ENVIRONMENTAL LANDS ASSESSMENT
RECOMMENDATIONS
Approved
for implementation by General Consensus of the Board of County Commissioners
on April 11, 2000
Recommendations for
Policy Changes to Protect Environmentally Sensitive Lands and Native Vegetation
Recommendation
#1
The Conservation land use
category as depicted on the Future Land Use map needs to be more precisely defined and
consistently throughout the Comprehensive Plan in order to know which areas fall into this
land use category. It is recommended
that the County define Conservation areas as all publicly and privately owned conservation
lands (as referenced in Table 1 of the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Study), all
jurisdictional wetlands adjacent to the main stem of the St. Johns River, Dunns Creek and
Crescent Lake as depicted on the Future Land
Use Map including the wetlands associated with Murphy, Hog and Drayton Islands, and all
out parcels within the Ocala National Forest within Putnam County.. In addition the wetlands associated with Levy=s
Prairie, Goodson=s Prairie, and
Fowlers Prairie will designated as Conservation and the Future Land Use map will be
amended to reflect this change. In addition,
the density of of privately-owned Conservation should be lowered to 1 unit per 30 acres in
order to provide additional protection to these lands.
Recommendation
#2
Conservation Element Policy
E.1.3.6 which was adopted by the County and subsequently rescinded due to objections from
DCA should be re-submitted to DCA as follows:
Policy
E.1.3.6
The County shall protect
environmentally sensitive areas and native vegetative communities as follows:
A. Proposed mining
activities shall be required to submit their reclamation plan to the County prior to its
approval by the State Bureau of mines, so that the County can submit any comments
regarding the reclamation plan to the Bureau for consideration.
B. In the process of reviewing site plans, the County
shall assess the compatibility of land use activities and development on parcels adjacent
to the Ocala National Forest, Wildlife Management Areas, State or Private Preserves, or
other State and Federal natural resource areas.
C. The County shall maintain and distribute a
recommended native plant listing and other educational materials available from the
Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Water Management District, Florida
Department of Agriculture (Division of Forestry) and other state or federal agencies to
increase public awareness of the need to utilize native plant species in the developed
landscape and eliminate exotic nuisance plants from existing developed areas.
D. For all new development at a minimum vegetative
buffers and landscaping required by Comprehensive Plan policies and/or the implementing
land development regulations shall utilize native plant species. Areas required to have vegetative buffers shall
preserve all existing native vegetation if present within the required buffer. All other unvegetated areas within the required
vegetative buffer shall be planted with native vegetation which is adapted to that
particular environment whether it is xeric, mesic or hydric.
E. Sites proposed for
future land use map amendments from any land use category (unless changing to
Conservation) must meet the following requirements:
1. If the site contains more than 10 acres of the
following Environmentally Sensitive Lands as identified in the Putnam County Environmental
Lands Study (High Recharge Areas - Map # 4, Slope Forests - Map # 7, Seepage Streams
(regardless of acreage of site) - Map # 7, Spring Run Streams (regardless of acreage of
site) - Map # 7, or Sandhill Upland Lakes (regardless of acreage of site) - Map # 7,) the
applicant must obtain input from appropriate agencies regarding additional development
limitations and proper preservation, restoration, and/or management considerations as one
of the conditions for amendment approval.
2. If the site contains more than 50 acres of the
following Environmentally Sensitive Lands as identified in the Putnam County Environmental
Lands Study (Scrub Uplands and Longleaf Pine - Xeric Oak - Map # 8, or Sites Containing
Listed Species - Map # 5) the applicant must
obtain input from appropriate agencies regarding additional development limitations and
proper preservation, restoration, and/or management considerations as one of the
conditions for amendment approval; and the applicant must have a plant and animal survey
performed on the subject property from a licensed and certified wildlife biologist. If the survey reveals the presence of listed
plant or animal species, the applicant shall obtain input from the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding
preservation requirements as a condition of amendment approval.
Recommendation
#3
The SJRWMD has not
identified prime recharge areas. As a
result the County should use the SJRWMD existing aquifer recharge map to designate those
areas having 8 inches or more recharge (as defined in the Comprehensive Plan) as
warranting protection. This would also
require a change to the language of the existing policies to remove reference to prime and
replace with reference to areas having recharge rates of 8 or more inches per year. Policies which would need to be changed to reflect
this change of definition are: D.1.5.4, D.1.5.6, E.1.2.13, and E.1.2.14,
Recommendation
#4
Delete Conservation Element
E.1.4.1, once the Environmental Lands Study has been completed and approved, as it will no
longer be needed.
