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City of St. Petersburg

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COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: General Introduction

Chapter 2: Vision Element

Chapter 3: Future Land Use Element

Chapter 4: Conservation Element

Chapter 5: Coastal Management Element

Chapter 6: Transportation Element

Chapter 7: Housing Element

Chapter 8: Recreation and Open Space Element

Chapter 9: Utilities Element Potable Water Subelement Sanitary Sewer Subelement Drainage Subelement Aquifer Recharge Subelement Solid Waste Subelement

Chapter 10: Capital Improvements Element

Chapter 11: Intergovernmental Coordination Element

Chapter 12: Historic Preservation Element

Chapter 13: Public School Facilities Element

Chapter 14: Plan Monitoring and Evaluation Element

Chapter 15: Property Rights Element

TABLE OF MAPS

Map 1: City Location Map Map 2: 2020 Future Land Use Map Map 3: Gateway Activity Center Map 4: Intown Activity Center Map 5: Central Plaza Activity Center Map 6: Tyrone Activity Center Map 6A: Central Avenue Corridor Activity Center Map 6B: Skyway Marina District Activity Center Map 7: Historic Properties Within Downtown Map 8: Historic Properties Outside the Downtown Area Map 9: Spoil Disposal Sites Map 10: Urban Infill and Redevelopment Designation Area Map 11: Scenic Non-Commercial Corridors Map 12: Existing Vegetation Map 13: Soils Map 14: Biological Resources Map 15: Coastal High Hazard Area (CHHA) Map 16: Public Access (Beaches and Shores) Map 17: Flood Hazard Areas (FEMA/FIRM) Map 18: Bays, Harbors, Rivers, Lakes, Estuaries and Drainage Basins Map 19: Carbon Sink and Energy Conservation Areas Map 20: Future Major Streets Map 21: Future Lane Arrangements Map 22: Existing Intermodal Facilities Map 23: Port of St. Petersburg - Existing Facilities Map 24: Major Trip Attractors and Generators Map 25: Height Limitations for Airport Imaginary Surfaces Map 26: Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) Bus Routes Map 27: Sidewalks Map 28: Truck Routes Map 29: Critical Evacuation Routes Map 30A: Albert Whitted Airport - Existing Facilities Map 30B: Albert Whitted Airport - Planned Facilities Map 31: St. Petersburg Bike Map Map 32: Downtown Parking Lots and Street Parking Map 33: 2008 Roadway Level of Service Map 34: Looper

Chapter One, General Introduction

City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Sections:

1.1 Purpose 1.2 Plan Format 1.3 Plan Administration 1.4 Historic Planning Efforts 1.5 Citizen Participation 1.6 List of Abbreviations 1.7 Definitions 1.8 Population Forecasts

1.1 PURPOSE

The City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan has been developed and amended pursuant to the requirements of Chapter 163, Florida Statutes (F.S.), the "Community Planning Act" (formerly the Local Government Comprehensive Planning and Land Development Regulation Act) and the requirements of Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).

Community specific concerns, in addition to the guide lines set forth in Chapter 163, F.S., have also been targeted within the Goals, Objectives, and Policies section of each of the plan elements. Many of these objectives and policies go beyond the legislative requirements and are indicative of the many years that comprehensive planning has been in effect in St. Petersburg.

The comprehensive planning process in St. Petersburg was developed to guide the community to:

• protect the public health, safety, and welfare;

• address the concerns of the community related to growth management and the preservation of the City's character;

• preserve and protect the resources of the community through the guidance of growth and redevelopment while continuing to provide quality services concurrent with the impacts of development (or redevelopment);

• protect and enrich the quality of life within the community;

• ensure the consideration of long-range goals in the determination of short range decisions and actions; and,

• promote a healthy, stable, and well-balanced economic atmosphere which satisfies the goods and services needs of the community, promotes employment opportunities, and supports a strong and diverse economic base.

Chapter One, General Introduction

City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

1.2 PLAN FORMAT

1.2.1 Plan Chapters/Elements

The first chapter in this Comprehensive Plan, "General Introduction and Definitions," and the last chapter in this document, "Plan Monitoring and Evaluation," are different in format from the other chapters. However, they are no less important and discuss the requirements for plan administration and other mandatory provisions. The element chapters utilize the format described in the Element Format portion of this section.

1.2.2 Element Format

1.2.2.1 Introduction

Each chapter begins with a brief introduction which describes the purpose of the ensuing element including identifying the need for specific information and its usefulness to the comprehensive planning process. This information is followed by outline of the Goal(s) then the Objectives with the corresponding policies.

1.2.2.2 Maps, Tables, and Figures (as required)

Maps, tables, and figures are provided to supplement the Goals, Objectives and policies of some Elements. The Future Land Use Map shall be the implementing tool for the Future Land Use Element of this Plan. Any detailed interpretation of the Future Land Use Map should be completed with the assistance of the official scale Future Land Use maps which are available for review in the planning department Office.

1.2.2.3 Goals, Objectives, and Policies

The Goals, Objectives, and Policies have been developed in response to and in accordance with the needs and directions of growth and determined levels of service requirements as identified within the Inventory and Analysis which can be found in the accompanying 1989 Technical Support Documents and the 1996 and 2007 Evaluation and Appraisal Reports.

All objectives are designed to identify the measurable achievements necessary to support the related goal. In those cases, where the Objective is not specific or measurable, but rather, the actual specificity and measurability is found in the supporting policy(ies), the policy(ies) shall be used for the purposes of monitoring and evaluation.

The Policies are intended to act as implementation mechanisms identifying programs and procedures to be used to accomplish the related objective.

This Comprehensive Plan is intended to be utilized as a document in its entirety. It shall hereby be established that no single goal, objective or policy or minor group of goals, objectives, or policies, be interpreted in isolation of the entire Plan.

Chapter One, General Introduction City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

1.2.2.4 Technical Support Document (TSD) and the 1996 and 2007 Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR)

1.2.2.5 Status and Use of the TSD and the EAR(s)

The 1989 TSD and the 1996 and 2007 EAR (EARs) are the entire technical element and special studies developed by the planning staff of the St. Petersburg Planning Department. The 1989 TSD and the 1996 and 2007 EARs are hereby referenced and established as the supporting data and analysis for this Comprehensive Plan.

The TSD and the EARs may be used to assist in the interpretation of this comprehensive plan and to aid in the review of proposed changes to this plan. It should be updated as necessary to maintain the usability of the data and analysis as an interpretive and advisory aid.

The TSD and the EARs shall not be considered a part of the Adopted Comprehensive Plan and shall not require amendment pursuant to Section 163.3187, F.S.

1.3 PLAN ADMINISTRATION

1.3.1 Plan Interpretation

1.3.1.1 Administrative Interpretation

It shall be the responsibility of the City of St. Petersburg Planning Department to administer this Comprehensive Plan in a manner specified by the policies in the Comprehensive Plan. During the course of administering this Comprehensive Plan it may be necessary for City personnel to interpret the policies of the Comprehensive Plan as those policies relate to specific application for development order approval, or as those policies relate to a proposed activity of the public sector.

1.3.1.2 Competing Policies

Where two or more policies are competing when applied to a particular set of factual circumstances, such conflict shall be resolved first by administrative interpretation of the Comprehensive Plan policies. The objective of any such interpretation shall be to obtain a result which maximizes the degree of consistency between the proposed development or public sector activity and this Comprehensive Plan, considered as a whole.

1.3.1.3 Guidelines for Plan Interpretation

In the interpretation of the provisions of this Comprehensive Plan, the following guidelines shall apply unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

A. Minimum Requirements

Chapter One, General Introduction City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

In the interpretation and application of the Comprehensive Plan, its goals, objectives and policies shall be held to be the minimum requirements necessary to accomplish the stated purpose and intent of this Comprehensive Plan.

B. Construction

The Comprehensive Plan shall be construed broadly to accomplish the purpose and intent of the Plan.

C. Tense; Number

Unless the obvious construction of the wording indicates otherwise: words used in the present tense can include the future; words in the masculine gender can include the feminine and neuter; words in the singular number can include the plural; and, words in the plural can include the singular.

D. Shall; Must; Should; May; Includes

The words "shall" and "must" are mandatory; the word "should" is discretionary and not mandatory; the word "may" is permissive; the word "includes" shall not limit a term to the specific examples, but is intended to extend its meaning to all other instances or circumstances of like kind or character.

E. State; County; City

The word "State" means the State of Florida, and its authorized agents; the word "County" means the County of Pinellas, Florida, and its authorized agents; and, the word "City" means the City of St. Petersburg, Florida, and its authorized agents.

F. Board; Commission; Officials

The terms Community Planning & Preservation Commission ("CPPC"), Community Preservation Commission ("CPC"), and Development Review Commission ("DRC"), shall mean the respective commissions of the City of St. Petersburg, and their authorized agents. The use of the term "City Council" or "Council" shall mean the St. Petersburg City Council. The use of the term "Planning Department" shall mean the Planning Department, the director of the department, and his or her authorized agents.

G. Conflicts

The particular shall control the general. If there is any difference of meaning or implication between the text of the Comprehensive Plan, the Planning Department will determine the correct information and modify the text or graphic as appropriate.

H. Interpretation of Undefined Terms

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Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, terms not defined herein shall be interpreted in the following manner:

1. By reference to the relevant provisions of the Community Planning Act, if specifically defined therein, or in other relevant and appropriate State statutes or rules;

2. According to the relevant provisions of the City Code, the rules for interpretation of this Comprehensive Plan, or in other relevant City ordinances relating to land development regulations;

3. By reference to generally accepted engineering, planning, or otherwise professional terminology if technical; and

4. Otherwise according to common usage.

I. Headings

All descriptive headings of goals, objectives, or other sections in the Comprehensive Plan are inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation thereof.

1.3.2 Status of Comprehensive Plan

1.3.2.1 Relationship to the 1977 and 1983 Comprehensive Plan

This Comprehensive Plan upon adoption and approval shall supersede, in total, all parts of the St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan including all elements adopted between 1977 and 1983, and all subsequent amendments. These elements and their dates of adoption are listed below.

• Land Use, Traffic Circulation, Recreation/Open Space, Conservation - March, 1977;

• Sewer, Water, Drainage, Solid Waste, Utility - February, 1979;

• Housing - June, 1979;

• Collector Street, Port/Aviation, Mass Transit, Bikeway - July, 1979;

• Coastal Zone, Intergovernmental Coordination - November, 1979;

• Economic - July, 1980;

• Energy - April, 1981;

• Land Use, Traffic Circulation, Recreation/Open Space, and Conservation - were readopted in 1983;

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• Vision Element – October 2006;

• Public School Facilities Element – February 2008.

1.3.2.2 Relationship to Existing Land Development Regulations

The policies of this Comprehensive Plan supersede all conflicting provisions contained in existing land development regulations, as of the effective date of this Comprehensive Plan. Development order review and approval may, however, proceed pursuant to the provisions contained in the existing land development regulations where consistent with the policies of this Comprehensive Plan.

1.3.2.3 Relationship to Land Development Regulations Adopted Pursuant to Chapter 163.3202, F.S.

All land development regulations developed pursuant to Chapter 163.3202, F.S., shall be consistent with this Comprehensive Plan.

All development orders shall be issued pursuant to the requirements of those land development regulations.

1.3.2.4 Special Exceptions to Required Consistency with This Comprehensive Plan

For Special Exceptions to required consistency with this Plan, please see the provisions of Ordinance 1143-F, adopted on November 16, 1989, by which this Comprehensive Plan was adopted.

1.4 HISTORICAL PLANNING EFFORTS

St. Petersburg has a rich history of planning which is outlined in a book by Bruce R. Stephenson, Vision of Eden, Environmentalism, Urban Planning and City Building in St. Petersburg, Florida, 1900 - 1995. These efforts have included the John Nolen Plan of the 20's, the Bartholomew Plan of the 40's, the Citywide Conceptual Plan of 1974 and others which have provided a framework to recognize and protect our great assets.

The John Nolen Plan

Organized planning began in St. Petersburg with several plans developed by John Nolen in the 1920's. Nolen was the premier town planner of the time period and the Nolen Plans reinforced the importance of the park system, civic buildings and wide boulevards. Many of the cherished character defining features of St. Petersburg today reflect the important planning activities of this time period.

The Bartholomew Plan

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

City-wide planning continued in the 1940's with the Harland Bartholomew Plan. The Bartholomew Plan focused on many city-wide issues including education and school building for a rapidly expanding population. The Bartholomew Plan is most noted for the continued and strengthening development of the street grid pattern. The Bartholomew Plan set the groundwork for the development of the automobile oriented commercial corridors throughout our City today.

1970's Citizens Goals Committee

A growth management and conservation theme emerged in the early 70's which shape planning efforts even today. During the early 70's, the City experienced a period of extremely rapid growth; in fact, St. Petersburg was one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. As a response to urgent growth pressure, the City formulated a Citizens' Goals Committee for the purpose of defining the future directions of the community. The Committee was comprised of 205 interested citizens who formulated the "goals" for the future. There were 12 subcommittees dealing with major areas of community concern, such as the economy, environmental protection, land use, and housing.

The Citizens' Goals Committee invested two years of work in the preparation of the community goals, which became the foundation for the City's long-range planning effort. As outlined by the Committee and presented to the City Council in 1973, the community goals included:

• reestablishment of the downtown as the City's functional heart;
• encouraging identifiable neighborhoods;
• eliminating substandard housing and encouraging redevelopment;
• providing for more open space and eliminating adverse strip commercial development;
• providing for housing opportunities in the vicinity of jobs; and others.

This report re-enforced other growth management efforts of the City Council; in 1972 the zoning holding capacity, or the estimated number of people which could be accommodated under the zoning ordinance, was approximately 700,000 people. This was reduced in 1972 to a potential population of 550,000; further reductions in 1973 reduced the potential population to about 400,000.

Also in 1973, the St. Petersburg City Council created two new advisory commissions, the Planning Commission and Environmental Development Commission (or EDC). Both commissions were renamed in 2007 to the Planning & Visioning Commission (PVC) and the Development Review Commission (DRC). In 2013 the PVC was consolidated with the Community Preservation Commission (CPC) to create the Community Planning & Preservation Commission (CPPC). The DRC reviews development proposals dealing with requirements of the Land Development Regulations, such as site plans, special exceptions, and subdivisions. The CPPC is charged with preparing the long-range plan for the City. Council mandated that a new plan be developed dealing with land use, open space and recreation, transportation, public facilities and drainage, conservation and community facilities.

1974 Conceptual Plan

With the work of the Citizens' Goals Committee as a framework, the Planning Commission directed the preparation of the Conceptual Plan -- a generalized, idealistic, long-range guide to the

Chapter One, General Introduction

City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

City's development through approximately 2025. The Conceptual Plan is a very general policy statement that provides for: a potential population of 350,000; retention of at least 50% of the land area in permeable green space; major activity centers in the Downtown, the Tyrone area, and in the Gateway area of the City; and an integrated transportation system that would provide for more options than the automobile.

With the adoption of the Conceptual Plan, the City preceded statewide efforts in growth management. In July 1975, the State Legislature passed the Local Government Comprehensive Planning Act -- essentially requiring communities statewide to initiate the planning process started in St. Petersburg. The Act mandated certain elements and prescribed time requirements and review procedures statewide.

The detailed planning process took two and-one-half years and countless hours of Planning Commission and staff time to complete. In addition to extensive media coverage, nearly 300,000 notices and informational handouts were distributed to the public to encourage their participation. A series of Planning Commission and City Council public hearings were conducted at locations throughout the City, such as high school auditoriums which were filled to capacity.

City Council adopted the St. Petersburg Land Use Plan on March 28, 1977. The Land Use Plan includes four key elements -- Land Use, Conservation, Recreation & Open Space and Traffic Circulation. The Land Use element provides direction for a planning time frame of about 25 years and takes the goals of the Conceptual Plan and the Citizens' Goals Report and makes them specific.

Land Use planning requires a number of basic inputs before a responsible Land Use Plan can propose future development. The Planning Department and the City's Planning Commission invested hundreds of hours in research, public workshops, and public hearings that resulted in the 1977 plan. After adoption of the initial four elements, fourteen additional elements were adopted during the succeeding four years.

The 1983 Update

The City's plan accommodated intense growth in appropriate areas called Activity Centers with the predominant land use of the City remaining low density residential and low intensity commercial and industrial. Infrastructure was planned and, therefore, adequate to accommodate the growth. New issues then emerged as the City had nearly reached build-out. Redevelopment, annexation, and conservation of natural resources became a primary focus.

The Land Use Planning process was re-initiated to meet City needs and satisfy State Growth Management Legislation. A series of workshops conducted by the Planning Commission focused on major areas of concern, such as:

• Revitalization of Bayboro Harbor area
• Historic Preservation
• Tyrone "Triangle" Transportation
• Development/redevelopment of the 4th Street Corridor

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Four key elements, Land Use, Conservation, Recreation/Open Space, and Traffic Circulation, were revised and adopted in 1983 to address the changing emphasis to redevelopment. During approximately a one and-one-half year period, City staff met with citizens in informal and formal workshops which were followed by numerous public hearings before both the Planning Commission and the City Council (prior to adoption in 1983).

Visions for a Decade - 1983 City Council Goals

In 1983, City Council initiated a reevaluation of the Citizens' Goals process of 1973. Entitled "Visions for a Decade", 180 City residents (twenty from each City Council district) served on nine 20-member subcommittees. With the assistance of one full-time City staff person and a consultant "facilitator", the subcommittees met more than 35 times to reevaluate City goals and policies. The extensive report resulting from the Committee's work was published and presented to City Council in 1984.

Three major goal areas with 24 objectives resulted from "Visions for a Decade":

• Economic Vitality
• Neighborhood Identity and Vitality
• Preserve Waterfront and Permeable Open Space

These goals and objectives were used to shape the current comprehensive planning process.

1989 Comprehensive Plan

In 1985 the State Legislature, in response to statewide growth management concerns, adopted the Local Government Comprehensive Planning and Land Development Regulation Act that mandated comprehensive planning for all local governmental jurisdictions in Florida. The Act introduced the concurrency requirement to local government planning and mandated that public facilities be in place to serve the needs of approved development. After extensive public participation and Planning Commission review, the City Council adopted the 1989 Comprehensive Plan to comply with the Act. That plan, contained herein, as amended over the years, includes numerous elements and subelements that address the wide range of issues that affect the City's growth and development.

1996 Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR)

As per Chapter 163 F.S and 9J-5 F.A.C. (repealed in 2011), the Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) of the 1989 Comprehensive Plan was adopted by City Council in December 1996. The EAR assessed and evaluated the successes and failures of the Comprehensive Plan, including the validity of the population projections, and realization of the plan's goals, objectives and policies. The report addressed the impact of changes to community conditions and state and regional regulations on the Plan. The data and background information was updated for each element to reflect conditions at the time of the EAR. The EAR also identified the citizen participation process. Plan amendments or additional studies were recommended in response to the identified changes in the community. The findings of the EAR included recommended amendments to the

Chapter One, General Introduction City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Comprehensive Plan goals, objectives and policies and additional studies that were needed to provide data and analysis to clarify outstanding issues. These findings have resulted in amendments to the Comprehensive Plan. Thus, the EAR now stands as a Technical Support Document (TSD) to the Comprehensive Plan.

Vision 2020

The St. Petersburg Vision 2020 Plan, adopted by City Council on October 17, 2002, was born from concern by neighborhood activists, Planning Commissioners, City Council, City Staff and the development community over land development regulations and review processes that were difficult and often yielded unsatisfactory results. Primary among the concerns was a zoning code that did not address the traditional character of older, pre-WWII neighborhoods and commercial areas and the lack of design guidelines to ensure a minimum design quality for development, redevelopment, alterations and additions.

The process facilitated open discussion of many aspects of the City through the use of several techniques that included the perspective of national experts, City staff, the 2020 steering committee and a broad spectrum of over 375 citizen leaders and delegates. The goal was to create a setting for a productive discussion of commonly held values through Citizen Based Themes that should be considered in all subsequent community activities. As part of the implementation of the 2020 Vision Plan, a Vision Element was incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan and new land development regulations were subsequently adopted.

2007 Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR)

As required by Chapter 163, F.S., and Chapter 9J-5, F.A.C. (repealed in 2011), the Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) of the Comprehensive Plan was approved by the City Council in May of 2007. The EAR assessed and evaluated the successes and failures of the Comprehensive Plan, including the validity of the population projections, and realization of the plan’s goals, objectives and policies. The report addressed the impact of changes to community conditions and state and regional regulations on the Plan. Plan amendments or additional studies were recommended in response to the identified changes in the community. The findings of the EAR included recommended amendments to the Comprehensive Plan goals, objectives and policies. These findings resulted in amendments to the Comprehensive Plan.

2007 Land Development Regulations (LDRs) Update

In August of 2007, the City Council adopted new LDRs. The new LDRs, in part, integrated design criteria into all zoning districts and increased density in certain areas of the City in order to further mixed use development. The new regulations went into effect on September 10, 2007.

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

1.5 CITIZEN PARTICIPATION

1.5.1 Introduction

St. Petersburg's planning process is an example of on-going citizen commitment. St. Petersburg's planning process has, since the early 70's, benefitted from formal and informal citizen participation in growth management issues. Extensive citizen participation was encouraged throughout the process.

1.5.2 Public Participation Plan

To assure public involvement in the development and adoption of the St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan Evaluation and Appraisal Reports and subsequent Plan updates, the commission(s) designated in the LDRs actively seeks input and interaction with a variety of formal and informal groups and individuals. The methods for obtaining public input and disseminating information about the Comprehensive Plan, Comprehensive Plan Amendments, and Evaluation and Appraisal Reports are outlined in this public participation plan. The methods and procedures include those mandated in Chapter 163, F.S., as well as additional measures that exceed the mandated minimum requirements.

1.5.2.1 Comprehensive Plan Update and Readoption

The update and readoption of the Comprehensive Plan is an important undertaking that affects all aspects of the community. For that reason every effort is made to assure that as much of the community as possible is aware and understands what the Plan entails, its purpose, and its implications. The following is a summary of how the City achieves community involvement in Comprehensive Planning activities.

Early Involvement

Prior to any formal actions or public hearings by the City Council or the local planning agency (the commission(s) designated in the LDRs), citizen involvement is encouraged through workshops, community presentations, staff and document availability, and a notification mailing list. These efforts are designed to give the public an opportunity to have input during the formative stage of any comprehensive planning activity. It is hoped that several goals can be accomplished through early involvement: a better understanding of the purpose of the Plan, and what goes into its development; provide opportunities to the community to help develop the plan and, ultimately, to impart a feeling on the part of the community that the Plan is their Plan.

Notification Mailing List

The Planning & Visioning Commission (currently the Community Planning & Preservation Commission) and City staff initiated a notification mailing list that provides groups and individuals with advance notification of Community Planning & Preservation Commission meetings and workshops that have Comprehensive Plan items on the agenda. Any group or individual may be included on the notification mailing list. These initial mailouts have been successful in

Chapter One, General Introduction

City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

incorporating many important community groups, neighborhood associations, business associations, other special interest groups, individuals, adjacent governmental jurisdictions, and state and regional agencies into the local planning process.

Soliciting participation in the informal mailout program is an ongoing process. Brochures that explain the planning/growth management and EAR processes contain a registration form for interested citizens to send to the planning department. These brochures have been and continue to be available at City Hall, the planning department, and at community presentations.

Community Presentations

General community presentations are conducted at the Main Branch of the Public Library. Presentations are also made to specific interest and community groups at their meeting locations upon request. Interested groups are advised to contact the planning department to make arrangements for presentations.

Workshops

Workshops are held with the commission(s) designated in the LDRs to review data inventory and analysis, levels of service, concurrency, goals, objectives, and policies plus many other issues and segments of the Comprehensive Plan. These workshops are held well in advance of any formal adoption or submittal date to allow for revision and correction of draft elements, and to provide and receive information that helps clarify and shape the Plan's content. The commission(s) designated in the LDRs workshops are noticed through the mailout process and the City’s government access channel on scroll. Workshops are also held with the City Council prior to adoption hearings.

Document and Staff Availability

Draft and final documents are available for public inspection at the planning department and the Main Public Library, and may be purchased for a minimal copying charge. In addition, planning department staff is available for consultation and document explanation.

Mandatory Public Hearings

Mandatory public hearings are those required by state or local laws to be held within specified time and procedural guidelines. For the Comprehensive Plan, these mandatory public hearings are held prior to both the commission(s) designated in the LDRs and City Council actions and recommendations.

The Commission(s) Designated in the LDRs Public Hearing

The commission(s) designated in the LDRs public hearings are held prior to the commission(s) designated in the LDRs action as required by Chapter 163 and Chapter 166, F.S., and notice of such public hearings shall be provided in accordance with Florida law. Those unable to attend public hearings can submit any comments they have in writing, by hand delivery or by electronic

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

or regular mail. Written comments will be entered into the official file. In addition the public hearings are advertised on the City's government access channel.

Persons wishing to speak at the public hearing are allowed three minutes to summarize their concerns. Public hearings are recorded and the recordings are included in the official records of the hearing. All documents related to the subject of the public hearing are available at the hearing for inspection. Anyone who wishes to submit written comments at the hearing is allowed to do so.

City Council Public Hearings

Public hearings are held prior to City Council action as required by Chapter 163 and Chapter 166, F.S., and notice of such public hearings is provided in accordance with Florida law. When two public hearings are required, generally the first public hearing takes place prior to submittal of the ordinance to the Florida state land planning agency and the second occurs after receipt of all reviewing agency comments and prior to final City Council adoption. All reviewing agency comments are available for public inspection at the planning department and at the second public hearing.

1.5.2.2 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Process

The City of St. Petersburg processes Plan amendments in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 163, Florida Statutes. The general procedures for advertisement, notifications, and public hearing procedures are the same for all types of Plan amendments; however, the process is different for Future Land Use Map amendments and amendments that change the list of permitted, conditional or prohibited uses. The Local Planning Agency (LPA), which is the commission(s) designated in the LDRs, must hold a public hearing and make a recommendation to the City Council on the proposed amendment. The City Council then holds two public hearings for text and threshold amendments and takes final action on the amendment. Subthreshold Future Land Use Map amendments require one City Council Public Hearing.

Pinellas Planning Council/Countywide Planning Authority amendments to the Future Land Use Plan require approval of the Board of County Commissioners acting as the Countywide Planning Authority (CPA). Prior to action by the CPA, all Future Land Use Plan amendments are heard by the Pinellas Planning Council (PPC). The PPC makes recommendations to the CPA based on the Objectives and Policies of the Countywide Land Use Plan. The amendment process for the Countywide Future Land Use Plan is as described in Article 5 of the Rules Concerning the Administration of the Countywide Future Land Use Plan.

Notification Procedures; Supplemental Notice

All amendments to the Comprehensive Plan require a legal advertisement to be published in a newspaper of general circulation as outlined in Chapter 163 and Chapter 166, F.S. When Future Land Use Map amendments have been proposed, owners of real property subject to the amendment and property owners within 200 feet are also to be sent supplemental notice by mail in accordance with the Land Development Regulations, Section 16.70.010.4.

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1.5.2.3 Evaluation and Appraisal Report Adoption

Public participation for evaluation and appraisal reports is the same as plan adoption procedures.

1.5.3 Applicable State Law and Rules

The public participation plan outlined in section 1.5.2 is intended to meet the requirements of Chapter 163, Part II, F.S. These requirements are as follows:

1. To encourage and to provide for effective public participation in the comprehensive planning process.

2. To assure that real property owners are put on notice, through advertisement in a newspaper of general circulation in the area or other method adopted by the local government, of official actions that will regulate or affect the use of their property.

3. To provide for broad dissemination of the proposals and alternatives.

4. To assure opportunities for the public to provide written comments.

5. To assure that the required public hearings are held.

6. To provide for open discussion on the proposed plan.

7. To provide for communications programs for dissemination of information on proposals and alternatives, and on the proposed plan.

8. To provide for information services.

9. To provide for notice to keep the general public informed during the plan revision process.

10. To assure the consideration of and response to public comments on proposals and alternatives, and on the proposed plan.

11. To make executive summaries of the comprehensive plan available to the general public.

12. To release information at regular intervals during the planning process to keep the citizenry apprized of planning activities.

Chapter One, General Introduction City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

1.6 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AADT | Average Annual Daily Traffic ABM | Agency on Bay Management ADA | Application for Development Approval BACS | Bay Area Commuter Services BOCC | Board of County Commissioners CBD | Central Business District CCMP | Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Tampa Bay CDBG | Community Development Block Grant CHHA | Coastal High Hazard Area CI | Certificate of Inspection CLUP | County Land Use Plan CO | Certificate of Occupancy CG | Commercial General CPA | Countywide Planning Authority CPPC | Community Planning and Preservation Commission CPD | Community Planning and Development CRD | Community Redevelopment District CRS | Community Rating System DEP | Department of Environmental Protection DO | Development Order DOP | Disaster Operations Plan DRC | Development Review Commission DRI | Development of Regional Impact DUs | Dwelling Units EAR | Evaluation and Appraisal Report EPA | Environmental Protection Agency FAA | Federal Aviation Administration FAC | Florida Administrative Code FAR | Floor Area Ratio FDEP | Federal Department of Environmental Protection FDOT | Florida Department of Transportation FEMA | Federal Emergency Management Agency FWC | Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission FHSRTC | Florida High Speed Rail Transportation Commission F.S. | Florida Statutes FLUM | Future Land Use Map HCM | Highway Capacity Manual HUD | Housing and Urban Development (Department of) I | Institutional IG | Industrial General IL | Industrial Limited LOS | Level of Service LMS | Pinellas County Local Mitigation Strategy LPA | Local Planning Agency

Chapter One, General Introduction City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

MHW | Mean High Water MIS | Major Investment Study MPO | Metropolitan Planning Organization NHS | Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. NFIP | National Flood Insurance Program NMFS | National Marine Fisheries Services NPDES | National Pollution Discharge Elimination System PMI | Pinellas Mobility Initiative PPC | Pinellas Planning Council PHA | Public Housing Authority PRES | Preservation PR-R | Planned Redevelopment – Residential PR-MU | Planned Redevelopment – Mixed Use PR-C | Planned Redevelopment – Commercial PSIG | Pounds per Square Inch Gravity PSTA | Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (formerly the SPMTS) P/SP | Public/Semipublic RAC | Regional Activity Center REHAB | Rehabilitation RH | Residential High RL | Residential Low RLM | Residential Low Medium RM | Residential Medium RU | Residential Urban ROW | Right of Way R/OG | Residential/Office General R/OS | Recreation/Open Space SIS | Strategic Intermodal System SR | State Route STA | Special Transportation Area SWFWMD | South West Florida Water Management District TBARTA | Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority TBRPC | Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council TBEP | Tampa Bay Estuary Program TBW | Tampa Bay Water (formerly WCRWSA) TCEA | Transportation Concurrency Exception Area TDM | Transportation Demand Management TMP | Transportation Management Plan TSD | Technical Support Document TSM | Transportation System Management TU | Transportation/Utilities UMTA | Urban Mass Transit Administration USF | University of South Florida USFWS | United States Fish and Wildlife Services USF&WS | United States Fish and Wildlife Services WF | Well Field

Chapter One, General Introduction City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

WRF Water Reclamation Facility

1.7 DEFINITIONS

Access Management - The regulation and control of vehicular access to public roads to insure the safe and efficient operations of the roadway system.

Accessory Dwelling Unit – An ancillary or secondary living unit, that has a separate kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area, existing either within the same structure, or on the same lot, as the primary dwelling unit. Accessory dwelling units are not counted against the otherwise applicable maximum dwelling units per acre density standard when accessory to a single-family dwelling unit.

Active recreation - Recreational activities which are moderately to intensely physically rigorous, such as soccer, tennis, football, etc.

Alternative Fuel - a fuel used in vehicles that comes from a source other than petroleum, such as ethanol made from corn and biodiesel made from vegetable oil.

Alternatives Analysis (AA) – An Alternatives Analysis (AA) is an independent evaluation of local transit corridors that will help determine the placement and type of transit options that are most suitable for Pinellas County and that qualify for federal funding.

Alum - Liquid aluminum sulfate.

Alum Stormwater Treatment System - A stormwater treatment system which injects Alum into the water body to improve water quality by removing sediment from the water column. Alum forms harmless non-toxic precipitates which combine with phosphorous, suspended solids and heavy metals causing them to fall through the water column to the bottom of the water body. After clarity is achieved, the Alum sediment matter is removed from the bottom of the water body by maintenance dredging.

Amnesty Days (Hazardous Waste) - Voluntary program which allows citizens to bring small quantities of hazardous waste to a central collection facility for proper disposal.

Aquifer - A water-bearing layer of rock or soil that will yield water in usable quantity to a well or spring.

Arterial Road, Minor - A roadway that provides a significant degree of mobility and continuity for motorists that are traveling in a corridor that connects major activity centers. Typically, traffic volumes and operating speeds are lower and trip lengths are shorter on minor arterials than principal arterials.

Arterial Road, Principal - A roadway that provides a high degree of mobility and continuity for motorists that are traveling in a corridor that connects major activity centers. Typically, traffic

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

volumes and operating speeds are higher and trip lengths are longer on principal arterials than minor arterials.

Ballast, Electronic - A short name for fluorescent high frequency electronic ballast. Electronic ballasts use solid state electronic components and typically operate fluorescent lamps at frequencies in the range of 25-35 kHz. The benefits are: increased lamp efficacy, reduced ballast losses and lighter, and smaller ballasts compared to electromagnetic ballasts.

Ballast, Magnetic - Electromagnetic Ballasts (Magnetic Ballasts) are ones that use a core and coil assembly to transform electrical current to start and operate fluorescent and high intensity discharge (HID) lamps.

Beach - The zone of sedimentary, unconsolidated material on the estuarine shorelines that extends landward from the mean low water line to a place where there is a marked change in material or physiographic form, or to the line of permanent vegetation, usually the limit of storm waves.

Bike Lane - A portion of a roadway which has been designated by striping, signing and pavement markings for the preferential or exclusive use of bicyclists.

Bike Path - A bikeway physically separated from motorized vehicular traffic by an open space or barrier and either within the highway right of way or within an independent right of way.

Bike Route - A segment of a system of bikeways designated by the jurisdiction having authority with appropriate directional and informational markers, with or without a specific bicycle route number.

Biodiesel - A domestically-produced fuel for diesel engines derived from natural oils, such as camelina, canola, mustard, soybean, or other crops or animal fats. Biodiesel is typically produced by a chemical reaction between this oil and an alcohol such as methanol, in the presence of a catalyst, to yield the fuel and a glycerin byproduct.

Brownfields - Abandoned, idled, or underutilized industrial and commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is hindered by real or perceived environmental contamination.

Capital Improvement - Physical assets constructed or purchased to provide, improve or replace a public facility; generally large scale, high in cost, nonrecurring and require multi-year financing.

Carbon Sinks, Natural - Places of carbon accumulation, such as in large forests (organic compounds) or ocean sediments (calcium carbonate); carbon is thus removed from the carbon cycle and stored for an indefinite period.

Citizens - Residents of the City. In the context in which the term is used, the term may include visitors and guests. The term is used in a broad sense and includes persons with a lawful residence in the City but who may be legally domiciled elsewhere. The term is not intended to exclude persons who may be citizens of Canada or other nations.

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Classification of Waters - The Department of Environmental Protection categorization of surface waters according to the following designated uses:

Class I Potable Water Class II Shellfish Propagation or Harvesting Class III Recreation, Propagation and Maintenance of Fish and Wildlife Class IV Agricultural Water Supplies Class V Navigation, Utility, Industrial Use

Coastal Area - An area that encompasses water and submerged lands of estuarine water bodies; adjacent shorelines; living marine resources; marine wetlands; water dependent or water related facilities, including public access facilities; hurricane vulnerable zones; and all lands adjacent to such occurrences where development activities would impact the integrity or quality of the above.

Coastal High Hazard Area (CHHA) - The area below the elevation of the Category 1 storm surge line as established by a Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (“SLOSH”) computerized storm surge model approved in July 2016.

