FAQs • Oldsmar, FL • CivicEngage

Is the City approving a 5-story high-rise apartment complex?

No. Currently, the City Council is considering ordinances to create a framework to give an incentive to allow vertically integrated mixed-use development. This would provide an incentive that allows a higher number of residential units rather than the higher-density commercial presently allowed in the Town Center Commercial Recreation (TCCR) zoning district.

If these ordinances are adopted, a Development Agreement will be required for any new vertically integrated mixed-use development. Development Agreements are entered into by the City and a developer to expressly define a development project’s rules, regulations, commitments, and policies for a specific period of time. The purpose is to strengthen the public planning process by encouraging private participation in the achievement of comprehensive planning goals and reducing the economic costs of development. A development agreement reduces the City's risks associated with development.

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Downtown Development

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1. Will I be able to give my input before any future development is approved?

Absolutely. The City of Oldsmar is committed to the public planning process. Before a Development Agreement is considered by the City Council, a public meeting will be held to hear from Oldsmar's residents.

Just to clarify - A Development Agreement will be required for any new vertically integrated mixed-use development. Development Agreements are entered into by the City and a developer to expressly define a development project’s rules, regulations, commitments, and policies for a specific period of time. The purpose is to strengthen the public planning process by encouraging private participation in the achievement of comprehensive planning goals and reducing the economic costs of development. A development agreement reduces the City's risks associated with development.

The City's Land Development Code, Section 14.7 defines a specific process for the execution of a Development Agreement, which includes 6 agenda items at public meetings, where citizens can comment. Click here to read.

2. How can I find out about upcoming meetings?

There are so many ways for you to keep up-to-date and informed. Here are some of the ways we promote the City Council meetings:

PRINT/MISC

SUBSCRIBERS receive City Council meeting agendas and packets (release on the Friday prior to a meeting) - CLICK HERE to Subscribe
PUBLIC NOTICE AGENDA posted at City Hall as required by Florida Statute 286
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICES are published in the Tampa Bay Times
EXPERIENCE OLDSMAR MAGAZINE lists Council Work Session / Council Meeting weekdays/times (copies mailed to Oldsmar residents, available at City Hall, Library)
ANNUAL QUICK GUIDE lists Council Work Session / Council Meeting weekdays/times (available at City Hall, Library)
CITY ENTRY SIGNS place reminders of Council Meetings in City’s 5 locations
POSTERS list Council Meeting weekday/time and are displayed at City Hall, Library, Cypress Forest Recreation Center, Council Chamber

DIGITAL

MEETING CALENDARS are posted on the City's website - click HERE to view
PUBLIC NOTICES are placed on the City's Website - click HERE to view
CITY MONTHLY E-BLAST lists all monthly meetings - Click HERE to subscribe
OLDSMAR IN A MINUTE - weekly reminder of upcoming events and meetings - Click HERE
GOOGLE MY BUSINESS for City of Oldsmar, FL - Gov lists events for Council/Board meetings - Click HERE to view
MEETING REMINDERS distributed week prior to meetings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
MEETING DAY REMINDER distributed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
FACEBOOK EVENTS posted 2 weeks prior to public meeting
LIVE STREAMING of Council Work Sessions / Meetings on the City's YOUTUBE CHANNEL - click HERE to subscribe

CLICK HERE to Follow the City on Facebook

CLICK HERE to Follow the City on Instagram

CLICK HERE to Follow the City on Twitter

CLICK HERE to Subscribe to the City Podcast

3. What are the advantages to this change? Why is residential density important?

Currently, the City's regulatory documents do not provide an incentive for vertically integrated mixed-use developments. To encourage these kinds of developments, this incentive will allow a higher number of residential units that could be built on the higher floors, but only with a Development Agreement (see below). By offering an increase in the number of residential units per acre allowed in this type of development, these changes will offer an incentive to build residential rather than the higher density commercial currently allowed in the zoning district.

A vertically integrated mixed-use building is a single building which accommodates multiple land uses, with more active uses (e.g., retail commercial) established at ground level and less active uses (e.g., residential, office) on higher floors.

