☐ 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
Resolution / Transmittal of a Comprehensive Plan Text Amendment to the Future Land Use Element related to Density and Intensity (COMP-0015-2025)
body
REQUESTED MOTION:
A motion to recommend to the Board of County Commissioners to adopt/deny the proposed resolution for the transmittal of this Comprehensive Plan amendment.
SUMMARY:
The proposed amendments to the DeSoto County Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Element are related to the existing Neighborhood Mixed Use and Urban Center Mixed Use Future Land Use designation. Specifically, the proposed amendment is to increase the Neighborhood Mixed Use base density from 3.5 du/acre to 5 du/acre and the bonus density from 5 du/acre to 12 du/acre, also to increase the Urban Center Mixed Use bonus density from 8 du/acre to 16 du/acre. The increase in residential density is to encourage more affordable housing types in these designated areas of the county.
BACKGROUND:
DeSoto County’s Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Element has a variety of Future Land Use Map designations, providing for residential and non-residential development. The designations also allow a variety of residential densities (dwelling units per acre) and non-residential intensities (floor-area-ratio of land area to building area). The Future Land Use Element also allows approval of Bonus Density, as contained in Policy 1.1.4. The higher densities can be found to be appropriate when developing in proximity to public infrastructure, proposing designs that protect environmentally sensitive areas, providing increased open and pubic recreational spaces, and other exceptional design components, that help to balance the higher densities with a design that is determined to be more community oriented and efficient to serve.
Maximum residential densities vary in the County from the Rural / Agricultural designation at 1 dwelling unit per 10 acres, to more suburban-type densities with Low and Medium Density Residential up to 2 and 3.5 dwelling units per acre respectively (up to 3.5 and 5 dwelling units per acre respectively if they meet Bonus Density criteria). Neighborhood Mixed Use and Urban Center Mixed Use designations allow up to 3.5