SoWalSally
01-19-2007, 07:47 PM
By Gabriel Tynes
Without them, development in Walton County and the rest of Florida would slow to a crawl, but according to Planning Department director Pat Blackshear, the state’s fledgling proportionate fair share requirements are rife with complications.
“The intent of the program is honorable,” Blackshear said. “But as it is now, it just doesn’t work.”
Enacted by Senate Bill 360 in the summer of 2005, proportionate fair share mitigation (prop share) allows applicants for development an opportunity to meet transportation concurrency guidelines by contributing their financial share of the cost of improvements to affected transportation infrastructure.
Walton County was chosen to implement a pilot program prior to the December 2006 deadline mandated for the rest of the state, so county planners have had the opportunity to scrutinize its strengths and weaknesses.
“In some places it works beautifully,” Blackshear said, adding that the prop share equation for County Road 30A is straightforward and well-received by developers.
“But on our state road facilities, the cost estimates are too high. We’re not sure what percentages we’re supposed to collect and the scope of the projects are unclear,” Blackshear said.
The inconsistencies are part of the reason the Walton County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a proportionate fair share town hall meeting Jan. 29. The meeting, which is open to the public, will bring together state and local dignitaries and planning officials to facilitate discussions on improvements to the current prop share guidelines.
Chamber of Commerce President Dawn Moliterno said, “The reason proportionate fair share programs are such a challenge is there are differing opinions about how it should be administered. We just want to make sure everyone is on the same page.”
Moliterno said the chamber has a stake in the program because if development orders are halted, it will have an affect on every business related to construction or engineering.
“The message needs to be clear that this is not just focused on developers,” Moliterno said. “Rather, there are widespread interests to all businesses. This meeting will be an opportunity to be part of the solution.”
Blackshear said the problems with state road facilities is that the Florida Department of Transportation is directing the county to collect 100 percent of prop share estimates, which are often exorbitant figures.
“We all know the only way to fix [State Road] 331 is by four-lane,” Blackshear said. “We can’t impose that on developers. We submitted one proposal and the DOT responded by suggesting a 75 percent increase.
“We’ve got several large and small developers that are affected by it,” Blackshear continued. “But our hands our tied. They can’t pay and we can’t collect. Soon, we have to worry about [the county’s] liability for the difference.”
Blackshear said she is hoping the town hall meeting will expose the problems to state officials in a manner that will prompt legislative action.
“Proposing amendments to concurrency management is just a Band-Aid,” Blackshear said. “We need to get people on board for legislation. The only solution I see is that [the state] needs to direct the DOT to set aside money for state roads in their budget or development will totally shut down. Otherwise, I don’t see how [prop share] can ever be affective.”
Without them, development in Walton County and the rest of Florida would slow to a crawl, but according to Planning Department director Pat Blackshear, the state’s fledgling proportionate fair share requirements are rife with complications.
“The intent of the program is honorable,” Blackshear said. “But as it is now, it just doesn’t work.”
Enacted by Senate Bill 360 in the summer of 2005, proportionate fair share mitigation (prop share) allows applicants for development an opportunity to meet transportation concurrency guidelines by contributing their financial share of the cost of improvements to affected transportation infrastructure.
Walton County was chosen to implement a pilot program prior to the December 2006 deadline mandated for the rest of the state, so county planners have had the opportunity to scrutinize its strengths and weaknesses.
“In some places it works beautifully,” Blackshear said, adding that the prop share equation for County Road 30A is straightforward and well-received by developers.
“But on our state road facilities, the cost estimates are too high. We’re not sure what percentages we’re supposed to collect and the scope of the projects are unclear,” Blackshear said.
The inconsistencies are part of the reason the Walton County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a proportionate fair share town hall meeting Jan. 29. The meeting, which is open to the public, will bring together state and local dignitaries and planning officials to facilitate discussions on improvements to the current prop share guidelines.
Chamber of Commerce President Dawn Moliterno said, “The reason proportionate fair share programs are such a challenge is there are differing opinions about how it should be administered. We just want to make sure everyone is on the same page.”
Moliterno said the chamber has a stake in the program because if development orders are halted, it will have an affect on every business related to construction or engineering.
“The message needs to be clear that this is not just focused on developers,” Moliterno said. “Rather, there are widespread interests to all businesses. This meeting will be an opportunity to be part of the solution.”
Blackshear said the problems with state road facilities is that the Florida Department of Transportation is directing the county to collect 100 percent of prop share estimates, which are often exorbitant figures.
“We all know the only way to fix [State Road] 331 is by four-lane,” Blackshear said. “We can’t impose that on developers. We submitted one proposal and the DOT responded by suggesting a 75 percent increase.
“We’ve got several large and small developers that are affected by it,” Blackshear continued. “But our hands our tied. They can’t pay and we can’t collect. Soon, we have to worry about [the county’s] liability for the difference.”
Blackshear said she is hoping the town hall meeting will expose the problems to state officials in a manner that will prompt legislative action.
“Proposing amendments to concurrency management is just a Band-Aid,” Blackshear said. “We need to get people on board for legislation. The only solution I see is that [the state] needs to direct the DOT to set aside money for state roads in their budget or development will totally shut down. Otherwise, I don’t see how [prop share] can ever be affective.”