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From Gilbert’s Hardware to Dollar General: Rural Activity Centers in the FPA

From Gilbert’s Hardware to Dollar General: Rural Activity Centers in the FPA

The Flemington Store, at the corner of W Hwy 318 and N Hwy 329, in the heart of the Farmland Preservation Area. There is now a Dollar General across the street.

Family Dollar Store to be built in the FPA

Soon there will be a new Family Dollar store in Orange Lake at the intersection of W Hwy 318 and US Hwy 441. While this intersection is one of the gateways to the Farmland Preservation Area (FPA), it is located in one of the 10 Rural Activity Centers (RAC) that are designated for this exact type of business. The property already has the correct land use/zoning and is being built by BP 5440 Micanopy, LLC and the Contineo Group. 

Marion County’s comprehensive plan allows for limited commercial and residential development in designated Rural Activity Centers (RAC) (Policy 2.1.21) The new Family Dollar store is a perfect example of what the RACs were designed for – to allow small mixed use commercial islands within the rural areas to help residents and businesses meet some of their daily needs and to reduce trips to the urban areas.

At the intersection OF CR 318 and 441 IN Orange Lake, all four corners have the RAC land use and it encompasses about 57 acres. In 2021, the rural community of Flemington grew with a new Dollar General store, which is located in the Flemington RAC. All four corners of the intersection of W Hwy 318 and N Hwy 329 are included in the RAC. The new Dollar General is located across the street from the old Flemington Store, which has been a part of the community for over 50 years. The new store is a little bit of a stark contrast with the old store and its white clapboard siding and rusty metal roof.

Marion County’s comprehensive plan does not include design guidelines for the 10 RACs to help protect the rural character of the FPA, but there are design guidelines for the area around the Florida Horse Park as part of the CR 475A Visual Enhancement Gateway Development Overlay. The design guidelines cover signs and include additional buffering and landscaping as well as the optional addition of a three-board fence.

While the design elements are not required for the new Family Dollar, if the company included them, it would be a symbolic statement to the community that Family Dollar supports protecting the character and culture that horses and horse farms create in the FPA.

Groceries, Gas, Baling Twine… 

Marion County’s rural area is vast. Just the Farmland Preservation Area is 193,000 acres. The RAC future land use designation allows for mixed use nodes of residential and commercial uses, including agricultural-related commercial uses. These commercial islands within the rural areas are beneficial because they help residents and businesses meet some of their daily needs and also reduce trips to the urban areas.

Some of the additional commercial uses allowed in RACs include hardware stores like Gilbert’s Hardware at the intersection of Hwy 225A and CR 326, gas stations, post offices, and grocery stores. In the Blitchton area, on US 27 near H.I.T.S. and many of the sport horse farms, there are 3 feed stores and 2 restaurants – Berrettini Feed Specialists, Larsen Hay and United Hay for horses and The Beach and Yum Yum Kitchen for riders and trainers – important services conveniently-located for hard working equestrians.

In addition to the commercial development, the RAC allows for higher density residential development. In the RAC, up to two dwelling units per acre are permitted. Even in the FPA, the residential density can be up to two dwelling units per acre inside the RAC.  Outside of the RAC, to help protect the rural character of the FPA, the zoning is one dwelling unit per 10 acres.

The development standards for RACs – the distance from the intersection, the allowed uses, the set backs and the building heights – are the same no matter where they are located, even if the RAC is located inside the Farmland Preservation Area (FPA).

For commercial uses, the floor area ratio is 35% – that means that the buildings can only occupy 35% of each parcel.

For properties that are not located in the RAC and are zoned Agriculture (A-1), landowners are permitted to set up a roadside stand to sell hay or vegetables that are grown on the same property.

The RAC Pack

There are 10 RACs dispersed throughout the FPA that average about 54 acres each. When you combine the acreage, that is about 540 acres. However, the size of any RAC can be expanded to a maximum of 96 acres, if it meets the criteria:

  • No greater than ¼ mile or 1,320 feet from the center of the intersection;
  • 85% developed; and
  • at least 5 miles from another RAC.

These 10 RACs all have a Future Land Use designation of RAC, but for some parcels, the Zoning is not RAC.

Marion County has two RAC classifications: a land use designation and a zoning classification. The Future Land Use (FLU) designation is a generalized classification and sets the development densities. The Zoning specifies which exact uses are allowed versus prohibited on that parcel. This is important to distinguish because a parcel could be designated with a FLU RAC, but have a Zoning of A-1 for agricultural use instead of commercial use. In order for the FLU RAC parcel to be used for commercial purposes, the Zoning would have to be changed. There are some “grandfathered in” exceptions for historically-zoned commercial properties with RAC Land Use that are treated as if they also have RAC Zoning.