Coastal or Shore Protection Structure - Shore hardening structures such as seawalls, bulkheads, revetments, groins, breakwaters or other structures intended to prevent erosion or protect other structures from wave and hydrodynamic forces.

Collector Road - A roadway providing service which is of relatively moderate traffic volume, moderate trip length, and moderate operating speed. Collector roads collect and distribute traffic between local roads and arterial roads and are designed to provide both mobility and land access within residential, commercial and industrial areas.

Commercial Uses - Activities within land areas which are predominantly connected with the sale, rental and distribution of products, or performance of services.

Community Development Block Grant Program - The Community Development Block Grant Program is Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-383).

Community Rating System (CRS) - The National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements. Property owners within a community that participates in CRS receive discounted flood insurance premium rates that reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from program participation.

Commuter Bus Service - Fixed route bus service characterized by service predominantly in one direction during peak periods, limited stops, use of multi-ride tickets and premium fares, and routes of extended length, usually between the central business district or major employment centers and outlying suburbs.

Compatible - Not having significant adverse impact. With limited variation from adjacent uses in net density, in type and use of structures (unless highly complementary), and with limited variation

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

in visual impact on adjacent land uses. In the instance of certain adjacent or proximate uses, compatibility may be achieved through the use of mitigative measures.

Composting - A process that converts organic materials to humus with micro-organisms in an aerobic environment. The process is not effective on most plastic and rubber compounds.

Concurrency - The necessary public facilities and services to maintain the adopted level of service standards are available when the impacts of development occur. Concurrency Management System - The procedures and process utilized to ensure that development orders and permits are not issued unless the necessary facilities are available concurrent with the impacts of development.

Confining Bed - A layer of earth material, usually clay, that tends to restrict the vertical movement of water into and out of an aquifer.

Conservation Uses - Activities within land areas designated for the purpose of conserving or protecting natural resources or environmental quality and includes areas designated for such purposes as flood control, protection of quality or quantity of groundwater or surface water, floodplain management, fisheries management, or protection of vegetative communities or wildlife habitats.

Density - The number of dwelling units per buildable land area, as set forth in the Land Development Regulations.

Design Storm - The statistical probability of a storm's magnitude and duration for a given rate of return, such as 1-year, 2-year, etc.

Development – The term has the meaning set forth in Section 163.3164, Florida Statutes, as amended.

Development of Regional Impact - Any development which, because of its character, magnitude, or location, would have a substantial effect upon the health, safety, or welfare of citizens of more than one county in Florida, as defined in section 380.06 (1), Florida Statutes, implemented by Rule 9J-2, Florida Administrative Code, and coordinated by the regional planning agency.

Development Order - Any order granting, denying, or granting with conditions an application for a development permit.

Development Permit - Any building permit, zoning permit, subdivision approval, rezoning, certification, special exception, variance, or any other official action of local government having the effect of permitting the development of land.

Disaster Operations Plan (DOP) - The local peacetime emergency plan prepared by the City Disaster Preparedness Coordinator which addresses preparation and response to natural and man-made disasters, specifically hurricanes, flooding and tornadoes.

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Drainage Basin - The area defined by topographic boundaries which contributes stormwater to a drainage system, estuarine waters, or oceanic water, including all areas artificially added to the basin.

Drainage Facilities - A system of man-made structures designed to collect, convey, hold, divert or discharge stormwater, and includes stormwater sewers, canals, detention structures and retention structures.

Dwelling (residential) Unit - A conventional or manufactured, detached or attached structure constituting a single, independent, habitable unit.

Effluent - The treated wastewater which flows out of the treatment plant. Disposal alternatives include discharge into a water body or injection into deep aquifers. The treated wastewater may also be reclaimed for irrigation use.

Energy, Renewable - Energy generated from natural resources, e.g., sunlight, wind, rain, water, biomass and geothermal heat, that is naturally replenished.

Estuary - A semi-enclosed, naturally existing coastal body of water in which saltwater is naturally diluted by freshwater and which has an open connection with oceanic waters. The term includes but is not limited to bays, embayments, lagoons, sounds and tidal streams.

Ethanol - A gasoline alternative that is manufactured from the conversion of carbon based feed stocks such as sugar cane, sugar beets, switch grass, corn and barley.

Evacuation Route - Routes designated by the county civil defense authorities or the regional evacuation plan, for the movement of persons to safety, in the event of a hurricane.

Exotic Species - A non-native plant.

Extremely Low Income Persons – One or more natural persons or a family whose total annual household income does not exceed 30 percent of the median annual adjusted gross income for households within the state. (Reference: section 420.0004, F.S.)

Floodplains - Areas inundated during a 100-year flood event or identified by the National Flood Insurance Program as an A zone or a V zone on Flood Insurance Rate Maps or Flood Hazard Boundary Maps.

Floor Area Ratio (FAR) - A measure of the intensity of a development. The ratio of gross floor area to the net land area of the lot.

Florida Administrative Code - Rules and regulations which implement Florida Statutes passed by the legislature.

Florida Green Building Coalition, Inc. (FGBC) - A not-for-profit Florida corporation that promotes sustainability in the way buildings are designed, built and operated. The FGBC manages several

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

certification programs applicable to residential and nonresidential development, hosting education programs and providing resources for finding green products and professionals.

Florida Intrastate Highway System - A system of designated roadways created in 1990 by the Florida Legislature to provide for high-speed and high-volume traffic flow, including limited-and controlled-access facilities (e.g., Interstate highways, Florida’s Turnpike, expressways, and other facilities of regional significance). Functional Classification - The assignment of roads into categories according to the character of service they provide in relation to the total road network.

Goal - A long-term end toward which programs or activities are ultimately directed.

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) - Any of a variety of gases known to be transparent to incoming solar radiation but capable of absorbing reflected infrared radiation from the Earth’s surface. The principal greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and chlorofluorocarbons, among others. Greenhouse gases other than CO2 are often converted into CO2-equivalents.

Green Home Designation Standard – The Green Home Designation Standards are administered by the FGBC. The Green Home Designation Standards indicate the criteria by which a Florida home, new or existing, can be designated green.

Gross Acres - Total acreage of the City less bodies of water.

Gross Floor Area - Gross floor area of a structure shall be the total area of all floors, including stairwells, elevator shafts, etc., measured from the outside face of enclosing walls or supports. The Land Development Regulations may exempt parking areas and other qualified exemptions for land use types, building design, site layout and orientation features provided within a zoning district’s design guidelines from the calculation of gross floor area.

Ground water - Water in the saturated zone that is under pressure equal to or greater than atmospheric pressure.

Guideway Transit System - A transit system that operates on rails or a beam. This includes, but is not limited to, light rail, heavy rail, monorail and automated guideway.

Hazardous Waste - Solid waste, or a combination of solid wastes, which, because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics, may cause, or significantly contribute to, an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible or incapacitating reversible illness or may pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly transported, disposed of, stored, treated, or otherwise managed.

Hazardous Waste Management Plan - Specific procedures, objectives, requirements or other provisions for the systematic control of the collection, source separation, storage, transportation, processing, treatment, recovery, recycling and disposal of hazardous waste.

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Heat Island Effects - Elevated temperature observed in an area, especially urban settings. The concentration of energy use, combined with a density of heat absorptive surfaces and lack of natural cooling breezes, causes structures to retain heat and temperature to rise locally. Light-colored surfaces on buildings and pavements, such as achieved with concrete, significantly reduce the heat island effect.

Historic Resources - All areas, districts or sites containing properties listed on the Florida Master File, the National Register of Historic Places, or designated by the City as historically, architecturally, or archaeologically significant.

Household - A household includes all the persons who occupy a group of rooms or a single room which constitutes a housing unit.

Housing - Housing is basically shelter, but it also is privacy, location, environmental amenities, and, for many, an investment. As used in this Plan, the term is limited to the shelter aspect unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Housing Code - Standard used to determine whether an old or new structure is fit for human occupancy. The Housing Code is to insure maintenance and improvement of existing housing to meet accepted standards.

Housing Need - The number of housing accommodations required in order to provide all households with decent, safe and sanitary dwelling units which includes a sufficient number of vacant units to create a vacancy rate that will allow housing mobility and housing choice.

Housing Stock - The aggregate of individual housing units within the City. This term is used interchangeably with housing inventory in the element.

Housing Unit - A group of rooms or a single room is regarded as a housing unit when it is occupied as separate living quarters, that is, when the occupants do not live and eat with any other persons in the structure, and when there is either: 1) direct access from the outside of the building or a common hall, or 2) complete kitchen facilities for the exclusive use of the occupants of the household.

Hurricane Evacuation Clearance - The amount of time specified in the Pinellas County Hurricane Evacuation Plan Implementation Guide produced by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council for the safe evacuation of hurricane vulnerable areas.

Hurricane Shelter - A structure designated by local officials as a place of safe refuge during a storm or hurricane.

Hurricane Vulnerability Area - Area delineated by the Pinellas County Hurricane Evacuation Plan Implementation Guide produced by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council which will require evacuation in the event of a category 3 storm event.

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Hybrid Vehicle - A hybrid vehicle is one that uses two or more distinct power sources to propel the vehicle and achieve better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle.

Idle Speed - The minimum speed that will maintain the steerageway of a motorboat.

Income - All income earned by each adult member of the family, including gross wages, social security, Workman's Compensation, child support, and public assistance (exclusive of any amount designated for shelter and utilities), plus the income from assets that are over $5,000, or 10 percent of assets over $5,000, whichever is greater.

Induction Lighting - Gases can be excited directly by radio-frequency or microwaves from a coil that creates induced electromagnetic fields. This is called induction lighting and it differs from a conventional discharge, which uses electrodes to carry current into the arc. Induction lamps have no electrodes inside the chamber and therefore generally have longer life than standard lamps.

Infrastructure - Structures which serve the general population, such as sewage disposal systems, potable water systems and wells, waste disposal sites or retention areas; stormwater systems; utilities; piers; docks; shore protection structures; causeways; marinas; navigation channels; bridges and roadways.

Intelligent Transportation Systems - The application of advanced technology and operational strategies in an integrated manner to increase the effectiveness of the surface transportation system.

Intermodal Facilities - Transportation facilities which provide for linkages between travel modes, such as rail or bus stations at airports.

Land Development Regulation - An ordinance which enacts regulations to control the development of land; the regulations adopted by such an ordinance.

Landfill - A site using an engineered method to dispose of solid wastes on land by spreading the wastes in thin layers, compacting the wastes and applying covering materials at the end of each day's operation.

Large Tract Wildlife Area - An area of 100 acres or more in its natural, undeveloped state.

Leachate - Fluid that issues from a pile or cell of solid waste which contains water, dissolved waste and decomposition products from the solid waste. It can contaminate groundwater and drinking water supplies.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) - A third-party certification program operated by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED™ is a voluntary, consensus-based standard in the United States to develop high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED™ provides a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals.

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Level of Service - An indicator of the extent or degree of service provided by, or proposed to be provided by a facility based on and related to the operational characteristics of the facility. Level of service shall indicate the capacity per unit of demand for each public facility.

Light Emitting Diode (LED) - A solid that directly converts electrical impulses into light. Some LEDs today incorporate fluorescent materials to change the color characteristics of the emitted light.

Light Manufacturing/Assembly (Class A) - A use engaged in the manufacture (predominantly from previously prepared materials) of finished products or parts, including processing, fabrication, assembly, treatment, packaging, storage, sales, and distribution of such products consistent with such standards as may be prescribed in the City Code. This use shall not include or allow for any exterior storage or exterior processing of equipment or materials of any kind.

Living Marine Resources - Oceanic or estuarine plants or animals, such as mangroves, seagrasses, algae, coral reefs, and living marine habitat; fish, shellfish, crustacea and fisheries; and sea turtles and marine mammals.

Local Road - A roadway providing service which is of relatively low traffic volume, short average trip length or minimal through traffic movements, and high volume land access for abutting property.

Low Income Household - A household is considered low income if its annual income is between 50 and 80 percent of the median income of the area as determined by HUD, with adjustments for smaller or larger families or other special regional factors.

Major Streets - Higher order roads that exist primarily to provide mobility for people and goods and interconnect residential and nonresidential areas. Major streets in St. Petersburg include the Interstate system, principal arterials, minor arterials, collectors and neighborhood collectors. Local roads or service roads that carry low traffic volumes, short trips and exist primarily to provide access to property are not considered major streets.

Marina - A dock or basin providing secure moorings for boats.

Maximum Peak Hour Service Volume - The maximum number of vehicles which have a reasonable expectation of passing over a given roadway section or through a given intersection under prevailing road and traffic conditions during a specified hour of time.

Mean High Water (MHW) - The average height of the high waters over an approximate 19-year period.

Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) - A federally mandated decision-making body for an urbanized area over 50,000 in population, to serve as the transportation planning agency for the area.

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Minerals - All solid minerals, including clay, gravel, phosphate rock, lime, shells (excluding live shellfish), stone, sand, heavy minerals, and any rare earths, which are contained in the soils or waters of the state.

Missing Middle Housing – Housing that encompasses a range of smaller, multi-unit or clustered housing types (such as shotgun, skinny, duplex, triplex, fourplex, courtyard apartment, bungalow court, townhouse, multiplex, and live/work units), which are compatible in scale and design with single-family homes, and are designed to encourage walking, biking, and transit use. A density bonus of up to 30 dwelling units per acre is being offered to incentivize Missing Middle housing in the Residential Medium (RM), Planned Redevelopment – Residential (PR-R) and Planned Redevelopment – Mixed Use (PR-MU) land use categories.

Mixed Use - A site that has a combination of different land uses, such as residential, office and retail.

Mobile Home - A structure, transportable in one or more sections, which is built on a metal frame and designed to be used as a dwelling with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities, and includes the plumbing, heating, air conditioning and electrical systems contained therein. Mode - The specific method chosen to make a trip. Typical modes are: walking, bicycling, motorcycle, automobile, van, taxi, bus and rail transit.

National Ambient Air Quality Standards - Minimum air quality standards established by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.

Natural Drainage Features - The naturally occurring features of an area which accommodates the flow of stormwater such as streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands.

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) - A Federal program aimed at reducing the impact of flooding on private and public structures. The program provides insurance for property owners and encourages communities to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations. Overall, the program reduces the socio-economic impact of disasters by promoting the purchase and retention of Risk Insurance in general, and National Flood Insurance in particular.

Natural Reservations - Areas designated for conservation purposes, and operated by contractual agreement with or managed by a federal, state, regional or local government or nonprofit agency such as: national parks, state parks, lands purchased under Save our Coast, Conservation and Recreation Lands or Save our Rivers programs, sanctuaries, preserves, monuments, archaeological sites, historic sites, wildlife management areas, national seashores, and outstanding Florida waters.

Neighborhood Collector - A specialized type of collector road. While they function as a collector, they primarily serve residential areas. Designation as a neighborhood collector is intended to recognize the role that the roadway plays in the overall thoroughfare system while acknowledging the importance of preserving adjacent residential neighborhoods through traffic calming techniques.

Chapter One, General Introduction City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Net Acres - Total developable acreage.

Net Residential Acreage - Buildable residential acres used to calculate the allowable number of dwelling units on a site.

Nuisance Exotic Plant Species - the following are classified as nuisance exotic plants; brazilian pepper, punk tree and australian pine.

Objective - A specific, measurable, intermediate end that is achievable and marks progress toward a goal.

One hundred (100) Year Flood - A flood level with a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The 100 year flood level in St. Petersburg is roughly 9 (nine) feet above mean sea level.

Open space - Undeveloped lands suitable for passive recreation or conservation uses.

Overriding Public Interest (test) - Actions required by local, state or federal government necessary for the promotion of the public safety, health and general welfare. In determining whether there is an overriding public interest for a project or activity, the following criteria shall be considered and balanced:

1. The public benefit to be derived from the project or activity;

2. The degree to which the current condition and relative value of functions being performed by areas affected by the proposed project or activity are degraded;

3. The degree to which the project or activity will adversely affect the public health, safety, or welfare, or property of others;

4. The degree to which the project or activity will adversely affect the conservation of fish and wildlife, including endangered or threatened species, or their habitats;

5. The degree to which the project or activity will adversely affect or enhance significant historic and archaeologic resources;

6. If the project or activity will be of a temporary or permanent nature; and

7. Availability of alternatives which avoid or minimize adverse impacts.

In deciding to recommend for or against a project or activity, measures to mitigate the adverse effects of the proposal shall be required.

Owner - Any person or entity, including a cooperative or a public housing authority (PHA), having the legal right to sell, lease, or sublease any form of real property.

Chapter One, General Introduction City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Package Treatment Plants - Small scale treatment systems which have a collection network, treatment plant, and disposal system. Their capacities are available in a range up to one million gallons per day.

Park - A neighborhood, community, or regional park.

Passive Recreation - Recreational activities which are low to moderate in physical demands, such as nature appreciation, bird watching, and picnicking.

Pedestrian Facilities - Any corridor that safely accommodates pedestrian traffic, such as sidewalks and off-road trails.

Pinellas County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) - The Pinellas County Local Mitigation Strategy, originally adopted in 1998 and subsequently updated in 2004, 2009 and 2014, is a plan that serves as a bridge between local governments’ comprehensive growth management plans, the county comprehensive emergency management plan, land development regulations, and relevant ordinances and codes such as those for floodplain management. This strategy integrates mitigation initiatives established through various policies, programs, and regulations into a single stand-alone working document.

Pinellas Mobility Major Investment Study - A study that was initiated to provide a collaborative decision-making forum for determining transportation investments appropriate to meet the needs of current and future Pinellas County residents and visitors. Alternative multi-modal transportation strategies were examined in an effort to serve land use patterns, manage traffic congestion and protect the environment.

Playground - A recreation area with play apparatus.

Policy - A way in which programs and activities are conducted to achieve an identified goal.

Pollution - The presence in the outdoor atmosphere, ground or water of any substances, contaminants, noise, or man-made or man-induced alteration of the chemical, physical, biological, or radiological integrity of air, water, in quantities or at levels which are or may be potentially harmful or injurious to human health or welfare, animal or plant life, or property, or unreasonably interfere with the enjoyment of life or property.

Potable Water - Water which is satisfactory for drinking, culinary, and domestic purposes and which meets the appropriate requirements of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Potable Water Facilities - A system of structures designed, constructed or used to collect, treat or distribute potable water, which includes water wells, treatment plants, reservoirs and distribution mains.

Potentiometric Level - The height to which water will rise in tightly cased wells that penetrate an aquifer.

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Potentiometric Surface - Sum of potentiometric levels over a specified area.

Premium Transit System - A transit system comprised of passenger rail and/or premium bus services.

Preservation Areas - Areas which, because of their natural conditions such as vegetative communities, water table and flood hazard boundaries, are designated by land use or zoning by the City of St. Petersburg as preservation, limiting the location and extent of development in these areas so as to preserve the natural value of the property.

Private Recreation Sites - Sites owned by private, commercial or nonprofit entities available to the public for purposes of recreational use.

Public Access - The ability of the public to physically reach, enter or use a site for recreation.

Public Recreation Sites - Sites owned or leased on a long-term basis by a federal, state or local governmental agency for purposes of recreational use.

Pull-Out Bay - Paved area adjacent to roadways where motor vehicles can pull out of travel lanes to load and unload passengers.

Recreation - The pursuit of leisure time activities occurring in an indoor or outdoor setting.

Recreation Facility - A component of a recreation site used by the public such as a trail, court, athletic field or swimming pool.

Recreational Uses - Activities within areas where recreation occurs.

Recycling – Reprocessing of discarded materials into new, useful products; not the same as reuse of materials for their original purpose, but the terms are often used interchangeably.

Regional Park - A park designed to serve two or more communities.

Resource Recovery - The extraction of useful materials or energy from waste. Recoverable materials generally are extracted mechanically and may include paper, glass and metals which can be reprocessed and used again. Recovered energy generally is extracted through combustion.

Resident Population - Inhabitants counted in the same manner used by the United States Bureau of the Census, in the category of total population. Resident population does not include seasonal population.

Resources, Renewable - Resources normally replaced or replenished by natural processes; resources not depleted by moderate use; examples include solar energy, biological resources such as forests and fisheries, biological organisms and some biogeochemical cycles.

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Right-of-Way - Land in which the state, county, or a municipality owns the fee simple title or has an easement or other right to use the land for transportation purposes. A public right-of-way, however created or established, may be used by the public for vehicular or pedestrian travel but might not be owned by a governmental agency. Unless the context indicates otherwise, the term does not ordinarily include an easement for use only by public utility service providers.

Roofs, Cool - Energy-efficient roofing systems that reflect the sun’s radiant energy before it penetrates the interior of the building. These systems can reduce the building’s energy requirements for air conditioning.

Roofs, Green - A green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and soil, or a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems.

Saturated Zone - The subsurface zone in which all voids are filled with water.

Seasonal Population - Part-time inhabitants who utilize, or may be expected to utilize, public facilities or services, but are not residents. Seasonal population shall include tourists, migrant farm workers, and other short-term and long-term visitors.

Seawall - A structure separating land and water areas and designed to prevent erosion and other damage due to wave action.

Septic Tanks - Generally these are used to serve single housing units, but they can be larger. They consist of a septic tank and a drainage field. The tank receives wastewater from the home for a settling period of the suspended solids. These suspended solids are gradually decomposed by the bacteria found in the tank. The remaining liquids are discharged through underground drainage pipes to a drainfield where the liquid percolates into the soil. Generally septic tanks require cleaning every three to five years.

Severely Incompatible - A condition whereby a particular previously lawful use or uses pose an immediate or imminent threat to the public health, safety and welfare because of its proximity to an allowable use.

Sludge - The accumulated solid residues of the wastewater treatment process. It is usually subjected to additional treatment to stabilize organic materials. Disposal methods include burial in solid waste landfills and use as a soil conditioner for agricultural purposes.

Soil Association - The distinctive soil pattern consisting of one or more major soils and at least one minor soil; used to identify large tracts of land for soils characteristics and limitations.

Soil Type - The groups of soil components as established by the Soil Conservation Service for which percolation rates, level of water table, pH, composition, and suitability for development have been identified.

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Solar Design, Active - Electrical or mechanical technologies that reduce or eliminate the use of fossil fuels and electricity for heating, cooling, and building lighting. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic panels, solar thermal collectors, with electrical or mechanical equipment, to convert sunlight into useful outputs.

Solar Design, Passive - Design strategies that reduce or eliminate the use of fossil fuels and electricity for heating, cooling, and building lighting. Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air.

Solar Power - Solar energy is the radiant light and heat from the Sun. Solar power refers to the ever-evolving technologies used to harness solar energy. Solar power technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on the way they capture, convert and distribute sunlight.

Solid Waste - Sludge from a waste treatment works, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility or garbage, rubbish, refuse, or other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semisolid, or contained gaseous material resulting from domestic, industrial, commercial, mining, agricultural, or governmental operations.

Special Housing Needs - As used in the Housing Element, these are housing needs of special populations, such as handicapped, rural and farm worker households and the homeless.

Stormwater - The flow of water which results from a rainfall event.

State land planning agency - Means the Department of Economic Opportunity. (163.3164, F.S.)

Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) - is a statewide network of high-priority transportation facilities, including the state's largest and most significant commercial service airports, spaceport, deepwater seaports, freight rail terminals, passenger rail and intercity bus terminals, rail corridors, waterways and highways.

Structural Conditions - A means of characterizing structures in terms of their physical condition and appearance. Four condition levels are recognized:

1. Excellent - structures that are structurally sound and whose components express excellent and continual maintenance and no signs of wear.

2. Sound - structures that are structurally sound and in good condition, but whose components are beginning to show signs of wear or deferred maintenance.

3. Deteriorated - structures that are structurally sound, but whose components show obvious signs of aging, continued lack of maintenance and decay.

4. Dilapidated - structures which do not provide safe and adequate shelter, and which endanger the health, safety and well-being of occupants. Structurally unsound.

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Substandard - Substandard units are defined here in terms of physical condition, and include deteriorating and dilapidated units or nonconformance with codes and standards.

Sustainable Development - A pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but in the indefinite future.

Telecommuting - An arrangement whereby employees work at a location other than the conventional office site, usually from home or an office close to home.

Therapeutic Recreation - Recreational activities to improve physical, mental and emotional functioning and overall quality of life for special groups such as young children, elderly, the physically and developmentally challenged.

Traffic Calming - A measure that is implemented to reduce speeding traffic, reduce crashes and discourage cut-through traffic, thereby increasing safety and enhancing quality of life and the neighborhood environment. Many different traffic calming techniques exist, such as narrowed lanes, neck downs, chicanes, roundabouts, landscaped medians, a brick or stamped concrete surface, speed humps and diverters.

Transportation Concurrency Exception Area - A specific geographic area or areas delineated in the Comprehensive Plan designed to reduce the adverse impact that transportation concurrency may have on urban infill development and redevelopment and the achievement of other goals and policies of the state comprehensive plan, such as promoting urban infill development, urban redevelopment, downtown revitalization and public transportation. Under limited circumstances, it allows exception to the transportation concurrency requirement.

Transportation Demand Management (TDM) - The implementation of low-cost strategies to help reduce the demand for transportation facilities by encouraging alternatives to the single-occupant vehicle and by altering local peak hour travel demand. TDM strategies focus on behavioral changes rather than facility improvement and may include ridesharing programs, public transportation, flexible work hours, telecommuting, shuttle services and parking management.

Transportation Disadvantaged - Those persons who, because of physical or mental disability, income status, or age are unable to transport themselves or to purchase transportation and are, therefore, dependent on others to obtain access to health care, employment, education, shopping, social activities, or other life-sustaining activities. These persons also include children who are disabled or high-risk as defined in Ch. 411, F.S.

Transportation Management Plan - A transportation management plan (TMP) is required for development projects that add a significant number of new vehicular trips to roads with high levels of traffic congestion. A TMP can include strategies such as trail, sidewalk, bus stop and intersection improvements, trip reduction programs such as vanpooling or telecommuting, and provision of traditional design features.

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Transportation System Management (TSM) - The implementation of low-cost capital improvements that improve mobility by optimizing the efficiency of the existing transportation system. TSM strategies can significantly improve the traffic flow on congested streets where reconstruction is not an option because of cost or disruption to the natural or built environment. TSM strategies include monitoring and adjusting traffic signal timing to improve traffic flow, adding or lengthening turn lanes at intersections, access management techniques and Intelligent Transportation System projects.

Treatment Actions - Preventive or remedial actions that may be taken to maintain the quality of the housing stock; including:

1. Conservation - on-going maintenance routine involving regular replacement or repair of physical components as, or before, they deteriorate in order to maintain conformance to initial standards throughout the structure's useful life.

2. Rehabilitation - repair or replacement of deteriorated or nonconforming aspects of existing structures to prolong their useful life or bring them into conformance with contemporary standards.

3. Restoration - rehabilitation that involves repair or duplication of historically or aesthetically significant features.

4. Redevelopment - demolition and replacement of dilapidated structures.

United States Green Building Council (USGBC) - A not-for-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in the way buildings are designed, built and operated. The USGBC is best known for the development of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) rating system.

Usable Open Space - Land that is designated for open space that is accessible to the public’s use as passive recreation.

Unusable Open Space - Open space lands that are not accessible to the general public such as Interstate medians and parkways.

Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) - The number of miles traveled by motor vehicles in a specified period of time, such as a day or a year, by a number of motorists in absolute or per capita terms. One vehicle traveling the distance of one mile equals one VMT.

Velocity Zone - That portion of the coastal 100 year flood plain which would be inundated by tidal surge with velocity wave action; generally indicates the inland extent of a three (3) foot breaking wave.

Very Low Income Family - A family is very low income if its adjusted income does not exceed 50 percent of the median income of the area as determined by HUD, with adjustments for family size.

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Waste-to-Energy (WTE) - Waste to Energy (WTE) is a range of processes usually associated with municipal waste (but also used for industrial waste) where the waste is burned, gasified or digested at a high temperature. Heat energy is recovered from these processes (usually in the form of heat) and is reclaimed to produce steam and/or generate electricity.

Water Dependent - Activities which can only be carried out on, in or adjacent to water areas because the use requires access to a water body.

Water Enhanced - Activities that are not dependent upon waterfront access but whose value, exclusive of property value, is increased due to location on or accessibility to the water.

Water Related - Activities that are not directly dependent upon access to a water body, but which provide goods and services that are directly associated with water dependent or waterway uses.

Water Table - The surface of an unconfined aquifer, defined by the level at which water stands in wells that penetrate the water body far enough to hold standing water.

Xeriscaping - Water efficient landscaping using techniques such as limited turf areas, efficient irrigation, mulches, and native plants.

Zoning Ordinance - An ordinance whose purpose is to control the use, intensity and dimensional characteristics of development for specific locations. In the City of St. Petersburg, the term means the Land Development Regulations.

1.8 POPULATION CHANGES AND PROJECTED GROWTH

St. Petersburg’s rate of population growth has varied in the last two decades. In recent years, the city has experienced an annualized growth rate of approximately 1%. There were slightly more than 258,000 city residents reported in the 2020 U.S. Census and American Community Survey. The below graph shows the historic population growth for the past fifty years. The overall population has grown by approximately 42,000 residents, which represents a 19% population increase since the 1970 U.S. Census.

Chapter One, General Introduction City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Historic Population Growth

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Based on past trends, the growth projection for St. Petersburg is in a range between 0.6% and 1.0% of new residents per year. Therefore by 2050, it is anticipated that the city could have between 327,000 and 367,000 residents. This reflects an overall potential increase of 68,000 to 108,000 residents or 2,266 to 3,600 additional residents per year. The below graph shows the range of population projections from low (source: Southwest Florida Water Management District), medium-low (source: Forward Pinellas, the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization), medium-high (source: StPete2050 and Landwise Advisors), and high (University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research).

Population Projections

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GID-35 Effective 06/2024

VISION ELEMENT

2.1 Introduction 2.2 Citizen Based Themes 2.3 City Framework: Neighborhoods - Centers - Corridors ISSUE: St. Pete Vision 2020

2.1 INTRODUCTION

St. Petersburg is a unique community with many assets atypical of cities this size throughout the country. A beautiful waterfront parks system, a well-developed traffic dispersal grid system, traditional and suburban style neighborhoods, a bustling downtown and other city centers, abundant sunshine and many amenities provide for a high quality of life. St. Petersburg also has a rich history of planning which is outlined in a book by Bruce R. Stephenson, Vision of Eden, Environmentalism, Urban Planning and City Building in St. Petersburg, Florida, 1900 - 1995. These efforts have included the John Nolen Plan of the 20's, the Bartholomew Plan of the 40's, the Citywide Conceptual Plan of 1974 and others which have provided a framework to recognize and protect our great assets.

The John Nolen Plan

Organized planning began in St. Petersburg with several plans developed by John Nolen in the 1920's. Nolen was the premier town planner of the time period and the Nolen Plans reinforced the importance of the park system, civic buildings and wide boulevards. Many of the cherished character defining features of St. Petersburg today reflect the important planning activities of this time period.

The Bartholomew Plan

City-wide planning continued in the 1940's with the Harland Bartholomew Plan. The Bartholomew Plan focused on many city-wide issues including education and school building for a rapidly expanding population. The Bartholomew Plan is most noted for the continued and strengthening development of the street grid pattern. The Bartholomew Plan set the groundwork for the development of the automobile-oriented commercial corridors throughout our City today.

The Citywide Conceptual Plan of 1974

The last city-wide planning effort consisted of The Conceptual Plan of 1974. The Conceptual Plan reflected the desire to alter many of the negative construction practices of the 1950's era such as the small, poorly constructed, mass-produced housing stock built shortly after World War II. This planning effort reinforced the quality, suburban style neighborhoods of the south, west and north edges of St. Petersburg.

Each plan described above has provided St. Petersburg with a solid direction and has kept many of the elements in place that define the character of St. Petersburg. Vision 2020 also strives to

Chapter Two, Vision Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

maintain continuity with these earlier planning efforts by taking the best each have to offer and apply them to our new circumstances.

St. Pete Vision 2020

The Vision 2020 process was born from concern by neighborhood activists, Planning Commissioners, City Council, City staff and the development community over construction and renovation activities that were difficult and often yielded unsatisfactory results.

Vision 2020 was designed to be a true dialogue exploring the nature of the community today and expectations for the future. It facilitated open discussion of many aspects of the City through the use of several techniques that included the perspective of national experts, City staff, the 2020 steering committee and a broad spectrum of over 375 citizen leaders and delegates. The goal was to create a setting for a productive discussion of commonly held values through Citizen Based Themes that should be considered in all subsequent community activities.

The sequence of the Charrette included several steps to facilitate a multi-party discussion that could be inclusive, informative and constructive. This included the following elements:

• Lecture series with community discussion.
• Citizen based photography and data gathering.
• Charrette with Themes, Framework and Visioning exercises resulting in various action items, indicators of success, and summary documents.

A Vision for St. Petersburg in 2020

St. Petersburg is a unique and special place. It is blessed with a geography between the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay that provides a natural setting matched by few waterfront cities anywhere in the world. This natural beauty has drawn a rich diversity of people, culture, art and architecture making St. Petersburg an outstanding place to live, work, play and learn for 100 years. It is appropriate that at least once every generation, the community pauses to evaluate itself for the benefit of present and future generations. Due in part to a rich planning history that began in the 1920’s with landscape architect John Nolen, St. Petersburg residents feel a strong sense of community stewardship. Residents of all races, religions and cultures have a meaningful history of public activism and civic contribution.

Now, at the Millennium, the community looks forward to the year 2020. It has taken a powerful new approach to planning the future based on an extensive public process. This new “Values-Based Planning Approach” employed extensive citizen participation. This eight week process included an active dialogue between over 375 residents and city officials in search of commonly held values.

Results of Vision 2020 include:

• An Overall Vision 2020 Mission Statement for the future written by Citizen Delegates.
• 15 Citizen Based Themes with Mission Statements and Desired Outcomes for the future.

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• A City Framework of Neighborhoods, Centers and Corridors with Action Items derived from the Citizen Based Themes.
• A Desire and Commitment to Ensure the Vision through a continuing process that includes the voices and thoughts of the entire community.

This summary is intended to provide the citizens of St. Petersburg an overview of Vision 2020, and an invitation to be involved in this ongoing process. For more information, visit the City’s website at http://www.stpete.org or contact the planning department, One 4th Street North, St. Petersburg, Florida.

Overall Mission Statement as identified by Vision 2020 Delegates

St. Petersburg is a vibrant, cosmopolitan community in which to live, play, learn and work. All of its citizens, neighborhoods and businesses collaborate in its development.

St. Petersburg maintains its unique sense of place and economic vitality while preserving its history, diversity and lush natural beauty. St. Petersburg provides a safe, clean sustainable environment with a spectacular waterfront to be enjoyed by all of its residents and visitors.

2.2 CITIZEN BASED THEMES

These Citizen Based Themes enable the act of City planning to become dynamic.

Quantitative approaches to planning succeed in accomplishing desired standards, but they can leave the community with an undesirable built condition. A qualitative approach based on Values and Themes, proactively directs decisions toward the desired outcomes of place. The relationship between decisions and results become clear as every action can be evaluated against indicators of success - does this action support the Themes? This Values-based system will require new ways of thinking as different approaches to existing standards and planning concepts may be necessary to achieve the desired outcome.

The Community also envisioned the physical places where implementation of the Citizen Based Themes would take place. All areas of the peninsula are now urbanized and the City has become a more dynamic and complex place than the resort community first described by John Nolen in 1923. After more than 100 years of development, St. Petersburg is truly a City that has become “built out.” Little “raw land” sites are now available for growth. Rather, the City must look inward to redevelopment and reinvestment. A discussion of the basic existing physical structure of the community led to a City Framework with specific actions designed to:

• Strengthen and protect the unique character of existing urban and suburban Neighborhoods consistent with the Citizen Based Themes.

• Redevelop, enhance, and intensify mixed used Development Corridors and mixed use Centers as improved community places consistent with the Themes. The Themes and Framework were summarized by the participants in a global Vision Statement for the City

Chapter Two, Vision Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

in the year 2020. It is unusual that so many people would come together to clearly state their committed desire to build a better community.