Recommendation
#5
Incorporate language from
Future Land Use Policy A.1.4.4 into Future Land Use Policy
A.1.9.3.A.11 and delete Future Land Use Policy A.1.4.4.
These two policies cover the same issues and are redundant. The revised policy should read as follows:
11. Conservation: The Conservation land use category depicted on the
Future Land Use Map includes areas designated for the purpose of conserving or protecting
natural resources including ground water, surface water, wildlife habitats, vegetative
communities, floodplains, and wetlands. Areas
warranting protection which are subject to re-evaluation by the County and may result in
map amendments to designate other areas as Conservation are listed in Policy E.1.4.1. Conservation of resources will also be
accomplished in the other land use categories through implementation of environmental
protection policies stated throughout the plan. Future
development in the Conservation land use category shall be allowed as follows:
a. Residential development on public lands will not
be permitted except for uses such as caretaker residences.
No other development will be permitted except for that required for
the "Public Good" such as to improve drainage or transportation, reduce fire
hazard, recreational use, etc. If any other
development is to be permitted, an amendment to the land use designation shall be required
in accordance with Section 163.3187, FS.
b. Residential development on privately-owned lands
shall be limited to a maximum density of 1 dwelling unit per 30 acres. Other
low intensity activities may be permitted subject to standards contained in several other
policies in this comprehensive plan which would prevent adverse environmental impacts on
hydrology, water quality or endangered or threatened species known habitat.
c. Non-residential development shall be limited to
public or private facilities required to provide for resource based recreation, essential
public services and restricted agriculture including uses such as rangeland and
silviculture following best management practices as specified in Policy A.1.4.9. and
identical Policy E.1.3.5. Development in
resource based recreation areas shall be limited to 10 percent impervious surface area on
a site, must be compatible with the surrounding land uses, and shall be subject to
standards adopted in the land development regulations.
Recommendations for
Future Land Use Map Amendments
Necessary to Protect Identified
Environmentally Sensitive Lands
Recommendation
#1
The Future Land Use Map
should be amended to include land acquired by both public and private entities for
preservation as Conservation. The areas
listed below either need their boundaries verified to ensure they have been designated
correctly or designated Conservation because they were acquired after adoption of the most current version of the
Future Land Use map or were inadvertently never shown on the map.
A. Change the following areas to Conservation:
1. The Dunns Creek parcel purchased by the Nature
Conservancy
2. Etonia State Forest - 2 separate parcels (Portions
formally Timber Cove DRI)
3. Horseshoe Point Conservation Area (SJRWMD)
4. Haw Creek Conservation Area (SJRWMD)
5. Dunns Creek Conservation Area (SJRWMD)
6. Murphy Creek Conservation Area - Includes all of
Murphy Island (SJRWMD)
7. Carl Duval Moore State Forest (2 separate parcels)
B. Verify that all areas identified in Table 1 of the
Environmental Lands Study are designated as Conservation including the following areas:
1. The Cross Florida Greenway and State Conservation
Area including the Army Corps.of Engineers flood storage easements in Cow Heaven
Bay extending north of C.R. 310
2. Caravelle Ranch Conservation Area
3. Lake George Conservation Area
4. Welaka State Forest
5. National Fish Hatchery
6.
Carl S. Swisher Memorial Nature
Preserve
7.
Katherine Ordway Preserve
8. Ocala National Forest (northern boundary)
Recommendation
#2
Conditioned upon approval
by the Putnam County Commission and with adequate public notice, the Future Land Use
designation of three privately owned wetland areas will be amended to AConservation@. The general extent of the designation shall
be based on the wetlands map provided by the SJRWMD as part of this study. Detailed site specific jurisdictional wetlands
determinations will be required by the County for any development activities proposed
adjacent to these wetlands in order to ensure that there are no wetland impacts.
X
Levy=s Prairie, located north
of S.R. 20 and East of S.R. 21
X
Goodson=s Prairie, located north
of S.R. 100 near Putnam Hall
X
Fowlers Prairie, located
north of S.R. 20 adjacent to the Alachua County line