HFF Text Amendment: A Chance to Change

If a parcel in a RAC does not have the correct zoning, then the zoning has to be changed in order for potential applicants to build a commercial or residential building. Through this zoning change process, there is an opportunity to submit public comments to the Planning & Zoning Commission and to the Board of County Commissioners because the Horse Farms Forever® Amendment enhances the definition of Rural Character and further requires that all applications for Zoning Requests and Special Use Permits “be consistent with and preserve, protect and support and enhance the rural, equestrian, and farmland character of the Farmland Preservation Area.”

As part of Horse Farms Forever’s role in protecting the character and culture of the Farmland Preservation Area, we are actively monitoring all applications that are submitted for consideration.  Watch our posts and blogs for updates and opportunities to make comment as RAC’s come up for zoning changes. Please join us as a member and support our efforts to uphold Marion County’s rural lifestyle and brand as the Horse Capital of the World®.

Click on each of the RAC’s below to see a detailed map provided courtesy of Marion County’s Interactive Map:

The maps were created using Marion County’s online map. The maps show the the size and location of parcels designated with a FLU of RAC in each of the 10 areas within the FPA. The online map viewer is not intended to be a legal document but rather for reference. We thank the County for providing this helpful resource.

1. N Hwy 329/W Hwy 318 - Flemington

Click on the image to see full size.

2. NW 193rd Street/N US Hwy 441 - Orange Lake

Click on the image to see full size.

3. W Hwy 318/N US Hwy 441

Click on the image to see full size.

4. W Hwy 316/NW Hwy 225 - Fairfield

Click on the image to see full size.

5. W Hwy 329/NW Gainesville Road - Lowell

Click on the image to see full size.

6. CR 326/NW Hwy 225A - Gilbert's Hardware

Click on the image to see full size.

7. W Hwy 326/US 27 Blitchton

Click on the image to see full size.

8. NW Hwy 464B/US 27 - Fellowship

Click on the image to see full size.

9. FL 40/NW 110th Avenue

Click on the image to see full size.

10. FL 40/SW 140th Avenue

Click on the image to see full size.

Commercial uses on World Equestrian Center (“WEC”) designated lands in the Rural Area

For land located in the Rural Area that is also part of the World Equestrian Center (WEC) Planned Unit Development, there is a different land use classification called World Equestrian Center (WEC). (Policy 2.1.28.) The WEC designation allows for commercial uses, recreational uses, residential uses, recreational vehicle parks (“RVP”) and mixed uses. Any commercial uses on World Equestrian Center (“WEC”) designated lands in the Rural Area (i.e., outside the Urban Growth Boundary) are limited to equestrian-related uses associated with the World Equestrian Center.

Examples of equestrian-related uses include polo fields, equestrian arenas, equestrian instruction facilities, veterinary clinics, farriers (non-mobile), stables and barns, and feed stores and tack shops. Any and all accessory uses to equestrian-related uses are ancillary and incidental to such equestrian related use and are located on the same lot or parcel as the principal equestrian-related use. The maximum density for residential uses within the WEC Rural Area is (1) dwelling unit per ten (10) gross acres.

Busy Shires

Questions About Conservation?

Contact Busy Shires, our Director of Conservation Strategies, by email or by phone 386-853-4437.

Always Watching

We work hard to keep you informed, and to represent our members' interests in preserving our horse farms, farmland and the unique character and culture of Marion County's 193,000 acre Farmland Preservation Area.

Join the herd. Every voice matters.

What’s Gotten Into Horse Farms Forever?

What’s Gotten Into Horse Farms Forever?

We Are On A Mission!

A mission statement describes an organization’s reason for existence; it sets the course for the organization. Like a ship without a rudder, an organization without a mission statement can be easily blown off course.

The Horse Farms Forever® mission statement reads –

It is the vision and mission of Horse Farms Forever® to inspire conservation of horse farms through education, awareness and idea exchange so as to preserve natural pasture land focusing on horses and their habitats, to protect soil and water on which they depend, and minimize land use conflicts in Marion County, Florida.

When HFF® takes a position on a development or transportation matter, the first consideration is how does this position align with our mission statement. The next consideration is whether this matter deals with a compatible land use and is concurrent with the Marion County Comprehensive Plan.