Quality of Life Mission Statement:

St. Petersburg will ensure its future as an outstanding community to live, work, play and learn. This qualitative approach will form a model sustainable city that achieves social, environmental and economic fairness and mutual success. The best traditions of the City shall be preserved and enhanced while creating new traditions and a strengthened quality of life for all.

Likes:

Unique Sense of Place, Diversity, Neighborhood Identity, Sense of Urban and Natural Beauty, Small Town/Family Focus, Historic Preservation, Neighborhood friendly schools, Celebration of Community, Access to the waterfront.

Dislikes:

Poorly Performing Schools, Crime in some areas, Sprawl Areas, Lack of Community Centers or Park Activities, Adult Businesses, Inferiority Complex with Tampa.

Results of a successful 2020 Vision Include:

• Enhancement of historic themes.
• Strengthened and enhanced neighborhoods.
• Protected and enhanced waterfront.
• High quality schools.
• Renewed commitment to arts and cultural programs.
• New partnerships with mixed and shared uses.
• Reduced bureaucracy.
• Community of choice to live, work, play and learn.

Appearance Mission Statement:

St. Petersburg is a beautiful subtropical city. Our streets and public spaces are our shared public space. Future development will result in quality and function of architecture, landscape, signage, lighting, streets, and street furniture. All members of our community shall take pride in maintaining their property and share in creating a pleasing visual environment.

Likes:

Historic buildings and neighborhoods, large trees, neighborhood markers, small brick streets and hex pavers, adaptive re-use of quality old buildings, city street tree planting program.

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Dislikes:

Visual blight, especially associated with many large roads, extensive asphalt parking without trees, unattractive newspaper boxes and bus stops, sign proliferation, destruction of historic buildings, loss of brick streets and hex pavers, poor design of new buildings and development, vacant/unkempt properties, code violations, openly visible public power plants and roadway utilities.

Results of a successful 2020 Vision Include:

• Beautiful buildings and roads.
• Renewed St. Petersburg ‘traditions’ such as brick streets, hex pavers, decorative lamps, street trees, and unique/local architecture.
• Revised/renewed commitment to appropriate codes and standards of design for architecture, signage, landscape and site planning to ensure quality and beauty.
• Incentives to encourage beautification.
• Reduced road widths to enhance appearance and pedestrian feeling.

Neighborhoods Mission Statement:

St. Petersburg will have beautiful, strong, healthy and safe neighborhoods. The neighborhood unit shall be the basic building block for social equity and shared enjoyment of St. Petersburg's unique quality of life. The distinct character of each neighborhood shall be recognized, and each neighborhood shall have a voice and be protected and enhanced as the city continues to evolve.

Likes:

Historic designs, diversity of choices, affordability, new construction/reinvestment complementing surroundings, large trees, neighborhood markers, small brick streets and hex paver sidewalks, adaptive re-use of quality old buildings.

Dislikes:

Impacts of large commercial development, neglect of poor neighborhoods, lack of quality affordable housing, disconnection from schools and programs, high crime in some areas, dilapidated/vacant structures, lack of proximate grocery/daily needs shopping, neighborhoods sharply divided by large roads.

Results of a successful 2020 Vision Include:

• Stable, safe and successful neighborhoods for everyone.
• Protection from large commercial development.
• Locally based businesses with neighborhood needs.
• Strong relationship to parks, neighborhood schools and community buildings.
• Variety of quality housing choices within neighborhoods.
• Quality neighborhood revitalization/reinvestment.

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Education Mission Statement:

St. Petersburg will be a community of life long learning. Schools shall be the centers of neighborhood life, providing parks, recreation, community center, day care, mentoring, and high quality learning opportunities for all. Educational facilities are viewed as social assets to which citizens feel positively connected.

Likes:

Grandeur of older buildings, quality of education in some schools, community participation of USF and other institutions.

Dislikes:

Schools undervalued asset, lack of maintenance/disrepair of many older schools, location of new schools on large roads, disconnection between neighborhoods and student body, poor appearance of new schools, portables, inability to access schools for community use.

Results of a successful 2020 Vision Include:

• A system of beautiful neighborhood and community schools, safely accessible by car, bicycle or foot.
• Joint use recreation opportunities after school. Education and activities.
• Child care and mentoring programs.

Economic Development Mission Statement:

St. Petersburg shall be a community of economic diversity, strength and self-sufficiency, resulting in a growth economy. Mixed use centers shall be vital with service, professional and technology businesses that provide economic stability. All areas of the city make meaningful and stable economic contributions as well as manifesting a beautiful built environment. Economic initiatives shall be prioritized and executed based on creating partnerships and social equity.

Likes:

Recent downtown reinvestment, active downtown after 5 PM, new housing choices such as renovated apartments and new townhomes, city incentives to local businesses, city assistance to local artists, low unemployment, tourism, unique identity from Tampa.

Dislikes:

Lack of progress in some areas, too many low paying jobs, not enough higher paying jobs, abandoned shopping centers, lack of clear city plan for many key areas such as downtown, inferiority complex with Tampa.

Results of a successful 2020 Vision Include:

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• Long range comprehensive redevelopment strategy that identifies the economic landscape, future opportunities, and marketing approaches.
• Develop diverse and independent economic base.
• Re-emergence of locally owned/niche business districts.
• Socio/cultural/economic integration.
• Center and Corridor’ re-investment – residential and commercial mixed use.
• Successful Southside reinvestment.
• Economically successful arts community.

Arts & Culture Mission Statement:

St. Petersburg is a city where arts and culture are integral to the daily lives of residents and visitors. The arts are experienced in public spaces throughout the City and are integral to planning, design, zoning, infrastructure, transportation and other development. The City is committed to the development of art activities, experiences, and programs that are economically and physically accessible and that appeal to diverse ages and communities. The City is committed to the expansion and support of its library system as a cultural resource.

Likes:

Diverse offering of museum, theater and cultural experiences, recent start-up artist spaces, civic events.

Dislikes:

Lack of regular museum hours, continued financial struggles of many artists and theaters, lack of visible art throughout city, lack of support or inclusion of local artists in many public or private projects, lack of recognition of art/culture as economic engine, lack of incorporation of art into public projects such as Pinellas Trail.

Results of a successful 2020 Vision Include:

• Consistent community involvement/use of cultural facilities and programs.
• A city of visible art and lively culture.
• Financial stability and sustainable funding through city actions, private partners and art institutions.
• City commitment to cultural programs and inclusion of art in capital improvement efforts.
• Sufficient and appropriate facilities.
• Integration of arts with education system.
• Develop a public art master plan.

Transportation Mission Statement:

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St. Petersburg will have a livable balance of connected transportation options for all of its citizens. Pedestrian and bicycle facilities shall be designed, encouraged and celebrated as indicators of a healthy city. Public transit shall be sensitive to the context of neighborhoods and integrated into future economic and development plans.

Likes:

City plan/grid system, alleys, pedestrian scale of many areas, compact downtown core, proximity to airports and seaports, trolley buses.

Dislikes:

Lack of quality public transportation, plain ‘big box’ buses in neighborhoods, large bus exhaust, one way streets, paving over brick streets & removal of hexagonal pavers, unsafe/unsightly corridors such as US 19/34th Street, traffic congestion.

Results of a successful 2020 Vision Include:

• ‘Pedestrian first’ design.
• Balance of auto, bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
• Enhanced public/multi-modal transportation.
• Reduced one-way streets.
• Traffic calming.
• Examination of I-175 and I-375 spurs for possible redesign or reduction in length.
• Safe access for children to schools and parks.
• Reduced mandatory requirements for accommodating the automobile.
• A great public transit system that everyone can access in all areas of the city and region.
• A great public transit system that enhances the property values and quality of life in the areas in which it runs.
• A beautiful network of streets with canopy trees, bricks and hexagonal paver sidewalks.

Social Equity Mission Statement:

St. Petersburg will achieve fairness and equality for its citizens. All races and cultures will be celebrated, enjoying their diversity, and participating and claiming ownership in the process of building community. All citizens shall have an equal opportunity to enjoy the physical, social and economic benefits of St. Petersburg; and there shall be a relationship of trust and respect between all citizens and their governance structures.

Likes:

Diversity of people and cultures, variety of neighborhood choices, recent planning/investment efforts into Southside.

Dislikes:

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Perception that north side is favored over south side neighborhoods, Dome and other impacts to historic Southside neighborhoods, lack of community infrastructure in Southside, lack of minority owned businesses, slow progress in racial integration, number of homeless not receiving assistance, unequal tax assessment.

Results of a successful 2020 Vision Include:

• A city of strong neighborhoods, each with a neighborhood plan.
• Consistent neighborhood assets such as parks and calm streets.
• A civic realm that helps instill pride and individual sense of community.
• Accelerate quality affordable housing programs.
• Improved citizen involvement, police assistance and positive media regarding Southside successes.
• Celebration of cultures and culturally specific events, pride in the diversity of the Southside and other areas of the city.
• Create more diverse and economically accessible downtown housing.
• Support economically integrated housing.
• Successful locally owned businesses and support/assistance for minority owned businesses.
• New elderly and homeless programs.
• Outreach to distressed areas and encouragement to participate and succeed in building community.

Human & Social Services Mission Statement:

St. Petersburg will be a community of physical, mental and spiritual well-being. All members of the community will have community systems they can access to help themselves find stability and improve their situation. No person shall be without hope.

Likes:

YMCA and area hospitals/health organizations, outreach programs, business mentoring programs and other partnerships with schools, homeless shelters.

Dislikes:

High crime and drug use areas, concentrated areas of homeless, lack of day care and after school activities/mentoring, limited assistance programs in many areas, citizens in many areas of city not utilizing available programs.

Results of a successful 2020 Vision Include:

• Increased sense of community.
• Increased availability of services - especially medical and childcare.
• Increased literacy and adult education.
• Increased per capita income.

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• Increased outreach to provide assistance to everyone who wants it.
• Local control of education, pride in schools and values of education.
• New partnerships with local businesses and government.
• Decrease in drug use and crime.

Parks & Leisure Mission Statement:

St. Petersburg will be a community of parks dedicated to the purposes of rest, reflection, recreation and social interaction. Parks shall be easily accessible to everyone and they shall be interlinked through a system of tree - canopied sidewalks, bikeways, greenways, waterways when present, and trails that provide connectivity and a sense of place and identity to all areas of the city. The park system shall promote responsiveness to each neighborhood and citizen need, and shall provide beauty and meaning through art, ornament, education, environmental demonstration, and well-maintained garden architecture and recreational facilities.

Likes:

Cultural and special events, museums, parks and Pinellas Trail.

Dislikes:

Poorly amenitized parks, loss of public access to waterfront, new Pier buildings, poor access to trail and parks, limited public art in the community, lack of quality neighborhood parks in some areas of the City.

Results of a successful 2020 Vision Include:

• Beautiful parks and trails system.
• Easy pedestrian access to parks and trails, parks and community centers serving all neighborhoods and children.
• Parks serving diverse user groups.
• Inclusion of canals and re-opened drainage ways in citywide parks and open space system, including Booker Creek.
• Public art programs included in all parks.
• Acquisition programs for future/retrofit parks.
• A citywide parks master plan that provides hierarchy of neighborhood, community and regional parks accessible through an interconnected system of bikeways, trails and greenways.

Natural Environment Mission Statement:

St. Petersburg will be a model of sustainable living. St. Petersburg will protect and enhance the natural systems that provide the resources of land, air, water, and vegetation. St. Petersburg will reflect an awareness of ourselves as part of a larger system upon which we are dependent for our mental, physical, spiritual and economic well-being.

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Likes:

Natural scenic beauty, waterfront accessibility, natural waterways, beaches, marina, waterfront park, Lake Maggiore, Crescent Lake, Clam Bayou, environmental features.

Dislikes:

Lack of recycling program, air quality, wasteful watering and stormwater practices, lack of natural wild space or preservation areas, polluted storm drainage canal and ponds, no clear policies or programs on best practices or pollutants, large homes backing up to waterfront, can’t fish in polluted lakes.

Results of a successful 2020 Vision Include:

• Clean environment/sustainability themes.
• Citywide natural resource inventory leading to increased restoration efforts and stand alone element in Comprehensive Plan.
• Maximize permeable surfaces and increase stormwater recharge.
• Increased funding/grants/incentives for ‘green’ design, building and practices.
• Educate the public regarding chemicals, pesticides and other pollutants.
• Build a ‘sustainable/green house’ demonstration project.
• Build an environmental/biological magnet school built with green technology.
• Xeriscape/irrigation/reclaimed water ordinances.
• Curbside recycling program.
• Cleaner water and air.
• Enhanced drainage ways creating citywide system of linear parks.

Governance Mission Statement:

St. Petersburg will have governance structures that facilitate the successful implementation of shared community values and important public interests through concise, effective and understandable laws and regulations. These governance structures support social, physical and economic fairness and mutual support. They facilitate maximum political access, empowerment to its citizens and seek to include the voices of those who are not easily heard.

Likes:

Accessibility to City Council meetings, neighborhood planning process, recent city commitment to Southside program.

Dislikes:

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Lack of political accountability, lack of citizen communication, too many exceptions and variances, difficult to work with city planning/review departments, lack of city planning-especially in downtown, takes too long to resolve problems, inadequate/inappropriate zoning and land development standards, ineffectual codes and neighborhood design review.

Results of a successful 2020 Vision Include:

• Enhanced citizen empowerment participation and input.
• Revise codes to be proactive-anticipating problems and opportunities.
• Political responsiveness/customer friendly.
• Public investment into infrastructure and schools.
• Attention to previously neglected areas.
• Streamlined government review.
• Stronger code enforcement and new standards for design to ensure the development of quality places.

Partnerships Mission Statement:

St. Petersburg will be a community of partnerships seeking opportunities for multiple use and multiple benefits. The city of partnerships takes ownership and active participation in all fundamental community values and systems. These partnerships facilitate maximum community benefit from the significant public and private investments and initiatives.

Likes:

YMCA, upcoming school choice, downtown library, trolley lines, Baywalk, Vinoy Hotel, Hope VI, Main Street, educational and health care institutions.

Dislikes:

Current school/neighborhood disconnect, perceived difficulty in developing projects, general sense of poor communication and customer service regarding public/private/civic interfaces.

Results of a successful 2020 Vision Include:

• Coordinated use of school facilities and adjacent parks.
• Increased participation with PSTA in routing, design and operation of transit lines-including discussions on future mass transit opportunities.
• Increased service from library system.
• Coordinated relationships between citizen and city in discussions with regional partners such as MPO, FDOT, PSTA, school board, and utility providers to ensure that external authorities meet the needs of the Vision.
• Enhanced marketing and business relationships between city/chamber of commerce/financial institutions/development community to build a city that meets the needs of the Vision.

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Citizen Based Communication Mission Statement:

St. Petersburg will facilitate citizen involvement and public discussion in building its community. All neighborhoods and business associations will take ownership in their city, and participate in useful and constructive dialogue regarding the broad vision and specific decisions. Everyone will feel connected to local representatives and welcomed and encouraged to participate. Citizens will know that they are being heard.

Likes:

Open processes that are inclusive, ability to be heard, variety of ways to be included or participate, accessibility through local communication networks, local representation.

Dislikes:

History of some people being left out, confusing or inaccessible processes.

Results of a successful 2020 Vision Include:

• All neighborhoods take ownership and responsibility for their community, and actively participate in discussing its future.
• Use of all forms of communication including high tech as well as site-specific cultural facilities such as churches and schools.
• TV and newspaper involvement.
• Citizen friendly government culture.
• More ‘off-hour’ activities to get community resources involved.

Ensure the Vision Mission Statement:

The Vision 2020 Charrette process was a community-driven grass roots effort by the citizens of St. Petersburg to develop a direction for the future of the City. Through the active participation of the Citizens, St. Petersburg will enhance the community to meet the goals of these Vision Statements. Government and the Citizens will partner in redeveloping the City to attain quality development which protects the unique sense of Place and Spirit which identifies St. Petersburg. This partnership will commit to seeing the implementation of this vision through proactively creating and supporting rules, regulations and decisions which will implement the Goals of the Vision 2020 process over the next 20 years. From the Mayor, to citizen task forces, to community leaders and city staff; everyone shares in the processes necessary to ensure the vision. The City is currently developing a menu of programs and initiatives to continue the public discussion and act on the Themes and ensure the Vision.

Ensuring the Vision:

• Adopt the Vision 2020 Plan.
• Incorporate Vision 2020 into the Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

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• Incorporate themes into daily policies of the City.
• Write Land Development Regulations which will deliver the quality of the built environment desired by the Vision 2020 Plan.

2.3 CITY FRAMEWORK: NEIGHBORHOODS - CENTERS - CORRIDORS

Explanation of Framework:

The opportunity for the foreseeable future may be called ‘second generation growth’ in the form of infill and redevelopment within the established urban pattern. While this new form of growth brings new complexities that were not relevant in first generation 'greenfield' development, it also provides significant opportunity for implementing Citizen Based Values with the knowledge that new community places will surely be made.

The basic physical framework of Neighborhoods, Corridors and Centers provides three fundamental areas where second generation growth may occur. The City is already experiencing this trend as Traditional Neighborhoods undergo reinvestment and revitalization, and various Corridors and Downtown experience significant redevelopment. This pattern is natural to the organic changing nature of cities. There is new opportunity to use Citizen Based Themes as a Value system to protect special places, improve areas to better meet desired themes, and remake areas that are not consistent with the desired Vision. In short, the strategy is:

Neighborhoods: St. Petersburg has diverse neighborhoods, each with its own unique character and identity.

Centers: St. Petersburg has three City Centers (Downtown, Tyrone, Gateway) where people come together for shopping, entertainment, work and play.

Corridors: Many corridors provide for transportation flow to connect the numerous neighborhoods and centers within the City. These unique areas offer residential, commercial, office and industrial uses.

Distinct Character of St. Petersburg’s Neighborhoods:

St. Petersburg features two distinct types of residential neighborhoods – Traditional and Suburban. Each type offer quality of life, unique features and wonderful amenities that make them highly desirable.

Traditional Neighborhoods:

Traditional neighborhoods were typically developed prior to World War II. Yards were narrow and sidewalks and front porches were preeminent features to the homes. Several modes of transportation, including pedestrian travel and trolley, supplemented the newly developed personal automobile. The street was the focus of the home, which provided a communal setting in where neighbors spent time socializing and communicating. Like suburban neighborhoods, single-family homes make up most traditional neighborhoods. However, the house size and type were more

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varied allowing diverse housing opportunities for persons in different stages of life and at different income levels to enjoy the same neighborhood. Single-family homes with garage apartments and small apartment buildings, in keeping with the scale of the neighborhood, were not uncommon. The alley system provided limited access for parking and utility functions to the rear of the site. For commercial services, consumer products were often delivered to the customer, instead of the customer traveling to the store. Schools, corner stores serving the daily needs of the neighborhoods, parks and other amenities were located within the neighborhoods.

Suburban Neighborhoods:

Suburban neighborhoods were typically developed after World War II. At that time, neighborhoods were adjusting to a great shift in technological advances that occurred at the turn of the century and placed into mass production by the 1950s. Between 1946 and 1973, the American economy was growing at levels unseen in the twentieth century, creating a nation of prosperous consumers who could afford both the automobile and the American dream of home ownership. These changes gave rise to a new kind of neighborhood. No longer constrained by pedestrian or trolley travel, the automobile allowed neighborhoods to expand outward creating more spacious yards. Alleyways were replaced with wider streets and garages became a prominent feature of the front facade. Houses were pushed further back on the lot and porches and sidewalks were no longer incorporated. Neighborhoods became more homogeneous relative to income levels, age groups and family types. The focus of neighborhood life was less on the public realm and more on family life within the home and rear yard. Neighborhoods became strictly residential. Stores, schools and other daily needs were pushed outward to major roadways which connected suburban neighborhoods with other neighborhoods and the downtown. These highly traveled corridors were not well suited for residential uses. Commercial and office uses began locating along these roadways thus creating a new trend in land use, the “strip center.” The large amount of new commercial lands created along these corridors often lead to the demise of the traditional downtown, or at a minimum, the downtown falling out of favor with the retail consumer.

Neighborhoods:

The citizens who participated in Vision 2020 represented the majority of neighborhoods throughout the City. The participants felt that St. Petersburg’s greatest asset was the diversity and quality of its many neighborhoods and offered the following recommendations to strengthen, protect, enhance and support this asset.

The NEIGHBORHOODS of St. Petersburg follow these typical patterns of development. However, there is one distinct difference that is unique with St. Petersburg and that lies within our 1940-50 era development where a good number of suburban style homes were built on traditional building lots. St. Petersburg neighborhoods are diverse. Many traditional neighborhoods surround the downtown, while the suburban style neighborhoods outline the border. Both styles offer great amenities, quality of life, safety, comfort and even social outlets.

Neighborhood Revitalization Efforts (Neighborhood Partnership Program):

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The neighborhoods in St. Petersburg have undergone a renaissance over the past decade. The emphasis on neighborhoods began in the late 1980’s as a response to the citizens’ concerns that too much focus was on downtown. The initial focus was on the City’s older neighborhoods which surrounded the downtown. The neighborhood planning effort was the first approach to revitalizing our aging housing stock and provided a better quality of life. In 1993, the City further emphasized its commitment to neighborhood revitalization through the creation of the Neighborhood Partnership Program. The intent of the program mission was to serve as a liaison between residents and the City government by addressing the needs of the neighborhoods.

Neighborhood Recommendations:

The following are the recommendations of participants in the Vision 2020 Charette as they relate to strengthening, improving and protecting the unique character and quality of St. Petersburg’s neighborhoods.

• Protect and reinforce the unique character of each neighborhood, develop rules and regulations which allow infill and redevelopment that is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood context.
• Neighborhoods should be consistently and adequately buffered from commercial intrusions. The property adjacent to a commercial corridor should have equal value and quality of life as properties located further within the neighborhood.
• Housing that is stable, safe and varied, allowing choice for people to live within a neighborhood at different stages in life. Neighborhoods with lower income residents should still be afforded the dignity of safe, quality, attractive housing that they can afford. Housing should be protected from unimproved, dilapidated properties or incompatible, non-residential uses which threaten the viability of the neighborhood.
• Streets should be livable public open space, designed for pedestrians first, and with the timeless beauty and function of street trees, sidewalks and on-street parking. They should be easily negotiated by children and cyclists, have slow-moving traffic, and provide a connection to transit service that is within close proximity. They should provide a positive setting for the type of spontaneous activity created by an ice cream truck.
• Neighborhood Commercial providing basic needs such as groceries and sundries, hardware, dining or laundry within reasonable proximity of their neighborhoods. Locally owned neighborhood businesses should be celebrated and invigorated. These centers should be designed to fit seamlessly within their surroundings with a special sensitivity to neighborhood dynamics such as culture, style, and foot traffic in lieu of auto parking or the need for live-work/mixed-use structures for the proprietors.
• Schools and other public buildings should reclaim their places as centers of civic life. Their assets of classrooms, auditoriums, cafeterias, libraries and park facilities should be resources and gathering places for the community as well as safe, high quality educational environments for children. They should be centers of lifelong community learning, service and activity and their design should reflect the highest ideals of the City.
• Parks that are accessible within a short walk of all residents, and joined by an interconnected system of sidewalks, bikeways, trails and greenways. A citywide parks master plan will provide accessibility to a full range of active and passive recreation based on neighborhood need and desire. Like schools, parks should be designed with beauty,

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quality and art to reflect the ideals of the community and their timeless role as neighborhood gathering places.

• Healthy Environment based on the successful application of best practices such as restored tree canopy and micro-climate, water quality and conservation, bio-absorption, energy conservation and recycling. Although neighborhoods are essentially urban, their support of habitat for plants, animals, fish and birds is clearly an indicator of their health for humans and the legacy left for future generations.

Distinct Character of St. Petersburg’s Centers:

The citizens who participated in Vision 2020 believe that St. Petersburg’s Centers are areas of great potential. From the “small-scale hometown feel” of downtown to the vibrant high-tech facilities within the Carillon area, St Petersburg’s Centers provides places within our community to bring citizens together for social, civic and cultural experiences.

Traditional City Center-Downtown:

The Downtown was the City’s original city center. Since the beginning, the downtown was a dynamic 24-hour activity center. The downtown offered all aspects of living. Housing was a large component of the downtown with numerous tourist oriented hotels and apartment buildings.

The downtown consists of a gridded roadway network with wide streets, on-street parking, wide sidewalks and substantial commercial style buildings which created a pleasant pedestrian environment. Alleys allow utilitarian functions to take place separately from the public realm. Street cars assisted with public transportation and connected outward to the City’s surrounding neighborhoods. Throughout the downtown there was a generous sprinkling of parks and civic buildings.

Shortly after the financial boom of the late 1960's the downtown began to decline. Retail, restaurants and entertainment uses favored suburban locations. National solutions to redevelopment such as the creation of business centers, major sporting venues and upscale retail and entertainment complexes were utilized. By the 1990's, the downtown was starting to re- awake. Today the downtown offers many amenities, a unique traditional setting with large scale, mixed use commercial buildings, renovated historic buildings, and an active street life.

1960's Suburban City Center-Tyrone:

Westward expansion of the City created an enclave of retail and entertainment near the crossroads of Tyrone Boulevard and 66th Street. The development of the Tyrone Square mall in 1972 ratified this area as the second city center. Development activities at this time favored stand-alone, single- use buildings with ample on-site parking. The vehicle was seen as the primary mode of transportation and limited attention was placed on pedestrian, bicycle or alternative travel modes.

The Tyrone area features many of the land uses of a typical city center (such as shopping, restaurants, office space, schools and post office). Residential uses surround the commercial. However, there are distinct differences between the Tyrone area and the downtown center. Most

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notable is the scale of development parcels. Large, single-use tracts of land create disconnections between retail spaces, office uses and the residential. There is even segregation within the residential areas between apartment buildings and single family houses. Pedestrian travel within the district is impractical. Sidewalks are available; however they directly abut high-speed arterials without the benefit of a tree line to separate traffic from the pedestrian. The lack of shade, unattractive appearance and uncomfortable environment create an undesirable pedestrian experience. From the public sidewalk, pedestrian walkways do not connect to the buildings. A pedestrian’s only option is to walk through the drive lanes of the parking lots.

The vehicular traffic pattern is based on the collection method. Traffic must flow through one or two key points. This congestion has increased significantly as St. Petersburg and the surrounding communities have expanded. This creates tension within the immediate single family neighborhoods.

1990's Suburban Center-Gateway:

The Carillon-Gateway Center became the third City Center. This area has seen intensive development primarily of office space. Residential, retail and entertainment uses have been introduced into the mix of uses as well. While there is still a strong vehicular orientation to the center and large development parcels, a subtle mixing of needed services and better integration of residential is occurring. Many of the negative appearance attributes of the suburban centers have been overcome because of stronger development regulations and the increased level of sensitivity by developers. Buildings are multi-story and often contain small retail functions, lunch rooms and daycare centers as a convenience to employees. Parking garages have been constructed reducing the amount of land devoted to surface parking.

Enclaves of mixed use residential, smaller retail and entertainment uses are becoming common, within Post Suburban Centers. This practice has been labeled “new urbanism” and has become a popular development trend. It allows for the mixing of housing types, and as seen within Carillon, townhomes, single family homes and apartment building have been incorporated into the development.

Centers:

The City’s Downtown is beginning an exciting period of rediscovery and renewal that provides a Vision for 2020. With the functional completion of greenfield residential development on the peninsula, there is new activity in downtown housing. This is a result of several factors including available land, frustration with extensive auto commutes, desire for proximity to employment, and renewed interest in the vitality of urban living.

This practice of decreasing the physical distance between home, work, shopping and schooling is a highly sustainable practice that leads to innumerable benefits to the City. Resulting reinvestment into downtown’s historic structures and neighborhoods is being coupled with new infill development in traditional urban formats such as townhomes and mixed use apartment buildings that have not been offered for decades. Refurbishment of the Vinoy Hotel, the recently constructed Baywalk shopping center, and an anticipated grocery bring new activity to downtown as evidence

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of the rebirth. As in the decades before, commercial activities are following housing growth and the result is the renewal of the public realm: Downtown.

Consistent with Citizen Themes and Values, Downtown is envisioned as an urban village, led by an active mix of uses based on the denominator of healthy residential in many forms. Streets should be livable and active with pedestrian life, suitable for both retailing and residential. This requires improved streetscapes, calm traffic, on-street parking, proximate transit access and two-way road relationships. The streets should link to enhanced civic parks, celebrated public buildings and a waterfront with increased public access. Downtown areas with extensive vacant land require a specific plan for economic development and physical placemaking. Areas such as the Dome District and University Park must be made too valuable by 2020 to continue practices of extensive surface parking blocks, 'land banking' or other low density development. These types of downtown properties not only have commercial potential such as niche high-tech employment sites, but could in fact be the premier urban villages providing varied housing alternatives for nearby office, hospital, university, cultural, retailing and marina activities.

The renewal and densification of aging suburban centers, as with Development Corridors and the Downtown Center, second generation growth will bring mall owners mounting pressure to find new opportunities and the key is to break from previous practices of low density, single use developments in favor of higher density, mixed use places.

It is a natural evolution that sites such as the Tyrone Mall be transformed into Mixed Use Centers complete with all six land uses, arranged in a more urban form and designed in a higher value way. The single use “shopping center” has proved nationally to be highly susceptible to changes in the market as housing shifts, or a bigger, more attractive center opens up in another part of town. Other centers often suffer under their own success as their antiquated buildings and rigid site plans do not easily allow them to evolve to keep up with their own demand for growth. But perhaps that biggest factor is simply that in “built-out” markets such as St. Petersburg, these low density mall properties are simply too valuable as infill redevelopment venues to continue as sprawling landscapes of surface parking and blank building facades.

One answer is to re-integrate the mall property into a more traditional urban pattern, as articulated in Downtown. This means first and foremost, a pattern of blocks and streets that are flexible to change uses over time and become more dense as in a traditional Downtown. Once an urban pattern is created, then the opportunity of housing such as apartments, townhomes and condominiums to support additional commercial comes into play.

Center Recommendations:

Downtown Recommendations:

• Protect and enhance the unique character of the downtown including the waterfront parks system, and wide pedestrian oriented streets.
• Encourage mixed use projects which provide appropriate densities, buildings with continuous street edges and share amenities such as parking.
• Streets should be lively, active, pedestrian oriented, safe and clean.

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• There should be a variety of transit opportunities including pedestrians, trolleys, taxies, bikes and vehicles.
• Surface parking lots should be encouraged to be redeveloped with urban style buildings. Encourage shared parking in well designed structures featuring retail and other pedestrian activities on the first floor.
• Civic uses should be reinforced, protected and expanded and should be available to all members of the community.
• Preserve noteworthy buildings through renovation and adaptive reuse.
• Where existing buildings are replaced, quality redevelopment shall occur which is consistent with the context of St. Petersburg. Architecture which is generic or utilitarian should be discouraged.
• Evaluate existing redevelopment plans to reflect desired community form and development potential.

Suburban Centers Recommendations:

• Urban Village Concepts - that mix housing, walkable streets, parks and environment, commercial, and public buildings in a connected grid of blocks and streets that can accommodate many uses.
• Increased Standards and Incentives for Design - including site planning, architecture, signage, lighting, landscape, and street trees.
• Required Sidewalk Connection from the public street edge to businesses.
• Increased Community Presence - with added emphasis on multi-cultural uses, arts, culture, housing and recreation.
• Comprehensive Solutions to Transportation - ranging from improved pedestrian accommodations to fixed transit opportunities. Design for people, not cars.
• Increased Flexibility for Quality Economic Development - through encouragement of new uses, particularly varied residential that can be mixed with shopping and office uses in new urban ways.
• Diversity and Connectivity - in approaches to economic development, employment, housing, transportation, culture and place. St. Petersburg can create mixed-use centers as vital community places that grow and change over time to meet the needs of the community. St. Petersburg must think of the centers together in the context of the whole City, and consider how they are connected via development corridors that are already handling more people, information and infrastructure than single purpose automobile roads can properly carry. In the end, the basic formula for a mixed-use center is the successful integration of housing, livable streets, commercial, public buildings, parks and natural systems. St. Petersburg has an excellent blueprint for design and composition in the original layout of its Downtown. St. Petersburg can create mixed-use centers.

Future Center:

As the City evolves into the future, the opportunity exists to develop the next center within the City. Many of the participants in Vision 2020 suggested the opportunity to develop a fourth city center within the Southern portion of St. Petersburg. While large scale commercial developments such as this require population (to support retail and entertainment facilities), now is the time to

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look at how this development should occur. How should the center be designed? What should the uses be? How should they be integrated? Where will it be located? What will the future technologies be and how can this center serve the community to its fullest? These are all issues for larger consideration and therefore, the recommendation is being made that the citizens of St. Petersburg begin to evaluate the potential for a fourth Center within the South side of our City.

Distinct Character of St. Petersburg’s Corridors:

The Citizens who participated in Vision 2020 believe St. Petersburg’s Corridors are the city’s worst asset and have the most potential for redevelopment. These corridors are highly automobile oriented, underdeveloped and create intrusions into abutting neighborhoods.

Commercial Corridors:

The Bartholomew plan of the 1940’s emphasized automobile travel and reinforced the extensive grid system of primary, secondary and tertiary streets. The high number of these major roadways provides excellent vehicular access on numerous routes throughout the City. However, the land uses surrounding these roadways coupled with low density, single use planning practices created numerous commercial corridors throughout the City such as 4th, 34th and 66th Streets, Central Avenue and Tyrone Boulevard. These commercial corridors are unattractive. They consist of parking lots which abut the street edge, often with nonexistent or minimal landscaping, nondescript buildings and oversized and competing signage systems. They are dominated by the automobile and lack quality pedestrian space.

The abundance of this commercially zoned corridor space allows businesses to relocate instead of reinvesting in their existing location, which leads to blight. When redevelopment does occur, it is often with further encroachment into an abutting neighborhood. As a bright spot, these corridors allow practically every neighborhood to have commercial land within close proximity. Where these major roadways intersect, they have created larger retail nodes, such as Disston Plaza at 49th Street and 38th Avenue North, which offers great opportunities to the surrounding neighborhoods.

Residential Corridors:

In addition to the commercial corridors, a good number of the major roadways are lined with residential structures, of which 9th, 16th, 49th, and Park Streets, 1st, 5th, 9th and 22nd Avenues North and South are examples. These residential corridors are largely defined by single- family residential structures with scattered multi-family. The City’s conceptual plan of 1974 envisioned these residential structures being converted to office space. However, there was never the demand for this amount of office space to warrant such conversion. Thus, these properties have remained in single family use. While some of these properties are highly desirable, such as the homes flanking 9th Street in Allendale, the majority of these residential corridors are struggling and are in a distressed condition.

Industrial Corridors:

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Many of St. Petersburg’s older industrial areas were developed along the two railroad lines which brought goods and services into the City. These industrial lands created a string of industrial property that run throughout the City instead of being concentrated within a defined industrial park. As these industrial uses have expanded it has created a tension between abutting residences and limited the ability for industrial redevelopment. These industrial corridors are highly unattractive, feature aged and in some cases obsolete buildings and lack proper buffering and transition between abutting neighborhoods.

Environmental Corridors:

A number of environmental corridors such as Salt Creek and the Pinellas Trail run through the City. These corridors traditionally have been used for drainage purposes, parks or recreational paths. Prior to WWII these features were used to create parks and amenities like Historic Roser Park. However, after WWII, these features became less of an amenity and more of an engineering effort, often devaluing surrounding properties.

Corridors:

Development Corridors provide community connections for people, commerce, infrastructure and natural systems. Corridors accommodate many different land uses and provide the visual and functional imagery of the community at large. The composition of these linear development places is critical to the function of the city, as they dictate the experience of human movement, the actual value of extensive real estate and the day-to-day perception of the City by its residents.

