TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Timothy Stillings, Development Services Director
THROUGH: Mark R. Lauzier, City Manager
DATE: December 11, 2018
Title
ALWAYS DELRAY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE: PRESENTATION OF THE COASTAL MANAGEMENT ELEMENT
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Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Provide comment and direction regarding the proposed Coastal Management Element of the Always Delray Comprehensive Plan.
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Background:
The update to the Delray Beach Comprehensive Plan, which has been branded “Always Delray,” began in 2016 with the creation of a Steering Committee, appointed by the City Commission. Community workshops were held to discuss and receive public input on each element. This input was utilized to formulate the draft elements, along with the input of Subject Matter Experts on each topic, which consisted of City Staff, consultants, and community members.
Florida Statutes 163.3177(g) and 163.3178 require the inclusion of a Coastal Management Element. The Coastal Management Element sets forth the community’s principles and strategies for the use and protection of the City’s coastal resources. Coastal management is a multifaceted effort. Proper management ensures both the protection of life and property from natural disasters, as well as the conservation of natural resources. It strives at once to maintain and enhance the quality of life of citizens who value the area as a recreational asset, to protect wildlife and natural ecosystems, to maximize economic benefits generated from tourism, and to safeguard human life and public investment from natural disasters. Coastal Management requires a careful balance between the natural and built environments.
Revisions to the Element include an updated definition of the Coastal High Hazard Zone per current Florida Statutes; the inclusion of the updated FEMA Flood Zone areas, and the projected impacts from potential sea level rise. The City’s award-winning beach nourishment program is chronicled and planned for into the future to provide for the protection of life, property, and coastal zone resources. Natural disaster planning components are also updated to reflect new peril of flood requirements as well as the City’s emerging climate change strategies. The updated Coastal Management Element works in concert with the expanded Conservation Sustainability & Resiliency Element.
The Element is comprised of two documents, the Data, Inventory and Analysis and the Goals, Objectives and Policies (GOPs). The Coastal Management Element sets forth five goals:
GOAL CME 1 Preserve, Protect, Restore, and Manage
GOAL CME 2 Balance Between Built and Natural Environments
GOAL CME 3 Prepare and Adapt for the Impacts of Climate Change and Peril of Flood
GOAL CME 4 Natural Disaster Preparedness in the Coastal Areas
GOAL CME 5 Public Participation and Strategic Partnerships
Note: This draft of the Coastal Management Element Goals, Objectives, and Policies may be modified/augmented to coordinate with the recommendations of other Elements as they are finalized.
Review by Others
The Coastal Management Element was reviewed by the Steering Committee on March 14, 2018.
The Planning and Zoning Board at a public hearing held on October 1, 2018 recommended approval to the City Commission to repeal the existing Coastal Management Element and adopt the proposed Coastal Management Element on a 6 to 0 vote.
City Attorney Review:
Approved as to form and legal sufficiency.
Funding Source/Financial Impact:
N/A
Timing of Request:
Once all elements have been reviewed by the City Commission, final drafts will be prepared for a Transmittal Hearing of the full Always Delray Plan.