Maitland City Talk

The city of Maitland has historically enjoyed a solid tax base that has been strongly enhanced since the 1980s by the development of Maitland Center, a nationally recognized office park west of I-4. However, the unexpected economic downturn of recent years, along with costly tax reform measures enacted in Tallahassee, has been steadily eroding that solid tax base. Consequently, Mayor Schieferdecker initiated a process for the city of Maitland to take a hard self-examination of how it conducted business and whether or not we were competitive in the development and redevelopment marketplace, a market sector that was getting thinner and thinner as the economic downturn maintained its grasp on the nation’s economy.

The frank answer after the reassessment was that there were many processes contained within our code where delays, repetition and inefficiencies were built-in. Most development processes in Maitland were more time consuming (and therefore more expensive) than were those of many of our governmental neighbors and competitors. In good economic times, such a situation tended to be disguised by the rapid pace and aggressiveness of new development activity. But when times got difficult, developers were much more ready to walk away from opportunities in Maitland if they could find a more receptive business climate in nearby jurisdictions.

In the final quarter of 2011, the city of Maitland completed a three-year overhaul of its growth management regulations. Th three main components consisted of the evaluation and appraisal report adopted in 2009, followed by revision of the Comprehensive Development Plan in 2010, and amendment of the land development regulations in 2011.

A key component of the land development regulations is Chapter 7.5 Land Development Procedures, containing the processes and procedures for obtaining development approval. In an effort to streamline and update the land development procedures, modifications have been made to the procedures in Chapter 7.5. These modifications were made to provide a more time efficient and cost effective review process, while maintaining the integrity of the code review process for the city.

The city held numerous public meetings, including forums, work sessions and public hearings with the community development staff, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Maitland City Council. These public meetings provided an opportunity for participants to engage in an open dialogue with city representatives to discuss concerns and issues regarding the revisions and update of the city of Maitland land development procedures. In addition, a permit/procedure review group and a developer/user group were selected. They convened on several occasions to review the procedures and provide additional insight to city staff on how to upgrade and streamline the process. The combination of all this public and professional input provided the basis for many effective procedural code changes.

Some of the overriding principles behind development of the revised procedures were to: make the processes simpler to use and understand; eliminate extraneous or overlapping steps; to the extent possible, move expensive commitments (e.g., final engineering, etc.) to a point in the approval process after conceptual approval is obtained; allow options for abbreviated reviews for certain types of projects; and preserve the high standards for new development that the city has established over many years.

A new manual was created by the community development staff describing all of the new and revised processes. In order to make the processes as transparent as possible, the manual also includes a series of graphics/flow charts that summarize the flow of the various procedures and options.

All of these ideas and documents were thoroughly vetted with the various ad hoc special review committees and standing boards. After extensive public comment and review, the new land development processes were adopted by the City Council on Oct. 24.

The city of Maitland is justifiably proud of this accomplishment. Local developers who have started to use it are impressed with its clarity, time efficiency and cost effectiveness. Consequently, Mayor Schieferdecker was asked to co-chair the Central Florida Partnership’s “Streamline Permitting & Licensing Regional Work Group”, which later was invited to the Central Florida Congress of Regional Leaders to present the results of its work. The Regional Work Group’s new guidelines and recommendations were well received by the Central Florida Congress for their innovation and effectiveness. As a result, other jurisdictions are now using those new guidelines and recommendations as a model to help them revise their codes.

Now that the economic malaise that has gripped all of us for several years is starting to ease off, Maitland stands ready to successfully compete in the marketplace for high-quality new development and redevelopment. This will protect and enhance the city’s tax base and serve to help maintain our low tax rates for the future.

—Dick Wells, director, Community Development Department

Council Agenda of Feb. 27

City Council meets the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 6:30 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 27 in the Council Chambers, at 1776 Independence Lane. Please check the city’s web page at itsmymaitland.com for the complete agenda.