JACKSONVILLE COMMUNITY COUNCIL, INC.A Report To The Citizens Of Jacksonville

I.M. Sulzbacher,Chairman

PLANNING IN JACKSONVILLE'S GOVERNMENTAugust, 1979

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This JCCI study of Planning in Jacksonville's government was recommendedby the JCCI Program Committeein 1978. Several previous JCCI study committees (Housing, 1977; Local GovernmentFinance, 1977; andPublic Authorities, 1978) touched on planning and made recommendations about the planning process,although planning was not their major concern.

The committee charge from the JCCI Board of Managers was to determine the best mechanismto insure thatplanning is comprehensive, coordinated and, most important of all, implanented. Areas of primary interestinclude:

. The position of the planning function in the structure of Jacksonville's governnent

. Tbe zoning process: how it can be streamlined and how it might be affected by achange in location of the ~lanning function

. The capital outlay and capital improvement process: howthey can be made more meaningful.and effecti ve.

Planning means preparing for the future. The committee has assumed that planning is a valid and essentialpart of effective government. For the purposes of this study, planning is very broad in meaning, includingthe elements described in the city charter and the Local GovernmentComprehensivePlanning Act, such as .

land use, traffic circulation, conservation,-recreationand open space,. housing, coastal zone protection,water, solid \~aste, sewers and drainage, utilities, ports and airports, transportation, public services andfacilities.

Planning is d process by which goals and objectives ar~ determined, the existing situation and options areassessed, and finally, action is taken. Without action or implementation planning is of little value.

HIGHLIGHTS(A SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS)

MAJOR PROBLEMS: RECOMMENDED SOLUTIONS:

The location of planning functions on theperiphery of government

Planning without implementation; lack ofcoordination of plans and budgets

Adopt a comprehensive plan in compliancewith the Florida Local GovernmentComprehensive Planning Act

Create a new Office of Planning/BudgetPolicy under the Mayor

The development of comprehensive plans whichare not adopted by City Council

A lack of communitysupport for planning

Planning by manyagencies and departmentswith insufficient coordination

Inadequate funding of needed capitalimprovements

Ensure a continuous planning process byrequiring annual updating of 1, 5, and15 year plans

Require a planning impact statement beforecommitting to capital improvement projects

Create an advisory board with representa-tives from neighborhood groups and at-largemembers

Inadequate public consideration of plansand pol ides

A cumbersomeand duplicative re-zoningprocess which creates inequities

Simplify andim~rove the rezoning processby the use of a professional hearingoffi cer

FINDINGS

Findings are derived from published materials-listed in the references or from a consensus ofcommittee understanding a~ reported by resource persons.

COMMUNITY GOALS IMPLEMENTATION

1. Jacksonville has achieved no communityconsensus of broad goals.

For example, do we want to becomea largeindustrialized city like Atlanta? .Dowe wantto remain muchas we are today? Wouldwe 1iketo becomemore of a tourist econoll1Y?These andother questions receive different answers fromdifferent individuals but there has never beenthe opportunity for widespread public discussionand a consensus on these vital questions. Yet,broad goals for the communityconstitute theset of communityvalues which should be theobjectives of all planning.

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

2. Jacksonville has never adopted an overallcommunlt~-wldeplan.

The 1980 P1an, which took years of preparationby the Jacksonville Area Planning Board and itsmanycitizen advisory groups and committees, wasnever adopted by the City Council; although thestandards and policies handbookwas adopted.The DowntownDevelopmentPlan was adopted byordinance by City Council. Smaller neighborhoodplans such as the Springfield Plan and theMandarin P1an have been adopted by Council bymeans of resolution rather than ordinance. Thelegal force of a resolution, as opposed to anordinance, is not entirely. clear.