In our watchdog role, if a development or roadway is proposed that affects horse farms in the rural area and especially in the Farmland Preservation Area, the HFF® staff gathers the facts, attends the meetings, contacts county staff and the developer, confers with our professional counselors, then prepares a draft position paper for our board of directors. Our nine directors then study the position paper and supporting documents and a meeting is held to review the recommendation of the HFF® staff. The board then makes a determination as to whether taking a position on the matter aligns with our mission statement, and further if the proposed matter is a compatible land use and concurrent with the Comprehensive Plan. The board then formalizes our position. That position is either opposition, neutral, support or no position depending on the circumstances. All formal positions taken by HFF® are posted to our website.

Over the 4 years since our inception, HFF® has taken just 9 formal positions – 2 regarding roadways and 7 regarding development. Of those 9 formal positions – 4 were in support, 3 were in opposition and 2 were neutral. Please refer to our website for the position papers. Here are 3 real-world examples of those different positions.

Opposition

In 2020, a developer applied for a land use change and special use permit to allow an ATV racetrack and drag strip in rural Flemington inside the Farmland Preservation Area. The HFF® board deemed taking a position on this application aligned with our mission statement and further deemed the proposed land uses incompatible with the surrounding area and not concurrent with the Comprehensive Plan, which states, “…the Farmland Preservation Area is intended to encourage preservation of agriculture…. The County establishes this area as critical to the enhancement and preservation of its designation as the Horse Capital of the World®”. HFF® launched an aggressive grassroots media campaign to encourage the County Commissioners to deny the application, which they did.

Neutral

In 2022, the owner of a 453-acre parcel inside the Irvine/Sunny Oaks Regional Activity Center (RGAC) adjacent to the Highway 318 interchange on I-75 applied to rezone the property from Agriculture to Planned Unit Development. This interchange includes a Future Land Use Element designation in the Comprehensive Plan that includes an Employment Center, a Commerce District and a RGAC. While this parcel is within the Farmland Preservation Area boundaries, these Future Land Use designations sit on top of and override the Farmland Preservation Area restrictions. Also, this parcel was granted the correct land use designation for this zoning request a decade ago.

The owner of this 453-acre parcel has a legal right to rezone this parcel from agriculture to an implementing zoning district for the specific Future Land Use designations. While the requested zoning change is to Planned Unit Development, there are other options that would satisfy the legal obligation of the County to rezone the property to an implementing zoning district. Nonetheless, they all allow significant retail, commercial and industrial development.

With the existing land use designation on this parcel and its location inside an Employment Center, a Commerce District and a RGAC, the end use of this parcel would never be a horse farm. For these reasons, the HFF® board stayed true to its mission statement and took a neutral position on the zoning application.

The HFF® position was limited to the specific zoning request on the 453-acre parcel and did not address the surrounding land. While it is unfortunate that a decade ago the county allowed the Future Land Use change for this 453-acre parcel as it surrounds legacy homestead properties, this action is virtually impossible to undo.

Support

In July of 2021, Golden Ocala Equestrian Lands (GOEL) purchased the Ocala Jockey Club (OJC) property and other adjoining parcels. In September of 2021, GOEL asked HFF® to review and support their planned application to change the land use designation on the OJC to the WEC Rural classification. As a hotel and RV park were included in the plans, this would require a small-scale Text Amendment to the Comprehensive Plan.

The HFF® board deemed that taking a position on this request aligned with our mission. The board further deemed that the proposed land uses were compatible with the surrounding land uses and concurrent with the Comprehensive Plan. Here is why:

The first part of our mission statement as stated in our by-laws reads:

It is the mission of Horse Farms Forever® to inspire conservation of horse farms through education, awareness and idea exchange so as to preserve natural pasture land focusing on horses and their habitats.

While the OJC has lots of natural pasture land, virtually none of it was used for horses or horse farms.  There were a few horses in a barn near the training track, but otherwise it was 1,000 acres of empty pastureland. The equestrian events at the facility were few and far between (years). The GOEL proposal of clustering 94 horse farms on 300 acres to allow over 600 acres of open pastureland for a world class equestrian event facility for multiple disciplines that would also preserve and enhance the existing 4-star cross-country course for eventing seemed like smart planning. Also, GOEL predicted that numerous buyers of the lots would purchase more than one lot; therefore, the total number of farms would be even lower, perhaps by a third.

The HFF® board deemed the GOEL proposal for the WEC Jockey Club would do more to inspire the conservation of horse farms and preserve natural pasture land for horse farms in this specific area than anything HFF® could have ever done on its own. This is the right type of economic development to help horse farm owners maintain their property as horse farms.