The current landscape of corridors such as Central Avenue, 34th Street and 4th Street is often dominated by the design of the road itself: an auto-oriented solution to transportation that places minimal importance on the relationship between the nature of the road right of way and the community places that are adjacent. This philosophy stems from the fact that many of these streets are regional in nature and designed to State Department of Transportation standards, which are geared towards the efficient regional movement of automobiles. The resulting rights of way are usually comprised of wide travel lanes with fast moving auto traffic, minimal pedestrian facilities and infrequent street amenities such as trees or transit shelters.

Due to the nature of the road, development that occurs alongside is largely non-residential, and this pattern is supported by existing zoning codes. The resulting commercial uses often respond to the road with large parking lots, deep setbacks, disorganized signage and inconsistent architectural and landscape quality. Neighborhoods are impacted as the scale and location of new development shifts along the corridor, and older commercial developments become under-utilized. The quality and viability of the commercial development itself is highly unstable as there is simply not enough of a residential market to support the amount of commercially zoned real estate. In many cases, the community is left with a highly dysfunctional place that is constrained by its zoning, ineffective at solving regional transportation needs, unlivable for people, visually obtrusive, and functionally threatening to the Neighborhoods.

There is, however, a new opportunity for 2020 that has not previously existed. As the City looks inward for new places to grow, these under-utilized and sometimes vacant properties can and

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should accommodate higher densities of quality development, beginning with new forms of urban housing that may not be possible in existing stable neighborhoods. This additional housing creates the new market necessary to support previously unviable commercial uses.

Additional density creates increased emphasis on the vitality of pedestrian activity, returning civic life to the streets. It brings justification to the renewal of St. Petersburg's streetcar tradition as not only a transportation solution, but also a land development tool. And, because of the lack of available 'greenfield' property in the City, the private development will require additional government partnering, flexibility and entitlements. New standards will need to be formulated to develop this land in a more urban way. In exchange, new development should deliver a product of higher quality and function over the existing under utilized suburban standard.

Corridor Recommendations:

Commercial Corridor Recommendations:

• Identify main nodes of activity and intensify uses, density and activity at these areas through mixed use.
• Pull buildings closer to the street edge to provide a framework for the street. Buildings should become the signage and icon for the businesses contained within through quality design, use of materials and better urban design.
• Commercial corridors should become part of the surrounding neighborhoods offering pedestrian connections and providing for the basic daily needs of the surrounding residences.
• Create buffers and transitional zones between commercial corridors and the abutting neighborhoods.
• Beautify corridors through landscaping, road improvements and surrounding architecture.

Residential Corridor Recommendations:

• Expand land uses along residential corridors allowing for quality residential structures such as townhomes, condominiums and apartment buildings which are appropriately scaled to the context of the corridor.
• Increase standards and incentives for design which provides for quality construction and an attractive visual environment.
• Beautify Corridors through landscaping, road improvements and the surrounding architecture.

Industrial Corridor Recommendations:

• Create buffers and transitional zones between industrial corridors and abutting neighborhoods.
• Increased standards and incentives for design including site planning architecture, signage and lighting.
• Strengthen guidelines regarding shielding of storage areas walls and fences to provide for a better visual environment.
• Increased flexibility for quality economic development.

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• Allow residential in industrial areas providing for live work spaces for artists.

Environmental Corridor Recommendations:

• Expand the Pinellas Trail.
• Create green pathways to connect all parks in the City.
• Utilize linear drainage culverts for linear parks.
• Return over engineered retention ponds to natural park-like amenities.

ISSUE: St. Pete Vision 2020

Planning and Land Use decisions shall implement the principles (Citizen Based Themes) and recommendations developed in the Vision Element of the Comprehensive Plan.

OBJECTIVE V1:

When considering the probable use of land in a development application, the principles and recommendations noted in the Vision Element should be considered where applicable.

Policy:

V1.1 Development decisions and strategies shall integrate the guiding principles found in the Vision Element with sound planning principles followed in the formal planning process.

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

FUTURE LAND USE ELEMENT

Sections:

3.1 Introduction 3.2 Goals, Objectives and Policies ISSUE: Implementation of the Vision 2020 Plan ISSUE: Conceptual Land Use Pattern ISSUE: Land Use Plan Categories ISSUE: Future Land Use Needs ISSUE: Concurrency of Services ISSUE: Natural Resources ISSUE: Coastal Hazard Areas ISSUE: Land Development Regulations ISSUE: Nonconforming and Grandfathered Land Uses ISSUE: Historic Resources ISSUE: Specific Areas of Concern ISSUE: Neighborhoods ISSUE: Existing Redevelopment Areas ISSUE: School Siting ISSUE: Annexation Areas ISSUE: The Gateway ISSUE: The Downtown Waterfront ISSUE: Corridors ISSUE: Coordinating Land Use and Transportation ISSUE: Intergovernmental Coordination ISSUE: Innovative Land Development Regulations ISSUE: Energy Conservation and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategies ISSUE: Transit Oriented Development (TOD)

3.1 INTRODUCTION

This Future Land Use Element is the third major refinement of a land use planning effort that began in 1971 with the formation of the Citizen's Goals Committee. Two previous land use elements, adopted in 1977 and 1983, have served to guide the development of the community. The goals, objectives and policies have steadily evolved as changing conditions have warranted. The Element presented here was originally adopted in 1989 and is reflective of the most recent changes in the community, the mandates of the 1985 state growth management legislation, the findings of the 1996 and 2007 Evaluation and Appraisal Report and the themes of St. Pete Vision 2020.

The Future Land Use Element is the primary guide to the physical development of St. Petersburg. It outlines the amount, type, intensity/density and spatial arrangement of the City's land uses. The Element is designed to preserve and enhance community character and quality of life. Land use compatibility, historic and natural resources protection, and elimination of blight are addressed in the element. Treatment of these issues reflects the concerns, values and ideals of the community related to growth management and shaping the City's character and image.

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3.2 GOALS OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

GOAL-LAND USE (LU):

The land use plan shall direct and manage the type, distribution, density and intensity of development and redevelopment in order to:

1. Protect the public health, safety, and general welfare;

2. Protect and enhance the fabric and character of neighborhoods;

3. Protect and enhance resources and amenities;

4. Assure that services and facilities are provided at the adopted level of service concurrent with existing and future demand;

5. Attain the highest level of economic well-being possible for the city and its citizens.

ISSUE: Implementation of the Vision 2020 Plan

The citizen delegates who participated in the Vision 2020 educational forums created the principles that there are three distinct land patterns within St. Petersburg, Neighborhoods, Centers and Corridors. By recognizing that these areas have distinct character and needs, objectives and policies can be designed which will strengthen and improve these areas of the City. It is essential that Vision 2020 become a part of the Comprehensive Plan to ensure its guiding concepts and principles are integrated into the formalized city planning process. The Vision Element of the Comprehensive Plan summarizes the principles and concepts that were developed by the community.

OBJECTIVE LU1:

The City shall take into account the citizen based themes noted in the Vision Element when considering development decisions.

Policies:

LU1.1 When considering the probable use of land in a development application, the principles and recommendations noted in the Vision Element should be considered where applicable.

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LU1.2 The City will continue to recognize the City Administration’s policy responses, incorporated into the St. Pete Vision 2020 Plan as The General Policy Implementations but not made a part of the Vision Element to the Comprehensive Plan, with the objective of supporting and improving the neighborhoods, community appearance, the environment, education, economic development, parks and recreation, transportation, personal security, and public safety, to the extent that the resources of the City will allow.

ISSUE: Conceptual Land Use Pattern

The conceptual land use pattern in this Future Land Use Element is based on the 1974 Conceptual Plan, the 1977 and 1983 Land Use Plans, the 2006 future land use map amendments which were developed in conjunction with the Land Development Regulation rewrite and the St. Pete 2050 Plan. Those Plans outlined the overall structure and form of urban development in St. Petersburg including the key conceptual component: concentration of intense development in activity centers.

OBJECTIVE LU2:

The Future Land Use Element shall facilitate a compact urban development pattern that provides opportunities to more efficiently use and develop infrastructure, land and other resources and services by concentrating more intensive growth in activity centers and other appropriate areas.

Policies:

LU2.1 To facilitate compact urban development the City shall adopt the following activity centers as part of this Land Use Plan:

1. Gateway
2. Intown
3. Tyrone
4. SunRunner BRT
5. Skyway Marina District
6. Innovation District

LU2.2 The City shall concentrate growth in the designated Activity Centers and prioritize infrastructure improvements to service demand in those areas.

LU2.3 To attract large scale quality development and assure the proper coordination, programming and timing of City services in the activity centers the City shall continue to develop, evaluate and implement appropriate activity center development incentives.

LU2.4 The City may permit an increase in land use intensity or density outside of activity centers where available infrastructure exists and surrounding uses are compatible.

LU2.5 The Land Use Plan shall make the maximum use of available public facilities and minimize the need for new facilities by directing new development to infill and redevelopment locations where excess capacity is available.

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

ISSUE: Land Use Plan Categories

This Future Land Use Element contains a categorical land use system that specifies the different types and intensities of land uses that make up the City. The Future Land Use Map (Map 2) allocates those land uses spatially to physically outline the desired future development pattern for St. Petersburg. The following objectives and policies describe the type, density and intensity of land uses permitted in each category.

OBJECTIVE LU3:

The Future Land Use Map (Map 2) shall specify the desired development pattern for St. Petersburg through a land use category system that provides for the location, type, density and intensity of development and redevelopment. All development will be subject to any other requirements, regulations and procedures outlined in the land development regulations including, but not limited to: minimum lot size, setback requirements, density, floor area ratio, and impervious surface ratio. This objective shall not apply to Affordable Housing projects approved pursuant to F.S. 166.04151(6), which states, in pertinent part, that notwithstanding any other law or local ordinance or regulation to the contrary, the governing body of a municipality may approve the development of housing that is affordable, as defined in s. 420.0004, on any parcel zoned for commercial or industrial use or pursuant to F.S. 166.04151(7)(a), which states, in pertinent part, a municipality must authorize multifamily and mixed-use residential as allowable uses in any area zoned for commercial, industrial, or mixed use if at least 40 percent of the residential units in a proposed multifamily rental development are, for a period of at least 30 years, affordable as defined in s. 420.0004.

Policies:

LU3.1 The Future Land Use Element contains the following categories:

A. Residential Categories

1. Residential Low (RL) - Allowing low density residential uses not to exceed 5.0 dwelling units per net acre; Residential equivalent uses not to exceed 3 beds per dwelling unit; non-residential uses allowed by the land development regulations up to floor area ratio of 0.40. Accessory dwelling units are permitted and may be excluded from the residential density calculation when accessory to a single-family dwelling unit, in accordance with the Land Development Regulations (LDRs). An ancillary non-residential use which exceeds three (3) acres, a transportation/utility use which exceeds three (3) acres, or an institutional use (except public educational facilities which are not subject to this threshold) which exceeds five (5) acres, whether alone or when added to existing contiguous like use(s), shall require a Future Land Use map amendment that shall include such use and all contiguous like uses.

2. Residential Urban (RU) - Allowing low density residential uses not to exceed 7.5 dwelling units per net acre; Residential equivalent uses not to exceed 3 beds per dwelling unit; non-residential uses allowed by the land development regulations up to

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

a floor area ratio of 0.40. Accessory dwelling units are permitted and may be excluded from the residential density calculation when accessory to a single-family dwelling unit, in accordance with the Land Development Regulations (LDRs). An ancillary non-residential use which exceeds three (3) acres, a transportation/utility use which exceeds three (3) acres, or an institutional use (except public educational facilities which are not subject to this threshold) which exceeds five (5) acres, whether alone or when added to existing contiguous like use(s), shall require a Future Land Use map amendment that shall include such use and all contiguous like uses.

3. Residential Low Medium (RLM) - Allowing low to moderately intensive residential development not to exceed 10.0 dwelling units per acre; residential equivalent uses not to exceed 3 beds per dwelling unit; and non-residential uses allowed by the land development regulation up to a floor area ratio of 0.50. Accessory dwelling units are permitted and may be excluded from the residential density calculation when accessory to a single-family dwelling unit, in accordance with the Land Development Regulations (LDRs). An ancillary non-residential use which exceeds three (3) acres, a transportation/utility use which exceeds three (3) acres, or an institutional use (except public educational facilities which are not subject to this threshold) which exceeds five (5) acres, whether alone or when added to existing contiguous like use(s), shall require a Future Land Use map amendment that shall include such use and all contiguous like uses.

4. Residential Medium (RM) - Allowing medium density residential uses not to exceed 15 dwelling units per net acre; however, when located outside of the Coastal High Hazard Area, and only when abutting a major street as depicted on the Future Major Streets Map (Map 20), Missing Middle Housing at a maximum density of 30 dwelling units per net acre is permitted in accordance with the Land Development Regulations (LDRs). Residential equivalent uses not to exceed 3 beds per dwelling unit; non-residential uses allowed by the land development regulations up to a floor area ratio of 0.5. Accessory dwelling units are permitted and may be excluded from the residential density calculation when accessory to a single-family dwelling unit, in accordance with the Land Development Regulations (LDRs). An ancillary non-residential use which exceeds three (3) acres, a transportation/utility use which exceeds three (3) acres, or an institutional use (except public educational facilities which are not subject to this threshold) which exceeds five (5) acres, whether alone or when added to existing contiguous like use(s), shall require a Future Land Use map amendment that shall include such use and all contiguous like uses.

5. Residential High (RH) - Allowing high density residential uses not to exceed 30 units per net acre; Residential equivalent uses are not to exceed 3 beds per dwelling unit; non-residential uses allowed by the land development regulations up to a floor area ratio of 0.6. Application of this category shall be limited to areas within or adjacent to activity centers or when abutting Multimodal Corridors or Future Transit Corridors established by the Land Use Component of the Countywide Plan Strategies. Accessory dwelling units are permitted and may be excluded from the residential density calculation when accessory to a single-family dwelling unit, in accordance with the

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Land Development Regulations (LDRs). An ancillary non-residential use which exceeds three (3) acres, a transportation/utility use which exceeds three (3) acres, or an institutional use (except public educational facilities which are not subject to this threshold) which exceeds five (5) acres, whether alone or when added to existing contiguous like use(s), shall require a Future Land Use map amendment that shall include such use and all contiguous like uses.

B. Commercial and Mixed Use Categories

1. Residential/Office General (R/OG) - Allowing mixed use office, office park, research and development, and medium density residential up to a floor area ratio of 0.5 and a net residential density of 15 dwelling units per acre. When located within an activity center the net maximum residential density may increase to 30 units/acre and the maximum floor area ratio to 1.0. Personal/office service uses are not to exceed 5,000 square feet in floor area; and no combination of such uses in any single multi-tenant building or, in the alternative, any group of buildings that are integral to and function as part of a unified project, shall exceed ten (10) percent of the total area of said buildings. Residential equivalent uses are not to exceed 3 beds per dwelling unit. Accessory dwelling units are permitted and may be excluded from the residential density calculation when accessory to a single-family dwelling unit, in accordance with the Land Development Regulations (LDRs). An ancillary non-residential use which exceeds three (3) acres, a transportation/utility use which exceeds three (3) acres, or an institutional use (except public educational facilities which are not subject to this threshold) which exceeds five (5) acres, whether alone or when added to existing contiguous like use(s), shall require a Future Land Use map amendment that shall include such use and all contiguous like uses.

2. Commercial General (CG) - Allowing the full range of commercial uses including retail, office, and service uses up to a floor area ratio of 0.55, and residential uses not to exceed 24 dwelling units per acre. Transient Accommodation Uses shall not exceed 40 units per net acre, or in the alternative, 60 units per acre if the project is in compliance with the requirements of Section 4.2.7.6 of the Countywide Plan Rules and the density and intensity standards set forth in Table 3 therein. Residential equivalent uses shall not exceed 3 beds per dwelling unit. Non-residential uses shall not exceed an impervious surface ration of 0.90, except as provided for in Section 4.2.7.6 of the Countywide Plan Rules. Public/Semi-Public or Ancillary Non-Residential uses, alone or when added to existing contiguous like uses which exceeds or will exceed five (5) acres shall require a land use plan amendment which shall include such use and all contiguous like uses. Light Manufacturing/Assembly (Class A) and Research/Development uses shall be allowed in this plan category only after the nature of the proposed use has been determined and the following criteria are considered: neighboring uses and the character of the commercial area in which it is to be located; noise, solid waste, hazardous waste, and air quality emission standards; hours of operation; traffic generation; and parking, loading, storage and service provisions.

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3. Central Business District (CBD) - Allowing a mixture of higher intensity retail, office, industrial, service, public school and residential uses up to a floor area ratio of 4.0 and a net residential density not to exceed the maximum allowable in the land development regulations (LDRs). In accordance with the LDRs, increased floor area ratios may be permitted as a bonus or as an exemption for developments that provide additional amenities or other improvements that achieve CBD design and development objectives. When taken together, the base FAR, bonuses and exemptions may exceed 4.0 FAR. Application of this category is limited to the Intown Sector. This category shall not be applied without development of, and CPA approval of, a special area plan.

C. Industrial Category

1. Industrial Limited (IL) - Allowing a mixture of light industrial, industrial park, office park uses with a floor area ratio up to 0.65. Transient Accommodation Uses shall not exceed 40 units per acre. Alternative uses, floor area ratio and density may be allowed when associated with a Target Employment Center (TEC) Overlay. A buffer shall be provided between land designated Industrial Limited and adjoining residential classifications. Retail and Personal/Office Service Support uses alone or when added to existing contiguous like uses which exceed or will exceed three (3) acres shall require a land use plan amendment, which shall include such use and all contiguous like uses. Public/ Semi-Public (except public educational facilities which are not subject to this threshold), Ancillary Non-Residential, Commercial Recreation, Commercial/Business Service or Transient Accommodation uses, alone or when added to existing contiguous like uses which exceed or will exceed five (5) acres shall require a land use plan amendment, which shall include such use and all contiguous like uses. The three (3) and five (5) acre thresholds shall not apply for planned industrial/mixed use projects which comprise not less than 100 acres. Planned industrial mixed/use projects may include Public/Semi-Public, Ancillary Non-Residential, Retail, Personal/Office Service, Transient Accommodation, Residential and Commercial Recreation uses subject to the following:

a. For projects, 100 acres or more in size, the Public/Semi-Public, Ancillary Non-Residential, Retail, Personal/Office Service, Transient Accommodation and Commercial Recreation uses shall not exceed ten (10) acres;

b. A planned industrial/mixed use project that does not include residential uses shall be subject to a master site plan which provides for unified control of the entire project;

c. The Public/Semi-Public, Ancillary Non-Residential, Retail, Personal/Office Service, Transient Accommodation and Commercial Recreation uses shall be integral to, oriented within and function as part of the mixed use project as distinct from free-standing, unrelated out-parcel type uses or strip commercial development.

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2. Industrial General (IG) - Allowing a mixture of light or heavy industrial and industrial park uses with a floor area ratio up to 0.75. Alternative uses, floor area ratio and density may be allowed when associated with a Target Employment Center (TEC) Overlay. A buffer shall be provided between land designated Industrial General and adjoining plan classification other than Industrial or Transportation/Utility. Public/Semi-Public or Ancillary Non-Residential Uses, alone or when added to existing contiguous like uses which exceed or will exceed five (5) acres shall require a land use plan amendment which shall include such use and all contiguous like uses. Office, Retail Uses, Commercial Recreation, Commercial/Business Service and Personal/Office Service, shall be allowed as accessory uses within the structure to which it is accessory and shall not exceed 25% of the floor area of the principal use to which it is accessory. An outdoor performing arts venue shall be a Commercial Recreation use with no acreage limitation and shall not be required to be accessory to any other use.

D. Public/Semi-Public Categories: Any uses defined within the following categories may have other land use designations subject to the thresholds defined within the land use plan categories described above.

1. Recreation/Open Space (R/OS) - For designation of recreation facilities, and open space areas protected from development. Designation of these areas shall be consistent with the goals, objectives and policies of the Recreation and Open Space Element. Uses shall be permitted a FAR of 0.15.

2. Institutional (I) - Limited to designation of federal, state and local public buildings and grounds, cemeteries, hospitals, churches and religious institutions and educational uses. Residential uses having a density not to exceed 12.5 dwelling units per acre are also allowed. Residential equivalency uses are not to exceed 3 beds per dwelling unit. Non-residential uses permitted in the land development regulations are not to exceed a floor area ratio of 0.55.

3. Transportation/Utility (TU) - Public transportation and utility facilities including wastewater disposal facilities, recycling facilities, public works garage, electric power substations, and facilities licensed under the Power Plant Siting and Transmission Line Siting Act, and natural gas pump stations. Floor area ratio shall not exceed 0.6. A buffer shall be provided between land designated Transportation/Utility and any adjoining plan classification other than Industrial. Where a utility transmission line otherwise included within this category is located in an easement as distinct from a road right-of-way, the transmission line shall be deemed not inconsistent with the underlying plan category.

4. Preservation (PRES) - Preservation designation shall apply to all environmentally sensitive areas within the City that qualify under the criteria specified in the land development regulations. Said areas shall be protected from harmful encroachment per the requirements of the land development regulations. A floor area ratio of 0.05 and an ISR of 0.1 may be permitted in certain circumstances per the land development regulations. A buffer shall be provided for Preservation areas.

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Areas that are designated Preservation on the Future Land Use Map and designated Large Tract Wildlife Areas on the Biological Resources Map of the Conservation Element shall remain in essentially their natural condition with no development being permitted in these areas except as consistent with approved master plans for the Large Tract Wildlife Areas. Any such development shall be for purposes of appropriate habitat preservation and restoration, public and environmental education, access and visitation.

E. Special Designations

1. Historic Properties and Districts - National Register and locally landmarked historic properties and districts shall be identified on the Land Use Map Series.

2. Water/Drainage Feature (W/DF) - Overlaying the future land use designation for areas of open, undeveloped water or drainage features. No development will be permitted on submerged lands except as permitted elsewhere in the land development regulations. Non-submerged lands will be permitted development according to the uses, densities and intensities permitted in the underlying land use plan category and zoning district.

3. Activity Center (AC) Overlay - Overlaying the future land use designations in those areas, not less than 50 acres in size, with concentrated commercial and mixed-use centers suited to a more intensive and integrated pattern of development. The maximum densities and intensities shall not exceed 2.5 times that permitted in the underlying land use plan category and zoning district except for the Downtown Center (DC) zoning districts which shall not exceed the maximum densities and intensities allowed therein. This category shall not be applied without development of, and CPA approval of a special area plan.

4. Activity Center (AC) – Allowing a mixture of uses as outlined below and up to a floor area ration of 4.0 and a net residential density not to exceed the maximum allowable in the land development regulations (LDRs). In accordance with the LDRs, increased floor area ratios may be permitted as a bonus or as an exemption for developments that provide additional amenities or other improvements that achieve design and development objectives. When taken together, the base FAR, bonuses and exemptions may exceed 4.0 FAR. The Activity Center plan category includes subcategories specific to geographic location, as enumerated below.

a. Innovation District: Allowing a mixture of uses permitted in the land development regulations with a base floor area ration of 3.0. This district is intended for a mix of uses including institutions devoted to the provision of healthcare and medical services, research and development, marine and life sciences, higher education, business incubation, and media communication, as well as allowing support uses that enable achievement of a mixed-use live-work district.

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5. Community Redevelopment District (CRD) - It is the purpose of this category to provide for the unique and specific needs of those community and neighborhood areas that are planned for redevelopment and revitalization. Application of this district shall require that a Special Area Plan be adopted by City Council and approved by the Countywide Planning Authority (CPA). A brief description of the purpose and intent of the area plan, that includes the intended mix of land uses and densities or intensities of uses, and any consideration or protection of historical/archeological resources shall be referenced in the Future Land Use Element at the time the CRD designation is applied to the redevelopment area. Accessory dwelling units are permitted and may be excluded from the residential density calculation when accessory to a single-family dwelling unit, in accordance with the Land Development Regulations (LDRs).

The following are the adopted CRD areas in St. Petersburg and are hereby referenced as follows:

a. The Bayboro Harbor Redevelopment Area. In accordance with the adopted Bayboro Harbor Redevelopment Plan, the City’s vision for this area is a compatible mix of industrial, medical, cultural, educational, marine, commercial and residential uses. The Bayboro Harbor Redevelopment area is intended to remain predominately nonresidential and oriented toward marine and research related uses.

Maximum residential density: 24 units per acre Maximum nonresidential intensity: 0.55 F.A.R.

b. The Port of St. Petersburg. In accordance with the adopted Port of St. Petersburg Master Plan, the City’s vision for this area is a compatible mix of marine and non-marine-related industrial, commercial, and research and education uses.

Maximum intensity: 0.55 F.A.R.

c. The Grand Central District. In accordance with the SunRunner Rising Development Study and the Grand Central Master Plan, the City’s vision for this area is an urban village development pattern occurring within a pedestrian and transit supportive environment that includes a compatible mix of residential, office and commercial uses. There are significant historical features that are recommended for enhancement and protection, through design guidelines, reconstruction of the traditional streetscape and preservation of historic structures. The highest densities and intensities are intended for the Central Avenue corridor and around the SunRunner Urban stations transitioning to lower densities and intensities adjacent to single family residential neighborhoods. Increasing the amount of residential uses in this area is a key to successful Plan implementation.

Residential densities: a maximum of 150 units per acre Nonresidential intensities: a maximum of 5.0 F.A.R.

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6. Resort Facilities Overlay (RFO) - Overlaying the future land use designations for areas suitable for the combination of residential and transient accommodation uses. Transient accommodation and residential uses shall be as defined in the Zoning Ordinance. Transient accommodations shall be allowed within areas designated RFO not to exceed the maximum density in the underlying future land use plan category and zoning district. When located within an RFO area, individual transient accommodation units shall comply with the definition of dwelling unit as found in the Zoning Ordinance. Uses which are nonconforming or grandfathered uses shall not be eligible for the RFO designation.

7. Scenic/Non-Commercial Corridor - Designated Scenic/Non-Commercial Corridors shall be deemed to have countywide significance and will be recognized as a Scenic/Non-Commercial Corridor as governed by the Rules Concerning the Administration of the Countywide Plan and the Countywide Future Land Use Map. The following Scenic/Non-Commercial Corridors, depicted on Map 11, are located within the City:

a. Pinellas County Bayway (SE 682) from Gulf Boulevard to US 19/I-275.

b. Park Street from Tyrone Boulevard to Central Avenue.

c. Howard Frankland Bridge (I-275) approach to Hillsborough County Line.

d. Sunshine Skyway Bridge (I-275) approach to Hillsborough County Line.

e. Pinellas Bayway (SR679) from Pinellas County Bayway (SR682) south to the City limits.

f. Treasure Island Causeway and its approaches from Park Street west to the City limits.

8. Target Employment Center (TEC) Overlay - Overlaying the future land use designations of those areas, not less than 100 acres in size, that are now developed or appropriate to be developed in a concentrated and cohesive pattern to facilitate employment uses of countywide significance. Permitted uses and density/intensity standards shall be as per the underlying future land use categories, with a 100 percent intensity bonus for manufacturing, office and research/development uses.

a. SunRunner TEC-local at the 22nd Street Station– Located over Industrial Traditional (IT) zoned land located south of 1st Avenue South, east of 24th Street, and north and west of Interstate 275, where alternative permitted uses and density/intensity standards may be established in accordance with the SunRunner Rising Development Study/Special Area Plan through adoption of Land Development Regulations specifying standards related to density, intensity, height, urban form, and public realm. The LDRs will provide provisions to incentivize and

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retain small-scale manufacturers and artisan uses and address continued need for industrial and warehouse space. Target Employment uses are required to be developed concurrently with or before all other non-Target Employment Uses. The established boundary is reflected as a zoning overlay.

F. Planned Redevelopment Categories

1. Planned Redevelopment – Residential (R) - Allowing low to moderate density residential uses not to exceed 15 dwelling units per net acre; however, when located outside of the Coastal High Hazard Area, and only when abutting a major street as depicted on the Future Major Streets Map (Map 20), Missing Middle Housing at a maximum density of 30 dwelling units per net acre is permitted in accordance with the Land Development Regulations (LDRs) and special area plan; Residential equivalent uses are not to exceed 3 beds per dwelling unit; non-residential uses allowed by the land development regulations up to a floor area ratio of 0.50. Accessory dwelling units are permitted and may be excluded from the residential density calculation when accessory to a single-family dwelling unit, in accordance with the Land Development Regulations (LDRs). An ancillary non-residential use which exceeds three (3) acres, a transportation/utility use which exceeds three (3) acres, or an institutional use (except public educational facilities which are not subject to this threshold) which exceeds five (5) acres, whether alone or when added to existing contiguous like use(s), shall require a Future Land Use Map amendment that shall include such use and all contiguous like uses.

2. Planned Redevelopment – Mixed Use (MU) - Allowing mixed use retail, office, service and medium density residential uses not to exceed a floor area ratio of 1.25 and a net residential density of 24 dwelling units per acre; however, when located outside of the Coastal High Hazard Area, a floor area ratio of up to 2.5 to 4.0 and a net residential density of 45 to 60 dwelling units per acre may be allowed subject to the maximum allowance of the Multimodal Corridor Subcategory, and only when abutting a major street as depicted on the Future Major Streets Map (Map 20), Missing Middle Housing at a maximum density of 30 dwelling units per net acre is permitted in accordance with the Land Development Regulations (LDRs) and special area plan. Accessory dwelling units are permitted and may be excluded from the residential density calculation, in accordance with the LDRs. Higher densities and intensities are acceptable within activity centers but not exceeding a floor-area-ratio or a net residential density as established in the redevelopment plan or special area plan. Residential equivalent uses are not to exceed 3 beds per dwelling unit and transient accommodation uses shall not exceed 45 units per acre. An ancillary non-residential use which exceeds three (3) acres, a transportation/utility use which exceeds three (3) acres, or an institutional use (except public educational facilities which are not subject to this threshold) which exceeds five (5) acres, whether alone or when added to existing contiguous like use(s), shall require a Future Land Use Map amendment that shall include such use and all contiguous like uses. Research/Development, Commercial Recreation, and Light Manufacturing/Assembly (Class A) uses shall be allowed in this plan category only on

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

the basis of and pursuant to local government standards which address, as a minimum, the following criteria in relationship to the nature of the proposed use: neighboring uses and the character of the commercial area in which it is to be located; noise, solid waste and air quality emission standards; hours of operation; traffic generation; and parking, loading, storage and service provisions.

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3. Planned Redevelopment – Commercial (C) - Allowing the full range of commercial and mixed uses including retail, office, service and high density residential uses not to exceed a floor area ratio of 1.25 and a net residential density of 55 dwelling units per acre; however, when located outside of the Coastal High Hazard Area, a floor area ratio up to 2.5 to 4.0 and a net residential density of up to 60 dwelling units per acre may be allowed subject to the maximum allowance of the Multimodal Corridor Subcategory in accordance with the Land Development Regulations (LDRs) and special area plan. Higher densities and intensities are acceptable within activity centers but not exceeding a floor area ratio or a net residential density as established in the redevelopment plan or special area plan. Residential equivalent uses are not to exceed 3 beds per dwelling unit and transient accommodation uses shall not exceed 55 units per acre. Institutional and transportation/utility uses, alone or when added to existing contiguous like uses, which exceeds or will exceed five (5) acres shall require a Future Land Use Map amendment that shall include such use and all contiguous like uses. Research/Development and Light Manufacturing/Assembly (Class A) uses shall be allowed in this plan category only after the nature of the proposed use has been determined and the following criteria are considered: neighboring uses and the character of the commercial area in which it is to be located; noise, solid waste, hazardous waste and air quality emission standards; hours of operation; traffic generation; and parking, loading, storage and service provisions.

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G. Table Showing Countywide Plan Map Categories and Corresponding Future Land Use Map Categories

*Allowed for Missing Middle housing only when abutting a major street and located outside the Coastal High Hazard Area.

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

The following policies shall be applied when implementation of the categories is considered either by plan amendment or general plan update and revision.

General:

LU3.2 Development shall not exceed the densities and intensities established within this Future Land Use Element except where allowed by the land development regulations.

LU3.3 Each land use plan category shall have a set of different zoning districts that may be permitted within that land use category, and zoning that is not consistent with the plan category shall not be approved. The Land Development Regulations establish the zoning districts which are permitted within each land use plan category, and designations which are not consistent with the table shall not be approved.

LU3.4 The Land Use Plan shall provide for compatible land use transition through an orderly land use arrangement, proper buffering, and the use of physical and natural separators.

LU3.5 The tax base will be maintained and improved by encouraging the appropriate use of properties based on their locational characteristics and the goals, objectives and policies within this Comprehensive Plan.

LU3.6 Land use planning decisions shall weigh heavily the established character of predominately developed areas where changes of use or intensity of development are contemplated.

LU3.7 Land use planning decisions shall include a review to determine whether existing Land Use Plan boundaries are logically drawn in relation to existing conditions and expected future conditions.

Residential:

LU3.8 The City shall protect existing and future residential uses from incompatible uses, noise, traffic and other intrusions that detract from the long term desirability of an area through appropriate land development regulations.

LU3.9 Residential uses along the interstate and other major transportation corridors should incorporate proper buffering from highway and transit noise and pollution.

LU3.10 Through traffic in residential neighborhoods shall be discouraged except on designated collector and arterial streets through reviews of site plans, road improvement projects, long range transportation improvement plans, including the MPO Long Range Transportation Plan and the City’s Transportation Element, and through strategic placement of traffic control signs.

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LU3.11 More dense residential uses (more than 7.5 units per acre) may be located along (1) passenger rail lines and designated major streets or (2) in close proximity to activity centers where compatible.

LU3.12 Less intensive residential uses (less than 7.5 units per acre) shall continue as the predominant density in St. Petersburg.

LU3.13 Areas designated Medium Density Residential that are predominately single family in character shall be considered favorably for a land use plan amendment to Low Density Residential where so doing would help to stabilize and upgrade the condition of the neighborhood.

LU3.14 The conversion of single family structures into multifamily units shall be in accordance with the LDRs, however, any associated variances will be discouraged.

LU3.15 The Land Use Plan shall provide housing opportunity for a variety of households of various age, sex, race and income by providing a diversity of zoning categories with a range of densities and lot requirements.

Commercial:

LU3.16 The City Staff shall recommend approval of applications for Future Land Use Map amendments from commercial and office categories to residential categories in appropriate locations for residential development when the application is consistent with the other goals, objectives and policies of the Comprehensive Plan.

LU3.17 Future expansion of commercial uses is encouraged when infilling into existing commercial areas and activity centers, or where a need can be clearly identified, and where otherwise consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.

LU3.18 All retail and office activities shall be located, designed and regulated so as to benefit from the access afforded by major streets without impairing the efficiency of operation of these streets, and with proper facilities for pedestrian convenience and safety.

LU3.19 Corporate headquarters shall be encouraged to locate in the City, particularly in the CBD and Gateway areas, through the use of incentives that may include; land assembly assistance and provision of infrastructure and amenities.

LU3.20 Large scale office development shall be limited to those areas with suitable regional access and compatible surrounding uses.

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Industrial:

LU3.21 The City shall continue to expand the acreage available for industrial development in appropriate locations provided such expansion is supported by current and likely long-term market conditions.

LU3.22 Industrial uses shall be concentrated in suitable locations taking advantage of existing infrastructure and natural site characteristics.

LU3.23 Existing areas contiguous to Industrial on the Future Land Use Map shall be recommended for approval by the City Staff for rezoning to industrial if adequate lot consolidation to prevent piecemeal encroachment into adjacent neighborhoods is available and surrounding uses are predominantly industrial. Industrial plan amendment requests that are inadequate in terms of lot consolidation and will cause piecemeal encroachment into adjacent neighborhoods are disfavored.

LU3.24 The City shall encourage non-polluting industrial and research facility uses, through the use of incentives that may include land assembly assistance and provision of infrastructure and amenities.

LU3.25 Proceeds from the sale of City-owned industrial land should be primarily reinvested in programs or projects to further industrial development (e.g., utility extensions or land acquisition).

LU3.26 Land development regulations shall provide performance standards that ensure compatibility with surrounding uses.