The State of Florida, recognizing the value ofand need for planning, required via its Local

. GovernmentComprehensive P1anning Act of 1975that all cities in Florida adopt and submit tothe state a comprehensive plan by July 1, 1979.This plan must include at least nine elementsdescribed in the legislation. Jacksonvillealong with manyother communities, has requestedand received a one year extension for adoptionof its plan. By July 1980 all Florida citiesmust be in compliance. For the first time thesE:plans win have the force of 1aWe Once the planis adopted all development must be consistent\'dth the plan. Amendingthe plan requires thesame steps as required for adoption of the plan.full public notice and.hearing are required, aswell as review by state, regional and localplanning agencies. However, the Act providesfor exceptions to the amendmentprocess. Wherea change is proposed in the land use elementaffecting 5%or less of the land area of thejurisdiction, only a simple majority vote ofCouncil is required to enact the change.

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3. Jacksonville has produced a number ofquality plans but it shows an extremelypoor record of implementation of thesepl ans.

Manyof the plans have been. mandated byother levels of government instead ofbeing initiated by local communityneeds.In some cases their primary usefulnesshas been to provide a data base for theplanners in their next round of plans.

There are many factors which account forJacksonville's lack of implementation ofits plans:

Community Climate

a. The climate and attitudes towardsplanning nowand in Jacksonville'srecent past have not been stronglypositive.

Prior to 1961 there .was no mechanismfor planning in JacksonvH1e and DuvalCounty government. A new s.choo1 mightbe completed in August for a Septemberopening without any planning for roadsto lead to that school or the moniesthat would be required to build thoseroads. In 1961 the legis1ature createdthe Jacksonville Duval Area PlanningBoard to do the planning for Jackson-ville and the Duval County area andadjacent counties.

The county Budget Commission, reflectingthe low value it placed on planning,allocated one dollar for the new agencyin its budget. A factor whfch even-tually brought about more support ofthe planning function was the require-ment for planning prior to the awardingof federal funds for many municipalgovernment projects. Today, theJacksonville Area Planning Board has abudget of $1,037,188 of which $427,766is supplied from local sources. Never-theless, there are groups within thecommunitywho continue to oppose plan~ning. Someare opposed because .theybelieve that planning interferes withthe rights of property owners. Thefailure of the City Council to pass acomprehensive plan. demonstrates thelack of commitment to planning or thelack of consensus on goals.

Despite efforts by the Jacksonville AreaPlanning Board to involve citizens in theplanning process, there is still very1ittle conmunity awareness of the need forplanning or general understanding of theplans that have been developed.

Position of Planning Function

b. ~lanning function is located out0 t e mainstream of Jacksonville'sgovernment.

Sometime ago it was fashionable toposition planning agencies and boardsindependently as advisory groups outsidethe mainpart of local government. Thetheor,y behind this was that the professionalplanners themselves would then be free todevelop plans based on sound, professionalprinciples without political pressures.Finally, when the plans were presentedto the legislative policy-making bodyit would inject into the plan the humandimension and communityvalues. Jackson-ville's planning process today is basedon this theory. Someresource personsappearing before the committee indicatedthat the reality does not match thetheory. That is, the pure professionalplan which arrives finally for CityCouncil approval is essentially a myth.

Fromthe very beginning planners them-selves maybe persuaded or influencedby their own friends. LObbyingtakesplace at the Planning Board level when,':n fact, some of the major policies ofa plan have been changed. The resultis that lobbying, political influenceand the injection of values into theplanning process continue from almostthe beginning of that process.

The Local GovernmentStudy Commissionin 1965 'recommendedretaining theJacksonville Area Planning Board as anindependent body primarily because itwas the function of this board to servenot only Jacksonvi11 e and Duval Countybut nearby counties of Northeast Florida.Tn 1977 as a result of federal require-ments, the Northeast Florida RegionalPlanning Council was formed, taking awaythe duties of the Jacksonville AreaPlanning Board which related to othercounties. Although the name,remains thelJacksonvi11e Area Planning Board, infunction today it is the JacksonvillePlanning Board.

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Another result of having the planningfunction located. in independent agencystatus is that neither the Mayor norCouncil have confidence in, nor commit-ment to the plans. The major supportfor this arrangement comes from theprofessional planners themselves andsome membersof the 1ay Planning Board.

Today there is an apparent trend awayfrom independent planning boards orcommissions.