This type of use, along with an increase in residential density, has many benefits to Oldsmar:

Provides an incentive to increase residential population rather than create a commercial corridor
Creates additional housing options for residents
More units per acre encourages the inclusion of smaller, more affordable units
Attracts younger affluent population
Everyone walking by the shops or living nearby becomes a potential customer
Reduces cost to maintain public infrastructure
Reduces environmental footprint
Helps to attract new employers
Positions residential population above the ground floor, reducing risk to flood exposure

A Development Agreement will be required for any new vertically integrated mixed-use development. Development Agreements are entered into by the City and a developer to expressly define a development project’s rules, regulations, commitments, and policies for a specific period of time. The purpose is to strengthen the public planning process by encouraging private participation in the achievement of comprehensive planning goals and reducing the economic costs of development. A development agreement reduces the City's risks associated with development.

4. What is a Development Agreement?

5. What area will this affect in the Town Center Code?

The text amendment to the Town Center Code will only be applied in the zoning district identified as TCCR (Town Center Commercial Residential). This zoning district is identified in dark grey below. It is located adjacent to a very heavily traveled roadway and is in a designated Activity Center. It is also a zoning district within the City's designated Community Redevelopment Area.

TCCR

6. I have seen photos of a developer project downtown. Is this what the Council is voting on?

No. The City Council will be considering approval of the First Reading of two Ordinances that will encourage an additional type of use, called a vertically integrated mixed-use, to be allowed under certain conditions. Any developer wishing to include a vertically mixed- use element could receive an incentive to provide additional residential with a Development Agreement. If applied, this incentive will foster increased residential opportunities rather than higher density commercial currently allowed.

Development Agreements are entered into by the City and a developer to expressly define a development project’s rules, regulations, commitments, and policies for a specific period of time. The purpose is to strengthen the public planning process by encouraging private participation in the achievement of comprehensive planning goals and reducing the economic costs of development. A development agreement reduces the risks associated with development.

The City of Oldsmar is committed to the public process. Before a Development Agreement is considered by the City Council, a public meeting will be held to hear from Oldsmar's residents. in addition, the City's Land Development Code defines a specific process for the execution of a Development Agreement, which includes 6 agenda items at public meetings.

7. What type of uses and density are allowed at the City Hall site now? I heard that only professional offices were going to be allowed?

The site located next to City Hall is in the TCCR (Town Center Commercial Residential) zoning district. Currently, without an incentive to construct a vertically integrated mixed-use building, a 5-acre site could support:

- 6 story building (up to 75 feet in height)

- 150 residential units (about 211,000 sq. ft.), and 217,000 sq. ft. of commercial space

Please note this change would provide an incentive to build a higher number of residential units rather than a higher amount of commercial presently allowed.

The City of Oldsmar's Town Center Code articulates the uses allowed in the TCCR District. The currently permitted uses are as follows:

TCCR 3.7.2. - Permitted uses.

1. Retail sales and service establishments.

2. Retail centers.

3. Transient accommodations, not to exceed 80 units per acre. Increases in density, accompanied by a Development Agreement, may be permitted subject to approval of a Countywide Plan Map amendment permitting the density increase.

4. Restaurants, except drive through.

5. Financial institutions and banks, except drive through.

6. Professional services, including medical, dental and optical offices, real estate, travel agencies, brokerage houses, office supplies.

7. Business services, including advertising, employment services, management and consulting services, and similar uses.

8. Commercial recreation including the following :

a. Health clubs and spas.

b. Movie theaters and multiplexes, except drive in.

c .Bars and nightclubs, with or without music, live or recorded

d. Amusement arcades within completely enclosed buildings.

9. Civic and assembly uses, whether public or private, including offices, libraries, galleries, performing arts theaters, museums and similar uses and associated ancillary uses.

10. Mixed use development.

11. Parking lots and parking structures, whether public or private; provided, however, that parking structures shall be of a closed construction type only and that said structures shall comply with architectural standards set forth in Article V and the accompanying Architectural and Design Pattern Book of this Code.

12. Automobile rental businesses may be permitted as an accessory use so long as that business is located within a transient accommodation use, provided that long-term parking and marked reserved spaces of rental vehicles be prohibited.

13. Transit stops.

14. Places of worship.

15. Brewpubs, provided the following standards are met:

a. No outdoor storage shall be permitted.

b. All malt, vinous, or distilled liquor production shall be within completely enclosed structures.

c. By-products or waste from the production of the malt, vinous, or distilled liquor shall be properly disposed of off-site.

d. All mechanical equipment, visible from the street or adjacent to residential uses, shall be screened using architectural features consistent with the principal structure.

