Volusia County Council members on Tuesday picked up discussions on the potential for a future rural boundary charter amendment.
Although the specifics and applications of such rural protections can differ somewhat, in general, a rural boundary would delineate the county’s urban and rural areas, and raise the bar for approving development projects in areas where urban development is not anticipated.
The idea isn’t new in Central Florida. For example, Seminole County has such a rural boundary, established in 1991 and further protected by voter referendum in 2004. In November, Seminole voters will get to decide whether or not to advance two amendments to further strengthen the boundary’s protections. Meanwhile, Orange County voters will also decide on two ballot items next month that would establish a rural boundary.
Per a recent Council vote, Volusia County staff are now researching different options for a rural boundary, with the directive to report back their findings to Council March 25.
Most people who spoke during a public comment period at Tuesday’s Council meeting voiced support for the idea of a rural boundary, including some who clarified they generally do support development, but think growth in Volusia County has simply gotten out of hand, making traffic and flooding conditions worse in many areas.
“I think that having to go towards a rural boundary amendment is a nuclear option. And I think we're at that point where we need a nuclear option,” said DeLand resident Wendy Anderson.
Ideally, there’d be no need for a rural boundary, if so many changes to the county’s existing zoning and land use weren’t approved, Anderson said. She encouraged all Volusians to check out the county’s Smart Growth Initiative, which she said is great overall, but has some issues.
“The one problem with the Smart Growth plan is it uses verbs like ‘encourage’ and ‘should,’ instead of shall,” Anderson said. “And we need to make some of these standards more required, rather than voluntary.”
That’s a notion also supported by Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower, who’s currently seeking to renew his term in a runoff election next month. Brower is running against Randy Dye, a local businessman who owns two car dealerships in the county and first-time political candidate.
Currently, the Volusia County Farm Bureau’s board of directors is against the idea of a rural boundary, according to a letter submitted to Council Tuesday.
Among other points, the Bureau's directors “do not want arbitrary lines drawn around rural and urban areas because that will create ‘winners and losers’ meaning those that are inside the urban area will see an increase in their property’s values and those destined to remain rural will see a decrease in their property’s value,” according to the letter.
The Bureau’s directors said a better move is to keep preserving rural lands through voluntary land conservation programs, like the county’s, Volusia Forever. Right now, about 36% of the county’s land is conserved via the program; the goal is 50%, according to Community Services Director Brad Burbaugh.
As of Monday afternoon, nearly 550 people signed a petition in support of a rural boundary charter amendment in Volusia County.
