December 2022 – Port St. John environmental news and updates by Indian River Lagoon Roundtable member Maureen Rupe.
Good Day!
Environmentally Endangered Lands
A sincere Thank You to everyone that voted for the Environmentally Endangered Lands Referendum.
Port St John Request for Zoning Change
The Port St John Special District Board will be hearing a rezone. The zoning meeting will be at the Port St John Library on January 4th, at 6 p.m., which was changed from November 9th, 2022, due to impacts from Hurricane Nicole.
Edita Realty (James McKnight) request a change of zoning classification from BU-1 to RU-2-10 (22Z00049) (/Rz /XXXIYBRA 2302548 & 2302549) (District 1). The properties are on 950 Avon Street and 960 Avon Street in Port St. John, one block east of U.S. 1, and one block south of Kings Highway. RU-2-10 zoning classification allows for apartments, however, the applicant is proposing duplexes which could be considered a transition between the commercial to the north (the new buildings at the southeast corner of U.S.1 & Kings Highway). The request is to develop two duplexes, one (1) on each lot. The proposed RU.2.10 permits multifamily residential uses or single-family residences at a density of up to 10 units per acre on 7,500 square foot lots. Duplexes have a minimum floor area of 1,150 square feet, and 575 square feet per unit. The closest multi-family zoning is the apartments across U.S.1.
The two properties are 0.18 acres for 950 Avon Street, and 0.22 acres for 960 Avon Street. 960 Avon Street is mapped as within the Indian River Lagoon Nitrogen Reduction Overlay. However, both properties are within 0.2 miles of the Indian River Lagoon. The package states if adequate sewer for the development is not available, then the use of an alternative septic system, designed to provide at least 65% total nitrogen reduction through multi-state treatment processes shall be required.
The package states compatibility between this site and existing properties near this development depends on:
- Whether the proposed uses would have lighting, odor noise levels, traffic or site activity would significantly diminish the enjoyment of safety or quality of life in the existing neighborhood.
- Whether the proposed uses would cause a material reduction (five per cent of more) in the value of existing abutting lands or approved development. The package states only a certified MAI appraisal can determine if this value has or will occur due to the proposed use.
- Whether the proposed uses are consistent with an emerging or existing patter on surrounding development.
- Actual development within the last 3 years.
- Approved development but not yet constructed within the last 3 years.
Reference
https://www.brevardfl.gov/PlanningAndDevelopment/Home. As of publishing, the agenda and zoning package is currently not available on the Brevard County Planning and Development website.
Low Impact Development or Design (LID)
I wrote the below on Low Impact Development (LID) for the League of Women Voters of the Space Coast and it is on their website (link in References). I on their Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Natural Resource Committee.
The Marine Resource Council (MRC) held the second of three conferences to inform elected officials, developers, builders and the Public at Large, the necessity of requiring LID and Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) in all new developments. The Second Conference was excellent and heavily attended by County and Neighboring County Elected Officials, City and County Engineers, and Environmental groups, as well as our State Senator Debbie Mayfield, who is the majority leader and Clean Waterways Act Sponsor.
The Conference included detailed accounts on overcoming LID and GSI design and maintenance, new stormwater rules plus updating code to allow for LID and GIS. Questions from the audience were readily answered by Agricultural and Biology Professors from State Universities, Department of Environmental Protection, and other prominent Scientists.
LID Strategy: LID is an approach to land development that uses various land planning design and construction practices to simultaneously conserve and protect natural resource systems while reducing infrastructure costs. LID stands apart from other concepts through its emphasis on cost-effective strategies at the lot level. Designing an individual site to replicate predevelopment hydrology can reduce the project’s impacts on natural systems.
LID strategies move away from a centralized method of collecting, conveying, and discharging water to one that minimizes both impervious areas and stores and treats stormwater in a more distributed fashion, sometimes even on the individual lot level.”
“Some of the common LID practices include vegetated swales, buffers and strips; barrower streets without curbs and gutters; curb cutaways for median storage; end-of-island bioretention cells; permeable pavers; green roofs; rain gardens, bioretention, rain barrels or cisterns; tree or natural area preservation; in-ground infiltration and storage; and green build programs such as Florida Water StarSM.”
Worth noting, the Department of Defense (DoD) now requires Lid on all its installations worldwide. The next and final Conference will be in April 2023, which will include the invitation of Developers and Builders to participate.
Stormwater coming from natural lands is not the problem; it is when the natural lands are converted into other land uses, especially urban where when soil is paved over, we create impervious surfaces and then the rain causes stormwater runoff, which is normally polluted, which kills marine life in our lagoon and pollutes all our waterbodies.
At the rate of development in Florida it must be realized the current system does not work and if LID and GIS is not put into our codes for mandatory installation, we are on a road to disaster that will affect every aspect of our Environment, Economy, Health, and our overall quality of life.
I have been a member of the Board of Directors of the Marine Resource Council since the 1990’s and believe that the LID concept must be adopted by all cities and counties in Florid
Reference:
https://lwvsc.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=722&club_id=992157&item_id=2071544&ht=0
https://savetheirl.org/education/low-impact-development/
Amazon Building
The Amazon Building on Grissom Road in Cocoa is on hold for occupation. Amazon is not moving in equipment and are in the process of re-evaluating? Whatever that means. I will find out.
Titusville Development
I received a report on Titusville Development Projects as of November 1, 2022, where I saw a few that can have an impact on Port St John. I thank the Titusville City Manager for the very interesting information.
The Verona Village (formally Willow Creek) on west side of Grissom just north of Porth St John, there are four more villages to be constructed. Verona Village A sketch plat is in review for their 4th phase, with 328 single family homes. Verona Village B sketch plat is approved for 174 single-family homes. Verona Village C sketch plat is in review for their third phase of 537 single-family homes. Verona Village D construction continues for 79 single-family homes. Verona Phase 1 is finished and subsequently there were 18 more lots approved after that they (accidentally, wink, wink) filled in 4.58 acres of wetlands.
My concerns is traffic on Kings and Grissom Blvd through Port St John. There will always a percentage of children in all subdivisions. Is the City, County, and School board addressing these potential problems. Will there be overcrowding with any or all Port St John schools, or are they building new schools? There are wetlands that have been filled in. Are any of these new homes in a potential flood zone due the all the wetlands that has been filled in?
Space Perspective: A site plan is approved for a 49,000 square foot manufacturing building on Bristow Way (TICO airport). This Plant is to manufacture parts for the balloon and capsule below. The “Space Perspective” website (www.spaceperspective.com) which you can book now, shows a Neptune Capsule connected to a huge balloon. The website states you will take off from land and after a six-hour flight, splashdown is in the ocean. The website states “Launch from Marine Spaceport (MS) Voyager or from land on Florida’s Space Coast” so it will take off from either land (could be TICO) or from their support ship called the Marine Spaceport. If it takes off from TICO, will it impact aircraft traffic. There has been a vertical lift license at TICO since 2020.
A Wawa site plan is approved and construction underway for a 6,119 square foot restaurant with gas nozzles at 1245 Grumman Place. This is at the Northeast corner of State Road 405 and Grissom Blvd.
There are 48 site plans for new development in the City of Titusville as of November 1st. I selected those that would be of interest to residents of PSJ.
References:
https://titusville.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Shortlist/index.html?appid=d04e00425e844c7dbaa789d099f8581e
Christmas Greetings to everyone and a very Happy Holidays and a Peaceful New Year.
Cheerio,
Maureen Rupe