(Ord. No. 2018-02, § 17, 2-6-18; Ord. No. 2018-14 , § 11, 11-6-18)

8. Does this allow a height increase?: No. The current zoning, TCCR (Town Center Commercial Residential) allows a height of 75' in 6 stories.

9. Is the City approving a 5-story high-rise apartment complex?

10. Will the impact (traffic, water, sewer, etc.) of a specific development be addressed?

Absolutely, but the City does not yet have a detailed submission from a Developer to review.

Through the Development Agreement and Site Plan review process, the City's Technical Review Committee, also know as the TRC, reviews the site plan to ensure compliance to the City's Code of Ordinances, including the City's Concurrency Management System and Mobility Management.

A concurrency management system (CMS) is a program developed to ensure that public facilities and services needed to support development are available concurrent with the impacts of development. Prior to the approval of a site development plan or issuance of a building permit, the CMS shall ensure that the adopted Level of Service standards for municipal services are maintained.

Concurrency shall mean that public facilities and services shall be available at the time of development impact, that development will not degrade levels of service (LOS) for services as adopted in the City's Comprehensive Plan, and that development orders or development permits shall not be issued if development will degrade levels of service. For the purpose of concurrency, public facilities and services include the following for which level of service standards have been adopted: potable water, sanitary sewer, solid waste, parks and recreation, drainage and public schools.

For the purposes of Mobility Management, traffic impact assessments are reviewed to determine what impacts and facilities are needed for a specific development.

11. Will the residents have access to the financial terms of the agreement for city-owned property?: Yes. Any Purchase and Sale of city-owned property is approved by City Council before its disposition. In the case of the two properties located downtown, the Purchase and Sale agreements become part of the required Development Agreement.

12. Has the City considered the carbon footprint of the additional density and traffic?

One of the benefits cited of increased residential density is the reduction of the environmental footprint , including carbon emissions, and traffic as compared to the traditional urban sprawl type of development.

To address the impact, the City's Technical Review Committee reviews the site plan to ensure compliance to the City's Code of Ordinances, including the City's Concurrency Management System and Mobility Management.

For the purposes of Mobility Management, traffic impact assessments are reviewed to determine what impacts and facilities are needed for a specific development.

13. Is the CRA Code for allowable businesses on course to be changed? Is it possible to change it? If so, should we be working on this item BEFORE a density change?

There has been no formal request to change the permitted uses (allowable businesses) within any of the Town Center Code Zoning Districts. Any such text change to the permitted uses is considered a Text Amendment. The process and standards for approval are outlined in the Land Development Code.

https://library.municode.com/fl/oldsmar/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIILADECO_ARTIIIADEN_3.13TEAM

As the proposed text amendments do not address any expansion or restriction of permitted uses, the two are not related, so the timing wouldn’t matter.

14. If we can change code for allowable businesses from Park Blvd to St Petersburg Dr, will the currently existing businesses be grandfathered in?: Since there has been no text amendment submitted and the last part of this question references two different zoning districts, it is difficult to answer. If a change were to restrict the current permitted uses, then those newly restricted businesses may be considered a legal non-conforming (grandfathered) use.

15. Has the city hired a commercial appraiser to determine the fair market value of the vacant land?: Yes.

16. Is there a time frame that we must reply to Woodfield by? either in writing or verbal?

There is no set timeframe. Presently, the City Council has authorized the City Manager to negotiate with Woodfield Development, and the City Manager is currently in negotiations.

In the event that the City Manager and Woodfield Development negotiate the terms of a mutually acceptable Development Agreement, the essential terms of that Development Agreement will be presented in an outline form to the City Council for consideration. The City Council will determine whether to proceed further with the completion of the Development Agreement by vote of not less than three members of the City Council, and direct the City Attorney to draft the legal documents associated with the Development Agreement for further consideration by the City Council.

The City’s Land Development Codes outlines the process for a Development Agreement in Section 14.7.

17. Does Woodfield plan on building out some of the retail space to house a restaurant (or two or three)?: The City Manager is currently in negotiations with Woodfield Development concerning the details of the project.

