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Highlands Today

State Finalizes County's Comp Plans

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By Jim  Konkoly | Highlands Today

Published: September 30, 2007

SEBRING — The county's long-running dispute with the state over development plans in Highlands County should be settled by mid October.

At stake is final state approval that would allow:

* Development of 4,637 acres;

* Construction of 6,438 housing units, broken down into 4,537 single family homes, 192 mobile homes and 1,739 multi-family units;

* Commercial projects totaling 5.1 million square feet; and

* Industrial/warehouse projects totaling 5.9 million square feet.

That is the total potential growth within 42 large-scale amendments to the Highlands County Comprehensive Plan which were approved by county commissioners in 2004, 2005 and 2006 but not yet approved by the Florida Department of Community Affairs.

DCA recently sent the county a final settlement offer to approve all of those comp plan amendments.

County commissioners will vote on DCA's settlement offer following a public hearing at their Oct. 16 meeting.

The state's proposed settlement goes first to the Highlands County Planning and Zoning Commission, which will make a recommendation to commissioners at its Oct. 9 meeting.

Jim Polatty, the county's development director, said the commissioners' adoption of impact fees, assessed for the first time this year, was instrumental in gaining state approval for the comp plan amendments.

"It was very, very important," Polatty said. When the state withheld approval in 2004 and 2005, he said, "they (DCA) pointed out to us that we don't have enough money to address the road needs."

Impact fees account for about 20 percent of the county's projected $171 million revenue for capital improvements over the next 10 years, Polatty said. Without impact fees, he said, DCA's approval of the 42 comp plan amendments would have been "very doubtful."

While the DCA's settlement would open up more than 4,600 acres to development, it won't mean an immediate building boom.

"I think the key thing to remember is that over the next 10 years, some of these (projects) might go to development, but most won't," Polatty said.

Many of the property owners have no immediate development plans, but sought comprehensive plan amendments so that they wouldn't fall under Hometown Democracy, which would require voter approval of comp plan amendments, if it passes, Polatty said.

"That is widely known and accepted," he said.

As a result, he said, some of the residential comp plan amendments may not lead to development "for five years or 10 years, maybe 20 or 30 years or who knows how long."

Polatty said the biggest immediate benefit to the county from the DCA settlement is state approval for industrial or warehouse developments on four sites totaling over 700 acres.

"I think it's a wonderful thing we are getting industrial and warehousing areas approved," he said. "Our county does not have enough of those sites."

Polatty added, "Right now our economy is very service oriented and agriculture oriented. There is nothing wrong with that. But I think we need to get a balance in our county.

"This could offer the opportunity to get a little more balance, a little more diversity, into the economic mix of the county, with different types of businesses.

"For instance, this should help EDC (Highlands County Economic Development Commission) and the
Sebring Airport Authority attract more businesses of the kind we haven't had, or of the kind we don't have enough of."

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