LU3.26.a Plan amendment applications that propose changing underperforming industrially designated areas (Industrial General or Industrial Limited) to a non-industrial designation may be favorably considered if one or more of the following characteristics exist over an extended period of time: 1) vacant or underutilized land; 2) vacant or underutilized buildings; 3) poor quality job creation in terms of pay, employee density and spin-off or multiplier effects; and 4) chronic competitive disadvantages in terms of location, transportation infrastructure/accessibility and other market considerations.

Public/Semi-Public:

LU3.27 Major public/semi-public uses, such as schools, utilities, government and medical facilities, shall be provided to meet the needs of residents.

LU3.28 Public and semi-public uses shall be required to meet all local development codes.

LU3.29 Payment in lieu of taxes by public/semi-public facilities shall be encouraged to assist the City with the costs of providing services.

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LU3.30 Federal, state and local governmental offices shall be encouraged to locate in the CBD through incentives that may include site selection and land assembly assistance and provision of infrastructure and amenities.

Recreation/Open Space:

LU3.31 The Future Land Use Element provides for adequate locations for recreation/open space activities within the City in accordance with the goals, objectives and policies of the Recreation/Open Space Element of the St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan.

Preservation:

LU3.32 Preservation sites shall be preserved to the maximum extent possible in their natural condition in accordance with the goals, objectives and policies of the Conservation Element.

ISSUE: Future Land Use Needs

Providing the estimated future need for land to accommodate the various development types necessary to support the future growth of St. Petersburg is a primary function of this Future Land Use Element.

OBJECTIVE LU4:

The following future land use needs are identified by this Future Land Use Element:

1. Residential – the City shall provide opportunities for additional residential development where appropriate.

2. Commercial – the City shall provide opportunities for additional commercial development where appropriate.

3. Industrial - the City shall provide opportunities for additional industrial and employment related development where appropriate.

4. Mixed-use - developments are encouraged in appropriate locations to foster a land use pattern that results in fewer and shorter automobile trips and vibrant walkable communities.

5. Public/Semi-Public - land for fire stations schools, hospitals, government office buildings and other public or semi-public uses shall be designated Institutional, Transportation/Utility, or other applicable Future Land Use category, as defined in the Future Land Use Element, subject to the acreage thresholds established for that Future Land Use category.

6. Recreation and Open Space - per the Recreation and Open Space Element no additional lands are required to meet the City's future recreation and open space needs.

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7. Preservation - additional acreage of environmental Preservation area shall be designated as warranted by field inspections of existing sites and sites within areas to be annexed by the City. Reduction of preservation acreage shall only occur as may be allowed by the Land Development Regulations.

8. Dredge and Spoil Disposal Sites - dredge and spoil disposal sites under the jurisdiction and responsibility of the City shall be permitted and operated consistent with all applicable local, state and federal regulations.

Policies:

LU4.1 Dredge and spoil disposal should be coordinated with environmental enhancement projects when possible.

LU4.2 Provisions for utility access to individual sites shall be provided through implementation of the required setbacks and right-of-way requirements of the City's land development regulations.

LU4.3 Public utilities may be permitted in all Future Land Use Plan categories including planned residential developments and developments of regional impact, subject to the acreage thresholds of the applicable land use plan category, except when lying in rights-of-way in which cases they shall be designated Transportation/Utility. Utilities lying in easements rather than rights-of-way shall have a Transportation/Utility overlay category designation over the existing Future Land Use category. In all cases, the performance standards in the Power Plant Siting Act, Transmission Line Siting Act, St. Petersburg Zoning Ordinance and any other applicable land development regulations must be met.

LU4.4 Developers shall assess their needs regarding other utility services not related to the concurrency management requirements (such as electric and gas) and seek confirmation of future availability and location of those services from appropriate utility suppliers. Confirmation should be provided by the utility to the City during the site plan review process.

ISSUE: Concurrency of Services

The concurrency provision is the keystone of the 1985 Local Government Comprehensive Planning and Land Development Regulation Act (Chapter 163 F.S.). Providing services concurrent with the impacts of development is necessary to assure that the quality of life in St. Petersburg is maintained and enhanced.

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

OBJECTIVE LU5:

The City shall coordinate the provision of the following facilities and services concurrent with the needs of the existing and future land uses consistent with the adopted minimum level of service standards contained in this Comprehensive Plan;

1. Drainage
2. Solid Waste
3. Potable Water
4. Sanitary Sewer
5. Recreation/Open Space

Policies:

LU5.1 Public facilities and utilities shall be located to: a) maximize the efficiency of services provided; b) minimize their cost; and c) minimize their impact on the natural environment.

LU5.2 All development shall be timed and staged in conjunction with the provision of supporting community facilities. The range of supporting community facilities shall include as a minimum:

a) police; b) fire; c) library; d) emergency medical services; e) public schools; and f) all the facilities with adopted levels of service listed in Objective LU5.

LU5.3 The Concurrency Management System shall continue to be implemented to ensure proposed development to be considered for approval shall be in conformance with existing and planned support facilities and that such facilities and services be available, at the adopted level of service standards, concurrent with the impacts of development.

ISSUE: Natural Resources

The City's remaining natural resources have been extensively inventoried and analyzed in the Conservation and Coastal Management Elements. Protection and enhancement of those resources will be an ongoing priority of the Land Use Plan.

OBJECTIVE LU6:

The City's natural resources shall be protected and, where fiscally and environmentally practical, enhanced; and future land uses shall be properly integrated with the natural environment including topography and soil conditions, vegetation and other environmental concerns consistent with the goals, objectives and policies of the Coastal Management and Conservation Elements of the St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan.

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Policy:

LU6.1 The City shall allow no further marina development within the North (Vinoy) Yacht Basin other than the currently approved 74-slip marina, 26 buoy mooring field and dinghy dock.

ISSUE: Coastal Hazard Areas

As identified in the Coastal Management Element, the FEMA Velocity Zone is the portion of the City with the greatest potential for hurricane related property damage. These areas could be exposed to direct winds, storm surge and wave action during a storm event. Also highly vulnerable to hurricane hazards is the Coastal High Hazard Area (CHHA). The hurricane evacuation level A-C zones are designated as the Hurricane Vulnerability area and are subject to evacuations during category 1-3 storm events.

OBJECTIVE LU7:

Development activities of all kinds within the coastal hazard areas shall be consistent with the goals, objectives and policies of the Coastal Management Element of the Comprehensive Plan.

Policies:

LU7.1 The City shall consider flood potential, sea level rise and hurricane hazards when processing map amendment requests in the Coastal High Hazard (“CHHA”). The City shall deny any request to amend the Future Land Use Map for property within the CHHA that results in an increase of the maximum allowable density or intensity, except that the City may, at its sole and absolute discretion, consider approving such amendment based upon a balancing of the following criteria, as are determined applicable and significant to the subject amendment with items B, C, J, and K weighted as mandatory minimum criteria.

A. Access to Emergency Shelter Space and Evacuation Routes – The uses associated with the requested amendment will have access to adequate emergency shelter space as well as evacuation routes with adequate capacities and evacuation clearance times. Nothing in this policy shall be construed as superseding or otherwise modifying the local plan amendment requirement of Section 163.3178(8), Florida Statutes, as follows: 1. The adopted level of service for out-of-county hurricane evacuation is maintained for a category 5 storm event as measured on the Saffir-Simpson scale: or 2. A 12-hour evacuation time to shelter is maintained for a category 5 storm event as measured on the Saffir-Simpson scale and shelter space reasonably expected to accommodate the residents of the development contemplated by a proposed comprehensive plan amendment is available; or 3. Appropriate mitigation is provided, no later than the time of development approval, that will satisfy subparagraph 1 or subparagraph 2. Appropriate mitigation shall

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City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

include, without limitation, payment of money, contribution of land, and construction of hurricane shelters and transportation facilities. Required mitigation may not exceed the amount required for a developer to accommodate impacts reasonably attributable to development. The City and a developer shall enter into a binding agreement to memorialize the mitigation plan.

B. Utilization of Existing and Planned infrastructure – The requested amendment will result in the utilization of existing infrastructure, as opposed to requiring the expenditure of public funds for the construction of new, unplanned infrastructure with the potential to be damaged by coastal storms.

C. Utilization of Existing Disturbed Areas – The requested amendment will result in the utilization of existing disturbed areas as opposed to natural areas that buffer existing development for coastal storms.

D. Maintenance of Scenic Qualities and Improvement of Public Access to Water – The requested amendment will result in the maintenance of scenic qualities, and the improvement of public access, to the Gulf of Mexico, inland waterways (such as Boca Ciega Bay), and Tampa Bay.

E. Water Dependent Use – The requested amendment is for uses which are water dependent.

F. Part of Community Redevelopment Plan - The requested amendment is included in a Community Redevelopment Plan, as defined by Florida Statutes for a downtown or other designated redevelopment areas.

G. Overall Reduction of Density or Intensity – The requested amendment would result in an increase in density or intensity on a single parcel, in concert with corollary amendments which result in the overall reduction of development density or intensity in the surrounding CHHA.

H. Clustering of Uses – The requested amendment within the CHHA provides for the clustering of uses on a portion of the site outside the CHHA.

I. Integral Part of Comprehensive Planning Process – The requested amendment has been initiated by the local government as an integral part of its comprehensive planning process, consistent with the local government comprehensive plan.

J. Location within an Activity Center, Target Employment Center, Special Area Plan or Multi-modal Corridor – The requested amendment is within an existing or proposed Activity Center, Target Employment Center, Special Area Plan or within a Multi-modal Corridor or within one quarter mile of the corridor (excluding locations on neighborhood collectors) as designated on the Countywide Plan Map.

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

K. Implements the Goals and Policies of the Integrated Sustainability Action Plan (ISAP), Complete Streets and Health in All Policies (HIAP) – The requested amendment incorporates design elements and programs which further the sustainability and resiliency goals and policies of the ISAP, Complete Streets and HIAP.

L. Reduction of Storm Vulnerable Structures – The requested amendment will result in removal of storm vulnerable structures including but not limited to mobile homes, trailers and residences constructed prior to establishment of FEMA elevation requirements.

LU7.2 All approval of new proposed development will consider the hurricane evacuation level/location of the proposed development and provide appropriate mitigation.

LU7.3 The City will prohibit the new construction of hospitals, nursing homes, and convalescent homes in the CHHA and limit the expansion of existing sites to the boundaries of the currently developed lot.

LU7.4 The City will prohibit the siting of new mobile home parks within the CHHA and limit the expansion of existing sites to the boundaries of the currently developed lot.

LU7.5 When establishing Future Land Use Plan designations through a Comprehensive Plan amendment for annexed properties located within the Coastal High Hazard Area there shall be no net increase in residential density as compared to the Future Land Use Plan of Pinellas County designation(s) existing at the time of annexation of a property unless otherwise compliant with Policy LU7.1.

LU7.6 Opportunities to decrease residential development potentials on the remaining vacant tracts in the CHHA through plan amendments to less intensive uses, land purchase or transfer of development rights shall be considered.

LU7.7 The City will review the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council’s (TBRPC) Hurricane Evacuation Study for issues that pertain to requests for residential density increases and the general application of residential future land use densities in coastal high hazard areas.

ISSUE: Land Development Regulations

Land development regulations are the primary method of implementing the goals, objectives and policies of this Comprehensive Plan. The land development regulations were rewritten as part of the implementation process of the Vision 2020 Plan. The land development regulations of St. Petersburg which include; zoning, concurrency, signage, drainage, historic preservation, subdivision, landscaping and environmental preservation ordinances, are constantly being changed and adjusted to meet local, regional and state standards.

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

OBJECTIVE LU8:

The City will continue to revise and amend the land development regulations, as necessary, to ensure compliance with the requirements of Section 163.3202, Florida Statutes. The City will amend its land development regulations consistent with the requirements of Section 163.3202, Florida Statutes so that future growth and development will continue to be managed through the preparation, adoption, implementation and enforcement of land development regulations that are consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.

Policies:

LU8.1 Pursuant to the requirements of Section 163.3202 F.S. the land development regulations (Chapter 16, City Code of Ordinances) will be amended, as necessary, to ensure consistency with the goals, objectives and policies of the Comprehensive Plan.

LU8.2 Encourage more consistent interpretation and administration of land development regulations among City Council, the commissions designated in the LDRs and the City Staff through orientation meetings and joint workshops that provide a background on the implementation of City policies and regulations.

ISSUE: Nonconforming and Grandfathered Land Uses

The City's existing land uses are a combination of permitted, grandfathered and nonconforming uses. Procedures and regulations affecting grandfathered and nonconforming uses shall be identified in the City's land development regulations.

OBJECTIVE LU9:

The City shall continue to define and regulate nonconforming and grandfathered uses consistent with the requirements of Chapter 163, F.S. for the purpose of reducing or eliminating land uses that are inconsistent with the character of the community including repetitive loss and other properties that do not comply with minimum FEMA flood elevation standards as targeted in Policies CM11.11 and CM11.12.

Policies:

LU9.1 Nonconforming and grandfathered uses shall be defined and regulated in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance and Chapter 163, F.S.

LU9.2 Nonconforming uses determined to be severely incompatible may be phased out through an appropriate amortization schedule as defined in the land development regulations.

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

ISSUE: Historic Resources

The City of St. Petersburg has a substantial inventory of historic and archaeological resources. Identifying the most significant resources and protecting them from alteration or demolition is an ongoing process.

OBJECTIVE LU10:

The historic resources locally designated by the St. Petersburg City Council and the commission designated in the LDRs, shall be incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan map series at the time of original adoption or through the amendment process and protected from development and redevelopment activities consistent with the provisions of the Historic Preservation Element and the Historic Preservation Ordinance.

Policy:

LU10.1 Decisions regarding the designation of historic resources shall be based on the criteria and policies outlined in the Historic Preservation Ordinance and the Historic Preservation Element of the Comprehensive Plan.

ISSUE: Specific Areas of Concern

Specific areas of concern require location and situation specific objectives and policies that address the unique problems and opportunities of each area.

OBJECTIVE LU11:

The City of St. Petersburg shall identify and address the needs of specific areas of the City that are deteriorated, blighted, underutilized, threatened or generally inconsistent with the community's character including but not limited to:

1. Neighborhoods
2. Redevelopment Areas
3. Potential Redevelopment Areas
4. Annexation Areas
5. The Gateway
6. The Waterfront
7. Corridors
8. Brownfields
9. Urban Infill and Redevelopment Areas

Policies:

LU11.1 Studies and programs to identify and address the needs of specific areas shall be conducted on an ongoing basis.

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

LU11.2 The need for redevelopment should be assessed based on the following factors; 1) building conditions, 2) socio/economic characteristics, 3) land to improvement value ratios, 4) non-conforming uses and 5) potential for private investment.

ISSUE: Neighborhoods

Neighborhood preservation has been an ongoing planning priority since adoption of the 1974 Conceptual Plan. The viability of neighborhoods is threatened by many disruptive factors, including incompatible land uses, traffic, aged and deteriorating housing stock, crime and decay of public infrastructure.

OBJECTIVE LU12:

The City of St. Petersburg shall continually strive to maintain and enhance the vitality of neighborhoods through programs and projects developed and implemented in partnership with CONA, FICO and neighborhood associations.

Policies:

LU12.1 Participation by neighborhood groups in planning activities and decisions shall be encouraged through informational mailouts and direct notification to neighborhood association officers of workshops, meetings and public hearings that address issues that may concern or interest any or all neighborhoods, and through presentations to neighborhood groups.

LU12.2 The City will track neighborhood conditions by:

1. issuing periodic reports that describe the status of the following indicators for neighborhoods citywide: police calls for service, total crime, home ownership, property value, vacant buildings and code violations; and,

2. periodically conducting resident surveys (citywide and neighborhood specific surveys) regarding neighborhood quality of life issues.

LU12.3 Affected neighborhood associations, business associations, the Chamber of Commerce, FICO and CONA should be sent notification regarding applications received by the City for Future Land Use Map amendments, rezonings, site plan reviews, special exception reviews and all other commission cases, as designated in the LDRs, within 7 working days of the applicable application submittal.

LU12.4 The City shall maintain and upgrade the physical quality of St. Petersburg neighborhoods by continuing and, where necessary, expanding the following programs:

1. Neighborhood and Community Services
2. Community Service Coordinator Program and Mayor's Action Line

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3. Neighborhood Revitalization Strategies and Operation Commitment
4. Neighborhood Partnership Grants (Matching and Mayor's Mini)
5. N-Team
6. St. Petersburg Code Compliance Assistance
7. Housing Blight Elimination Efforts
8. Traffic Calming
9. Complete Streets and Bicycle Pedestrian Safety Initiatives
10. Community Policing

LU12.5 The City shall consider the Neighborhood Plans accepted by the City Council, and the recommendations contained therein, as guidelines to maintain and enhance the vitality of the neighborhoods.

ISSUE: Existing Community Redevelopment Areas

The City has four existing community redevelopment areas that were adopted under the provisions of Florida’s Community Redevelopment Act (Section 163.330 et seq., F.S.): Intown, Intown West, Bayboro Harbor, and South St. Petersburg. Each area has an adopted redevelopment plan that specifies long range redevelopment objectives. Each redevelopment plan addresses the unique needs and potentials of the areas. Implementation of the redevelopment plans has in every case stimulated positive actions toward reaching the redevelopment goals objectives and policies. Continued implementation of these plans is essential to revitalization of blighted and underutilized areas of the City.

OBJECTIVE LU13:

All development proposals in community redevelopment areas shall be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan's adopted goals, objectives, and policies and the goals, objectives and policies of the adopted redevelopment plan.

Policies:

LU13.1 Development proposals in community redevelopment areas shall be reviewed for compliance with the goals, objectives and policies of the Comprehensive Plan and the goals, objectives and policies of the applicable adopted redevelopment plan including:

1. Intown Redevelopment Plan;
2. Bayboro Harbor Redevelopment Plan;
3. Intown West Redevelopment Plan; and
4. South St. Petersburg Redevelopment Plan.

LU13.2 The City shall continue to review downtown development trends and related redevelopment plans to ensure that all downtown area redevelopment efforts are coordinated and reflect the best possible vision for the future of the downtown area.

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

ISSUE: School Siting

Ensuring the provision of school facilities that meet the needs of the school aged population and are compatible with the surrounding community requires coordination and communication between the Pinellas County School Board, the City of St. Petersburg and its residents.

OBJECTIVE LU14:

The City shall support efforts that facilitate coordination of planning between local governments and the School Board for the location and development of public schools.

Policies:

LU14.1 Public schools are defined in the City Code as elementary schools, special education facilities, alternative education facilities, middle schools, high schools, charter schools and area vocational-technical schools of the Pinellas County School District.

LU14.2 Public schools are an allowable use within the following Future Land Use Plan categories:

Residential Low Residential Urban Residential Low Medium Residential Medium Residential/Office General Institutional Planned Redevelopment – Residential Planned Redevelopment – Mixed Use Central Business District

LU14.3 The location and construction of new public schools or the expansion of an existing site, within one of the future land use categories listed in Policy 14.2 shall only be allowed upon a determination by the City that the proposed site is consistent with the St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan.

LU14.4 In addition to consistency with the St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan, the proposed location of a new or expanded public school within one of the land use categories listed in Policy 14.2 shall be reviewed and considered with the following general criteria:

1. The proposed location is compatible with present and projected uses of adjacent property.

2. The site area of the proposed location is adequate for its intended use based on the State Requirements for Educational Facilities and provides sufficient area to accommodate all needed utilities and support facilities and allow for adequate buffering of surrounding land uses.

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

3. Based on the St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan, there will be adequate public services and facilities to support the public school.

4. There are no significant environmental constraints that would preclude development of a public school on the site.

5. There will be no adverse impact on archaeological or historic sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places or designated by the City of St. Petersburg as a locally significant historic or archaeological resource.

6. The proposed location is well drained and soils are suitable for development or are adaptable for development and outdoor educational purposes with drainage improvements.

7. The proposed location is not in conflict with the County's Stormwater Management Plan or the City’s Stormwater Management Master Plan.

8. The proposed location is not in the Coastal High Hazard Area (CHHA), a velocity flood zone or a floodway.

9. The proposed location can accommodate the required parking and anticipated queuing of vehicles on site.

10. The proposed location lies outside the area regulated by section 333.03(3), F.S., regarding the construction of public educational facilities in the vicinity of an airport.

11. All schools built within the Category 3 storm evacuation area or higher will meet public shelter construction requirements.

12. The proposed location provides opportunities to integrate/co-locate schools with other public facilities, including but not limited to bike and pedestrian paths, libraries and parks.

LU14.5 The following criteria shall also be used to evaluate whether proposed locations of specific types of schools are consistent with the St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan:

Elementary Schools, Special Education Facilities, and Alternative Education Facilities

1. The proposed location shall have direct access to at least a collector road or as otherwise approved by the City after determination of acceptable traffic impacts on adjacent roads of lesser classification.

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Middle Schools

1. The proposed location shall have direct access to at least a collector road or as otherwise approved by the City after determination of acceptable traffic impacts on adjacent roads of lesser classification.

2. Outdoor recreational facilities and similar support facilities shall be located and buffered on the proposed site to minimize impacts on adjacent properties.

High Schools

1. The proposed location shall have direct access to at least an arterial road, or as otherwise approved by the City after determination of acceptable traffic impacts on adjacent roads of lesser classification.

2. Stadiums, outdoor recreational facilities, and similar support facilities shall be located and buffered on the proposed site to minimize impacts on adjacent properties.

Vocational-Technical Schools

1. The proposed location shall have direct access to at least an arterial road, or as otherwise approved by the City after determination of acceptable traffic impacts on adjacent roads of lesser classification.

2. Industrial education facilities shall be located and buffered on the proposed site to minimize impacts on adjacent properties.

LU14.6 Proposed locations that are less than the standard site acreage as prescribed in the Florida Department of Education State Requirements of Educational Facilities may be determined to be consistent with the local jurisdiction's comprehensive plan provided the requirements of Section 1013.36, F.S. as amended, are met and off-site impacts can be adequately mitigated as provided in the Land Development Regulations.

LU14.7 A consistency determination for a proposed new site or expansion of an existing site with the Comprehensive Plan may be conditioned on the specific type of public school reviewed.

LU14.8 At the time of consistency determination, the City may impose reasonable conditions for development of the site as it relates to any of the criteria in Policies 14.4 and 14.5. Conditions may not be imposed which conflict with those established in Chapter 1013, F.S., or the State Uniform Building Code, unless mutually agreed.

LU14.9 Before a significant change of program at a public school is implemented, the School Board and the City shall require a review of the facility's on site and off site impacts. The School Board and the City will work cooperatively to mitigate on site and offsite

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

impacts, including impacts to public facilities, identified through the consistency and site plan review processes.

LU14.10 The City and the School Board shall annually coordinate in the development of their respective capital improvement programs.

LU14.11 The policies in Objective LU14 above are consistent with, and do not nullify or conflict with, the provisions in Chapter 1013, F.S.

ISSUE: Annexation Areas

The City is pursuing annexation of contiguous areas. East Gateway and Tierra Verde are specific areas for which annexation plans have been prepared. Annexation of these areas would increase the City's tax base and provide a supply of vacant land to accommodate additional growth. The Feather Sound area (on the north side of Ulmerton Road/SR 688) is also a logical area for additional annexation. Of primary concern is providing necessary public facilities and services to the areas and protecting sensitive natural features.

OBJECTIVE LU15:

The City shall coordinate with Pinellas County in pursuing annexation of contiguous unincorporated areas to ensure adequate service provision and appropriate land uses.

Policies:

LU15.1 To assure a quality development, future land use decisions in the East Gateway area shall consider the existing surrounding uses, location characteristics, availability of public facilities, and protection of natural features.

LU15.2 Large scale coordinated development shall be pursued for the remaining vacant tracts in the East Gateway.

LU15.3 The City shall continue to pursue annexation of Tierra Verde.

LU15.4 The City shall assess the feasibility of additional annexations within Feather Sound.

LU15.5 Future land use plan designations in potential annexation areas will be coordinated with the Pinellas Planning Council (PPC) through the procedures specified in Chapter 2012-245, Laws of Florida, and the Countywide Rules.

ISSUE: The Gateway

The Gateway, which includes the Gateway Regional Activity Center, is located at the center of the Tampa Bay regional market and contains the remaining large tracts of vacant land in the City. For these reasons the area is feeling intense development pressure. The City has planned for intense development in the Gateway.

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

OBJECTIVE LU16:

To assure proper consideration of growth management issues in the "Gateway", the City shall initiate and implement the following activities:

1. Continue to coordinate transportation improvements with the FDOT and the Pinellas County MPO;

2. Continue to coordinate with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) during the identification and preservation of all jurisdictional wetlands;

3. Provide a full range of land use opportunities in support of the activity center concept.

Policy:

LU16.1 Development planning for the Gateway shall include consideration of the following issues:

1. promotion of industrial and office park development to diversify the City's economic base and generate employment;

2. preservation of significant historic, environmental and archaeological areas;

3. integration of land uses with existing and future transportation facilities recognizing the special transportation conditions within a regional activity center;

4. creation of an aesthetically pleasing development that provides a positive visual image at the City's "Gateway;"

5. assuring the proper coordination, programming and timing of City services concurrent with the needs of new development;

6. providing housing opportunities in close proximity to the Gateway employment center;

7. allowance of multi-family residential uses to provide housing opportunities within close proximity to employers.

ISSUE: The Downtown Waterfront

The St. Petersburg downtown waterfront is a unique amenity and recreational asset of the City. Major cultural and recreational events are frequently held on the waterfront, making it a focal point of the community. Preserving and enhancing the integrity of the waterfront, integrating downtown development at a scale compatible with the waterfront park system, preserving view corridors and

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

ensuring that development around the waterfront encourages street level pedestrian activity for the citizens of St. Petersburg are ongoing priorities.

The Downtown Waterfront Master Plan (DWMP) is the community’s vision for the future of the City’s Downtown Waterfront. The DWMP was adopted to protect, enhance, and redevelop one of the City’s greatest assets in line with community desires to create a downtown waterfront that is socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable for generations to come. The purpose of the DWMP is to provide planning recommendations based on strong community input to create a vision for the 21st Century.

The DWMP is a set of guiding principles that provide a framework for conceptually designed projects to be implemented over time. This framework is made up of overarching themes called the Five Dimensions of the Waterfront which characterize and provide a home for all the various input received from the community. The waterfront is divided into six distinct Character Districts that subdivide the project area into zones of specific use and focus along with a set of Comprehensive Waterfront Needs that apply to the entire downtown waterfront study area.

The community’s DWMP Vision:

The City of St. Petersburg, through the Downtown Waterfront Master Plan, envisions a continued legacy of preserved and enhanced open space that is inclusive and offers opportunities for all. It is our understanding and belief that the unrivaled, vibrant and diverse array of community assets stretching from the Coffee Pot to the Pier, and the Pier to Lassing Park working together, will afford greater economic and ecological resiliency for future generations. As a community we seek to be a national model for waterfront stewardship, acknowledging that “we are all connected by water” and that solutions to social, environmental and physical places are best solved by a common understanding that “your issue is my issue.” As such our master plan is guided by the following overarching community themes, the five dimensions of the waterfront:

Stewardship of the Waterfront Environment Developing a sustainable relationship between the natural and built environments

Enhancing the Experience of the Water Expanding St. Petersburg as a waterfront destination for boaters and non-boaters

An Active Waterfront Parks System Diversifying the activities of the waterfront to meet a growing community’s needs

Economically Vibrant Downtown Places Leveraging the economic potential of in-water and upland areas along the water’s edge

A Connected, Accessible Downtown and Waterfront Creating continuous linkages, service oriented parking and transit, and increased public access to the waterfront

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

OBJECTIVE LU17A:

Maintain and enhance the City's Waterfront Park system.

Policies:

LU17A.1 Opportunities to establish a continuous waterfront park system from Coffee Pot Bayou to Lassing Park shall be pursued.

LU17A.2 The waterfront park system should provide a variety of passive and active recreational and cultural uses as identified in the Downtown Waterfront Master Plan.

OBJECTIVE LU17B:

The City shall take into account the five themes, the six character districts, and the comprehensive needs outlined in the DWMP developed from extensive community outreach and input when considering development, protection, and enhancement decisions.

Policies:

LU17B.1 When preparing and implementing the Capital Improvement Program, the City shall consider applicable projects outlined in the DWMP.

LU17B.2 Projects, improvements and programs proposed for the downtown waterfront shall be consistent with the Five Dimensions of the DWMP.

OBJECTIVE LU17C:

The City shall continue to implement a downtown waterfront zoning district (DC-3) that enhances the waterfront park system, preserves view corridors and ensures pedestrian oriented, human scale development and redevelopment.

Policies:

LU17C.1 Development within the downtown waterfront area, generally extending westward to 1st Street between the 5th Avenues, should be sensitive to the aesthetic quality of the waterfront by addressing design issues related to building heights terraced away from the water, building orientation, scale and mass; creating open spaces and view corridors; and creating a pedestrian oriented, human scale environment at the street level.

LU17C.2 New development and redevelopment along Beach Drive and the intersecting avenues in the waterfront area should create street level activity through a mix of pedestrian oriented uses including, retail, entertainment, service, cultural, and recreational uses.

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LU17C.3 Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.) for buildings within the downtown waterfront area (DC-3 zoning district) shall not exceed 4.0, in accordance with the land development regulations that have been adopted to implement this policy, including provisions for a base FAR as well as FAR bonuses and exemptions. Exemptions to FAR shall not be counted when calculating a development’s FAR.

LU17C.4 Recognizing that all development has an an impact on an existing view from one vantage point or another, waterfront development projects shall be designed in a manner that minimizes adverse impacts on all identified view corridors. Land development regulations have been adopted to implement this policy. Important view corridors include, in descending order of importance:

1. direct views of parks and the waterfront;
2. views resulting from east-west roadways terminating at the waterfront;
3. views of the city from the waterfront, with an emphasis to promote a terracing (low buildings to tall buildings) skyline away from the waterfront;
4. views of the central business district resulting from north-south roadways.

LU17C.5 Human scale waterfront development shall be promoted through DC-3 Zoning District regulations that require building facades to terrace away from Beach Drive (building envelope standards). Land Development Regulations have been adopted to implement this provision.

ISSUE: Corridors

There are several residential and office/commercial corridors in the City that require specific management policies to address their unique character.

OBJECTIVE LU18:

Commercial development along the City's major corridors shall be limited to infilling and redevelopment of existing commercially designated frontages.

Policies:

4th Street North:

LU18.1 Requests to amend the Land Use Plan and Land Development Regulations to permit retail/office development in the North Sector on corridors other than 4th Street North should be recommended for denial by Staff, except at appropriate intersections of major streets or in designated mixed use settings.

Central Avenue Corridor:

LU18.2 The efficiency of the existing one-way system should be preserved. Direct access to First Avenues North and South from abutting lots should be kept to a minimum.

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Nearby east-west alleys should not be vacated if additional curb cuts into First Avenues North and South might result.

ISSUE: Coordinating Land Use and Transportation

Critical to the proper functioning of an urban area is an efficient multimodal transportation system that is coordinated with the land use pattern. The type, spatial distribution, density and intensity of land uses determines where and what type of facilities are required to serve the City's traffic load. These facilities can be disruptive to the urban fabric, often causing noise, odor and visual intrusions.

OBJECTIVE LU19:

To provide a transportation system that is integrated with the Future Land Use Plan, the City shall implement the goals, objectives and policies of the Transportation Element. In addition, the SunRunner Rising Development Study was accepted by City Council on April 4, 2022, and is adopted by reference as the SunRunner Rising Special Area Plan associated with the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) near and around SunRunner station areas and along the Central Avenue corridor necessary to support the continued success of this valuable community resource. The Study was a joint effort between the City of St. Petersburg, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), and Forward Pinellas intended to assist the cities of St. Petersburg, South Pasadena, and St. Pete Beach by providing community-supported land use strategies, equitable economic development plans and programs, and a county-wide framework for TOD in Pinellas County.

Policies:

LU19.1 Any required transportation improvements shall be implemented with minimal land use, social and environmental disruption.

LU19.2 Land use patterns that impair the efficient functioning of transportation facilities shall be avoided through:

1. implementation of land development regulations that provide for site planning practices that limit curb cuts, provide for common access points and ensure safe and convenient on-site traffic circulation without adversely affecting the operational integrity of adjacent roadways;

2. denial of land use plan amendments that increase the frontage of commercial strips;

3. locating higher intensity uses where transportation facilities can provide efficient access.

LU19.3 The land use pattern shall contribute to minimizing travel requirements and anticipate and support increased usage of mass transit systems.

ISSUE: Intergovernmental Coordination

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Planning and land use decisions of neighboring communities can have negative spillover effects. Consideration of the impacts resulting from land use planning and development activity on all affected communities before implementation would prevent some problems.

OBJECTIVE LU20:

Coordinate growth and development with the Pinellas Planning Council, Pinellas County School Board and neighboring governments in order to promote and to protect inter jurisdictional interests consistent with the goals, objectives and policies of the Intergovernmental Coordination Element of the St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan and by complying with Chapter 2012-245, Laws of Florida, the special legislative act that led to the 2015 update to the Countywide Map, Rules and Strategies.

Policies:

LU20.1 Coordinate interjurisdictional land use planning review through the Pinellas County Planning Council and the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization.

LU20.2 The Future Land Use Element of the St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan shall be consistent with the Countywide Future Land Use Plan, including the categories, rules, policies, and procedures thereof.

LU20.3 The City will adopt Land Development Regulations which provide for notice of requests for rezoning, land use plan amendments and special exceptions for any property located within approximately 1/4 mile of a neighboring government to the neighboring government and, for any property located within approximately 1/4 mile of a public educational facility, to the School Board for comments pertaining to the request in relation to their respective plans.

LU20.4 The City will adopt Land Development Regulations which provide for notice of requests for variances and site plans requiring commission approval, as designated in the LDRs, for any property located within approximately 1/4 mile of a neighboring government to the neighboring government for comments pertaining to the proposed action in relation to their respective plans.

LU20.5 Copies of City ordinances proposing to adopt new Land Development Regulations for problematic land uses should be forwarded to neighboring governments and the School Board for comments pertaining to the proposed regulations in relation to their respective plans.

LU20.6 Copies of City ordinances proposing to adopt new Land Development Regulations for incompatible land uses should be forwarded to neighboring governments and the School Board for comments pertaining to the proposed regulation in relation to their respective plans.

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

LU20.7 The City will adopt Land Development Regulations which provide for notice to neighboring governments of public hearings called for the establishment or expansion of a Community Redevelopment Area, Community Development Block Grant target area, or historic preservation district within approximately one mile of the neighboring government and to the School Board when located within approximately one mile of a public educational facility for comments pertaining to the proposed action in relation to their respective plans.

LU20.8 The City will utilize the countywide planning process as an additional means of notification to neighboring governments of future land use map amendments.

LU20.9 The City will review ordinances amending the future land use plan text and land development regulations, other than land use plan and zoning map amendments, for consistency with the Countywide Plan Rules and, except for emergency ordinances, will forward each proposed ordinance to the Pinellas Planning Council (PPC) prior to first reading of the ordinance.

LU20.10 The City will continue to be an active member of the PPC’s Planners Advisory Committee (PAC).

ISSUE: Innovative Land Development Regulations

Land development regulation often requires innovative solutions that can sensitively address complex and interrelated land development issues.

OBJECTIVE LU21:

The City shall, on an ongoing basis, review and consider for adoption, amendments to existing or new innovative land development regulations that can provide additional incentives for the achievement of Comprehensive Plan Objectives. Policy:

LU21.1 The City shall continue to utilize its innovative development regulations and staff shall continue to examine new innovative techniques by working with the private sector, neighborhood groups, special interest groups and by monitoring regulatory innovations to identify potential solutions to development issues that provide incentives for the achievement of the goals, objectives and policies of the Comprehensive Plan.

ISSUE: Energy Conservation and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategies

Since the 1920s, when urban planning began in St. Petersburg, the City has taken large strides toward developing in a way that provides its citizens with transportation choices, and the opportunity to live, work and play without reliance on the automobile. The City’s most recent planning effort was the citizen-based Vision 2020 Plan, adopted in October 2002, which recognizes the need to develop in an urban manner to both capitalize on assets, including a vibrant

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

downtown, strong neighborhoods, and quality transportation system, and offset its geographical limits as a built-out, peninsular community.