The second part of our mission statement as stated in our by-laws reads:

It is the mission of Horse Farms Forever® to protect soil and water on which horse farms depend.

The OJC property was for sale for years and because of the size of the parcel the only viable buyer seemed to be a developer – either residential or potentially commercial. The OJC property is at the I-75 exchange with Highway 318 and borders an Employment Center, a Commerce District and the Irvine/Sunny Oaks RGAC where millions of square feet of commercial/industrial space are planned. That makes the OJC property a high-profile target for a commercial developer with deep pockets (for example, Tesla, Apple, Microsoft). Even a residential developer could put one-hundred 10-acre farms on that OJC property. That would equal hundreds of septic tanks, which are a poor solution to dealing with waste. The same is true for hundreds of individual water wells. It’s just not economically feasible for a developer of 10-acre farms in that region to provide common water/waste utilities.

The opposite is true for the GOEL proposal, which has the economic model to support a community water/waste system. HFF® deemed the requirement for GOEL to install a common water system and state-of-the-art waste treatment plant on the property as the best way to protect soil and water in the area for future generations of horse farms.

The third part of our mission statement as stated in our by-laws reads:

It is the mission of Horse Farms Forever® to minimize land use conflicts in Marion County, Florida.

On the OJC parcel, because of the size of the parcel and surrounding properties, the HFF® board took the position that the proposed uses were compatible with the surrounding uses and concurrent with the Comprehensive Plan. With the combination of the existing lime rock mine to the south, the existing Chi University campus to the west, the existing high-density and expanding RV park to the east, and the pending development of the I-75 interchange that includes an Employment Center, a Commerce District and a RGAC with millions of square feet of commercial and industrial space just a stone’s throw to the east, allowing a hotel and the RV park inside the grounds of the WEC OJC complex was deemed a compatible land use. The hotel and RV park will reduce the amount of traffic on Highways 318 and 225 by lowering the number of trips in and out of the facility.

Thus, the HFF® board answered the question … does supporting this Golden Ocala Equestrian Lands request for the small-scale Text Amendment regarding the WEC Rural land use, including a hotel and RV park, on the Ocala Jockey Club property align with the HFF® mission statement and the Comprehensive Plan?  Yes.

In September of 2021, the HFF® board voted to support the GOEL request with conditions. Those conditions included requiring the Text Amendment to the WEC Rural land use to be used exclusively for the OJC parcel. Also, HFF negotiated the removal of the B-2 zoning on the iconic Plumley and Crupi horse farms that front on US Highway 27, right at the southern entrance to the Farmland Preservation Area on US 27. The HFF board deemed this B-2 zoning on these horse farms as a high priority incompatible land use. GOEL agreed to the conditions, giving up millions of dollars in business and development land value.

The FPA Is Home 

The 9 directors of Horse Farms Forever® are all Marion County horse farm owners and coincidentally all their farms are in the Farmland Preservation Area. In all matters, the board works hard to stay true to our mission statement. That includes well-defined strategic and marketing plans to implement that mission. We remain true to our watchdog role by being present and heard while attending thousands of hours of government and industry meetings. We work to be factual, educational and transparent by using our website as a library for all our corporate documents, tax returns, position statements and other awareness and educational resources.

With that said, Horse Farms Forever® is not in a popularity contest. The HFF® mission statement is the rudder that guides our ship. When others disagree with the position HFF® takes on a matter, perhaps it is because they have a different mission. Nonetheless, and regardless of the veracity of their argument, we are always respectful of other opinions.

The vision of Horse Farms Forever® is to inspire conservation of horse farms through education, awareness and idea exchange so as to preserve the character and culture that horses and the Farmland Preservation Area make unique to Marion County. We are watchful of government and others to preserve and protect horse farms and farmland for future generations – especially in the Farmland Preservation Area. We are neither anti-growth nor anti-development; we encourage urban growth to remain inside the Urban Growth Boundary.

Horse Farms Forever® is a Florida not-for-profit corporation registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as a charitable organization and approved as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation by the Internal Revenue Service. Horse Farms Forever® does not have a political mission. Our status as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization does not allow us to participate or intervene in political activities. The organization will neither advocate on behalf of political candidates nor advocate for the passage of legislation.

Marion County Five-Year Strategic Plan Takes Farmland Preservation Into Account

Marion County Five-Year Strategic Plan Takes Farmland Preservation Into Account

Marion County In The Binoculars

Every five years, the Marion County Commission adopts a five-year Strategic Plan to help guide growth and development. The draft Marion County Administrative Strategic Plan 2022 – 2026: Empowering Marion for Success, was presented to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) at a workshop held on July 7, 2021. The purpose of the workshop was to present the draft plan to the County Commission and receive their input on staff’s recommendations.