This JCCI committee on planning reviewedthe recommendations of several previousJCCI studies and other reports whichaddressed the lack of implementation ofplans in Jacksonville. Without exceptionthese studies recommendedthat planningbe relocated as a major department underthe Mayor. The Mayor, whowould thenappoint the director of th.e departmentof planning, subject to confirmation byCouncil, would be accountable to thepeople for planning. He would be moreattuned to and conscious of planning andmore likely to be committed to implemen-tation. This specific recommendationcomes from two JCCI study committees -one whose major focus was Ilousi ng andzoning in Jacksonville, and the otherwhich studied the public authoritiesin 1978. In addition, a study of theplanning function was performed by MayorTanzler by a committee 0f 1eadi ngcitizens in 1977. They carefully con-sidered the pros and cons of the presentindependent status 0f the Planni ng Boardversus a department under the Mayor, astaff function of the Mayor1s Office, astaff function of City Colincil, and acombination of DowntownDevelopment,Housing and Urban Development, andplanning in a department. It was theconclusion of that committee thatplanning should be located in a departmentunder the Mayor.

In 1971 the American Society of PlanningOfficials, after a study of planning inJacksonville, issued a report, TowardMore Effective Plannin~ in Jacksonville.One of its recommendat~onswas the forma-tion of a planning department under theMayOr.

"Wethink that there are twoimportant reasons for establishinga planning department in Jackson-ville, each. of whjcb relates tothe issue of influence and imple-mentation:

I

c.1) Early planning theory conceivedof the planning board or commissionas an independent agency outside themainstream of politics and not subjectto political pressures.- Composedofprominent lay citizens - and with theassistance of a professional staff toprovide technical expertise - theindependent body was to rely on itsinfluence, prestige and comprehensiveview of the public interest to achieveits plans. In most. places it just hasn'tworked out that way. Most have been.too far removed from the seats of powerto have had a significant influenceon the direction of growth and.changein their communities. Planning boardshave insulated the staffs from electedofficials and agency heads whomustcarry out their recommendations. Inmany instances board membershave comefrom those interested in land developmentincluding real estate brokers, developers,zoning lawyers, archtects, and othersra ther tha n from the general pub1ic.While there have been outstandingcommissioners, willing to experimentand innovate, tackle controversialissues, and get into unusual subjectsfor a pl anning agency, most have takena go-slow attitude, preferring to dothings in a rather traditional way.

(2) Consoli dated Jacksonville has a "strongMayor" form of government which meansthat the 14ayorhas substantial appointivepowers and some discretion in carryin!)out legislative policy. As the chiefexecutive, the Mayor is the primary voicefor change in the community, for proposingnew policy direction and new ideas. Atall levels of government, municipal,state, and federal, chief executiveshave becomeincreasingly involved incharting the future course throughpo1icy .sta terrents, execut ive 0rders ,but principally through offering apackage of bi 11s to be enacted by thelegislative body.

Wethink bringing the planning staffcloser to the Mayor, with no Board forinsulation, has the potential forincreasing the quality of the techrticalwork, for more innovation in the areasof policy making and implementationmethods, for closer relations with thecity agencies which carry out thepolicies. But most important, as a citydepartment the planning agency

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will speak directly to the Mayor,offer him the kind of advi ce heneeds to make the best decisions,and have the influence and prestigeof the Mayor to support planningagency recommendations. II

Funding

c. Another major reason that plans arenot implemented is inadequate funding.

Through the Capital autl ay Programpriorities are assigned - first bythe Planning Board and then by theMayor and by independent agencies -to all capital outlay projects deemedto be needed by the city.

Finally the City Council sets itspriorities and these priorities deter-mine the order of funding. Resourcesallocated to capital outlay have beenso limited over the years that overand over again items with a highpriority continue on the 1i st unfundedand unimp1ementeduntil finally theordering of priorities becomes mean-ingless. The capital outlay programis funded after all other budgetaryneeds are met.