The City has long been an environmental leader in Florida, and its long-standing organizational commitment to sustainable practices helps explain why it was the first Florida community designated as a “Green City” by the Florida Green Building Coalition in May 2007.

Strategies that support St. Petersburg’s commitment to environmental practices relate to:

• Electrical Energy
• Parks, Preserves and Estuaries
• Sustainable Land Development
• Environmental Purchasing Practices
• Transportation
• Water Conservation and Supply
• Earth Friendly Recycling

These program areas are guided by the principle that all policies, programs and capital investment should be fiscally and environmentally sound. Indeed, it is the City’s mission to provide efficient and effective public services that protect and enhance sustainability of the environment and the quality of life in St. Petersburg.

Concurrent with improving its governmental operations to be fiscally and environmentally sound, and recognizing that land development patterns have a significant role in reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gases (GHGs), the City amended its Land Development Regulations (LDRs). The changes promote higher density and mixed-use development patterns in order to facilitate transit-supportive development and alternatives to the automobile. The amended LDRs became effective in September 2007.

OBJECTIVE LU22:

The City shall implement fiscally and environmentally sound energy conservation and GHG reduction strategies through the LDRs and the Comprehensive Plan.

Policies:

LU22.1 The City shall continue to pursue strategies which reduce GHG emissions and vehicle miles traveled through the following initiatives:

• Increase permitted densities and intensities in appropriate areas of the City to enhance transit opportunities;

• Focus infrastructure and transit improvements in employment and activity centers; and

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

• Revitalize commercial corridors to provide for increased mixed-use development.

LU22.2 The City shall encourage “green” construction practices.

LU22.3 The City may provide, and will promote, available incentives to greenhouse gas reduction related companies expanding in or relocating to St. Petersburg.

LU22.4 The City shall support county, regional and state initiatives to utilize renewable energy sources as a part of an economic development effort.

OBJECTIVE LU23:

The City shall support sustainable land development patterns through the LDRs and the Comprehensive Plan.

Policies:

LU23.1 The City’s development review policies and procedures shall continue to integrate land use and transportation planning so that land development patterns support mobility choices and reduced trip lengths.

LU23.2 The City’s development review policies and procedures shall acknowledge the GHG emission reduction impacts of higher density development and the negative impacts of sprawling, low-density development.

LU23.3 The City’s LDRs shall continue to support greater development intensity within the Corridor and Center zoning districts, particularly where located along fixed transit lines and around transit stops and stations.

LU23.4 The City’s LDRs shall continue to support land development patterns that make possible a mixture of land use types resulting in employment, schools, services, shopping and other amenities located near residential development and neighborhoods. The City’s mixed-use categories include:

• CRT: Corridor Residential Traditional
• CRS: Corridor Residential Suburban
• CCT: Corridor Commercial Traditional
• CCS: Corridor Commercial Suburban
• DC: Downtown Center
• IC: Institutional Center
• RC: Retail Center

OBJECTIVE LU24:

The City shall support site planning and building design techniques that maximize use of renewable, sustainable, active and passive sources of energy design in architecture.

Chapter Three, Future Land Use Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Policy:

LU24.1 The City shall, on an ongoing basis, examine existing zoning and land development regulations and revise or eliminate provisions that act as regulatory barriers to the use of renewable, sustainable, active and passive energy systems.

OBJECTIVE LU25:

The City shall support site planning and building design techniques that minimize heat island effects, which can warm surface temperatures and increase the use of air conditioning, resulting in greater energy use and GHG emissions.

Policies:

LU25.1 The City shall encourage the use of Green and Cool Roofs.

LU25.2 The City shall continue to enforce landscaping and tree preservation standards that increase shade and mitigate heat island effects.

OBJECTIVE LU26:

The City’s LDRs shall continue to support the adaptive reuse of existing and historic buildings in order to maximize the use of existing infrastructure, preserve natural areas from being harvested for the production of construction materials, minimize the vehicle miles traveled for transporting new construction materials over long distances, preserve existing natural carbon sinks within the City, and encourage the use of alternative transportation options.

Policy:

LU26.1 The City shall, on an ongoing basis, examine existing adaptive reuse standards and revise or eliminate land-use provisions that act as regulatory barriers to the continued use of existing infrastructure and historic buildings.

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

CONSERVATION ELEMENT

Sections:

4.1 Introduction 4.2 Goals, Objectives and Policies ISSUE: Protection of areas within the 100-year floodplain ISSUE: Impacts of Stormwater on surface water quality ISSUE: Effects of dredging and filling on surface water quality ISSUE: Provide 50% green permeable open space in the City ISSUE: Ambient air quality ISSUE: Environmental Preservation Areas ISSUE: Protection of vegetation ISSUE: Protection of wetlands ISSUE: Protection of listed species ISSUE: Protection of living marine resources ISSUE: Hazardous waste management ISSUE: Wastewater management ISSUE: Potable water needs ISSUE: Green local government standard ISSUE: Energy Conservation

4.1 INTRODUCTION

The natural systems which govern hydrology, climate, vegetation and wildlife are the fragile foundation which supports all human activity. The 1988 Conservation Element Technical Support Document and the 1996 EAR provide inventory and analysis of the natural features and resources within the City of St. Petersburg. Decades of urban development had irrevocably changed the natural systems, not only within the municipal boundaries, but also in the surrounding air, waters and underground aquifers. Because human development requires natural resources of clean air, clean water, open space, and food sources, it is imperative that attention be paid to the remaining existing resources including protection from adverse development impacts, enhancement of natural communities and safeguarding natural resources for future inhabitants of this area.

4.2 GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

GOAL-CONSERVATION (C):

The City of St. Petersburg shall protect, conserve, responsibly manage and, where appropriate, restore or enhance the quality of air, water, vegetative and land resources and natural systems in St. Petersburg. This will be achieved through the cooperation of city, county, regional, state and federal environmental agencies and with the development community.

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

ISSUE: Protection of areas within the 100-year floodplain

The Federal Emergency Management Agency identifies areas within the 100-year floodplain. In order to receive federal flood insurance, local governments must regulate construction within the identified 100-year floodplain. The City has adopted an ordinance which implements FEMA regulations within the 100-year floodplain.

OBJECTIVE C1:

The City of St. Petersburg shall attempt to reduce the potential for property damage and safety hazards caused by storm flooding through complying with or exceeding of minimum FEMA regulations.

Policies:

C1.1 The City will actively enforce minimum building standards identified in the Florida Building Code and Land Development Regulations for construction within the 100-year flood plain.

C1.2 The City will cooperate with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to regularly update the 100-year flood plain and to continue FEMA regulations.

ISSUE: Impacts of Stormwater on surface water quality

The quantity and quality of Stormwater entering surface waters such as lakes and bays affects the water quality, and the recreational, biological and aesthetic value of the surface waters. The City recognizes Stormwater as a carrier of water-borne pollutants such as nutrients, oil, grease, debris, heavy metals and sediments. The City also recognizes the need to incorporate water quality control mechanisms in the design and construction of new private and municipal drainage facilities and in the upgrade/rehabilitation of existing drainage facilities.

OBJECTIVE C2:

The City of St. Petersburg shall work toward reducing the existing quantity and improving the quality of Stormwater runoff to surface water bodies, and improving water quality in Tampa Bay through implementation of the SWIM Tampa Bay Management Plan.

Policies:

C2.1 The City of St. Petersburg shall maintain permits under EPA's NPDES system.

C2.2 Development approval will be conditioned upon proof of a SWFWMD surface water management permit or letter of exemption and compliance with the City's Drainage and Surface Water Management Ordinance.

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

C2.3 Improvements of the municipal drainage system shall be designed with appropriate water quality control techniques, such as those described in the Drainage Subelement of the Comprehensive Plan.

C2.4 Alterations and improvements to the drainage system shall preserve, to the maximum extent possible, natural drainage characteristics (such as creek banks and wetlands), existing vegetation and trees, and natural topography.

C2.5 Continuing maintenance to Stormwater systems will be performed in a timely and adequate manner which minimizes adverse environmental impact. Responsibility for maintenance will be determined prior to the granting of new development approval.

C2.6 The City will cooperate with and assist the SWFWMD SWIM program in the implementation of initiatives and restoration projects identified in the Tampa Bay Management Plan.

C2.7 The City shall continue to participate in the Lake Maggiore water quality study.

C2.8 The City will cooperate with the SWFWMD in the implementation of the Tampa Bay Surface Water Improvement and Management Plan, including its recommendations to monitor and improve the water quality of surrounding coastal waters.

ISSUE: Effects of dredging and filling on surface water quality

As documented in the Coastal Management Element, St. Petersburg’s natural shoreline was vastly altered by dredge and fill activities. These areas of “made land” were created prior to current state dredge and fill regulations. Dredging of sediments to fill wetland areas is regulated by the state DEP. Dredge and fill activities can cause sediment suspension in surface waters and destroy wetlands sensitive to elevation.

OBJECTIVE C3:

The City of St. Petersburg shall protect existing water quality of surface water bodies such as bays, lakes, harbors, bayous, and the extent of their beaches and shores from degradation due to upland development by requiring review and approval of dredge and fill permits by the appropriate agencies.

Policies:

C3.1 Best management practices will be required to minimize soil erosion and to protect waterways from filling with debris and sediment during construction or earth moving.

C3.2 The vegetative fringe along all shorelines will be preserved to the fullest extent possible. Vertical seawalls shall be permitted only when consistent with applicable regulations as found in Florida Statutes Chapter 161 and 403 and by Florida Administrative Code as applicable.

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

C3.3 Restoration of seawalled, ditched or other severely altered shorelines and channels to natural conditions will be instituted wherever possible. Such improvements include natural slopes, indigenous plant communities and seagrasses.

C3.4 Natural tidal flushing patterns of Tampa and Boca Ciega Bays shall be supported by restricting fill operations; any fill operation should control the turbidity generated.

C3.5 Consistent with approved habitat restoration plans and subject to approval of state and regional regulatory agencies, acceptable spoil material, such as that generated by maintenance dredging projects, may be disposed of in subtidal borrow pits.

C3.6 The City will address environmental issues associated with dredge spoil sites and the maintenance of navigational channels with the US Army Corps of Engineers and Pinellas County. The City may utilize the Coastal Resource Interagency Management Committee’s dispute resolution process to resolve conflicts.

C3.7 The City will continue to administer its standards for shoreline protection and dock placement with the Pinellas County Water and Navigation Control Authority.

ISSUE: Provide 50% green permeable open space in the City

The City has set a goal of maintaining 50% green, permeable open space in the City. This goal shall be met through maintenance of city parkland and enforcement of setback and landscaping requirements in the Land Development Regulations.

OBJECTIVE C4:

The City of St. Petersburg shall protect green open space areas and the native vegetation and wildlife in St. Petersburg in the manner identified in the Recreation/Open Space Element of the Comprehensive Plan so as to maintain a citywide total of 50% green permeable open space.

Policies:

C4.1 The City shall preserve and increase vegetation (trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants) through enforcement of the existing Land Development Regulations and promote further restoration of native vegetation to produce oxygen and filter air pollutants.

C4.2 The City shall maintain and seek to expand the City's inventory of green permeable open space so as to provide maximum area for shallow aquifer recharge and Stormwater filtration/percolation, oxygen production, visual buffer and wildlife habitat. This shall be accomplished through implementation of land development regulations as described in Section 3 of the Recreation/Open Space Technical Support Document, Objective R4 and Policies R4.1 - R4.2 of the Comprehensive Plan.

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

C4.3 The City shall encourage the public to plant and maintain trees and plants native to this region through a public education program identifying soil types and native plants suitable to each.

C4.4 The City shall support ongoing education programs about native plant and animal species; endangered, threatened and species of special concern and the diversity of natural communities.

C4.5 Construction of tree wells following the guidelines in the Florida Division of Forestry's "Tree Protection Manual for Builders and Developers," shall be required as directed by the planning department where development will change grading around trees required to be saved.

C4.6 The Land Development Regulations, in order to reduce Stormwater runoff, increase recharge to the aquifer and increase overall green permeable open space, shall make available FAR bonus incentives to increase a site’s overall pervious surface.

ISSUE: Ambient air quality

Ambient air quality is the measure of pollutants in the portion of the atmosphere near ground level and external to buildings or other structures. Ambient air quality standards are established by the state for six parameters: carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide and total suspended particulates. Pinellas County monitors ambient air quality in the County, and at four stations in St. Petersburg. Ozone is a pollutant common to urbanized areas; Pinellas and Hillsborough counties are regarded as one air shed for the ozone parameter.

OBJECTIVE C5:

The City of St. Petersburg shall work with the appropriate agencies to preserve and protect air quality within the City and the Tampa Bay area to meet or exceed minimum DEP standards.

Policies:

C5.1 The City shall continue to support adequate air quality monitoring by the appropriate agencies by providing locations on city property for air quality monitoring equipment.

C5.2 The City shall attempt to reduce automobile related pollution by coordinating city, county and regional transportation plans to increase automobile travel efficiency and reduce congestion by implementing the countywide traffic signalization system project, supporting mass transit opportunities, and implementing the Long-Range Highway Plan as identified in the Transportation Element and the MPO Long Range Highway Plan.

C5.3 The City shall cooperate with DEP by requiring permits, where appropriate, for the construction and operation of new and existing air pollutant point sources.

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

C5.4 The City shall require compliance with Pinellas County requirements for vapor control systems for all new and reconstructed gasoline stations.

ISSUE: Environmental Preservation Areas

The City has designated approximately 3,226 acres as environmental preservation due to their vegetative, water table and 100-year floodplain characteristics. These areas are protected from adverse impact by implementation of the environmental preservation section of the Land Development Regulations. Encroachment into these areas is limited to 10%. The location and type of encroachment is reviewed by the planning department; mitigation for adverse impact may be required.

OBJECTIVE C6:

The City of St. Petersburg shall conserve and protect all existing preservation areas through implementation of Section 16.20.160 of the Land Development Regulations, as revised.

Policies:

C6.1 Preservation sites identified on the Future Land Use Map will be preserved to the maximum extent possible in their natural condition.

C6.2 All development affecting preservation shall be subject to site plan review and approval by the planning department.

C6.3 The drainage characteristics of preservation sites will not be altered without review and approval by the Engineering and planning Departments.

C6.4 The owner of a preservation site may develop up to a maximum floor area ratio of 0.05 and a maximum impervious surface ratio of 0.10 on preservation areas above the mean high water line as specified in Section 16.20.160 of the Land Development Regulations. The location of the intrusion is subject to approval by the City Planning staff with appeal to DRC and City Council and subject to all federal, state and local regulations. Transfer of development rights is also available. Preservation areas may also be used for calculation of open space, floor area ratio and number of units, in accordance with the Land Development Regulations.

C6.5 Owners of preservation lands will be provided with a reasonable economic use of their property through a system of transfer of development rights and on-site development (0.05 FAR).

C6.6 Revenues from the sale of development rights from City owned preservation areas shall be used predominantly for acquisition or enhancement of public recreation areas, open space areas or environmental preservation areas.

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

C6.7 St. Petersburg shall cooperate with adjacent municipalities and Pinellas County to protect environmentally sensitive areas in more than one jurisdiction.

C6.8 City owned preservation areas shall be enhanced through implementation of the Environmental Enhancement/Urban Forestry program.

C6.9 The City will require removal of nuisance and exotic plant species as a condition of approval of site plans and plats involving preservation areas.

C6.10 Preservation areas shall be designated using the "Relative Significance of Environmental Factors" table as provided and revised in the environmental preservation section of the land development regulations.

C6.11 The Parks Department will prepare a comprehensive wildlife and habitat management plan for the environmental preservation area surrounding Lake Maggiore designated on the Biological Resources Map as a "large tract wildlife area;" activities affecting this property shall be consistent with the goals, objectives and policies outlined in the management plan.

C6.12 Mitigation of adverse environmental impacts in preservation areas shall be required as indicated in the environmental preservation section of the Land Development Regulations.

C6.13 The City shall pursue, in cooperation with DEP, SWFWMD and the City of Gulfport, the preservation and environmental habitat restoration of Clam Bayou.

ISSUE: Protection of vegetation

Outside of environmental preservation areas, vegetation is protected by the Land Development Regulations. The goal is to cultivate and maintain a mature canopy of native trees in the City which provide aesthetic, biologic and economic value to the City. This issue is addressed in Objectives 7 and 8.

OBJECTIVE C7:

The City shall require new development and redevelopment sites to be located and designed to conserve, protect and appropriately use the existing natural vegetative and soil resources of the land in a manner which complies with the City's land development regulations relating to drainage, landscaping, zoning and vegetation.

Policies:

C7.1 Soil suitability will be considered as a component of development analysis in areas of undisturbed soils; no areas appropriate for mineral extraction exist in the City.

C7.2 Replanting of devegetated areas per the approved landscape plan for the site will be required within a reasonable time period, no later than the issuance of a certificate of

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

occupancy. Use of beneficial plants, particularly those indigenous plants suited to the type of site, will be required.

C7.3 Siltation control devices preventing erosion will be required for all development and redevelopment activity which includes either work adjacent to a surface water body or the placement or removal of fill.

C7.4 Areas proposed for annexation into the City will be evaluated for natural resources and those resources will be protected in accordance with City Ordinances.

C7.5 Vegetation in the City will be protected according to the Land Development Regulations.

C7.6 Removal of snags will be evaluated weighing safety factors and potential wildlife value.

C7.7 Appropriate trees will be replanted in rights of way and other public property through implementation of the Environmental Enhancement Fund.

C7.8 If at any time there is no preemptive state legislation regarding local regulation of mangroves, then the City will propose an ordinance for the judicious management of the City’s coastal mangrove communities.

C7.9 Developments requiring special exception or site plan review (SE & SPR cases) shall identify viable naturally functioning native vegetative communities. A portion of the existing native vegetation shall be preserved or retained. The City-has adopted Land Development Regulations which include provisions described in subparagraphs a., b., e., and f., below, and is considering adoption of new regulations described in subparagraphs c. d., and g., below:

a. For residential and residential mixed use developments within the coastal high hazard zone and greater than 2.5 acres and for residential and residential mixed use developments greater than 20 acres outside of the coastal high hazard zone - 25 percent of the native vegetation shall be preserved;

b. All other types of new development subject to SE or SPR review in areas not referenced in Policy C7.9.a shall be required to preserve a portion of the native vegetation on the site. For new development under 5 acres, at least 10 percent of the native vegetation shall be retained. For new development over 5 acres, 15 percent of the native vegetation on site shall be retained;

c. The trees, under-story and the ground cover shall be preserved emphasizing the largest contiguous area possible;

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

d. Preservation areas, designated pursuant to Objective C6 and Policy C6.1, shall be included in the percentage calculation. This policy shall not be interpreted to allow development of any Preservation area designated pursuant to Objective C6 and Policy C6.1 unless otherwise allowed. This policy shall be considered separate and distinct from policies and regulations that pertain to Preservation areas;

e. Variances may be granted for parcels which cannot reasonably accommodate both the native vegetation requirement and the proposed activity conditioned on mitigation which provides for increased landscape requirements. Where native vegetation requirements are not accommodated, the landscape plan shall recreate a native plant community in all three strata (ground covers, under-story and trees), utilizing larger plant materials so as to more quickly recreate the lost mature vegetation. Mitigation may be offsite if the mitigation enhances/enlarges existing large tract wildlife areas as shown on the Biological Resources Map;

f. This policy shall not be interpreted to allow development of wetlands; and

g. Nuisance exotic plant species shall be removed from the site prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy.

C7.10 The City shall assist the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in eliminating nuisance exotic plant species.

OBJECTIVE C8:

The City shall implement the Urban Forestry Plan and other existing programs to replant a specified number of new trees in rights of way and other public property, and in an annual amount to equal or exceed the hardwood trees removed per year from rights of way areas, through implementation of the Environmental Enhancement Fund.

Policies:

C8.1 Trees planted shall be native hardwoods, except in special circumstances such as consistency with adjacent trees.

C8.2 A budget within the annual interest income of the Environmental Enhancement Fund shall be allocated each year for tree planting.

C8.3 Appropriate locations and tree species shall be chosen for replanting in right of way areas. Guidelines such as those provided by the Florida Division of Forestry and National Arborist Association will be used to determine appropriate locations. At minimum, locations for tree plantings and tree species planted shall consider impacts of traffic, intersection visibility, soil type, power lines, adjacent trees and the preference of adjacent property owners.

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

C8.4 The City shall continue to implement programs that utilize xeriscape principles in conjunction with native plants and trees in public rights-of-way and other public lands, whenever practical, thereby conserving water, improving habitat for urban wildlife, conserving Central Florida flora, and improving the City’s aesthetic appeal and environmental quality.

ISSUE: Protection of wetlands

Wetland areas provide significant wildlife, aesthetic and Stormwater control values. Wetlands areas designated as environmental preservation areas are protected by implementation of the Land Development Regulations.

OBJECTIVE C9:

The City shall preserve and enhance existing marine and freshwater wetlands so as to maintain the existing mangrove, salt marsh and freshwater marsh preservation areas.

Policies:

C9.1 No further wetlands alteration will be permitted, except to restore indigenous species and in cases of overriding public interest.

C9.2 If a wetland must, due to overriding public interest, be destroyed in such a manner that it may never return to the natural condition or size (e.g., when a bridge is built), a new wetland of similar potential productivity should be created within the immediate area to mitigate the loss. Mitigation shall be at least a 2 to 1 ratio.

C9.3 The City shall inspect and review its coastal mangrove forest communities every five years to determine their current condition and identify major issues or concerns. The findings will be used to help prioritize habitat restoration projects.

C9.4 The City will notify neighboring governments that share wetlands with the City of its plans to protect those wetlands and solicit comments pertaining to its impact on their respective plans.

C9.5 The City will share information concerning native vegetative communities, terrestrial, marine, estuarine and aquatic habitats, wildlife species and habitat occurring in the city with other local governments, agencies, or environmental interest groups as appropriate.

ISSUE: Protection of listed species

Many species of plants and animals which are listed (classified by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered, threatened, species of special concern, or commercially exploited) forage, feed, roost and nest in St. Petersburg. The City recognizes the need for protection of the feeding, roosting, nesting and breeding habitat of these species.

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

OBJECTIVE C10:

The City shall protect, to the maximum extent possible, all habitat, nesting areas, feeding grounds and food sources of wildlife listed as endangered, threatened or a species of special concern by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service or Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission so as to in 5 years maintain or increase sightings in St. Petersburg of listed species as documented by USF&WS, NMFS, DEP, FWC, Audubon and other reliable sources.

Policies:

C10.1 Development in areas which are documented habitat for listed species shall be required to include a review of the habitat in the site plan review process and, where possible, retain viable size and quality habitat for inhabitants which are listed species or relocate in accordance with state and federal requirements.

C10.2 The City shall continue to support patrolling of identified manatee habitat by the St. Petersburg Police Marine Unit. Assistance from the Florida Marine Patrol will be sought to enforce idle speed zones designed to protect manatees.

C10.3 The presence of a listed species in a city owned preservation area shall be a criterion to prioritize Environmental Enhancement projects.

C10.4 The City shall protect the large tract wildlife habitat areas shown on the Biological Resources Map and expand/enhance these areas where feasible.

ISSUE: Protection of Living Marine Resources

Living Marine Resources include the finfish and shellfish populations in waters in and around St. Petersburg. Living marine resources provide substantial recreational, aesthetic and commercial resources for St. Petersburg. The population and quality of living marine resources are directly related to the availability and quality of suitable habitat.

OBJECTIVE C11:

The City of St. Petersburg shall protect or restore existing marine resources such as fisheries, shellfish harvesting areas and seagrass beds, except in instances of overriding public interest, so as to maintain or increase the water quality and the extent of areas designated as marine resources by DEP, EPA and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Policies:

C11.1 Encroachment into seagrass beds by docks or other development shall require mitigation, by replanting or habitat enhancement; performance standards such as survival rates shall also be required.

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

C11.2 The City of St. Petersburg will continue to support and encourage efforts by TBRPC, DEP, SWFWMD and other agencies in restoring and enhancing marine communities through continued participation on TBRPC's Agency on Bay Management and Habitat Restoration Coordination Committee.

C11.3 The City will continue to assist DEP in the enforcement of fin fishing and shellfish harvesting regulations.

C11.4 The City will continue to encourage and cooperate with the County in the siting and creation of artificial reefs by providing locations for artificial reefs in St. Petersburg waters.

ISSUE: Hazardous waste management

Hazardous wastes are broadly defined as materials which are identified by federal and state agencies as posing a substantial health or safety threat. The City recognizes the importance of regulation of the storage and disposal of hazardous wastes.

OBJECTIVE C12:

The City shall manage and monitor hazardous waste products and sites, in accordance with federal, state and local regulations.

Policies:

C12.1 The City shall enforce the appropriate labeling, storing and disposing of hazardous materials in accordance with the adopted hazardous materials ordinance, now codified as part of Article III of Chapter 13, City Code.

C12.2 The City shall cooperate with Pinellas County and DEP in public education about hazardous wastes.

C12.3 The City shall support the monitoring of hazardous waste sites for potential environmental impacts by the appropriate regulatory agency or the owner/operator of the site.

C12.4 The City shall cooperate with federal, state and regional hazardous waste collection site development programs.

C12.5 Appropriate disposal of hazardous waste products such as oils, paints and solvents shall be encouraged.

C12.6 The City will forward its emergency response plan to handle hazardous waste spills to Pinellas County, the TBRPC, and the FDEP to solicit comments pertaining to its impact on their respective plans.

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

ISSUE: Wastewater Management

The City's wastewater treatment system collects and treats wastewater generated within the system's service boundaries. The City recognizes the importance of appropriate collection, treatment and disposal of wastewater in a manner which does not degrade natural resources.

OBJECTIVE C13:

The City of St. Petersburg shall treat waste water and dispose of effluents in compliance with local, state, and federal environmental regulations.

Policies:

C13.1 The City currently is at zero discharge of effluent into the surrounding water bodies and will continue to treat and dispose of effluent via spraying and deep well injection.

C13.2 Industrial, package plant and other small scale point source discharges of pollutants into the area's waters will be required to meet state standards. Waste recycling, on-site industrial pretreatment and reduction of loads through conservation shall be required when appropriate.

C13.3 The City will provide adequate operation and maintenance of the wastewater collection system.

ISSUE: Potable water needs

The City operates a pumping, treatment and conveyance system to supply potable water within the system's service boundaries. The City recognizes the importance of the maintenance of this system in compliance with federal and state water quality standards. The City also recognizes the need to conserve potable water needs, and actively promotes water conservation through the reclaimed water and water conservation programs.

OBJECTIVE C14:

The City of St. Petersburg shall protect the quality and conserve the quantity of potable water resources in the manner defined by Section 6 of the Potable Water Technical Support Document of the Comprehensive Plan, Objective PW4 and Policies PW4.1 - PW4.7 so as to assist in meeting the 5-year projected water needs.

Policies:

C14.1 The City of St. Petersburg shall continue and expand efforts to publicize and encourage water conservation.

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

C14.2 The City of St. Petersburg shall support the emergency water management plans and policies of the regional water management district in the manner described in Section 6 of the Potable Water Subelement, Objective PW4 and Policies PW4.1 - PW4.7 of the Comprehensive Plan.

C14.3 The City of St. Petersburg shall continue to expand the city's reclaimed water irrigation system to reduce demand upon potable water.

C14.4 The City shall continue to maintain and distribute information about recommended xeriscape principles and native plants and other educational materials to increase public awareness of the need to reduce the use of potable water for irrigation and to provide habitat for wildlife in the developed landscape.

ISSUE: Green local government standard

The Florida Green Building Coalition, Inc.’s Green Local Government Standard designates Green Cities in the State of Florida for outstanding environmental stewardship. The Green Local Government Standard is a set of criteria used to evaluate and score a local government’s performance in implementing green programs that benefit the environment with respect to energy and air, water, wastewater, health, land use and general environmental awareness. In 2007, the City was designated the State of Florida’s first certified Green City by accumulating the applicable points necessary for a “silver” certification, in accordance with certification version 1.0 (v1.0).

OBJECTIVE C15:

The City of St. Petersburg’s mission is to provide efficient and effective public services that protect and enhance sustainability of our environment and the quality of life in St. Petersburg.

Policies:

C15.1 The City shall continue to review the provisions set forth in the Green Local Government Standards, which may be amended from time to time due to changes in the law, technological innovations, and comments and requests received by the Standards Committee of the Florida Green Building Coalition, Inc.

C15.2 The City shall continue to monitor its performance in implementing green programs and make any necessary adjustments to preserve compliance with the minimum number of applicable points necessary for a “silver” certification, which may be amended from time to time. Additionally, the City shall continue to implement new green programs so as to achieve, by 2011, the necessary points to attain “gold” certification.

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

ISSUE: Energy Conservation

St. Petersburg has implemented conservation procedures mainly through technological upgrades to its traffic signals, lighting in its municipal buildings and structures, systemic audits of its buildings and processes and enforcement of its LDRs. The LDRs, in part, provide conservation initiatives through requiring compliance with the Florida Building Code, as amended, and encouraging compliance with the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification measures.

OBJECTIVE C16:

The City shall continue to implement energy conservation initiatives.

Policies:

C16.1 The City shall continue to replace existing incandescent bulbs in the traffic signal system with LED lights, which produce an annual energy savings of approximately 68 percent with a three-year payback on investment, and have a life span of seven-plus years.

C16.2 The City shall convert all City-owned street lighting systems, as well as the lighting systems in City-owned multi-level parking garage facilities, to induction lighting systems which produce an annual savings of approximately 50 percent, with a payback period of less than five years.

C16.3 The City shall continue to replace existing incandescent bulbs with compact, fluorescent bulbs and existing magnetic ballasts with electronic ballasts.

C16.4 The City shall continue to implement the energy conservation measures provided in the energy audits from Progress Energy.

C16.5 The City shall continue its commitment to alternative energies, which provide environmental sustainability and improvement through the use of solar power, methane gas and power provided by the County’s Waste-to-Energy Plant.

C16.6 Pursuant to the Mayor’s Executive Order EO-08-01, as amended, the City shall continue to implement the actions, policies and procedures outlined therein to follow LEED standards in all future municipal building construction projects, fleet management efficiencies and lighting systems.

C16.7 Pursuant to Section 12-3 of the City Code, commercial and residential construction permit applications approved after February 2007 are eligible for a partial refund of permit fees if the structure constructed is certified as a green structure. For residential construction, the structure must satisfy all the requirements of the current Green Home Designation Standard of the Florida Green Building Coalition. For commercial construction, the structure must satisfy all the requirements of the most current USGBC LEED standard.

Chapter Four, Conservation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

C16.8 The City shall maintain its preservation, recreation and other natural areas and assets in order to protect their valuable role as natural “carbon sinks,” i.e., trapping atmospheric carbon emissions.

C16.9 The City shall adopt an Energy Conservation Map.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

COASTAL MANAGEMENT ELEMENT

Sections:

5.1 Introduction 5.2 Goals, Objectives and Policies ISSUE: Vegetation ISSUE: Wildlife ISSUE: Manatees ISSUE: Living Marine Resources ISSUE: Estuarine Pollution Monitoring ISSUE: Estuarine Point and Non-Point Pollution Sources ISSUE: Water Dependent Shoreline Uses ISSUE: Marine Facilities ISSUE: Public Access ISSUE: Coastal High Hazard Areas ISSUE: Hazard Mitigation ISSUE: Post Disaster Redevelopment ISSUE: Hurricane Evacuation Planning ISSUE: Infrastructure ISSUE: Historic Resources ISSUE: Port of St. Petersburg - Port Master Plan ISSUE: Tampa Bay Estuary Program

5.1 INTRODUCTION

The quality and accessibility of coastal resources have supported the City's growth. Bordered on three sides by water, the coastal zone is St. Petersburg's most valuable and attractive natural feature. The historical settlement in 1888 of a small fishing village on the downtown waterfront and the image of St. Petersburg as a resort community was fostered by waters rich with fisheries and miles of shoreline. Planning to expand the recreational potential of the coast for visitors and residents began as early as 1902 with a Chamber of Commerce resolution declaring that the waterfront between Second Avenue North to the City limits (then at Fifth Avenue North) should be a public park.

The coastal environment has been degraded by urbanization, yet continues to provide important aesthetic, biological and recreational benefits. The economic advantages associated with these benefits have diminished somewhat with the alteration of the natural environment. For example, commercial fishing and tourism depend on water quality for fisheries habitat and swimming activities. Dredge and fill activities and stormwater pollution have been among the impacts of urbanization which have caused the loss of seagrass habitat, the collapse of scallop and oyster industries and beaches temporarily closed to recreational swimming. In addition to environmental quality, vulnerability to higher sea levels and storm impacts requires careful planning to preserve public safety and the natural protective features of the coast.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

The purpose of this document, is to protect and prevent loss of human life, public infrastructure and private property from coastal hazards.

5.2 GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

GOAL-COASTAL MANAGEMENT (CM)

The city shall manage the coastal system, including the tributaries, wetlands, embayments, historic resources, shorelands and infrastructure in a manner that will maintain or enhance environmental, recreational, historic and economic qualities and protect human life.

ISSUE: Vegetation

A variety of vegetation exists in coastal areas, including mangrove forests, seagrass beds, tidal flats, salt marshes and related upland habitats. Coastal vegetation provides many aesthetic and biologic functions, including wildlife food sources, nesting sites, roosting sites and storm buffering. A majority of St. Petersburg's coastline is developed; however, several parcels of natural shoreline are preserved as environmental preservation areas or public parkland. Developed shoreline can be enhanced by replanting native shoreline vegetation.

OBJECTIVE CM1:

The City shall require new development and redevelopment along the coastal shoreline to be located and designed to protect or enhance beach shoreline and native vegetation historically represented in St. Petersburg including, mangroves, salt marsh and seagrasses, so that there are no further losses of coastal wetlands related to development, as documented by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Policies:

CM1.1 Undeveloped mangrove islands within the municipal boundary of St. Petersburg shall remain natural areas.

CM1.2 Environmental preservation areas shall provide representative ecosystems native to St. Petersburg.

CM1.3 Mitigation and restoration sites shall be recorded as developed preservation or conservation easements within which no further development will be permitted.

CM1.4 Native plants indigenous to a site will be required to be planted in devegetated areas.

CM1.5 The following mitigation standards shall apply for any work that results in unavoidable adverse impacts to coastal wetlands:

1. In-kind replacement shall be required for mangroves, salt marsh and seagrasses;

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

2. replacement lands or resources shall be a minimum of a 2 to 1 ratio in the area affected;
3. a minimum of 85% survival of new plantings through at least one growing season shall be required;
4. the proposal shall be consistent with the adopted comprehensive plan and applicable state and regional policies and regulations;
5. wherever possible, replacement or restoration shall be located within the affected drainage basin and connected with existing native habitat;
6. the posting of performance bonds and monitoring may be required to guarantee the long-term success of a project;
7. the plans shall be coordinated with federal, state and regional agencies and shall be subject to the approval of their permit requirements.

CM1.6 Plans for all shoreline sites shall be reviewed for public access, including designated parking areas and walkovers where necessary to retain existing vegetation and grades.

CM1.7 Vehicle traffic, aside from maintenance vehicles, shall not be permitted on public waterfront property, except where access is provided.

CM1.8 Opportunities for non-structural shoreline enhancement projects shall be identified in the repair of seawalls along low energy shorelines.

CM1.9 The planning department shall have available for property owners information on maintenance of native vegetation and shoreline features including:

1. a list of native plant nurseries;
2. guidelines for mangrove trimming and applicable regulations;
3. mapping of soils with a listing of associated plant communities;
4. descriptions of the growth habits and requirements of native plants common to various habitats;
5. technical information on designs for low energy shorelines.

CM1.10 All development sites, including the siting of boating facilities, suspected to contain listed species shall be required to field review and record the occurrence of listed plant and animal species and describe the measures which will be taken to protect these species in accordance with state and federal guidelines.