The Strategic Plan is organized into five Elements:

  1. Organizational Experience
  2. Resources and Facilities
  3. Planning and Future Growth
  4. Public Infrastructure
  5. Public Safety

Every County department developed recommendations, action steps, and potential funding sources. This plan takes a comprehensive approach to planning for growth to help ensure that the County is able to keep up with the demand in services and provide good customer service overall.  The plan’s Executive Summary states:

“As with the previous five-year plan, this plan will be the road map for our operations as we continue to deliver services to our citizens and visitors at the highest possible level.”

The good news is that the Strategic Plan includes several recommendations to protect the Farmland Preservation Area (FPA) and to help retain Marion County’s unique rural character. It makes several recommendations to:

“focus on our outdoor assets and natural resources to preserve their quality so they continue to define their character and play a major role in attracting visitors and guests to Marion County and represent a positive economic impact.”

Strategic Plan Major issues:

  • Staffing shortage in some County departments
  • The availability of affordable workforce housing and apartments for rent
  • Multiple road widening and expansion projects
  • Lack of public infrastructure, libraries, and recreational opportunities in some areas of the county
  • Aging infrastructure and buildings
  • Urban sprawl

Strategic Plan Goals:

  • Providing incentives for infill and multi-family housing developments
  • Directing growth to vested developments
  • Expanding roads and trail networks
  • Providing expanded recreational opportunities
  • Developing user friendly information about parks to increase outdoor tourism
  • Preserving natural resources
  • Protecting water quantity and quality
  • Providing a safe community

Spotlight On Element 3: Planning and Future Growth

Mounir Bouyounes, Marion County Administrator, introduced the Strategic Plan and emphasized the amount of work done on the Planning and Future Growth Element.

“There are a lot of new ideas and information being presented to you. It’s not new, but these are ideas that we are bringing to the forefront and see where we take it from here,” said Bouyounes.

Angel Roussel, Assistant County Administrator, Public and Environmental Services Director, led the team for the Planning and Future Growth Element. The report included input from several stakeholders to understand the County’s strengths and weaknesses. The Planning and Future Growth Committee met with multiple County departments and stakeholders in the community and some of their suggestions were incorporated into the report.

Roussel emphasized that new growth and development should be focused within the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) and in strategic areas including the FL Cross Roads Commerce Park, SR 200, World Equestrian Center (WEC) and the NW 49th Street Interchange area.

“This will help us stay out of the Farmland Preservation Area and focus on infill,” said Roussel. “It’s all a balancing act.”

Development Pressure On The FPA Boundary

There are several recommendations to help protect the Farmland Preservation Area in the Strategic Plan but several new roads proposed as “vision projects” near the southeast corner of the FPA boundary near the intersection of CR 225A and US Hwy 27 will increase development pressure in that area. Vision Projects are not yet approved or funded. The pink lines on the map above show the locations of these Vision Project roads, all located outside the Farmland Preservation Area. The green and yellow lines show approved project roads.

A new road is proposed to connect SW/NW 80/70th Avenue to SW 60th Avenue and also provide access north to US 27.

Another new road is proposed that will run parallel to I-75 on the east side of I-75 that will connect to CR 326. This new road is an extension of NW 39th Avenue Road, which is where the distribution centers for Amazon, Chewy’s, Auto Zone, and Fed Ex are located.

In addition to the two new roads, NW 44th Avenue, an existing road which runs parallel to I-75 from US 27 to CR 326 on the west side of the interstate, was recommended to be four-laned from NW 63rd Street to CR 326. The south end of NW 44th Avenue is already four-laned. In order to maintain the level of service for the road due to the increase in residential, industrial and warehouse development, four-laning the rest of NW 44th Avenue is necessary.