18. What percentage of the total land will be dedicated as a park?: While the site plan is not yet finalized, the concept plan dedicated about 2 acres, or 30% of the site.

19. Will Oldsmar residents have access to any part of the apartment complex?: The City Council has received a proposal for a vertically integrated mixed-use building on the site next to City Hall, not an apartment complex. However, The City Manager is presently in negotiations with Woodfield Development regarding the details of the project.

20. Have we discussed with Woodfield the possibility of putting a roof top restaurant on the top of the parking garage so that the public has access to it?: The City Manager is presently in negotiations with Woodfield Development regarding the details of the project.

21. Have we ever approached Woodfield about a compromise on the density? Usually in negotiations, a developer will ask for more than he needs, assuming it will be scaled back.: The City Manager is presently in negotiations with Woodfield Development regarding the details of the project.

22. What active role is the city currently playing in bringing businesses to ALREADY EXISTING spaces?

The City has initiated several efforts to support the expansion of businesses to the Community Redevelopment Area. These have included physical infrastructure, grant programs, and general business recruitment and assistance programs.

Physical infrastructure efforts included the installation of streetscape, signage, lighting, public art, and the replacement of a large watermain. The City also renovated the former Oldsmar Bank Building and constructed the Oldsmar Public Library in downtown to create activity and an attractive space.

In addition to physical infrastructure, the City has two active grant programs to stimulate and leverage investment:

A Business Property Improvement Grant provides funding to help facilitate the establishment of new businesses and aide in increasing the occupancy rate for existing structures.
A Residential Paint-up, Fix-up Program is available to residential properties, making the area more attractive to potential businesses.

The City also actively recruits and provides programs to help retain businesses in coordination with the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce and Pinellas County Economic Development Department. The City has a formal relationship with the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce to provide general business assistance to both prospective and existing businesses, engage with business community stakeholders, and actively participate in regional efforts to seek solutions to the lack of skilled employment base. To further the recruitment of businesses to Oldsmar, the City actively recruits prospective businesses in coordination with both the Pinellas County Economic Development Department and the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

23. If codes can be changed to reflect the businesses we want, can we then partition into smaller pieces - with businesses/developers for smaller areas? Can we put a park in the middle?: The City Manager is presently in negotiations with Woodfield Development regarding the details of the project. There are no plans to parcel the site to individual owners at this time.

24. How much parking in the proposed garage will be for the general public? Also, on "event" days will this be enough or will we still have overflow parking down side streets?: The City Manager is presently in negotiations with Woodfield Development regarding the details of the project. It is anticipated that the parking garage will be sufficient to accommodate the parking needs of the entire site.

25. How many cars do we currently get at events held at RE Olds park?: We have no data relating to the number of cars at an R.E. Olds park event.

26. Is there a plan to put a "flood control" area as part of the park?

Any development on the site will be required to have sufficient stormwater treatment. It may be worthy to note that vertically integrated mixed-use buildings are advantageous to the location of residential units as it pertains to flooding and storm surge because the units are located at a higher elevation.

27. Could we partner with Washington Square LLC who owns the empty parcels at Washington and State for a smaller parking garage there? (assuming no apartment building).: This project only relates to city-owned property.

28. A density increase could mean that Washington Square could also turn in to a high density, 5 story building, correct?: All properties located within the Town Center Commercial Residential zoning district would be eligible for a proposed incentive, if they submit a development proposal, provided they meet the criteria established under Section 4.2.3.6 of the Countywide Rules, revised Coastal High Hazard Standards (CHHA) requirements, and Town Center Regulations. An incentive for a vertically integrated mixed-use building would be available with a Development Agreement.

29. Could we just increase density for the triangle area owned by B & H Properties?: Changing just one area that grants a special privilege to an individual property owner is not supported, and is inconsistent with the Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan.

30. If density increases, that area of Tampa Rd owned by Murray Motive, Pest Bear and Gulf Stream Pools would also be included, correct? Have they requested a density increase too?: All properties located within the Town Center Commercial Residential zoning district would be eligible for a proposed incentive, if they submit a development proposal, provided they meet the criteria established under Section 4.2.3.6 of the Countywide Rules, revised Coastal High Hazard Standards (CHHA) requirements, and Town Center Regulations. An incentive for a vertically integrated mixed-use building would be available with a Development Agreement.