ISSUE: Wildlife

Coastal areas support a wide variety of wildlife, including terrestrial and marine mammals, wading birds, shore birds, birds of prey, reptiles, amphibians, insects, finfish, shellfish and other upland and marine species. Wildlife in St. Petersburg's coastal areas includes several listed (endangered, threatened, species of special concern, commercially exploited species) species. The population of wildlife species is directly related to availability and quality of appropriate habitat.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

OBJECTIVE CM2:

The City shall protect to the maximum extent possible all habitat, nesting and feeding ground of colonies of common estuarine dependent wildlife species and species listed as endangered, threatened or species of special concern so as to maintain or increase sightings in St. Petersburg in five years, as documented by the FDEP, USF&WS, National Marine Fisheries Service, FWC, Audubon and other reliable sources.

Policies:

CM2.1 The City shall cooperate with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in restoring subtidal and intertidal habitat.

CM2.2 The City shall preserve natural habitats surrounding the Pinellas County aquatic preserve to the maximum extent possible and require upland buffer areas to protect areas purchased under the Pinellas County endangered lands program, including the Gateway Endangered lands.

CM2.3 Documented habitat for listed species and wildlife populations shall be included as a weighted factor for establishing City environmental preservation areas, and shall be protected in accordance with guidelines of the USF&WS and FWC.

CM2.4 The City shall support the purchase and preservation of endangered waterfront lands, particularly those being considered for acquisition under the Pinellas County Endangered Lands program, including the Clam Bayou tracts.

CM2.5 Habitat management plans for areas which include Bald Eagle and Wood Stork nesting and foraging areas shall include preservation of nesting and roosting trees and water access favorable to foraging.

CM2.6 The planning department shall coordinate with the Engineering and Stormwater Departments and the Southwest Florida Water Management District to design drainage systems conducive to wading bird habitat, where populations are known to exist.

CM2.7 City policies regarding listed species and management of listed species habitat will be coordinated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

ISSUE: Manatees

Manatees are large marine mammals which winter in warm, shallow waters and feed on aquatic plants. Protection of manatees includes protection from injury by boats and maintenance of viable habitat and food sources. The chance for boat collisions with manatees is great in shallow water depths and narrow channels. Manatees are often reported in fall and winter months around Weedon Island and Coffee Pot Bayou. Boat access to these areas is provided by private docks, an unimproved clearing from Weedon Island County Preserve, and public ramps at Crisp Park and Coffee Pot Park. Increased boat traffic may cause injuries to manatees and shallow grassbeds. Grassbeds provide habitat and food sources for manatees.

OBJECTIVE CM3:

The City shall protect known manatee populations by reducing the likelihood of injuries to manatees from boats and damage to seagrass habitat, so as to maintain or increase the number of manatee sightings in St. Petersburg waters and maintain or reduce the number of reported injuries.

Policies:

CM3.1 The City Marine Patrol unit shall enforce regulations controlling vessel traffic in shallow habitat areas (i.e., seagrasses fringing Riviera Bay and offshore of North Shore Park and in the Coffee Pot Bayou and Weedon Island manatee locations).

CM3.2 The City shall seek the assistance of the Florida Marine Patrol in enforcing state and City regulations protecting manatees (idle speed zones, manatee protection areas).

CM3.3 The City has established by ordinance, and enforces, speed restrictions for vessels in defined zones. The City will continue to assess the need for and benefits to be derived from such speed restrictions. See Sections 7-80 and 7-81, City Code.

CM3.4 The City shall cooperate with the FDEP in enforcing recommendations of the Manatee Protection Plan for siting of boat facilities, including marinas, boat ramps, multi-family docks and single family docks; boating regulation; and manatee research, management and education.

ISSUE: Living Marine Resources

Living Marine Resources include the finfish and shellfish populations in waters in and around St. Petersburg. Living marine resources provide substantial recreational, aesthetic and commercial resources for St. Petersburg. The population and quality of living marine resources are directly related to the availability and quality of suitable habitat.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

OBJECTIVE CM4:

The City shall protect and enhance marine resources such as finfish habitat, seagrass beds and shellfish harvesting areas against the impacts of future development so as to maintain or increase the quantity of those resources, as defined by the FDEP, FWC, NMFS and USFWS within the next 5 years.

Policies:

CM4.1 The City will cooperate with the County in the siting, creation and management of artificial reefs.

CM4.2 Areas with high potential for recreational harvesting shall have priority in the funding of water quality improvements.

CM4.3 In conjunction with stormwater improvements, the City will encourage the DEP to reappraise factors influencing the sanitary quality of shellfish areas and support actions necessary for reclassification.

CM4.4 The City marine patrol unit shall assist in the enforcement of state fishery laws.

CM4.5 The City shall support habitat management recommendations for local fisheries that may evolve from the FDEP Marine Institute's stock enhancement research project.

ISSUE: Estuarine Pollution Monitoring

Assessment of surface water quality and cost/benefit analysis of proposed water quality enhancement projects is based upon water quality monitoring data. The City of St. Petersburg Water Quality Lab, Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management, Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and private consultants provide water quality data. There is a lack of regular monitoring in Boca Ciega Bay. This data is necessary to identify trends in water quality and the types of improvements needed for restoration of the Bay.

OBJECTIVE CM5:

The City shall coordinate with and supplement the County's surface water monitoring program.

Policies:

CM5.1 The City shall support the Agency on Bay Management Legislative Committee to assure future funding for surface water assessments, as mandated by the SWIM ACT of 1987, sufficient to document trends in the resources and water quality of the Boca Ciega Bay and Pinellas County aquatic preserves.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

CM5.2 The Water Quality Assessment Division of the Water Resources Department_shall continue water quality monitoring off Maximo and Northshore beaches and will compile the data to assess trends in the occurrence of beach closings.

CM5.3 The City shall continue to participate in the Lake Maggiore water quality assessment program, funded by the Pinellas-Anclote Basin Board of the SWFWMD.

ISSUE: Estuarine Point and Non-Point Pollution Sources

The first municipal drainage systems were built to drain upland areas and prevent flooding. Water quality, in addition to water quantity, is a concern for drainage systems. It is now known that the pollution content in the first half-inch of stormwater runoff is often greater than that of raw sewage. Modifications to upgrade treatment features in the existing system to improve water quality of stormwater will be difficult and is going to be a long and expensive process.

The lack of vacant land and the cost of urbanized land may make the use of conventional best management practices for stormwater treatment infeasible. Urbanized areas will require innovative stormwater system designs; some such research is in process at this time. Once constructed, sound stormwater management usually involves operation and maintenance of intensive systems with an expected life of 20 or more years before major reinvestments become necessary.

OBJECTIVE CM6:

The City shall work toward reducing the existing quantity and improving the quality of stormwater runoff to surface water bodies, and improving water quality in Tampa Bay through implementation of the SWIM Tampa Bay Management Plan.

Policies:

CM6.1 The City shall continue to dispose of treated wastewater effluent via the reclaimed water system with back-up to deepwell injection.

CM6.2 The wastewater collection, treatment and disposal system shall be properly maintained and operated so as to prevent leakage of sewage waste.

CM6.3 Discharges of industrial waste to surface waters shall not be permitted in St. Petersburg.

CM6.4 Industrial dischargers shall be required to pre-treat their waste on-site prior to disposal into the sewer system.

CM6.5 New marinas and any expansions to existing marinas shall require sewage hook-ups, available for use by the public.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

CM6.6 Discharge of on-board waste to surface waters shall not be permitted from vessels operating out of the Port of St. Petersburg.

CM6.7 Criteria for the selection of priority drainage improvements will include recreational and commercial uses of surface waters adjacent to stormwater outfalls.

CM6.8 The City shall pursue permitting of the stormwater management system under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program, according to the schedule of application deadlines adopted by the E.P.A.

CM6.9 Stormwater management facilities shall be maintained to operate as designed for water quality treatment.

CM6.10 The City shall participate in the development and implementation, within watersheds of the City, of the Surface Water Improvement Management (SWIM) basin plans.

CM6.11 Natural drainage characteristics will be retained, restored and enhanced, where possible, for filtration of pollutants, control of runoff rates and aquifer recharge.

CM6.12 Criteria used by the City Engineering and Stormwater Department to review drainage plans will include Best Management Practices for stormwater water quality control as identified by SWFWMD and FDEP.

CM6.13 The City shall maintain 50% green permeable open space citywide.

CM6.14 The City shall control turbidity and dispose of dredged material at approved locations.

CM6.15 Appropriate water quality control techniques, such as those included in the Drainage Element of the Comprehensive Plan, shall be addressed within planned municipal drainage system improvements and planned infrastructure work.

CM6.16 The issuance of municipal development approval shall be conditioned upon the applicant securing a SWFWMD surface water management permit, where applicable.

CM6.17 The City will continue to support the requirement and implementation of the most stringent safety measures for the transportation of petroleum and other environmentally hazardous products within Tampa Bay and will oppose the use of energy generating products such as orimulsion in the Tampa Bay area unless determined to be environmentally safe and posing no threat by its use or transport.

CM-8 Effective 06/2024

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

ISSUE: Water Dependent Shoreline Uses

The siting of marine development should use the full potential of a shoreline location to support water access. Existing and future marine related uses, such as marinas, commercial fishing and public access, are well planned for under current zoning. Marinas and docks may be a permitted or special exception use in a variety of commercial and industrial zoning districts. Marine service uses of an industrial intensity may also be permitted uses or permitted by special exception within industrial and various “Center” zoning districts. Non-commercial docks and boathouses are permitted accessory structures within residential districts.

OBJECTIVE CM7:

For development and redevelopment on the coastal shoreline, the City will give higher priority to siting water-dependent uses over other uses. The order of priority is listed below.

1. water-dependent uses;
2. water-related uses;
3. water-enhanced uses;
4. non-water dependent uses.

Policies:

CM7.1 Higher priority shall be given to water-dependent uses among other uses in those districts that allow docks and marinas as a special exception.

CM7.2 Marine development shall not be sited in areas where local zoning prohibits such use and preference shall be given to facilities which service the public.

CM7.3 Development of waterfront locations shall give preference to uses which service and provide access to the public.

CM7.4 Dredging and filling below the mean high water line to create developable land shall only be permitted where the applicant can document an overriding public interest.

CM7.5 The City shall require the retention of public right-of-way adjacent to the waterfront in the platting and replating of land unless comparable waterfront access is provided.

CM7.6 Wherever feasible, native vegetation and shoreline features shall be preserved or enhanced in waterfront development.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

ISSUE: Marine Facilities

St. Petersburg supports 182 linear miles of open coastline to Tampa Bay and Boca Ciega Bay, the longest coastline of any municipality in the state. Extensive marine related facilities and increases in the number of watercraft requires that more attention be given to potential boating accidents arising from the siting of certain uses and increased congestion on the waterways. Redevelopment of the City waterfront, including activities at the Pier and addition of new marinas or slips, are likely to concentrate boating traffic in the downtown basins and increase the incidence of boating conflicts. Certain locations where incidents occur such as navigational channels and bridges should be authorized for specific uses and patrolled to avoid user conflicts and safety hazards. (TBRPC, 1985)

OBJECTIVE CM8:

The City shall be involved in boating safety and will support the enforcement of laws intended to protect the boating public and marine resources by maintaining or increasing the Police Department marine unit.

Policies:

CM8.1 The police marine unit will enforce current idle speed zones and marine laws in St. Petersburg.

CM8.2 The City shall seek a funding source to support and expand the police marine unit and to recover monies expended in City enforcement of state marine laws.

CM8.3 New marinas and multi-slip docking facilities shall conform to standards consistent with marina siting policies of the Public Works Department Dock Review Criteria and The Future of Tampa Bay management plans for such issues as land use compatibility, adequacy of support services, hurricane contingency planning, environmental considerations, availability for public use, and economic need and feasibility.

CM8.4 The following minimum criteria shall be used to site marina and boat ramps.

1. To minimize disturbance to bottom sediment, minimum depths shall be required in the mooring site and access channels, in accordance with the dock review criteria.

2. Preference shall be given to sites that require minimal or no dredging and filling and are located adjacent to naturally maintained channels.

3. No marina shall be constructed or expanded in an area designated as critical habitat for the West Indian Manatee.

4. Sites shall be compatible with adjacent land uses and shall have adequate uplands areas for parking and other support facilities.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

5. Sites shall have reasonable access to a large navigable water body.

ISSUE: Public Access

Public access to the shoreline is widely provided through the waterfront park system. The parks support opportunity for active and passive recreation through swimming beaches, boat ramps, fishing piers and scenic overlooks. Additional parking and restroom facilities are planned for some of the waterfront parks.

OBJECTIVE CM9:

The approximately 9 linear miles and approximately 1471 acres of publicly accessible waterfront sites, as inventoried in the coastal element, shall be maintained or improved.

Policies:

CM9.1 The City shall assure that waterfront public access points are well marked.

CM9.2 The City shall provide and improve opportunity for recreational and passive enjoyment of coastal resources.

CM9.3 Private property rights shall be protected in providing additional public access points to the waterfront.

CM9.4 Public use of City facilities shall take precedence over private activities.

CM9.5 The City shall coordinate with state and federal agencies to assure waterfront access on causeways and bridges.

CM9.6 Signage of waterfront parks shall be consistent with the Parks Department sign system and applicable City regulations.

ISSUE: Coastal High Hazard Areas

The coastal high hazard area (“CHHA”) is defined as the area below the elevation of the Category 1 storm surge line as established by a Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (“SLOSH”) computerized storm surge model as reflected in the most recent Statewide Regional Evacuation Study for the Tampa Bay Region, Storm Tide Atlas Volume 7 prepared by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council and approved in August 2010 and includes areas that have experienced severe damage or are scientifically predicted to experience damage from storm surge, waves, and erosion. The CHHA is shown on Map 15. In a worst case scenario (i.e., Category 5 storm) most of the City would be vulnerable to storm surge. Areas with historical damages are primarily located within the CHHA, as defined in Section 1.7 of the General Definitions in Chapter 1, General Introduction. Growth in the CHHA puts public expenditures and lives at risk.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

OBJECTIVE CM10A:

No public funds shall be used for infrastructure which subsidize population concentrations in the coastal high hazard area beyond the planned densities identified on the Future Land Use Map other than the improvements identified in the Capital Improvements Element and that which is necessary to support the limited remaining infill development and for overriding health and safety reasons.

OBJECTIVE CM10B:

The City shall direct population concentrations away from known or predicted coastal high hazard areas consistent with the goals, objectives and policies of the Future Land Use Element.

Policies:

CM10.1 The City shall designate the coastal high hazard area as the term is defined in Section 1.7 of the General Definitions in Chapter 1, General Introduction.

CM10.2 The City shall evaluate proposed new transportation corridors in the coastal high hazard area for their effect upon hurricane evacuation capacity.

CM10.3 Expenditures for flood control, natural resource enhancements or the maintenance of existing utilities and services, including fire and recreation, shall be permitted in the coastal high hazard area.

CM10.4 Expanded infrastructure in the coastal high hazard area shall only be permitted as is necessary to protect the public health, welfare and safety, including stormwater and sewer improvements, and to service the demand generated by the planned for development identified on the Future Land Use Map.

CM10.5 The City should not accept operation and maintenance of private roads or facilities in the coastal high hazard area.

CM10.6 The City shall direct population concentrations away from known or predicted coastal high hazard areas by not locating water line extensions in the coastal high hazard area, beyond that which is necessary to service planned zoning densities as identified on the Future Land Use Map.

ISSUE: Hazard Mitigation

In St. Petersburg's development process, natural hazard mitigation focuses on construction that is built to survive the effects of a 100-year storm. With the adoption of the two feet of freeboard requirement (Florida Building Code, Chapter 8 of the City Code), and focus on Community Rating System (CRS) activities, the City now more fully addresses mitigation in flood prone areas. According to 2015 data provided by FEMA, St. Petersburg is ranked #6 in Florida with regard to repetitive losses which is a significant improvement from being ranked #1 in 1996.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

OBJECTIVE CM11:

The City will reduce natural hazard impacts through compliance with FEMA regulations, participation in NFIP’s Community Rating System (CRS) and by targeting repetitive flood loss and vulnerable properties for mitigation.

Policies:

CM11.1 Variances to required flood elevations shall not be approved unless documented to be in the best interest of the public health, safety and welfare.

CM11.2 The City shall enforce applicable recommendations of Post-Disaster Hazard Mitigation plans, required under Section 406 of the Disaster Relief Act of 1974.

CM11.3 The City shall minimize the disturbance of natural shorelines which provide stabilization and protect landward areas from storm impacts.

CM11.4 Comprehensive plan amendments shall consider the effect on hazard mitigation.

CM11.5 Solid waste and commercial hazardous waste management facilities, including regional storage, treatment or transfer sites shall not be located in the hurricane vulnerability zone.

CM11.6 The City shall support programs for the proper management of small quantity hazardous materials.

CM11.7 Site plan review criteria shall consider flood potential and hurricane hazards, including evacuation levels and sheltering, in a comprehensive manner.

CM11.8 Areas within the coastal area of St. Petersburg in need of redevelopment are identified in the Future Land Use Element by the City of St. Petersburg pursuant to Chapter 163, Florida Statutes, the Community Redevelopment Act of 1969.

CM11.9 The City shall continue to participate in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program and Community Rating System in order to achieve higher flood insurance premium discounts.

CM11.10 The City shall maintain an inventory of repetitive loss properties and target hazard mitigation programs to these properties.

CM11.11 Through hazard mitigation programs and compliance with FEMA flood elevation requirements, at least five (5) previously noncompliant structures per year will be brought into conformance with FEMA flood elevation standards or flood proofed consistent with FEMA standards.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

CM11.12 The City will consider amendments to its comprehensive plan and land development regulations based upon any new or revised recommendations in the Pinellas County Local Mitigation Strategy.

CM11.13 The City will continue to attend meetings of the Pinellas County Local Mitigation Strategy Work Group to ensure that the strategies are implemented and updated as necessary.

CM11.14 In order to reduce flood risk resulting from or associated with high-tide events, storm surge, flash floods, stormwater runoff and the impacts related to sea-level rise, the City shall continue to promote the use of the development and redevelopment principles, strategies and engineering solutions contained in the Florida Building Code and the Land Development Regulations.

CM11.15 Through implementation of the Land Development Regulations, the City will continue to be consistent with, and in some instances more stringent than, the flood-resistant construction requirements in the Florida Building Code and federal flood plain management regulations.

ISSUE: Post Disaster Redevelopment

Among the issues that will need to be reviewed in the update of the City's development regulations are repair and reconstruction policies and eligibility for disaster assistance funds. There are two areas where existing vulnerability is an issue of particular concern: structures below base flood elevations and structures in the CHHA zone.

OBJECTIVE CM12:

The City’s Disaster Operations Plan, FEMA regulations and the Land Development Regulations shall serve as the blueprint for redevelopment in the event of natural hazard occurrence.

Policies:

CM12.1 Damage assessment teams shall identify immediate repair and clean-up actions necessary for public health and safety and long-term repair and redevelopment activities.

CM12.2 The damage assessment teams shall be trained in estimating and documenting damage.

CM12.3 Temporary building moratoriums may be declared in the coastal high hazard area when 50% or more homes have been destroyed in order to assess impacts and feasibility of redevelopment.

CM12.4 Damaged infrastructure shall be replaced concurrent with redevelopment.

CM12.5 The City shall identify properties recommended for acquisition after a storm.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

CM12.6 The City shall evaluate Pinellas County and other local government post disaster guidelines and propose appropriate guidelines for post-disaster redevelopment in St. Petersburg. The proposed guidelines will also address the relocation, mitigation or replacement of CHHA infrastructure and will implement the City’s Coastal Management Element. The post disaster guidelines shall distinguish between the recovery phase and long-term redevelopment including the removal, relocation or structural modification of damaged and unsafe structures and infrastructure.

CM12.7 The City shall maintain a complete inventory of all infrastructures located in the CHHA. This inventory shall include a hazard vulnerability assessment.

ISSUE: Hurricane Evacuation Planning

Continued population growth in hurricane vulnerable areas may result in longer evacuation times and an increased need for shelter space. The Tampa Bay Region Hurricane Evacuation Study 2006 estimates that current clearance times in Pinellas County for a Category 5 storm are 23 to 28 hours for in-county to shelter evacuation and 46 to 55 hours for out-of-county evacuation. In September 2007, Pinellas County staff stated that 36 hours for out-of-county evacuation represents the point where a confident warning could be issued by the National Hurricane Center and a reasonable public response could be expected. It is not anticipated that any evacuation orders would be issued earlier than 36 hours due to the uncertainty of predicting accurate tracks of hurricanes at timeframes exceeding 36 hours. This level of service standard has been recommended by emergency management officials at the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC), Pinellas Planning Council, Pinellas County and the City of Clearwater.

The state land planning agency has indicated that the out-of-county evacuation time for a Category 5 storm event shall be no greater than 16 hours, which is contrary to the recommendations of TBRPC and Pinellas County officials. It is noted that Section 163.3178 (9)(b), F.S., states that an out-of –county evacuation time of 16 hours for a Category 5 storm event will be established on July 1, 2008, for all local governments that have not established such an evacuation time. The availability of primary shelter space is a concern.

OBJECTIVE CM13:

The City shall cooperate with state, regional and county agencies to maintain or reduce hurricane evacuation times, and actively work with the Red Cross in the identification of emergency shelters to provide space for the population in Evacuation Zone A, B and C.

Policies:

CM13.1 The City shall cooperate with the County to evaluate critical links and major evacuation routes to determine where operational improvements, such as allowing for one-way direction of traffic, rerouting of traffic or preempting signals, can be made to reduce delays during clearance.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element

City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

CM13.2 The City shall implement the strategies identified in Coastal Management Element Subsection 6.6, "Measures to Maintain or Reduce Evacuation Times:"

1. Prioritize roadway maintenance and construction projects on the identified critical links and on major evacuation routes;

2. Maintain acceptable levels of service on regional evacuation routes;

3. Require all new mobile home parks in the City that are located outside hurricane surge areas to construct and maintain a private shelter (meeting minimum Red Cross Evacuation Shelter criteria) for residents of that park;

4. Assist the Red Cross in identifying more public shelters within St. Petersburg to reduce the number of vehicles traveling through St. Petersburg as they attempt to leave the region;

5. Evaluate any zoning changes in evacuation levels A, B, or C that would increase the residential densities in those areas for their impact upon evacuation shelter availability;

6. Implement the state's Hurricane Preparedness Rule (9J-2.0256) which assesses the public shelter impact of large-scale development;

7. Consider a form of early or "phased evacuation," especially for the barrier island communities of St. Petersburg finger-fills. This will reduce the queuing experienced at the County's critical link.

CM13.3 Public information before and during the emergency shall stress that evacuees seek alternative types of refuge and that persons on high ground offer their homes as refuge to friends and relatives in hurricane vulnerable areas.

CM13.4 The City shall continue to work with Pinellas County local governments, the Red Cross, the School Board and other appropriate agencies to identify solutions to the public shelter deficit in Pinellas County.

CM13.5 The City shall maintain a record of major evacuation routes and critical intersections known historically to experience freshwater flooding and include them in the prioritizing of roadway maintenance and construction projects.

CM13.6 The City shall assure that an up-to-date version of each hospital and nursing home disaster plan that is required by state law is kept on file with the Disaster Preparedness Coordinator.

CM13.7 The City shall continue to review the Disaster Operations Manual annually and update the manual as new information and policies are available.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

CM13.8 The City shall encourage transportation alternatives for persons evacuating to a public shelter including the Pinellas County Emergency Management Department’s pre-registration program for evacuation assistance.

CM13.9 The City will coordinate its hurricane recovery plans with the Pinellas County Disaster Advisory Committee.

CM13.10 The City will notify Pinellas County Emergency Management Department of the availability of any facilities within its jurisdiction that may be used as public shelter space.

CM13.11 Pursuant to Florida law, the Florida state land planning agency recommended out-of-county hurricane evacuation clearance time of 16 hours for a Category 5 storm event is the policy of the City, contrary to the 55-hour clearance time recommended by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council in the Regional Hurricane Evacuation Study 2006, and the 36-hour clearance time recommended by Pinellas County officials in September, 2007.

ISSUE: Infrastructure

Storm damage has resulted in repairs to the sewer collection system and lift stations, many of which serve existing development, primarily low density residential, in the coastal high hazard area. Damaged electrical components during Hurricane Elena accounted for most of the lift station repair costs. There is a locally severe need for new facilities or expanded capacity of the municipal drainage system to resolve chronic flooding conditions.

OBJECTIVE CM14:

Subsequent to adoption of the Comprehensive Plan, approval of development within the coastal area shall be conditioned upon maintenance of adopted level of service standards for sanitary sewer, potable water, drainage, transportation and recreation.

Policies:

CM14.1 Infrastructure improvements shall be phased according to the Capital Improvements Element, as adopted and amended.

CM14.2 One of the criteria for selecting roadway improvements shall include consideration of clearance times.

CM14.3 Improvements to infrastructure in flood prone areas shall be modified to include repairs that minimize disruption of service.

CM14.4 Required infrastructure, as defined by adopted level of service standards, shall be available to serve development or redevelopment in the coastal area at the densities identified on the adopted Land Use Plan.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

ISSUE: Historic Resources

A number of significant historic and archaeological resources are located in coastal areas. These resources have been inventoried and the protection of these resources is addressed in the Future Land Use Element and Recreation/Open Space Element. The City recognizes the importance of protection of historic and archaeological resources.

OBJECTIVE CM15:

The City shall protect, preserve or provide sensitive reuse of historic resources consistent with the goals, objectives and policies of the Historic Preservation Element.

Policy:

CM15.1 The City will continue to promote the preservation of resources by conducting historic resource surveys and developing ordinances, guidelines and/or databases.

ISSUE: Port of St. Petersburg - Port Master Plan

The 1999 Port of St. Petersburg Master Plan was approved by the City Council on March 18, 1999 (Resolution 99-157), with the vision stated as follows: “The Port of St. Petersburg, by attracting diverse maritime users and partnering with its neighbors in cutting-edge marine research and educational programs, can become a strong waterfront magnet, develop a unique identity, and fulfill its potential as a communitywide economic resource.”

The Master Plan reflects a vision of what the Port could be if it were to capitalize on its unique potential for diversified maritime and other waterfront uses of both a public and private nature. That vision sees the Port as a distinctive destination, partnering with its neighbors and serving as a catalyst for complementary retail and commercial development, while generating revenue in its own right. The Master Plan proposes a phased mixed-use development on the Port property, in addition to berthing facilities along the existing main wharf and the west wharf, to be used by a variety of vessels, including small cruise passenger, excursion, research and private pleasure craft.

OBJECTIVE CM16:

The City shall encourage and support development and redevelopment opportunities at the Port of St. Petersburg, including the provision of public facilities, in accordance with the Port Master Plan and all other federal, state and local laws and regulations.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Policies:

CM16.1 The City hereby incorporates, by reference, into the Comprehensive Plan, the 1999 Port of St. Petersburg Master Plan, as that Master Plan may be amended from time to time by resolution of the City Council.

CM16.2 The City will coordinate and cooperate with all of the appropriate federal, state, regional and local entities concerning the operation and development of the Port and, to the extent that funding sources will allow, will undertake the 12-step action plan and implement the goals, objectives and policies set forth in the Port Master Plan.

CM16.3 The City shall ensure that adequate public facility capacity exists to serve the Port, including transportation, potable water, sanitary sewer, solid waste and drainage.

CM16.4 Prior to development or redevelopment activity on the Port property, site plan approval will be required. At that time, the stormwater management system for the site will be required to meet all City and SWFWMD stormwater management criteria.

CM16.5 The City shall carry out all day-to-day Port operations and long-term development in a manner that will minimize any detrimental effects on the environment, through compliance with the permitting requirements of all applicable permitting agencies, including the monitoring of air, noise and water quality.

CM16.6 The City shall continue to coordinate Port operation and redevelopment activities with all appropriate federal, state, regional, and local agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection, University of South Florida, Southwest Florida Water Management District, Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Pinellas County, and other City departments, and neighboring municipalities, as needed.

CM16.7 The City shall continue to coordinate and cooperate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and all other appropriate entities, regarding the dredging of St. Petersburg Harbor.

ISSUE: Tampa Bay Estuary Program

Charting the Course: The Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Tampa Bay (CCMP), a restoration and conservation plan for Tampa Bay, is the result of the cooperation and partnership between the City, twelve other state, regional and local governments, and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. The CCMP seeks to ensure that Tampa Bay remains a vibrant part of the region’s environmental and economic landscape by preserving and enhancing its roles as a recreational resource, international seaport and home for fish and wildlife.

Chapter Five, Coastal Management Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

OBJECTIVE CM17:

The City shall work toward protecting or enhancing the water quality and natural resources of Tampa Bay in supporting and promoting Charting the Course: The Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Tampa Bay.

Policies:

CM17.1 The City shall continue to cooperate with other signatories of the Interlocal Agreement to support and further the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and the goals and priorities of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Tampa Bay (CCMP).

CM17.2 Review of all relevant City projects and land development regulation amendments shall include an analysis of consistency with the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Tampa Bay (CCMP).

CM17.3 Consistent with the Tampa Bay National Estuary Program Interlocal Agreement, as amended, the City shall develop and implement all applicable City of St. Petersburg Action Plan components and updates required thereby.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT

Sections:

6.1 INTRODUCTION 6.2 GOAL, OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES ISSUE: Transportation/Land Use Coordination ISSUE: Traffic Circulation and Mobility ISSUE: Transportation System Safety and Efficiency ISSUE: Neighborhood Preservation ISSUE: Promotion of Public Transit and Transportation Demand Management Programs ISSUE: Promotion of Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities ISSUE: Intermodal Facilities, Economic Development and Goods Movement ISSUE: Environmental Protection ISSUE: Intergovernmental Coordination ISSUE: Public Involvement ISSUE: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

6.1 INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the Transportation Element of the City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan is to plan for a multimodal transportation system in St. Petersburg that supports alternative modes of travel such as public transit, bicycling and walking and contains intermodal facilities that promote the efficient transfer of people and goods between different modes of transportation. The City seeks to provide a multimodal transportation system that is safe, easily accessible to all residents and visitors, energy-efficient, cost-effective to provide and maintain, and capable of serving existing and projected travel demand. It is imperative that this transportation system is compatible with and supportive of the goals, objectives and policies of the Future Land Use Element and other Elements of the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

The City of St. Petersburg is required under Chapter 163, Part II, Florida Statutes (FS), the “Community Planning Act,” to produce a Transportation Element because it is located within the urbanized area of the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization. The City is encouraged to coordinate the Transportation Element of its Comprehensive Plan with the Long Range Transportation Plan of the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

When it was adopted in 2000, the Transportation Element replaced the previously required Comprehensive Plan Elements of: Traffic Circulation; Mass Transit; and Port and Aviation. These elements were adopted in 1989 and updated in 1996 as part of the Evaluation and Appraisal Report, which assessed the successes and failures of the 1989 Comprehensive Plan. The 2008 update to the Transportation Element addresses the findings of the 2007 Evaluation and Appraisal Report.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

6.2 GOAL, OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

GOAL - TRANSPORTATION (T):

The City of St. Petersburg shall provide a safe, efficient and cost-effective multimodal transportation system that is accessible to all residents and visitors, preserves neighborhoods, protects natural resources, promotes economic development and is compatible with and supportive of the City’s future land use plan.

ISSUE: Transportation/Land Use Coordination

The coordination of transportation systems with land use development ensures that transportation-related improvements such as road widenings, new transit services, bikeways, sidewalks and the expansion of port and airport facilities, serve rather than disrupt existing and planned land use patterns. Proper coordination also ensures that the trips generated by existing and new developments are adequately accommodated by the transportation network. The City seeks to protect transportation rights-of-way from encroachment to ensure that adequate capacity exists to support expected growth. The City also seeks to promote land use development that encourages alternative modes of transportation such as transit, bicycling and walking.

OBJECTIVE T1:

The transportation system shall be coordinated with the map series and the goals, objectives and policies of the Future Land Use Element to ensure that transportation facilities and services are available to adequately serve existing and proposed population densities, land uses, and housing and employment patterns.

Policies:

T1.1 The adopted Future Land Use Map (FLUM) shall guide the planning of future transportation corridors, facilities and services.

T1.2 The goals, objectives and policies of the Transportation Element shall be consistent with the goals, objectives and policies of the Future Land Use Element and all other Elements in the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

T1.3 The City shall review the impact of all rezoning proposals and requests to amend the FLUM on the City’s transportation system. FLUM amendment requests that increase traffic generation potential shall demonstrate that transportation capacity is available to accommodate the additional demand.

T1.4 The City shall review the Master Plans for the Port of St. Petersburg and Albert Whitted Airport and subsequent amendments, and other intermodal facilities, to determine the impact on the City’s surface transportation system, surrounding land uses and natural resources.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

T1.5 The City shall work with Pinellas County, neighboring jurisdictions, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) and other transportation agencies that recommend transportation improvements in the City of St. Petersburg to ensure that the improvements further the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

T1.6 The City shall support high-density mixed-use developments and redevelopments in and adjacent to Activity Centers, redevelopment areas and locations that are supported by mass transit to reduce the number and length of automobile trips and encourage transit usage, bicycling and walking.

T1.7 The City shall work with the Pinellas County MPO to prioritize roadway and transit projects that serve Activity Centers as identified in the City’s Future Land Use Element.

T1.8 The City shall work with the Pinellas County MPO and PSTA to provide enhanced transit service to Activity Centers through a reduction in transit headways, implementation of passenger amenities and expansion of existing service.

OBJECTIVE T2:

The City shall protect existing and future transportation corridors from encroachment.

Policies:

T2.1 The City shall protect existing and future transportation corridors identified in this Element by implementing the requirements of the Land Development Regulations. This includes mandatory dedication of rights-of-way, where required, as a condition of plat approval.

T2.2 The City shall evaluate the need for developer reservation or dedication of rights-of-way for all new development or redevelopment projects in the City to ensure adequate roadway capacity and connectivity.

T2.3 To promote efficient use of land resources and minimize adverse impacts on the City’s urban fabric, right-of-way widths for new roadways shall be the minimum needed to accommodate the proposed roadway and sidewalks, bicycle lanes, trails or utilities.

T2.4 The City should preserve the historical grid street pattern, including alleys, and shall not vacate public right-of-way until it is determined that the right-of-way is not required for present or future public use.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

ISSUE: Traffic Circulation and Mobility

Growth management law established the concurrency principle as a basic tenet of Florida planning practice in 1985. Concurrency requires that facilities such as roads needed to serve a given development, at a minimum level of service (LOS) or better, be in place at the time impacts occur. Since the 1985 the issue of transportation concurrency has received a great deal of attention and been the subject of several amendments to Chapter 163 FS and 9J-5 FAC. The purpose of the revisions has been to mitigate the unintended negative effects of transportation concurrency, primarily encouraging urban sprawl and discouraging urban infill development.

The City established a Transportation Concurrency Exception Area (TCEA) for the portion of the City located south of 77th and 78th Avenues North in 2000. The City’s TCEA met the State’s criteria for an urban infill area and contained several community redevelopment areas.

