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CPPC 03-10-14 Meeting Agenda Item 2 The UDA Centers and the 2030 Comprehensive Plan is a proposed amendment to the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. It was presented to the Planning Commission as a discussion item at the Planning Commission Retreat. The aim of this proposed amendment is to illustrate why UDA Centers in Frederick County are important and to highlight who would benefit from living in these strategic growth areas. Ultimately, staff will be seeking direction from the Board of Supervisors to move the UDA Centers and the 2030 Comprehensive Plan amendment through the public hearing process. At the same time, it is hoped that the Urban Center Design Cabinet Report and the TND (Traditional Neighborhood Design) Ordinance will be reevaluated and will also move forward. The proposed amendment was initiated as a result of the ongoing discussion of this subject, in particular, at the December 6, 2013 work session with the Board of Supervisors. During the work session questions were asked about the density, intensity, and marketability of this type of development. There was also a belief that the County should further qualify why this was important to Frederick County. Suffice to say, the work session was a catalyst for the most recent discussion at the Planning Commission Retreat. Comments from the Comprehensive Plans and Programs Committee at this point will be incorporated into the amendment with the intent that the Board of Supervisors will be reengaged on this subject at some point in the future. The attached language is offered as a potential addition to the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. The proposed addition would be inserted into the Plan at the end of Chapter I, Urban Areas. Discussion points. Why? UDA Centers are an integral part of Frederick County’s overall growth management strategy. Located at very important locations within the County’s Urban Areas, UDA Centers are strategic growth areas that will absorb a greater amount of the anticipated community growth in an efficient and effective way, providing relief and protection for the County’s Rural Areas, and encouraging a variety of housing choices within the urban areas. Who? From where does the community growth come: internal or external growth. Over the past two decades, the amount of residential development in Frederick County has grown, increasing at a relatively consistent rate of approximately three percent a year. Supporting this growth was a period of significant expansion in the County’s commercial and industrial base. According to the 2000 Census and more recent studies performed by the Economic Development Commission, Frederick County remains an in-commute location. That is more people come to the county daily for work and not to live which would create demand for public service. On the other hand, the main contributor to the population growth was the migration of people from outside the Winchester Metropolitan Statistic Area (MSA) to Frederick County for a higher quality of life including lower housing costs, and a lower tax rate. Frederick County has also become an attractive place to live for retirees. Excellent examples of communities supporting this trend have recently been developed. A major factor is also the Winchester Medical Center, as well as the presence of cultural activities in the arts. Notwithstanding the above, Frederick County should seek to be a community that provides a variety of opportunities for existing residents, young and old for the next 50 years. As the community continues to grow, a greater number of residents will be those who also grew up in Frederick County. We are educating the next generation, how do we keep them in the community? Once graduated, often the kids don’t return to Winchester? Why- because of lack of employment opportunities but also amenities (next generation wants walk ability which does not currently exist). Educated workforce leaves, so why would business locate here? Urban Centers with their entertainment, employment, residential, transportation, and educational opportunities, the top five attributes of Urban Centers, will further those opportunities and require a long term vision for the centers to come to fruition. The County’s planning efforts enable residents, both current and future, recent graduates and recent retirees, to choose from an array of housing types that suit their needs and provide affordable housing opportunities. Implementation of this effort will ensure that the needs of all residents are met. FREDERICK COUNTY UDA CENTERS FUTURE FOCUS Frederick County seeks to focus growth in strategic areas where community facilities and public services are more readily available and can be provided in a more economical and sustainable manner. Frederick County has identified locations which promote higher urban densities and a more compact form of development. These strategic growth areas within the Urban Areas are known as UDA Centers. Residential densities higher than those previously experienced within the UDA would accommodate residents interested in living in more urban settings, with the highest densities located within specifically designated areas within UDA Centers. Potential locations are strategically situated to take advantage of existing development patterns and infrastructure locations. UDA Centers are designated to direct growth in a compact and highly efficient form within the Urban Areas, thereby reducing development pressures in the Rural Areas. Within the Urban Area, and particularly the UDA Centers, there is a higher expectation in design standards to create a quality urban community that successfully and sustainably accommodates the growth of the community. This enables a more sustainable form of development and encourages the creation of a sense of community. Frederick County strives to meet and exceed its residents’ desires for living, working, and enjoying, through proactive community planning, and enhancements to the Urban Development Areas. COMMUNITY BENEFITS UDA Centers should feature a variety of housing choices, high quality retail, community facilities as focal points, employment opportunities, and provide for land uses that are connected by an attractive, efficient, multimodal transportation system. The mixing of uses provides a greater choice in mobility. Further, focusing development around walkable centers affords people the opportunity to work, live, shop, and play in locations that are near each other. The County should continue to establish policies which result in high quality residential neighborhoods which are able to accommodate a growing population and expanding workforce. Policies should recognize the interests of the residents entering and retiring from the workforce. A goal of the Neighborhood Villages and Urban Centers is to create new neighborhoods with a balance between residential, employment, and service uses. Proactive planning efforts are essential in both the Urban and Rural Areas to ensure that the County is able to deal with its future residential growth in a cost-effective and attractive manner, and meets market demand. POLICIES/IMPLEMENTATION POLICY: AS FREDERICK COUNTY CONTINUES TO GROW, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THE VISION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR THE URBAN AREAS MEET EXPECTED GROWTH IN A SUSTAINABLE MANNER. GROWTH SHOULD PRIMARILY BE FOCUSED WITHIN THE URBAN AREAS. MORE INTENSIVE DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE FOCUSED IN UDA CENTERS, PARTICULARLY MEETING THE RESIDENTIAL NEEDS OF THE YOUNG ADULTS, THE RETIREMENT GENERATION, AND WORKFORCE NEEDED FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IMPLEMENTATION: • Focus new residential growth within the Urban Development Area and at higher densities within UDA Centers. • Enact suitable planning and land use policies which will enable the County to identify where future residential growth should be accommodated. • Provide County residents, both current and future, an array of housing types and opportunities that suit their needs and provide affordable housing opportunities. POLICY: UDA CENTERS, LOCATED AT STRATEGIC LOCATIONS WITHIN THE URBAN AREAS, SHOULD ABSORB A PORTION OF THE ANTICIPATED COMMUNITY GROWTH WITH THE MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS. IMPLEMENTATION: • Higher density residential development is encouraged in close proximity to or mixed with commercial areas to enhance walkable access to employment, shopping, and entertainment – a lifestyle attractive to young adults and the newly retired. The County’s strategic growth areas, the Urban Centers and Neighborhood Villages, are the most desirable locations for this type of development. • Residential housing types and design guidelines should be flexible to accommodate evolving demographic trends, and to ensure that housing choices are maximized. • Urban Centers enable the County to plan for and provide services in defined areas where they can reach the majority of the population at less cost to the taxpayer. • Focusing growth and services to the urban areas, and more specifically to the urban centers, will allow the County to develop community facilities that become focal points to the residential areas. Focusing new residential development around walkable centers allows people to work, go to school, live, shop, and play in locations that are near each other.