The items rated priority one in the1978-79 budget amounted to 64 milliondollars as requested by agencies anddepartments. Fifty seven milliondollars. of item 1 priorities wererecommendedby the Jacksonville AreaPlanning Board and 40 million dollarsof this was actually funded by the CityCouncil. Of the 40 million actuallyfunded only 25%or about 10 milliondollars came from local sources, andof that 10 mill ion, water and sewerbond funds made up 7.2 million. Soapproximately 2.79 million dollarscarre from the general fund. (This40 mill ion do11ar fi gure does notinclude the budget of the independentagencies).

Advocacyfor Plans

d. The advisory function of the PlanningBoard has not encouraqed its membersto exercise a strong advocacy for ltSplans.

The role of board membersstands incontrast to the role of membersofindependent authorities. Authoritymembersare policy decision makers,not advisors .

Separation of Pl anners andDeC1S10nMakers

e. The planners themselves are not linkeddirectly with the decision makers inJacksonville's government

Communicationsbetween the professionalplanners and the Nayor's Office and theCity Council are 1imited. In fact, manyplanners do not see this 1inkage as partof their primary responsibility.

Readability of Plans

f. The plans produced by the JacksonvilleArea Planning Board are weighty and volumi-nous and often difficult to comprehend.

This makes it difficult for the averagecitizen, or indeed for the decision makersthemselves to gain any indepth knowledgeof these plans.

Public Input

g. During the development of significantbroad plans there has not been adequatepublic input regarding policies.

Major long range planning documents arelittle debated whereas immediate rezoningmatters are heatedly debated by confl icti nginterests.

DISPERSAL OF PLANNING FUNCTION

4. f:. multitude of agencies with varying jurisdictionsand different levels of government authorizationand funding are involved in the local planningprocess. The 1ist includes:

. The Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council. The Jacksonville Area Planning Board. The Metropolitan Planning Organization, The St. Johns River Water t1anagementDistrict, The Jacksonville Electric Authority. The Jacksonville Port Authority. The DowntownDevelopment Authority. The Jacksonville Transportation Authority< The School Board, The Department of Public Works. The Bio-Envi ronmenta 1 Servi ces Div. 0 f the Ci ty. The Recreation Departmentof the. City. The Housing and Urban Development Department of

the City

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For readers unfamiliar with the functionsof these government agencies, the appendixof this report includes a brief descriptionof each.

COORDINATION

5. For planning to be effective with so man~agencies involved, greater cootd1nat10n't anever before is needed, but th1S 1S stl11 nothappening.

Prior to consolidation it was charged thatour government was government by crisis -that there was 1ittle planning or coordi-nation. Roads were paved one day to be dugup by another city department for sewersshortly thereafter. Unfortunately, thissort of thing still occurs.

A major concern is the coordination of theefforts of the independent agencies by thePlanning Board before huge sums of publicmonies are spent on planning a project.

Another area of concern is the distributionof CommunityDevelopment Funds. These fundscome to the city from the federal govern~ment through the local department of Housingand Urban Development. Frequently there isno coordination with the Jacksonville AreaPlanning Board to be sure that these fundsare utilized in ways that conform to anoverall pl an.

A neworganization called the MetropolitanPlanning Organization has been set up dueto requirements by the federal governmentto insure coordination of transportationplanning. It is complicated, but is saidto be working well. This is in contrastto the failure of other agencies lackingthe compulsion of law to plan effectivemeetings and to insure coordination ofagencies involved.

The planning process today, because of themultitude of agencies involved and the con-flicts amongmanydifferent environmentalconcerns, is very complex. Furthermore,there is no system of monitoring to seeif actions taken by the decision makersare in accordance with the overall plans.The preponderance of federal funds cominginto communities has resulted in eachagency and each department competing forthese funds in order to expand its ownstaff and department. Review and approvalof each project by Mayorand Council isrequired. Nevertheless, a 'do your ownthing' phi losophy without much considerationof the consequences of that department's(or ,agency's) actions on t~e ot~er parts ofcity government and commun1tyllfe hasresulted.

f!'

The JCCI Public Authorities Committee, recognizingthe 1ack of coordination, proposed that each plan-ning unit of government, when proposing a newpro-ject, be required to submit a planning impactstatement for review by the Jacksonville AreaPlanning Board and approval by the Mayorand CityCotincil. The statement would show the effect ofthe proposed project on all units of local govern-ment and the citizenry and would include a costbenefit analysis. This recommendation has notbeen implemented.