In response to the 2011 Community Planning Act, which removed State mandated transportation concurrency management requirements, the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) endorsed the Pinellas County Mobility Plan on September 11, 2013. The Mobility Plan provides a framework for a coordinated multimodal approach to managing the traffic impacts of development projects as a replacement for local transportation concurrency systems. City staff participated in the process that led to the development of the Mobility Plan, which is also intended to ensure consistency between County and municipal site plan review processes as they pertain to reviewing and managing the traffic impacts of development projects while increasing mobility for all users of the transportation system. Because of the Community Planning Act and the Pinellas County Mobility Plan, the City has eliminated adopted level of service standards for roads and mass transit, which are no longer required by the State of Florida. The City and Pinellas County MPO will continue to monitor roadway levels of service for planning purposes. The City will determine the need for transportation management plans for large development projects that are located on deficient roads. The City will also identify strategies for alleviating traffic congestion on deficient roadways, which could include additional roadway capacity or projects that increase mobility for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users and motorists. The City will place a high priority on transportation projects that will help reduce traffic congestion on the State’s Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) facilities in St. Petersburg, which include the Interstate system and Gandy Boulevard, or provide alternatives to driving a personal vehicle on these facilities

OBJECTIVE T3:

The City shall develop and maintain a multi-modal transportation system that increases mobility for bicyclists, pedestrians and transit users as well as motorists and users of aviation and rail facilities, and that promotes development patterns that reduce vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Policies:

T3.1 The City shall implement the Pinellas County Mobility Management System through the application of Transportation Element policies and site plan and right-of-way utilization review processes. Policies pertaining to the application of the Mobility Management System are listed below.

a. All development projects generating new trips shall be subject to payment of a multi-modal impact fee. b. Development projects that generate between 51 and 300 new peak hour trips on deficient roads shall be classified as tier 1 and required to submit a transportation management plan (TMP) designed to address their impacts while increasing mobility and reducing the demand for single occupant vehicle travel. c. Development projects that generate more than 300 new peak hour trips on deficient roads shall be classified as tier 2, required to conduct a traffic study, and submit an accompanying report and TMP based on the report findings. d. Multi-modal impact fee assessments may be applied as credit toward the cost of a TMP. e. A traffic study and/or TMP for a development project not impacting a deficient road corridor shall be required if necessary to address the impact of additional trips generated by the project on the surrounding traffic circulation system. f. Deficient roads shall include those operating at peak hour level of service (LOS) E and F and/or volume-to-capacity (v/c) ratio 0.9 or greater without a mitigating improvement scheduled for construction within three years. g. Multi-modal impact fee revenue shall be utilized to fund multi-modal improvements to local, county or state facilities that are consistent with the comprehensive plan as well as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Long Range Transportation Plan. h. The City shall work cooperatively with the MPO and other local governments to complete the biennial update of the Multi-modal Impact Fee Ordinance through the MPO planning process, which includes review by the MPO Technical Coordinating Committee and MPO Policy Board.

T3.2 The Pinellas County MPO’s annual report on transportation LOS shall be the source of existing LOS data for major streets in the City of St. Petersburg. The City shall provide the Pinellas County MPO with current data on vehicular traffic, roadway design and intersection signalization for city roads if available. City staff shall periodically conduct a LOS analysis for major streets in St. Petersburg that are not analyzed by the Pinellas County MPO by collecting data on vehicular traffic, roadway design and intersection signalization, and by utilizing FDOT’s LOS tables and LOS software.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

T3.3 The City shall identify capacity improvements on city roads necessary to alleviate existing LOS deficiencies and incorporate such improvements into the City’s Capital Improvement Element and Capital Improvement Program. Road capacity projects that are not cost feasible from a construction and right-of-way acquisition perspective or have a significantly negative impact on established residential and commercial developments will not be programmed.

T3.4 The City shall actively participate in the MPO process to assist in the identification and prioritization of cost feasible capacity improvements on local, county and state roads located in St. Petersburg that are necessary to alleviate existing and projected LOS deficiencies and do not have a significantly negative impact on established residential and commercial developments.

T3.5 The City shall coordinate with local governments in Pinellas County, the Pinellas County MPO and the FDOT to update and refine LOS standards and methodology for measurement as more information becomes available and improvements are made to the road system.

T3.6 Through the preservation of a grid street network and linking of local streets, local traffic will be encouraged to use alternative routes that protect the interregional travel functions of FDOT’s Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) facilities located within the City, particularly the Interstate system. The preservation of the grid system and the linking of streets located within one mile of the Interstate system shall be given the highest priority, followed by streets located within two miles of the Interstate system.

T3.7 The City shall actively support PSTA in efforts to seek federal, state and local funding and private contributions toward the development of the Central Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project that will connect downtown St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach and provide enhanced east-west mobility. The City will also work with PSTA, property owners and developers in the development of stations along the BRT route and will encourage development projects along the route that adhere to the principles of transit oriented development.

T3.8 The City shall support the development of corridors in addition to Central Avenue that are identified in the Pinellas County Transit Vision Plan for enhanced bus service and future premium transit service, with a particular emphasis on the north-south routes such as the 4th Street/Roosevelt Boulevard and US 19 corridors that are parallel to the Interstate system to provide the public with a viable alternative to driving in personal vehicles along these corridors and the Interstate system.

T3.9 The City shall support the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTAs) vision of providing regional premium transit service from downtown St. Petersburg to Tampa and regional commuter transit service from downtown St. Petersburg to Manatee County along the Interstate system to help alleviate traffic congestion on the Interstate system.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

T3.10 The City shall continue to seek funding for construction of the remaining gaps in the major north-south trail facility that will parallel the Interstate system from downtown St. Petersburg to the Gandy Bridge in northern St. Petersburg.

ISSUE: Transportation System Safety and Efficiency

The provision of a safe and efficient transportation system is the goal of many federal, state and local transportation programs. Through roadway design improvements, enforcement of traffic laws, and education of transportation system users, safer operating conditions can be provided for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians. Transportation system efficiency can often be enhanced through transportation system management (TSM) strategies, which are typically small-scale, relatively inexpensive operational improvements that can significantly improve the traffic flow on congested streets where reconstruction is not an option because of cost or disruption to the natural or built environment.

TSM activities include monitoring and adjusting traffic signal timing to improve traffic flow, adding or lengthening turn lanes at intersections, Intelligent Transportation System projects, and access management. Proper maintenance of road pavement and traffic control devices are needed to optimize transportation system performance and provide benefits such as decreased fuel consumption, delay, emissions, noise and safety risks.

OBJECTIVE T4:

The City shall ensure the safe accommodation of motorized and non-motorized traffic while reducing the incidence of vehicular conflicts within the City’s major transportation corridors.

Policies:

T4.1 The City shall monitor yearly accident totals for the top accident locations in the City and identify any design or operational improvements that may alleviate hazardous conditions. Improvements shall be sought for the worst locations by scheduling projects in the City’s Capital Improvement Program and working with Pinellas County and FDOT to schedule projects in the County’s Capital Improvement Program, MPO’s Transportation Improvement Program and FDOT’s Five-Year Work Program.

T4.2 The City shall continue to perform needed and requested traffic studies concerning safety issues.

T4.3 The City shall continue to perform required and requested maintenance activities related to roadway materials and traffic control devices within established guidelines.

T4.4 The City shall continue to attend meetings of the Pinellas County Community Traffic Safety Team and support their mission of reducing fatalities and injuries on city, county and state roads in Pinellas County through the coordinated efforts of law enforcement, engineering, emergency services, education and community involvement.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

T4.5 The City shall attend meetings of the Bicycle Advisory Committee and Pedestrian Transportation Advisory Committee and support their ongoing safety programs.

T4.6 The City shall support the MPO’s Pedestrian Awareness Days to promote responsible driving and pedestrian activity in proximity to local schools.

T4.7 The City shall monitor pedestrian and bicycle related accidents and work with law enforcement agencies, the MPO and the FDOT to implement measures to reduce accident occurrence.

T4.8 The City shall support the installation of pedestrian street lighting along major roadways and in areas occupied by transit terminals, bus stops and where heavy bicycle and pedestrian activity occurs.

T4.9 The City shall ensure the availability of adequate transportation facilities for the safe and timely evacuation of high risk areas to prevent loss of life due to natural disasters by seeking funding for needed improvements to hurricane evacuation routes and for facilities providing access to these routes. Road improvement projects shall be scheduled in the appropriate City, County, MPO and State work programs.

T4.10 The City shall participate in and support hurricane evacuation planning activities in coordination with the Pinellas County Department of Emergency Management and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC).

OBJECTIVE T5:

The City shall implement TSM strategies to maximize the operational efficiency of a roadway before expending roadway construction funds to add new through-lanes to an existing facility.

Policies:

T5.1 Prior to scheduling a roadway segment for construction of additional through-lanes, the City shall ensure that all reasonable TSM measures have been considered and implemented and that the facility is operating at the greatest degree of efficiency possible. The City shall coordinate TSM improvements with adjacent property owners to mitigate negative impacts.

T5.2 Signal timing shall support the operating functional classification of the roadways along which they are installed, placing a higher emphasis on the through movement of vehicles on principal or minor arterials.

T5.3 The City shall continue to implement a computerized signal system in coordination with the Pinellas County MPO.

T5.4 The City shall continue the planning, implementation and evaluation of TSM techniques that improve traffic flow and facilitate parking at major downtown events.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

T5.5 The City shall assist the MPO in the development of an Intelligent Transportation System plan for Pinellas County that conforms to the regional and national Intelligent Transportation System standards.

OBJECTIVE T6:

The City shall promote the safe and efficient flow of traffic on major roadways through access management.

Policies:

T6.1 The City shall, to the extent practical, reduce or prevent direct access from driveways to principal and minor arterials by prioritization of primary access. When a site is adjacent to a principal or minor arterial, the priority of primary access shall be, to the extent practical, to local roads first, neighborhood collectors second, collectors third, minor arterials fourth and principal arterials fifth. Access from nonresidential development onto local roads shall be designed to minimize the intrusion of traffic in adjacent residential areas.

T6.2 All development or redevelopment projects shall be required to provide safe and efficient access to the public road system, accommodate on-site traffic movements, and provide parking for motorized and non-motorized vehicles as required by implementation of the Land Development Regulations.

T6.3 The City shall encourage, through the development review process, adjacent commercial and office developments to provide cross-access easements, joint use driveways and connecting pedestrian facilities to minimize the number of trips generated on the major street system and the associated safety hazards.

T6.4 The City shall ensure that decisions regarding median opening requests are in compliance with federal warrant criteria or applicable state and local roadway access rules and regulations.

T6.5 Access to new residential parcels with frontage along two or more roadways shall be located on the roadway with the lower functional class.

T6.6 Access to new and redeveloped nonresidential parcels with frontage along two or more roadways should be limited to one access point per roadway.

T6.7 Access for corner lots or parcels shall be located the greatest distance from the corner commensurate with property dimensions.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

OBJECTIVE T7:

The City shall optimize the use of existing roadway facilities by employing the most effective operation, maintenance and system upgrading procedures.

Policies:

T7.1 The City shall effectively maintain the existing transportation infrastructure through an annual program of maintenance in cooperation with the FDOT and Pinellas County.

T7.2 The City shall schedule the implementation of roadway resurfacing projects in accordance with the priority ranking of these projects per procedures established by the City’s Engineering Department.

T7.3 The City shall strive to bring each roadway segment into design conformity for shoulder widths, clear zone, turning lanes and other features, concurrent with the implementation of its road resurfacing and reconstruction programs except where the roadway or roadway segment is constrained or contributing historic roadway features require preservation or restoration.

T7.4 The City shall install and maintain signage, pavement markings and traffic signals according to applicable standards.

T7.5 The City shall continue to require warrants for installation of all new traffic control devices and shall strive to eliminate unwarranted traffic signals.

T7.6 The City shall continue to require that all traffic control devices installed on private property be in conformity with the most recent edition of the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways. Existing traffic control devices installed on private property shall be required to comply with these standards if moved or replaced.

T7.7 The City shall minimize, to the extent possible, the impact of construction work occurring within roadway rights-of-way on motorists and existing businesses.

T7.8 The City shall use the established standards and criteria for the placement of four-way stops, as provided in the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways.

T7.9 The City shall review and update all traffic signal timing and progression plans on an ongoing basis to increase the operational efficiencies of these facilities.

T7.10 The City shall work with the railroad industry to provide rubberized crossings on streets where feasible.

T7.11 The City shall inspect bridges on an ongoing basis and identify needed repairs.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

ISSUE: Neighborhood Preservation

Neighborhoods are negatively impacted by heavy traffic volumes and high vehicular speeds on residential streets. Traffic calming strategies can improve the quality of life in neighborhoods by reducing the volume and speed of traffic and discouraging cut-through traffic.

OBJECTIVE T8:

The City shall preserve neighborhood integrity by using appropriate traffic calming devices to minimize traffic intrusion and protect neighborhoods from the adverse impacts of through traffic.

Policies:

T8.1 The City shall place a high priority on the funding and scheduling of projects which will aid traffic flow on principal and minor arterial streets and collector roads so as to protect neighborhoods from the intrusion by vehicles seeking to avoid areas of high delay and heavy traffic congestion.

T8.2 The City shall conduct neighborhood traffic studies to analyze traffic volumes, accident rates, operational speed, and traffic characteristics in a continuing effort to protect the quality of life of St. Petersburg’s residential neighborhoods.

T8.3 Vertical traffic calming measures such as speed plateaus and raised intersections shall be reserved for local roads and neighborhood collectors. Principal and minor arterials and collectors shall not be eligible for vertical traffic calming measures but shall be eligible for horizontal traffic calming measures such as lane narrowings, neckouts, chicanes, landscaped medians, traffic circles and roundabouts where practical.

T8.4 The City shall develop and adopt a Neighborhood Transportation Management Program to establish specific policies and procedures related to the implementation of traffic management strategies in the City of St. Petersburg. City Council approved neighborhood/transportation plans shall be considered in the development and implementation the City’s Neighborhood Transportation Management Program.

T8.5 The City shall enforce designated truck routes and restrictions on hours of operation on these routes. Trucks shall only be permitted on routes not designated for trucks if the driver’s final destination is on the street.

T8.6 The City shall support a proposal that reduces the traffic carrying capacity of the road network, such as the conversion of one-way streets to two-way streets or a reduction in the number of through lanes or lane widths or an increase in the number of on-street parking spaces, if the proposal’s benefits, such as neighborhood preservation, community and economic development, and promotion of alternative modes of transportation, outweigh the loss of roadway capacity.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element

City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

ISSUE: Promotion of Public Transit and Transportation Demand Management Programs

The number of automobiles on the road and average trip lengths increased during the 1990s at the regional, state and national levels. Single occupant vehicles, low density development patterns and ongoing roadway construction and reconstruction has led to problems such as traffic congestion, air and noise pollution, depletion of finite energy sources, urban sprawl, and physically separated and fragmented communities. Government subsidies for road and parking improvements cannot keep pace with demand, and the improvements are typically very expensive and disruptive, take many years to implement and often have only marginal benefits. Public transportation and transportation demand management programs are alternatives to the single occupant vehicle and promote liveable communities and sustainable development. For public transportation to be a viable alternative, transit service must be reasonably priced, frequent, provide convenient access to major trip generators and attractors, have safe and secure equipment and terminals, and operate in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The Pinellas Mobility Initiative (PMI), an ongoing study initiated in 1997 by the Pinellas County MPO, seeks to provide greater mobility in Pinellas County through the development of a premium transit system. In 2007, the Florida Legislature established the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA), with the ability to plan and develop a multimodal transportation system that will connect Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota Counties.

OBJECTIVE T9:

The City shall coordinate with the PSTA to provide an efficient and effective public transportation system that conveniently serves existing and proposed major trip generators and attractors and reduces traffic congestion by providing a viable, environmentally-friendly alternative to the single occupant vehicle.

Policies:

T9.1 The City shall assist and support the efforts of the PSTA to implement and achieve the goals of its Five-Year Transit Development Plan and Ten-Year Mid-Range Transit Plan and to carry out recommended actions derived from related studies.

T9.2 The City shall include transit facilities such as turn-out bays, pre-emptive signals, bus-only lanes and transit shelters in the design of road improvement projects and on resurfacing projects, where feasible. The City shall encourage Pinellas County and the FDOT to provide such facilities on county and state roads in St. Petersburg when road projects occur.

T9.3 The City shall promote the PSTA’s Bicycle on Buses Program through the provision of informational materials.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

T9.4 The City shall participate in corridor strategy plans developed by the Pinellas County MPO to encourage transit and other alternative modes of transportation on congested roads in St. Petersburg by providing available land use and traffic data and attending MPO meetings and reviewing proposed plans.

T9.5 The City may utilize the City’s share of funding from the Pinellas County Countywide Transportation Impact Fee to provide transit facilities where needed and permitted under the Transportation Impact Fee Ordinance.

T9.6 The City shall coordinate with the PSTA to identify locations where the need for pedestrian accommodations between bus stops and adjacent buildings frequented by PSTA users is most pronounced from a safety standpoint.

T9.7 The City shall work cooperatively with the PSTA to examine the need for new or expanded bus transfer stations that are integrated with major activity centers and existing transit routes.

T9.8 The City shall incorporate transit amenities in the City’s Capital Improvement Program projects where feasible and appropriate.

T9.9 The City shall encourage increased use of transit by extending sidewalks and bicycle routes to mass transit stops where feasible.

T9.10 The City shall include bicycle and pedestrian facilities in the design and construction of all transit projects where feasible.

T9.11 The City may eliminate on-street parking to enable the development of public transit, bicycle and pedestrian systems.

T9.12 The City shall coordinate with the PSTA to provide waiting areas at least 8 feet from curb line with benches, bicycle racks, landscaping, trash receptacles and appropriate shelters where cost feasible.

T9.13 The City should continue to support the Looper service in downtown St. Petersburg and examine the feasibility of expanding this service into surrounding neighborhoods.

T9.14 The City shall work with the PSTA and other appropriate agencies to provide transit service between St. Petersburg and the surrounding beach communities.

OBJECTIVE T10:

The City will strive to increase the transit mode share and vehicle occupancy rates for commuter trips in the peak hour and peak direction.

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Policies:

T10.1 The City shall support variances or code amendments for minimum parking standards where it can be demonstrated that the parking demand will be reduced through walking, bicycling, ridesharing, transit use and shared parking. Parking space reduction variances will not be supported if overflow parking in residential areas is likely to occur.

T10.2 The City shall consider limiting the addition of new long-term parking spaces in downtown St. Petersburg and pursue park-and-ride facilities to support rideshare programs, commuter bus services and planned guideway transit services. The City shall cooperate with the PSTA and other appropriate transportation authorities in the provision of specific sites for park-and-ride lots.

T10.3 In cooperation with the PSTA, the City shall strive to provide more frequent service on transit routes. The City may assist by providing dedicated travel lanes for exclusive transit or high-occupancy vehicle use, or fixed guideway transit, bus bays, pull-outs, signal overrides, and other features to facilitate bus travel along designated City streets.

T10.4 The City shall support the PSTAs goal of doubling transit ridership in Pinellas County over the ten-year period from 2007/08 to 2017/18, and will work with PSTA to implement the necessary transit service modifications in St. Petersburg to achieve this goal.

OBJECTIVE T11:

The City shall provide equitable transportation service to all residents and accommodate the special transportation needs of the elderly, disabled, low-income citizens and other transit dependent persons.

Policies:

T11.1 The City shall support the PSTA and Pinellas County MPO in their effort to ensure that economically disadvantaged and physically impaired citizens in St. Petersburg have access to cost-effective and efficient transportation services.

T11.2 The City shall work with the PSTA and the Pinellas County MPO to identify transportation disadvantaged citizens in St. Petersburg that are currently not being served by the PSTA’s fixed-route bus and paratransit services.

T11.3 In cooperation with the Pinellas County Emergency Management Administration, the City shall maintain an inventory of hurricane evacuation-transportation disadvantaged persons who would be included in an evacuation order resulting from the threat of a hurricane.

T11.4 The City shall coordinate affordable housing development with public transit service availability.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

T11.5 The City shall work with the PSTA to construct sidewalks and wheelchair ramps and improve access to bus stops at appropriate locations to increase the accessibility of the transit system to the transportation disadvantaged.

OBJECTIVE T12:

The City shall promote transportation demand management (TDM) strategies such as carpooling and vanpooling programs, public transportation services, improved facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians, flexible work hours, telecommuting and parking management.

Policies:

T12.1 The City shall encourage TDM strategies in downtown St. Petersburg by working with the FDOT to provide funding and technical support for local transportation management initiatives.

T12.2 The City shall support and promote ridesharing and vanpooling programs.

T12.3 The City shall continue to participate in the events sponsored by transportation organizations that promote alternative modes of transportation in the St. Petersburg area.

T12.4 The City shall encourage new development in the Gateway Activity Center to participate in TDM strategies, such as flexible work hours, transit, carpooling and vanpooling.

T12.5 The City shall implement strategies to encourage users of City-operated facilities to carpool or utilize other alternative modes of transportation.

OBJECTIVE T13:

The City shall coordinate the provision of efficient transit service and facilities with the location and intensity of future land use patterns as designated in the Land Use Element and encourage transit through the Land Development Regulations.

Policies:

T13.1 All Development Orders for Developments of Regional Impact shall contain procedures or strategies to accommodate or encourage transit.

T13.2 The City shall include criteria in the FLUM amendment process in the Land Development Regulations to give additional weight to amendments that increase densities for projects that are located in close proximity to Activity Centers or along corridors where transit or facilities for high occupant vehicles exist, where compatible with the policies established in the Land Use Element.

T13.3 St. Petersburg shall investigate and adopt strategies for the adequate protection of rights-of-way, easements, setbacks and public lands associated with the PSTA’s service or the

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

potential use of these lands in association with guideway transit systems, express bus lanes, or high occupant vehicle lanes.

T13.4 The City shall require development to provide, where appropriate, facilities that support alternative modes of transportation. These facilities shall include bus stops, bus shelters, bus turn-outs, sidewalks, wheelchair ramps, crosswalks, bicycle racks and bicycle lockers.

T13.5 The City shall require that transit facilities be appropriately located to minimize disruption to established land use patterns, the environment and vehicular traffic.

T13.6 The City shall implement design review procedures which permit the PSTA to participate in the review of proposed developments that could impact transit service.

OBJECTIVE T14:

The City shall support major transportation investments that demonstrate an ability to substantially improve mobility, encourage urban infill development, reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality in Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay region in a cost-effective manner.

Policies:

T14.1 The City shall participate in the Pinellas Mobility Initiative (PMI) and the planning activities of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA) by serving on the appropriate technical and policy committees and working with the Pinellas County MPO, PSTA, FDOT and other appropriate agencies.

T14.2 The City shall monitor, evaluate and support recommendations and strategies of the PMI and TBARTA that further the goals, objectives and policies of the St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan.

T14.3 The City shall protect appropriate corridors identified for a major transportation investment under the PMI and TBARTA that:

1. further the goals, objectives and policies of the St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan;
2. have the demonstrated support of the impacted communities;
3. connect Activity Centers;
4. support the economic development of the City;
5. are properly integrated into the community; and
6. facilitate redevelopment of distressed and underutilized areas.

T14.4 The City shall consider higher land use densities at appropriate locations along transportation corridors in St. Petersburg that are identified for a major transportation investment.

ISSUE: Promotion of Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities

In Florida, the number of people that make trips by non-motorized transportation modes is higher than the national average. The most obvious reason is the state’s favorable climate, which encourages residents to ride a bike, walk, jog, run or rollerblade on a year-round basis. Unfortunately, there is a lack of facilities to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians. Due to this deficiency, Florida has a higher rate of accidents involving bicyclists and pedestrians, particularly accidents involving automobiles. In addition to the safety and health benefits they provide to the individual, bicycle and pedestrian facilities provide broader social benefits. Encouraging people to walk or ride a bike to their destination or a transit stop reduces traffic congestion, fuel consumption and noise pollution, improves air quality, and promotes compact, sustainable urban development.

While the Pinellas Trail is a popular off-road facility, the City has very few on-street bike lanes and existing bicycle routes lack continuity and amenities. Sidewalks exist along most major roadways but gaps in the system and the poor condition of some segments hinders the effectiveness of the system. The City seeks to work with the Pinellas County MPO and FDOT to obtain funding for bikeway and sidewalk improvements, encourage the inclusion of bicycle and pedestrian facilities in roadway construction and reconstruction projects, and develop design standards and programs. Development that is friendly to bicyclists and pedestrians can be encouraged through the City’s Land Development Regulations. Well-designed facilities and education are also needed to ensure that bicyclists and pedestrians interact safely with motorized vehicles, which will in turn increase the attractiveness of bicycling and walking.

OBJECTIVE T15:

The City shall encourage and increase bicycle and pedestrian travel throughout the City of St. Petersburg for commuting to work and school as well as for recreation.

Policies:

T15.1 City staff shall attend meetings of the Pinellas County MPO’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and Pedestrian Transportation Advisory Committee to assist in the development and review of bicycle and pedestrian-related plans, programs and projects.

T15.2 The City shall incorporate bicycle-friendly design standards on principal and minor arterials, collectors and neighborhood collectors when road construction, reconstruction, resurfacing and restriping occur, where appropriate and feasible. An area where bicyclists may travel adjacent to the outside vehicle lane shall be incorporated on these roadways as follows:

1. Where sufficient pavement width exists, a designated bicycle lane should be provided that is a minimum of four (4) feet wide on streets having a curb and gutter, excluding the curb and gutter, and a minimum of five (5) feet wide on streets having no curb and gutter. The bicycle lane shall be designated by marking and signage and interior vehicle lanes shall meet minimum width standards;

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

2. Where pavement width is not sufficient, a designated bicycle lane should not be provided. However, the width of interior vehicle lanes may be set at the minimum standard and the outside vehicle lane may be made as wide as possible, preferably fourteen (14) feet or more, to accommodate both automobiles and bicyclists.

T15.3 The City shall review and support appropriate strategies developed by the Pinellas County MPO to expand the Pinellas Trail and provide new community trails that connect St. Petersburg to other communities in Pinellas County. The City shall support strategies that increase the accessibility of these facilities to a greater number of people and increase the connectivity of these facilities to parks, shopping centers, major employers and schools.

T15.4 The City shall inventory existing bicycle routes and identify deficiencies such as a lack of sufficient pavement width and inadequate signage. Existing bicycle routes shall be improved where feasible.

T15.5 The City shall prioritize sidewalks and bicycle paths leading to and from recreational areas and school sites.

T15.6 The City shall require sidewalk construction in the rights-of-way of roadways adjacent to properties proposed for development through the application of the site plan review process.

T15.7 The City shall strive to increase amenities for bicyclists at City parks and recreational facilities.

T15.8 The City shall facilitate the expansion of sidewalks in St. Petersburg in locations where they are most needed. These include locations along principal and minor arterials, collectors and neighborhood collectors where gaps exist between existing sidewalks or between an existing sidewalk and a major destination point such as a park, shopping center, major employer or school. Sidewalks needed to close these gaps on City roads shall be constructed through the implementation of the Capital Improvement Program/Capital Improvements Element.

T15.9 The City shall pursue sidewalk construction needed on State and County roads with the FDOT and Pinellas County, respectively.

T15.10 The City shall encourage, through code enforcement, those property owners with sidewalks to maintain their sidewalks for safe usage by bicyclists and pedestrians.

T15.11 The City shall review and maintain the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways standards and safety levels for all major intersections with regard to actuated pedestrian buttons.

T15.12 The City shall identify and encourage, through the neighborhood planning process, areas of high priority for upgrading bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

T15.13 The City shall endeavor to comply with all guidelines applicable to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, and ensure adequate accessibility to sidewalks where cost feasible.

T15.14 The City shall ensure adequate levels of street lighting on roadways that have high levels of bicycle and pedestrian activity to increase the visibility and personal security of bicyclists and pedestrians.

T15.15 The City shall require a minimum width of ten (10) feet for the construction of dual-use bicycle/pedestrian facilities.

ISSUE: Intermodal Facilities, Economic Development and Goods Movement

The City of St. Petersburg’s transportation system contains facilities for travel by automobile, transit, walking, bike, truck, rail, water and air. The viability of each mode and contribution to the City’s social and economic well-being is largely dependent upon its integration with the entire transportation network. Intermodal facilities promote the transfer of people and goods between these different modes of transportation. Examples of intermodal facilities include parking garages, bus stations and stops, park-and-ride lots, bike racks, rail stations, seaports and airports. The development of intermodal facilities depends on the successful coordination of public-sector and private-sector transportation operations.

OBJECTIVE T16:

To support the community’s economic development, and in cooperation with transportation agencies, the City shall provide intermodal facilities that facilitate the efficient transfer of people and goods between various modes of transportation.

Policies:

T16.1 The City shall work with the Pinellas County MPO during the development of the MPO’s Long Range Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program to ensure that adequate funding exists for the planning and programming of intermodal transportation facilities. The City shall also explore private funding sources when public funding is unavailable or insufficient.

T16.2 The City shall support the provision of facilities at existing and planned transit stops and stations that enhance ease of transfer between transit and other modes of transportation, such as park-and-ride lots, bus shelters, bicycle lockers and racks, and pedestrian walkways. A safe, attractive and comfortable environment shall be provided for pedestrians and transit users. Amenities shall include weather protection, paved walkways, sidewalks, lighting, landscaping and ancillary uses that provide conveniences to transit patrons such as cafes, shops and newsstands.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

T16.3 The City, in cooperation with the PSTA, shall strive to provide parking facilities for commuter bus routes that provide express service to Activity Centers and for commuter and local bus routes that provide service to fixed guideway transit systems.

T16.4 Road construction and reconstruction projects shall be designed when possible to include facilities that promote transit, such as bus turnout bays and bus shelters.

T16.5 The City shall serve as a liaison between the industries in St. Petersburg that ship goods by truck, railroad, water and air and other government organizations that provide funding for intermodal facilities such as the Pinellas County MPO and FDOT.

T16.6 The City shall encourage new development involved in the import and export of heavy or bulk goods to be located, when economically feasible, on sites near or adjacent to rail, port and airport facilities designed for the shipment of goods to help minimize the number of heavy trucks on the City's road network.

T16.7 The City shall examine the feasibility of improving access to and from the Interstate system for trucks in the City's Dome Industrial District. Neighborhood and business associations and community groups shall be consulted during this process.

T16.8 The City shall assist the Port of St. Petersburg and Albert Whitted Airport in pursuing needed transportation improvements such as road reconstruction, parking facilities, transit services, and bicycle and pedestrian improvements, as recommended in the Port of St. Petersburg and Albert Whitted Airport Master Plans.

T16.9 The City shall work with the Pinellas County MPO, PSTA, Bay Area Commuter Services (BACS) and transportation management organizations to determine and respond to the transportation facility and service needs of the business community.

ISSUE: Environmental Protection

As the transportation network expands to meet travel demand, it must do so in a manner that is sensitive to the natural and built environments. Adverse environmental impacts might include the creation of air, noise and water pollution and the destruction of recreational areas, natural habitats and historic properties. Air pollution is of particular relevance to the City of St. Petersburg, because Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties failed to meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone immediately after the passage of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, and are currently considered a maintenance area for ozone.

OBJECTIVE T17:

The City shall plan and develop a transportation system that preserves environmentally sensitive areas, conserves energy and natural resources, promotes community aesthetic values and is in compliance with all federal, state and local regulations regarding environmental protection.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

Policies:

T17.1 The City shall avoid transportation improvements which encourage or subsidize increased development in coastal high hazard areas or environmentally sensitive areas identified in the Coastal Management and Conservation Elements.

T17.2 If no feasible alternative exists, needed transportation facilities may traverse publicly owned conservation and recreation areas, however such access should be limited and design techniques should be used to minimize the negative impact upon the natural systems.

T17.3 New roadways shall be designed to prevent and control soil erosion, minimize clearing and grubbing, minimize stormwater runoff and meet minimum requirements for stormwater retention and treatment, and avoid unnecessary changes in drainage patterns. These roadways shall be designed to make them compatible with the surrounding environment, complement adjacent development and provide an aesthetically pleasing visual experience to the user.

T17.4 All government entities responsible for proposed new road construction, major road widening or other major corridor improvements shall conduct a corridor study prior to any rights-of-way acquisition to assess the impacts to adjacent areas and provide appropriate, cost-effective mitigation mechanisms for adverse impacts. Input shall be solicited from adjacent property owners and neighborhood and business associations affected by the project.

T17.5 The commission(s) designated in the LDRs and other interested groups shall be consulted when a transportation system improvement has the potential to impact historic resources.

T17.6 The City shall balance the need for road construction and reconstruction projects which increase the efficiency of the transportation system by reducing trip lengths and vehicular delay, thereby reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality, with the need to preserve the integrity of residential neighborhoods and commercial districts.

T17.7 The City shall pursue and support transportation system improvements that will help maintain or provide necessary improvement in air quality, minimize or reduce noise and water pollution, and conserve energy, such as rapid transit, express bus service, high-occupancy vehicle lanes and bikeways.

T17.8 The City shall continue to support the conversion of transit and other public/private agency vehicle fleets to alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas and battery-powered systems.

T17.9 The City shall continue to support state and local efforts designed to reduce the adverse impacts of greenhouse gas emissions.

Chapter Six, Transportation Element City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan

T17.10 The City shall assist existing regulatory agencies in efforts to mitigate the potential for accidents resulting from the movement of hazardous materials via highway, air, water and rail.

T17.11 The City shall support the efforts of the Pinellas County MPO and the Pinellas County Environmental Management Department to encourage the use of cleaner fuels for automobiles.

OBJECTIVE T18

Short and long-term plans and operations for the Port of St. Petersburg and Albert Whitted Airport shall assess the effects on the environment and conflicts with adjacent land uses and natural resources during the permitting process.

Policies:

T18.1 The Port and Airport shall maintain a policy of cooperation in the resolution of environmental issues that may arise.

T18.2 The Port shall protect the habitat of aquatic life by ensuring that any dredged materials are properly tested and disposed of in areas away from seagrass beds, mangrove seedlings and other vulnerable vegetated areas in accordance with the permit requirements from all applicable permitting agencies.

T18.3 The Port shall cooperate with local efforts to protect manatees in Bayboro Harbor.

T18.4 The Port shall monitor ships calling at the Port and attempt to minimize air, noise, or water pollution.

T18.5 The Port shall maintain contact with the City Sanitation Department to ensure that the level of solid waste pickup service keeps pace with increases in passenger volumes, thereby preventing the introduction of wind-blown or water-driven debris into the basin.

T18.6 The Port and Airport shall cooperate with the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard in implementing procedures to prevent cruise ship-airplane and cruise ship-pleasure boat conflicts and promote safe air and sea operations in St. Petersburg Harbor.

T18.7 The Port and Airport shall provide additional opportunities for on-site filtration of stormwater by increasing the amount of pervious surfaces through cost-effective landscaping and paving techniques.

T18.8 The Port and Airport shall coordinate and be consistent with the Future Land Use Element thereby precluding any encroachment of incompatible land uses.

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ISSUE: Intergovernmental Coordination

The City of St. Petersburg’s transportation system is part of a much larger regional transportation network. The provision of adequate transportation facilities and services in corridors that extend beyond the City’s boundaries is largely dependent upon the City’s ability to work with other municipalities and government agencies at the local, county, regional, state and federal levels. Much of this coordination occurs through the transportation planning process established by the Pinellas County MPO. The City of St. Petersburg, other Pinellas County municipalities and Pinellas County participate in the MPO process, along with government agencies such as the PSTA and FDOT.

OBJECTIVE T19:

The City shall promote a comprehensive transportation planning process by coordinating its transportation system with the plans and programs of Pinellas County, neighboring municipalities and counties, Pinellas County MPO, PSTA, FDOT, BACS, TBRPC, Pinellas County School Board and other appropriate agencies and transportation providers.

Policies:

T19.1 The City shall serve on all of the Pinellas County MPO’s policy, technical and advisory committees to coordinate the transportation plans and programs for the City, Pinellas County, neighboring municipalities and counties, PSTA, FDOT, BACS, TBRPC, Pinellas County School Board and other appropriate agencies and transportation providers.

T19.2 The City shall actively participate in the development and review of the MPO’s Long Range Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program and the FDOT’s Strategic Transportation Plan and District VII Work Program.

T19.3 The City shall promote coordination between the Pinellas County MPO and other MPO’s in the Tampa Bay region by participating as needed in the Joint MPO Chairmen Coordination and Joint Citizens Advisory Committee processes.

T19.4 The City shall review comprehensive plans and plan amendments from Pinellas County, neighboring municipalities and counties, and the TBRPC to ensure consistency with the Transportation Element.

T19.5 The City shall examine the functional classification system illustrated in the Pinellas County Transportation Element for the St. Petersburg area and seek to functionally classify roads in the same manner where possible.

T19.6 The City shall work with its adjacent jurisdictions to identify the need for and establish appropriate policies for the inter-jurisdictional coordination of transportation improvements and mitigation of transportation impacts.