| "[As Henry Home (Lord Kames) has written, a goal of taxation should be to] 'remedy inequality of riches as much as possible, by relieving the poor and burdening the rich.'" -- Adam Smith |
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| "[As Henry Home (Lord Kames) has written, a goal of taxation should be to] 'remedy inequality of riches as much as possible, by relieving the poor and burdening the rich.'" -- Adam Smith |
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On October 241, the Planning Department was requested by the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation's Monroe County Airport Steering Committee to provide a preliminary evaluation of the expansion of airport related land use activities. This memo is forwarded to clarify both the process that could be utilized to accommodate a change in land use and the various issues that exist relative to a change in land use.
Requested Action
Create a county zoning district that would permit airport related activities including industrial uses and change the zoning on property west of the airport to take advantage of this new zoning district.
Process
Analysis of Proposal
Comprehensive Land Use Plan
The area surrounding the airport is under the scope of the City of Bloomington Growth Policies Plan (GPP), as it is located in the former fringe. The GPP identifies the area west of the airport as "Conservation Residential" and "Rural Residential". These designations are intended to allow very low density residential development of properties and was placed in part, in recognition of the numerous environmental constraints in the area.
Both the GPP and the Monroe County Comprehensive Land Use Plan further address the specific issue of development in karst sensitive areas, as follows:
"Bloomington has a number of very special, and in some ways, highly sensitive environments - the lakes watersheds; low volume primary streams; the cave and karst zones; the steep hillsides. The policy plan adopts the value that these special environments should, in general, be reserved and remain undeveloped and undisturbed".
"Another rationale underlying the principles of environmental integrity is that anticipated growth and development in Bloomington will not be sufficient to require environmentally sensitive areas to be developed. There is an adequate supply of land which can be developed without significant environmental consequences to accommodate foreseeable demand".
Monroe County Comprehensive Land Use Plan
"Floodplains, riparian areas, steep slopes, karst, wetlands, and critical water supply watersheds are environmentally sensitive areas and carry inherent development constraints if they are to continue to function in their essential roles as part of the natural environment. The plan adopts the value that these special environments should be reserved and remain undeveloped and undisturbed, with the exception of non-invasive recreation uses. The plan recognizes that all economic and recreational needs of county residents and property owners can be adequately accommodated on other accessible lands not impacted by such environmental features.
Cave Creek Watershed Study
In 1999, the Monroe County Drainage Board commissioned the Cave Creek Watershed Study to study the hydrogeologic conditions of the watershed and to make recommendations toward resolving the existing and future problems associated with continued flooding. The report identifies significant concerns with the existing and future development pattern within the watershed. A number of proposed actions to address flooding were proposed. Actions range from further detailed study to acquisition of flood-prone properties. To date, none of the recommendations contained in the report have been implemented, leaving the potential for continued flooding problems generally unanswered.
Airport Master Plan for Monroe County Airport
In 1990, a Master Plan was prepared for the Monroe County Airport to help guide future growth and development of the airport and its surrounding area. The planning horizon for the Master Plan was 1989-2008. Numerous recommendations were made including expansion of runways, terminals, and hangars, acquisition of adjoining property to provide obstruction-free approach zones, and addressing encroachment of incompatible land uses. Specifically, the plan proposes maintaining agricultural land use activities west of the airport, in part to allow runway expansions in this area.
Monroe County Airport Strategic Plan
In 2001, the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation prepared the Monroe County Airport Strategic Plan to help identify a vision for the future development of the Monroe County Airport and to help identify actions that would enhance the airport's use as an economic development tool. The plan identified numerous recommended actions including the following:
Other Considerations
Current Land Use Patterns
The majority of the area surrounding the airport has remained undeveloped, with primary uses including farmland, institutional or public and woodland. Development is generally constrained by both the afore-mentioned environmental constraints and existing zoning in the area. Higher density residential development has occurred in the area to the west and south of the airport. Most of the land surrounding the airport remains in large undivided tracts. Residential encroachment is a possibility as sizeable tracts of land are currently for sale and current zoning would facilitate large lot residential development, though the overall density will continue to be constrained by environmental constraints present in the area.
Utilities and Transportation
The airport is currently served by City of Bloomington Utilities (CBU) and currently lies with the defined Urban Service Area (USA). Much of the land surrounding the airport lies outside of the USA. Therefore, sanitary sewer service in these areas cannot be assured, as such extensions would be subject to further public scrutiny. This limitation has served to further limit the potential residential density in this area.
Immediate access to the airport is provided via Kirby Road and Airport Road. These roads provide further connection to the State Highway system via Highways 45 and 48. Improvements are programmed for the intersections of Kirby Road and Highway 48 as well as Airport Road and Highway 45. These improvements will significantly improve the operation and safety of these intersections and are expected to be completed within the next two years. The primary access routes, Kirby Road and Airport Road have both been identified for future upgrades in the Monroe County Thoroughfare Plan, though funding sources have not been identified, nor have either projects been programmed in either the Transportation Improvement Program or the Capital Improvement Program. Due to the uncertainty of the possibility of these road projects actually occurring, their appropriateness for increased traffic (both residential and non-residential), should be seriously evaluated.
Environmental Constraints
As mentioned previously, significant environmental constraints exist in the area west of the airport. Constraints include the presence of complex and large karst formations and flooding. It is quite conceivable that due to current restrictions on development in such areas and development standards required by the Monroe County Zoning Ordinance, little "developable" land may exist upon which to build. Thus careful analysis of existing constraints to development should be undertaken prior to changing the zoning on any property west of the airport.
Other Available Development Areas
The Monroe County Comprehensive Land Use Plan identifies more than 11,000 acres for future employment areas, thousands of these acres have been further placed under the Business and Industry Overlay, other areas have been placed in a Tax Increment Financing[TIF] area, and several industrial parks are currently in some stage of development. The county has planned and in some cases [taxpayers have]invested heavily in insuring that locations are available to accommodate future industrial development needs. Lots within industrial parks in the vicinity of the airport remain vacant or underutilized. Development within existing parks takes advantage of the existing development pattern, previous public and private investments in infrastructure, and limits further impact upon sensitive environmental features.
Summary
The process to establish a new zoning district for airport related activities is fairly straight forward and can be accomplished in a timely manner. The application of such a zoning district outside of the boundaries of the current airport however, is far more problematic. Significant environmental concerns and responsible land use planning are of particular concern in areas immediately surrounding the airport.
The protection of the airport from residential encroachment can be readily provided in a number ways, including property acquisition, restrictive zoning, limitations on sewer extensions, etc. The provision of an area for the development of a new industrial park is a much more difficult and potentially contentious issue.
I have outlined what I believe to be the appropriate process to undertake any of the above described initiatives. I have also presented what I believe to be the pertinent issues surrounding such requests and have briefly provided the analysis that would be required to address such requests. I trust that the information provided will prove valuable in assisting the Steering Committee in determining their next step.
Should you have any questions or need additional infonnation, feel free to contact me at the number above or by e-mail at plrcowel@co.monroe.in.us
| Association of Monroe County Taxpayers, PO Box 3066, Bloomington, Indiana 47402 | updated: May 17 2008 11:30:01 AM |