CAPITAL OUTLAY PROGRAM

6. The Capital Outlay Program established in 1972 wasto 1nsure coordlnatlOn of planmng and was to beused as a tool 1n 1mplementatlon.

Priorities are established in the following manner:First, individual departments and agencies compiletheir various requests for capital funding andforward them to the Jacksonville Area PlanningBoard. After discussing these proposals in greatdetail with the agencies and departments, theprofessional planners assign priorities which areapproved by the Board. The 'list is then given tothe Mayorand independent agencies who review theoverall requests for coordinating purposes andthen assign their priorities, based on theirbudget preparation process. The Jacksonville Area.Planning Board compiles this information into thefinal document to be .presented to City Council.City Council makes the final decisions on priori-ties and implementation although this occurs verylate in the. budgetary process.

rezoning process is designed to provide anopportunity for property owners and developersto make changes in their own interests whenthese interests do not override the good orwell-being of the neighborhood or the entirecommunity.

In 1977 a JCCI committee studied zoning andthe rezoning process. ft concluded that theZoning Board itself and the hearing processutilized by it add an unnecessary step to ther~-zoning process. That committee recommendedeliminating the Zoning Board as a part of there-zoning process and creating hearing offi-cers to take over the functions of the ZoningBoard in areas of variances and exceptions.

The situation has not changed since theissuance of that committee report. Whenacitizen'makes an application for re-zoningof a property the application is processedby the Zoning Board staff and is forwarded tothe Planning Board staff. Professionalplanners evaluate how the proposed zoningfits into their existing land use and overallplan. Based on this, the planners make areport and a recommendation to be used bythe Zoning Board and the Urban AffairsCommittee. The Zoning Board then holds apublic hearing. This Board is a 9 member,non-paid advisory board appointed by the CityCouncil. Their ~ecision, after the publichearing, is forwarded to the Urban AffairsCommittee of City Council. The Urban Affairseammittee then holds a second public hearingand mayor may not uphold the recommendationsof the Planning Board staff and the Zoning Board

The process has been helpful in that it doespresent to all concerned the project~ requested Finally, the full Council acts on the re-

o and planned by all parts of the government, thus zoning. If the Urban Affairs Conmitteepromoting coordination. It does help the City vote is contrary to the decision of theCouncil. to have before them the view of the r'1ayor, Zoning Board then another publ ic hearing isdepartments and agencies, and the Jacksonville a~tomatically scheduled. Also, if a requestArea Planning Board. As a process the Cavital is madeby the involved parties within 24Outlay Program has Qeen fairly effective. However, hours of the Urban Affairs Committee action,capital spending has been very limited because of another hearing is held. The decision ofinadequate funding. the Council is subject to the veto of the

Mayor as are all city ordinances.

The function of the Zoning Board in thisrezoning process duplicates the role of theUrban Affairs Committeeof City Council.Zoning Board membersare not professionals,but a lay group putting the humanor political

Zoning isa tool of land use planning. As society factors. in zoning just as the City Councilhas grownand people have clustered moreclosely does. It is probable thatwhenthe rezoningtogether in cities, ft has becomenecessary to process was proposedby the Local Governmentlimit some property rights of individuals in order Study Commi$sionprior to consolidation,to protect the general welfare. Zoning regulations that they did not anticipate that City Councilshould be based on a comprehensive plan and on the would be functioning on a committee basis.public interest, as determined by procedures If tne Council operated as a committee ofestablished by law. the whole, the role of the Zoning Board

would not be a duplication.

REZONING

7. The Rezoning process is closely related to thep~ann1ng process.

Zoning policies were ~stablished on acommunity-widebasis in Jacksonvilleimmediately following consolidation in 1968.Rezoning prOvides a way for citizens,aevelopers or any property owner to appealfor a change in the use of that land. The

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The two or possibly three public hearings involvedin the re-zoning process present more disadvantages

to private citizens than they do to developers orbuilders. Private citizens must take time off from

their regular employment in order to appear at aZoning Board hearing and on frequent occasions mustwait 4 or 5 hours for their place on the agenda.

