☐ Consent Agenda ☐Quasi-Judicial Public Hearing
☐ Regular Business 5:30 pm
☒ Public Hearing Other
DEPARTMENT: Planning & Zoning
SUBMITTED BY: Laura McClelland
PRESENTED BY: Misty Servia
TITLE & DESCRIPTION:
title
Ordinance / Land Development Regulation Amendment for Essential Services (LDR-0012-2025)
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REQUESTED MOTION:
A motion to enter into the record the development review report and make a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners to adopt/deny the proposed ordinance.
SUMMARY:
In Article XII. - Definitions, of the County’s Land Development Regulations, Essential Services is currently defined as follows:
Essential services means services designed and operated by, or under the approval of, appropriate governmental jurisdictions to provide necessary utilities, general communications, public uses, and solid waste disposal facilities.
DeSoto County Government owns and operates various types of infrastructure, including potable water and sanitary sewer utility systems, which includes underground pipes but also includes physical plants, pump stations, water towers, lift stations, and other above-ground infrastructure. Additionally, the county’s Public Safety Department provides fire and emergency management services, and the county also operates a landfill for solid waste disposal. These services are housed in buildings owned/operated to serve the public, another component of Essential Services.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Arcadia’s Airport is critical infrastructure, but municipal airports are not currently included under the definition of Essential Services. This deficiency was noted when the airport sought to build cabins for their existing campground for temporary lodging for pilots, but the expansion was difficult to complete within the procedural requirements of the LDR without an approved master plan/Development Plan showing those entitlements. And, while the airport is owned and operated by the City, the airport is in unincorporated DeSoto County and therefore subject to the county’s regulations.
While the City’s airport was the catalyst for the LDR amendment, it also provided an opportunity to plan for a streamlined process for other county owned infrastructure to prevent future delays when county facilities need an upgrade or expansion to adequately serve the public. To maximize efficiency, it is recommended that these services collectively be captured in the definition of “Essential Services”.
Expanding and clarifying the existing definition will also allow the Comprehensive Plan and LDR to consistently reference Essential Services in both documents.