If approved, these would be in addition to the already approved extension of NW 49th Street – a road that will connect CR 225A to the new I-75 interchange. About half of the road, Section 3A, is funded for construction in fiscal year 2020/2021. The second half of the road is funded for construction for fiscal year 2022/2023. See our blog about the SW/NW 80/70th Avenue road-widening project for background: https://www.horsefarmsforever.com/update-sw-nw-80th-70th-avenue-road-widening-and-northern-turnpike-extension/

Farmland On The Forefront

The recommendations to help protect the Farmland Preservation Area include:

  • Create an FPA inventory for Analysis: Analyze the designated FPA and create an inventory of the existing farmland including location, acreage, zoning, physical land use and any other designation.
  • Family Division Analysis: Research and review the family divisions that have occurred in the past and analyze the effectiveness by determining if said family divisions remain within the family ownership.
  • Opportunity Zones & Farmland Preservation Overlap Analysis: Analyze the validity of this designation and make recommendations to explore the efficacy of retaining the FPA within an Opportunity Zone.
  • Protect the rural character of the Farmland Preservation Area by Creating additional Buffering:  By providing buffer alternatives, future development will have a predictable specification, which will ease new development while preserving the rural character of this resource.
  • Review and Modify the Transfer of Development Rights Program: Review the Transfer Development Rights program and propose changes if needed to ensure maximum effectiveness of the program.

Builders Make a Case For Higher Density

At the end of the meeting, there was an opportunity for public comments. Florida House of Representatives Stan McClain attended the meeting, but he was representing the building Industry instead of the legislative agenda.

“We are 4,000 units short. Even if we built 4,000 houses tomorrow, we would be behind the next day,” said McClain. He said the building industry understands the water and sewer issues and suggested that the BOCC consider higher density due to the increased property values. “With land values now, the lots in Silver Springs Shores were $8,000, but now that same lot is $25,000. You are going to have to look at density and putting water and sewer in,” he said. “When you talk about sprawl, sprawl happens when you do ¼ acre lots everywhere, so you have to find places where we can get the densities right and approve them. That’s just the way it is, otherwise we will continue to sprawl.”

Commissioner Kathy Bryant added some final comments about the future of Marion County:

“Growth is here and it’s happening and we are not stopping growth and I don’t think there is anyone sitting on this Board that has the intention of stopping growth. But I will say for me, I think a lot about it. When I drive down the turnpike and I’ve got to Orlando and you just see the fields of houses – the rooftop after rooftop after rooftop. I don’t want our County to look like that. I’m sorry and I know that there is some development that will look like that, but it doesn’t mean we can’t still  make it a nice place to live. In 20 or 30 years, what kind of legacy are we leaving?”

Protect Against Urban Sprawl

Things are moving fast in Marion County. Horse Farms Forever is a farmland watch dog, attending countless hours of hearings and meetings. When action is required, we are there at the table. Join us to stay informed and ready to respond when public comments are needed. Together we can protect and preserve our open spaces and beautiful places for future generations.

Dig Deeper

Link to the Marion County Administrative Strategic Plan 2022 – 2026: Empowering Marion for Success

VIDEO of the July 7, 2021 BOCC WORKSHOP:
The Planning and Future Growth Element starts at 1:04.52 in the video link.

Busy Shires

Questions About Conservation?

Contact Busy Shires, our Director of Conservation Strategies, by email or by phone 386-853-4437.

Always Watching

We work hard to keep you informed, and to represent our members' interests in preserving our horse farms, farmland and the unique character and culture of Marion County's 193,000 acre Farmland Preservation Area.

Join the herd. Every voice matters.

Future Growth is Here: Map of 36,000 Permitted Residential Units Presented at Budget Planning Workshop

Future Growth is Here: Map of 36,000 Permitted Residential Units Presented at Budget Planning Workshop

In this map, available at: https://marioncountyfl.maps.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=2dd674d3c3ae4a579e6f64f113873e90, the County projects show as balloons and the City of Ocala as pushpins. Pending permits are yellow and permitted are green. The light green shaded area is the FPA. The bright pink dotted line designates the Urban Growth Boundary. If you go to the map link, a list shows the name of each development project with the date of the approval of the project and number of units for each project. (Click on the Layers tab.)

Staying On Top Of Growth

The Marion County Commission held a Strategic Planning workshop on February 2 to kick-off the annual budgeting process. County staff presented updates on the Financial Projection, Animal Services and Fleet Facilities plan, Health Self-Insurance plan, and a Classification and Compensation Study.

In addition, a map and a list of the residential development projects approved within the last five years in the County and in the City of Ocala, was presented by Tracy Straub, Assistant County Administrator of Public Works and Growth Services.

Straub’s presentation on the County and City development projects was a follow up report on last year’s budget discussions.

“During last year’s budget discussions, and reinforced as we worked on the 5-year Strategic Plan elements of growth, infrastructure and public safety, staff has to consider what is needed to stay on top of the growth,” wrote Straub in an email. “And what we need to consider in our budget requests (more staff, different software, corridor studies by consultants, more fire and sheriff services, etc.). “

Visualize 36,000 Units

The combined list of residential development projects includes: 18,520 planned units that are in the development approved/pending site plan approval stage and 17,646 that are pending building construction stage, for a combined total in Marion County and the City of Ocala of 36,166 residential units.

