

-Can determine the future of a community

-Can increase the net worth of a community

CONs

-Can be used as a blunt instrument against a community

-leads to inequitable spending of gas tax funds

-Hard to justify net value of MMTM fees and other incentives

-Often brings out the worst in budget planning

      (Reviews 2 )

Storm Water Element

This Element is suppose to set standards for stormwater management systems in order to prevent flooding and treat runoff from development by filtering the pollutants to protect surface waters and groundwater.

PROs

-Can generate capital projects

-Helps address climate change concerns

-Good reason to do non ad-valorem taxation

CONs

-Must try to redefine the meaning of non ad-valorem tax

-Can be used as a blunt instrument

-Usually results in a blanket approach when levying taxes

-No incentive to implement in an equitable way

      (Reviews 8 )

Potable Water & Sanitary Sewer Element

This Element ensures a safe, clean supply of drinking water and the sanitary disposal of wastewater by setting standards for facilities providing these services.

PROs

-Puts water in the spotlight

-Can generate tax revenue

CONs

-Can hamper new development

-Can take that which is intended for the wellfare of the citizens and turn it against them

Solid waste Element

This Element addresses how household garbage, hazardous waste (not construction), and recyclable items are disposed of, and promotes the recycling of solid waste and the overall reduction of the solid waste stream.

PROs

-A true non ad-valorem service

-Could make Ecco Inustrial Park idea a reality

-Could be a way to properly handle all hazardous material

-Makes for good zero waste talking points

CONs

-Depends heavily on UF for guidance

-Ignores private sector waste operations

-Can't handle construction demolishion hazardous material

-Has no oversight over private construction demolishion companies

Housing Element

This Element addresses the needs of all residents, including those at or near the poverty level and those with special needs.

PROs

-Placeholder for housing issues

-Makes good political talking points

-Can offer a framework for countywide housing initiatives

CONs

-Cannot control market forces

-Can make liars out of politicians

      (Reviews 6 )

Economic Element

This Element addresses workforce training opportunities, retention of local talent and expertise, promotion of local businesses, tourism and other strategies and incentives to diversify the local economy.

PROs

-The most influential element in the plan

-Can be instrumental in socially engineering a community

-Can have an influence on the county's median income

-Can be a growth management tool

-The underlying root of all discussions

CONs

-Must have buy in from outside entities

-Can contribute to county's poverty rate

-Can contribute to economic disparities

-Requires limited regulations in order to be successful

-Can create a zero sum game between the economy and the environment

      (Reviews 1 )

Intergovernmental Coordination Element

This Element focuses on relationships between Alachua County, the State, the water management districts, the nine municipalities, and other agencies within the County and in the surrounding region.

PROs

-Should lead to better management of resources

-Can produce a broader range of options when addressing issues

CONs

-Requires consistent coordination

-Can easily be influenced by outside entities

-Often leads to paralysis by analysis

Public School Facilities Element

This Element provides for coordination of land use and development with the capital planning activities of the School Board of Alachua County.

PROs

-Makes good political campaign rhetoric

-Can be a way to justify taxes

-Doesn't get a lot of public attention

CONs

-Can use school children as human shields

-Most decisions are made surreptitiously

Energy Element

This Element is billed as having a long term goal for reduction in community greenhouse gas emissions, through strategies related to conservation, improved efficiency, and promotion of alternative and renewable energy.

PROs

-Looks very robust on paper

-Makes for good green talking points

-Can energize the community

-Can be a way to extend hope

CONs

-Fosters culture of virtue signaling

-Requires hard choices to be made

-Very little room for mistakes

-Lacks any type of enforcement mechanisms

Community Health Element

This Element includes policies linked with other elements of the plan to facilitate health care delivery, promote health, prevent chronic illness, improve the equity and livability of the community and provide residents opportunity for active living.

PROs

-Can be a centralized way to collect community health data

-Can offer some safety net services

-Can tap into state resources for community health needs

CONs

-Must have buy in from outside entities

-Mission not achievable in current comp plan structure

-Level of funding required is not sustainable in current comp plan structure

-Mission not achievable in current comp plan structure

      (Reviews 14 )