BOARD AGENDA ITEM
SUBJECT:
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AR-2024-1207: Presentation by Economic Development Director regarding the Moratorium, discussion by the Economic Development Board, and a formal vote with recommendations for City staff to relay to City Council.
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DEPARTMENT:
Development Services / Economic Development
SUMMARY OF MORATORIUMS:
The City Council held a workshop on November 7, 2024 to discuss a possible moratorium for the City of Edgewater. Council members came to a consensus regarding two moratoriums that could run concurrently for a period of up to one year. Two draft moratorium ordinances were drafted and reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Board at their November 13, 2024 meeting. First readings of both ordinances were approved at the December 2, 2024 City Council meeting.
One of the ordinances is the Florida Shores Drainage Basin Moratorium. While the proposed one-year moratorium is in effect, the city would not accept, process, or approve any building permit which would increase impervious surface within the Florida Shores Drainage Basin. Example of impervious surfaces include:
• New single-family homes
• Additions
• Detached garages
• Sheds
• Pools
• Driveways
• Patios
Building permits that are related to storm damage or those that have already been submitted prior to the effective date of the Ordinance would not be included in this moratorium.
This Florida Shores Drainage Basin Moratorium will provide time for the city to review the impacts of Hurricane Ian and the storm event on September 14, 2024. During the temporary moratorium the city would repair, maintain, and improve ditches, canals, and other stormwater systems while the city awaits the completion of the master stormwater plan to make new improvements. The report is anticipated to be completed by December of 2025.
The second moratorium would be City wide. It would be imposed on the consideration of annexations, rezoning’s, comprehensive plan amendments, site plans, preliminary plats, and final plats. Commercial and Industrial zoned parcels within the Ridgewood Corridor and Park Avenue Corridor are excluded from the City Wide Moratorium. While this temporary moratorium is in effect, the City would not accept, process, or approve any new applications for annexations, rezoning’s, comprehensive plan amendments, site plans, preliminary plats, or final plats from any applicants who received entitlements more than six months prior to the effective date of the moratorium and who does not have an application submitted.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD QUESTIONS:
1. What are the financial impacts of the proposed moratoriums?
The Florida Shores Drainage building permit moratorium will result in less revenue for the City of Edgewater’s Building Department. In fiscal year 2023, which runs from October 1st, 2023 through September 30th, 2024, the City of Edgewater issued 4,382 building permits and collected $1,310,637.18 in building permit fees. In fiscal year 2024, the City of Edgewater’s building department has a budget of $1,176,441. Of those 4,382 building permits that were issued in Fiscal year 2023-2024, 1,249, were derived from properties within the Florida Shores Drainage basin with a total permit fee of approximately $350,000. Fortunately, due to growth over the past several years, the Building Department is currently sitting on an approximate reserve total in the amount of $595,119. The City wide moratorium which now excludes commercial and industrial zoned property along the Park Avenue and US1 corridor will not have as great of an impact on the Building Department. Nearly all of the City of Edgewater’s zoning districts for commercial and industrial properties are along Park Avenue or US 1.
The Florida Shores Drainage building permit moratorium will have little impact upon the Planning and Zoning Department’s budget. The City wide moratorium will have a greater impact upon the budget for the Planning and Zoning Department. No new applications shall be accepted during the moratorium and as such, only the projects currently in the process are the only fees that will be collected beyond minor fees for variances or conditional use permits. The impact to the Planning and Zoning Department is likely to be minor due to the number of projects that have applied and paid their application fees. Below is a current list of all projects currently under review by the Planning and Zoning Department:
Site Plans
• SP-2415, First Business Park
• SP-2414, 2421 Guava Warehouse
• SP-2413, Blue Line Automotive
• SP-2412, Edgewater River Oaks Marina
• SP-2411, ROW Jones Fisch Camp Road
• SP-2410, 2611 Guava Warehouse
• SP-2408, Mango Tree Apartments
• SP-2409, Live Local
• SP-2407, Sporty’s Car Wash
• SP-2406, Edgewater Public Works
• SP-2405, Deering Park 442 Improvements
• SP-2404, Deering Park Lily Hammock Road
• SP-2403, Deering Park Welcome Center
• SP-2319, YARDLY Apartments Jones Fish Camp
Subdivisions
• FP-2400, Edgewater Preserve Phase 2
• FP-2401, Smyrna Creek Preserve/Sandalwood
• SD-2303, Oakwood Cove
• SD-2401, Deering Park 1A
• SD-2402, Deering Park 1B
• SD-2403, Deering Park Townhomes
• SD-2405, Deering Park Center
• SD-2406, Crestwood
• SD-2407, Edgewater Preserve Phase 3
• SD-2408, Deering Park North Phase 1
• SD-2409, Deering Park North Phase 2
• SD-2410, Deering Park Center Phase 2
• SD-2411, Edgewater Preserve Phase 4
• SD-2412, Sunset Key - Tatum
Annexation, Rezoning, and Comprehensive Plan Amendments
• RZ-2401, Edgewater Village
• CPA-2405/RZ-2409, Palm Breeze Drive
• ZA-2400, Aspire at Edgewater
• AN-2401/CPA-2406/RZ-2410, ZA-2401, Edgewater Marina
• AN-2403/CPA-2408/RZ-2412, Sandpiper Cove
• CPA-2409/RZ-2413, Strawberry Fields
• CPA-2410/RZ-2414, Hansen Edgewater Avenue
• CPA-2411/RZ-2415, Havensound
• TCT-2400, Cell Tower Park Avenue
City wide, the proposed moratoriums will not immediately effect the City of Edgewater’s budget. Future budgets are likely to be effected since the year a house is built, is not the year that a new tax rate is collected. Typically, it takes the following year before the property appraiser has assessed the property.