Infill Growth Planning

The map at the top of this page shows that the majority of the developments are within the Urban Growth Boundary.

There are two approved developments within the Farmland Preservation Area. One was approved in 2015 for 40 houses in the proposed Eagles Creek development off West Hwy 318 near the Levy County line. The second development is located near Orange Lake and is adjacent to the Grand Lake RV resort. Six hundred RV lots are permitted.

Upcoming Further Discussion

The presentation about the number of approved developments was for information purposes only, so no action was taken. The County Commission will hold a workshop within 90 days to further discuss the issue. All departments will attend the workshop so that the entire staff has a complete understanding of the infrastructure issues. The City of Ocala and the municipalities within Marion County, as well as the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership (Ocala CEP) will also be invited to make a presentation at the workshop. The goal is to coordinate and plan on a countywide basis for the necessary infrastructure.

“With everything that has been approved, we need to make sure that we have the proper infrastructure and be able to plan ahead,” said County Commissioner Kathy Bryant. “How to fund law enforcement, EMS, and transportation. This is not in 20 years; it’s in the next five years. We are going to be facing some big issues and if we don’t wrap our arms around it now, it’s going to get away from us.”

Growth Is Here

Marion County is now one of the top 25 fastest growing metro areas. Approximately 150 families a week move here. The population is projected to increase by 150,000 new residents to over 500,000 people in about 20 years. Business is also booming. Over the past 8 years, nearly 10,000 new jobs have been created. This rapid growth is stretching the County’s ability to provide services.

To address the infrastructure needs, every five years, the County adopts a 5-Year Strategic Plan, the Administrative Strategic Plan 2022 – 2026: Empowering Marion for Success, was adopted by the Commission and this plan will guide infrastructure projects for the next five years. In Part 2 of this blog series, we address the Planning and Future Growth Element of the Plan specifically.

Link to the February 2, 2022 Strategic Planning Workshop Agenda and staff reports:

https://marionfl.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=906712&GUID=083026CB-DFAC-4203-851E-C076A4A5C771

Protect Against Urban Sprawl

Things are moving fast in Marion County. Horse Farms Forever is a farmland watch dog, attending countless hours of hearings and meetings. When action is required, we are there at the table. Join us to stay informed and ready to respond when public comments are needed. Together we can protect and preserve our open spaces and beautiful places for future generations.

Busy Shires

Questions About Conservation?

Contact Busy Shires, our Director of Conservation Strategies, by email or by phone 386-853-4437.

Always Watching

We work hard to keep you informed, and to represent our members' interests in preserving our horse farms, farmland and the unique character and culture of Marion County's 193,000 acre Farmland Preservation Area.

Join the herd. Every voice matters.

Zoning 101 – Distinguishing Between a Regional Activity Center and a Rural Activity Center

Zoning 101 – Distinguishing Between a Regional Activity Center and a Rural Activity Center

This overview of the Sunny Oaks Regional Activity Center at the intersection of I75 and CR 318 shows zones for an Employment Center, a Commerce District, and a Preservation Area. 

What’s the difference between a Regional Activity Center (RGAC) and a Rural Activity Center (RAC)?

Regional

The “RG” in RGAC stands for Regional. Areas with this zoning emphasize high-density uses and activities. According to the Marion County Comprehensive Plan, Objective 10.3, the Regional Activity Center (RGAC) Overlay is to “allow for compact, high intensity, high density multi-use development which may include a mix of the following uses: retail, office, housing, cultural, recreational and entertainment facilities, hospitality facilities (hotels and motels), and industrial uses that serve a regional area.”

There are two RGACs in Marion County:

  1. Marion Oaks/McGinley on 1,290 acres, which is surrounded by the Marion Oaks Subdivision on the south side of Hwy 484; and
  2. Irvine/Sunny Oaks on 453 acres, which is located on the southeastern corner of the intersection at I-75 and CR 318.

Rural

The “R” in RAC stands for Rural. Areas with this zoning are nodes of commerce, surrounded by rural land, where rural residents can meet every day needs by accessing groceries, feed stores, restaurants and small stores. There are ten Rural Activity Centers (RACs) in Marion County. We covered them extensively in this blog: https://www.horsefarmsforever.com/from-gilberts-hardware-to-dollar-general-rural-activity-centers-in-the-fpa/

The Sunny Oaks RGAC

The Sunny Oaks Planned Unit Development (PUD) is a Regional Activity Center (RGAC) with a developer’s agreement in place. It allows for residential, industrial, and commercial uses.

