Item K1
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date: May 21, 2008 Division: County Administrator
Bulk Item: Yes No x Department: County Administrator
Staff Contact Person:Connie Cyr #4441________
AGENDA ITEM WORDING:
Request to speak to the Board of County Commissioners in regards to
the Key Largo Community Master Plan and tourism- Ron Miller.
ITEM BACKGROUND:
N/A
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
N/A
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES:
N/A
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STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
N/A
TOTAL COST: BUDGETED:
__-0-______________ Yes No
COST TO COUNTY:SOURCE OF FUNDS:
-0-
REVENUE PRODUCING:AMOUNT PER MONTHYear ____
Yes No
APPROVED BY:
County Atty OMB/Purchasing Risk Management ____
DOCUMENTATION:
Included Not Required_____
DISPOSITION:AGENDA ITEM #
Revised 8/06
Sounding Board May 21 ,2008 BOCC
presented by Ron Miller
I consider today's meeting to be an appropriate time to discuss what is called the
"Key Largo Livable Communi Keys Plan". This plan was formulated by the
citizens and residents of Key Largo and Monroe County with assistance from
consultants HDR, Inc., Tampa, Florida, and paid for with funds from the Florida
Department of Transportation (FOOT).
Per policy 101.20.2 of Monroe County Comprehensive Plan, the Community
Master Plans shall be incorporated into the 2010 Comprehensive Plan as a part
of the plan and be implemented as part of the Comprehensive Plan.
The Key Largo LCP was adopted by amendment on May 21, 2007 . The
document has been amended by the placement of checkmarks to identify those
strategies and action items which meet the requirements of 9J-11 Florida
Statutes. All strategies and action items without checks will be amended and
submitted as a Comprehensive Plan amendment at a later date. This is all
spelled out in amendment package 07-01.
So today is the one year anniversary of the Key Largo LCP adoption into the
Monroe County Comprehensive Plan. The LCP is a vision of the future Key
Largo, which is the result of extensive meetings, and over 8500 questionaires
mailed to Key Largo residents. There are 11 elements which spell out the
consensus goals identified by the community. Reading from the LCP "As part
of the planning process, the community supported the application of neo-
traditional community design principles to establish more pedestrian oriented
communities, by creating walkable environments where people live, work and
play in close proximity to their daily needs."
It is obvious that US 1 functions as a major highway and also as the main street
for this community. Reading from the LCP "Improvements are needed to
increase bicycle/pedestrian accommodation and to enhance and define public
realm aesthetics while maintaining existing level of service requirements.
Controlling speed and providing improved aesthetics within the corridor are
important to residents and businesses alike."
As a result of the public input creating the LCP, a plan emerged to improve US 1
Corridor conditions. BOCC Resolution 332-2006 supports the Key Largo U.S.1
Corridor Enhancement Plan and directs staff to pursue funding to further analyze
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the findings or implement the projects proposed in the Corridor Enhancement
Plan.(which I will refer to as the U.S. 1 Plan.) The US 1 Plan is part of the
Livable Communi Keys Master Plan, and a planning tool which Monroe County
will use to identify and direct improvements and development along the US 1
corridor between Mile Markers 97 and 107. The US 1 Plan was created as part
of an intensive community planning process.
Problems identified by the U.S. 1 Plan were high travel speeds, significant width
of the right-of-way (which can be as wide as 180 feet in certain locations), and
difficulty for pedestrians and bicyclists to comfortably cross the highway.
(quoting from the U.S. 1 Plan)"Ultimately, the areas of safe and comfortable
realms are confined to limited portions of the right-of-way paralleling either side
of the highway." Also cited on page 2 of the U.S.1 Plan "The lack of a defined
edge to the roadway permits vehicular traffic to enter and/or exit the facility at
numerous points along the corridor.
This limited attention to access management creates continuous conditions in
which vehicles are parked within the right-of way and cross back and forth
through the designated pedestrian realm without interruption." In other words,
people are driving all over the place like it's the Wild West. But even in the Wild
West you could not park your horse up on the boardwalk. We need a defined
edge to the roadway as cited in the U.S. 1 Plan. That would eliminate the gravel
and dust problem as well as adding a measure of safety for pedestrians and
bicyclists.
Walkable communities are being developed all over the United States. They are
proving to be very successful in energizing businesses, as well as being popular
in promoting a sense of community. According to the articles I have read,
Walkabiltiy=added value to the community and businesses. Not only the baby-
boomers, but generations since the baby-boomers are beginning to understand
that real quality of life incorporates aesthetics, with building and development
that is brought down to a human scale. By acknowledging these factors, we
create a quality community that is comfortable for ourselves, and also conducive
to tourism.
As an aside, when you leave here today, notice that we don't even have a
sidewalk here at the main entrance to this shopping area. We need to pay
attention to the built environment and to look critically at future projects. By
keeping our community to a human scale, we also create a sustainable
environment, something which naturally occurred in Europe because their towns
evolved before the advent of the automobile. When you venture out in Key
Largo, by bicycle or on foot, you quickly begin to feel like a third class citizen.
This is not very encouraging to a tourist sustained economy.
We can do better, and I encourage the Department of Transportation and
Monroe County to work together with this community to implement our LCP and
U.S. 1 Plan.