2. What is the proposed cost of the Stormwater Master Plan?
The Stormwater Master Plan being prepared by Jones Edmunds and Associates has a total cost of $1,220,760.
3. What is the proposed cost of the Capital Improvements Project List from the Stormwater Master Plan?
The Stormwater Master Plan will map the City of Edgewater’s drainage providing data driven solutions for the Stormwater Capital Improvement Plan. The Stormwater Capital Improvement Plan will provide the City with a list of projects to improve stormwater and prevent flooding through a cost benefit analysis. The cost associated with this plan is likely to be several if not tens of millions of dollars. Until the plan is presented in September of 2024, staff can only speculate as to the cost based upon other projects.
4. What is the proposed cost to expand the Wastewater Treatment Plant?
The wastewater treatment plant is expected to cost $100,000,000. The City anticipates that it will need to pay for approximately $32,000,000 of the $100,000,000 total cost after impact fees and connection fees. The City will need to bond for the first expansion as impact fees will only amount to $12,000,000 for wastewater by 2029. The first expansion will occur in 2029 and will likely cost $25,000,000.
5. What is the proposed cost of the Public Works Buildings?
The first phase, of two phases for the Public Works Building has a total cost of $22,791,918. The entire project is estimated to cost $42,000,000. The City has already spent $3,500,000 for the design and engineering of the project.
6. Any other significant capital improvements in the next five years?
The City of Edgewater has programmed for a wastewater force main to be installed along SR 442 out to Deering Park from the Wastewater treatment plant. The estimated cost of this force main is $6,000,000. This force main will need to be built by 2028. The projected wastewater impact fees through 2028 are $8,853,000. This project will exhaust most of the impact fees. The City will collect an additional $3,500,000 in wastewater impact fees by 2029. The waste water plant expansion is expected to occur in 2029. If the force main is fully funded with impact fees, the City is projected to have $4,500,000 to utilize for a bond. The first phase of the waste water treatment plant expansion is expected to cost approximately $25,000,000.
7. What are the options for the City to generate replacement funds?
City staff are working to hire a consultant to prepare an impact fee study for a stormwater impact fee. The City of Edgewater has never had a stormwater impact fee, despite having concurrency for stormwater public conveyance. The stormwater impact fee will help fund the Capital Improvement Project list being prepared within the Stormwater Master Plan. The current cost of the stormwater fee paid by utility customers is $14.58 per month. This fee generates $2,700,000 per year for stormwater maintenance and projects. The 2024-2025 fiscal year budget for stormwater management is $3,595,310. The Capital Improvement Project list to be provided by the consultants for the Stormwater Master Plan is expected to be millions of dollars to implement. The City could raise the stormwater fee in 2025 to collect additional funds to have the ability to implement the projects within the Capital Improvement Project list. If the City raised the monthly rate to $43.74, the City would have an additional $5,400,000 to utilize towards the Capital Improvement projects identified in the study. It is important to keep in mind that the City has already paid $1,220,760 for the Stormwater Master Plan.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
None by staff. Staff will note that the moratoriums going before City Council at the January 6th, 2024 meeting is a second reading. A second reading is the adoption hearing for an ordinance. Any changes done to the language of the moratorium would require an additional hearing. It is unlikely that the City Council will delay the adoption of both moratoriums.