The Sunny Oaks PUD is labeled as Map 14b1 in the County’s comprehensive plan:

While the property is designated in the comprehensive plan as a RGAC, it must be rezoned from A-1 (General Agriculture) to PUD (Planned Unit Development). This item will be presented on February 7 at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. The zoning change is more of a formality rather than a land use change. 

 

Learn More About Sunny Oaks

 

Always Watching

We work hard to keep you informed, and to represent our members' interests in preserving our horse farms, farmland and the unique character and culture of Marion County's 193,000 acre Farmland Preservation Area.

Join the herd. Every voice matters.

Busy Shires

Questions About Conservation?

Contact Busy Shires, our Director of Conservation Strategies, by email or by phone 386-853-4437.

Farmland Is Good For The Bottom Line

Farmland Is Good For The Bottom Line

Do you want both lower taxes and a better quality of life? Encourage the County to plan with the cost to provide community services in mind. 

For three decades, the American Farmland Trust has been researching the fiscal impact of different land uses within municipalities all over the nation. Each land use generates different amounts of revenue because they are taxed at different rates. They also require different expenditures for municipal services. In summary, this is the picture:

From the American Farmland Trust’s Farmland Information Center.
Read the full study here.

New Housing Without Sprawl

Marion County is one of only six counties in the nation that had positive job growth during the pandemic. We are a boomtown. Projects are underway to add 5 million square feet of industrial and warehouse space over the next few years. Where there are jobs, there must be housing to support the growing workforce. The Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Florida reports that Marion County is growing by over 2 percent per year. We added 7,700 residents in 2020. That breaks down to 21 people each day. 

Growth is good for a community. The opportunity presented to our County is to grow wisely. When residential sprawl threatens farmland and open space, we all lose. Higher taxes, lower quality of life and the loss of community character and culture are all at stake. The good news is that in Marion County, there is still ample room for residential and commercial development within its designated Urban Growth Boundary. There are about 55 square miles (35,000 acres) of permitted lands available for development in the Urban Growth Boundary – roughly the area of the city of Miami.

In this map of the County, you can see the Farmland Preservation Area in red and the Urban Growth Area in turquoise. The green is protected public land. The brown shaded areas are valuable agricultural soils. Learn more about the Farmland Preservation Area here.

Balancing Act

We are working with elected officials and staff at the County and with supportive community leaders to encourage good planning as Ocala/Marion County grows. Good planning involves identifying where, when, and how development will occur. In 2005, the County had the foresight to create the Farmland Preservation Area as an important first step in protecting land for recreation, farms, wetlands, and wildlife habitat. The challenge is keeping it that way as the pressure grows to break up farmland tracts.

Part of the process is also determining where infrastructure investments make the most sense. Land designated as residential is entitled to roads, schools, water, police, fire, playgrounds and all the other infrastructure components that make a community. This is where a Cost of Community Service (COCS) study would help determine how a proposed land-use change is likely to affect the County budget. Good planning means saying ‘no’ when zoning change requests in rural areas require comparatively expensive infrastructure upgrades as compared to more urban locations.

Saving Farmland Saves Money

While residential development requires expensive public services and infrastructure, privately owned farms do not require significant public infrastructure. Preserving farms and agricultural lands – through good planning and conservation doesn’t just protect our environment, economy and quality of life. It is also an important tool for balancing the budget at the county level.

Photos graciously provided by Elma Garcia Cannavino.

Cost of Community Services studies conducted over the last 30 years show working lands generate more public revenues than they receive back in public services. Their impact on community coffers is similar to that of other commercial and industrial land uses. On average, because residential land uses do not cover their costs, they must be subsidized by other community land uses. Converting agricultural land to residential land use should not be seen as a way to balance local budgets.

American Farmland Trust

Tip the Scales

Our Ocala/Marion County leaders are responsive to the wishes and desires of the community. We have an opportunity to tip the scales in the right direction. If you agree that balancing our farmland and open space with residential growth is an important component in a healthy future for our community, join us. We are watching for threats to farmland, educating about conservation and engaging community leaders in smart planning.

Add your hoofbeats to our herd. Every member makes us stronger and better able to speak out for preserving the character and culture that horses and horse farms bring to Ocala/Marion County for future generations.

Learn More:

Cost of Community Services Studies: Making the Case for Conservation

Go to the American Farmland Trust’s Farmland Information Center and search for “Cost of Community Services” to find a long list of local studies.