Prior to the hearing they are unable to estimatetheir time for being heard as the agendas are fre-

quently changed at the very last moment. The UrbanAffairs Committee as well as the full Council and

the Zoning Board are influenced by the numbers ofcitizens who actually appear at these hearings yet

it is extremely difficult for citizens to attend

these hearings. On the other hand, it-is part ofthe business of the developers and builders to

appear at hearings. They are familiar \'liththe

process and the procedures and able to afford theLiseof attorneys.

When rezoning applications are filed, writtennotices must be sent to all property owners within

300 feet of the property, whether the area is ruralor densely developed. It was expressed by some

resource persons that civic associations servingthe neighborhood should also receive such notices.

The rezoning process can be manipulated byapplicants to their advantage. If an applicant

applying for re-zoning senses substantial neighbor-hood opposHion he can apply to have his petitionwithdrawn at the last moment. If the p~tition is

withdrawn he then can reapply and can continue this

process until the neighborhood people finally areworn down or become less vigilant.

The rezoning process is expensive and extensivein terms of staff time and board time.

FEDERAL FUNDING

g, Federal funding via-grants often ha~the effect of distorting estab.lished city

prlorltles for lmplementatlon and funding.

For example, the funds provided in theEconomic Development Act require that a

project selected for this funding musthave already been planned and that work

may be able to start within 90 days.The committee was told that funds were

assigned for the renovation of HemmingPark and this project was put above other

priorities established by citizen advisorygroups because of the specific requirementsfor the use of federal funds.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION

9. Citizen participation is an importantelement of the planmng process.

It should be built into the process from

the very beginning. One form of citizenparticipation is provided by the Jackson-ville Area Planning Board. Currently,the lay advisory board of the JAPB performsseveral functions. It serves as a sounding

board for ideas and plans being consideredby the staff. As mentioned above, it is

supposed to increase community awarenessof plans and act as advocates of plans.It can keep the staff realistic and on

target in their proposals. It reviewsreports and can make suggestions to ensurethat these reports are readable and under-standable. It can also build in a broader

perspective on community .issues than thatheld by the professional planners alone.

In addition to the citizen participation

contributed by the lay advisory board,citizen advisory committees are set up

throughout the community to review plansand make comments before plans are com-

pl€te. Some resource persons' believe thatthere are too many layers of citizencOl1mittees .

CONCLUSIONS

Conclusions represent the value judgments of the committee, based on the findings.

. Jacksonville must decide what kind of community

it wants to be. From these decisions a growth

management policy should be formulated. Jackson-ville should set broad goals with all segments

of the community participating .inthe decision-making process. Public officials must be willingto state broad goals and to involve their con-stituencies in an understanding of community

needsand how theycanbe met. Strong1eadershipis needed.

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. Comprehensive plans must be adopted as a

guide to show US how to get to where wewant to be. Under the Local GovernmentComprehensivePlanningAct of 1975 passedby the Florida legislature,it is requiredthat a nine element plan be adopted.Optional elements include: plans for masstransit, port, aviation facilities; plansfor pedestrian and bicycle traffic, publicservices and facilities, and general arearedevelopment. The land use element ofthis Act has a major flaw in it - a loop-hole in the amendment process.

r. Where 5%or less of the land area of the juris-

diction is affected, the plan maybe amendedby asimple majority vote of the governing body - thatis, the City Council. In the case of Jacksonville,5%of the 1and would alOOuntto 40 square miles.This provision of the Act which bypasses theordinary amendmentprocess should be changed.

Jacksonville has had enough studies made for thesake of making studies, or made solely becausea grant of some sort was available. Studiesshould be undertaken when they are relevant toestablished needs, when they have a realisticchance of being implemented, and when thedecis ion-makers intend to gi ve proper weight tothe recommendations or findings from thestudies.

If planning is to be effective it must belocated in the mainstream of government. Ittakes very strong leadership to sell the ideaof planning and political power to achieveimplementation of plans. The independentstatus of the Jacksonvi1l e Area PlanningBoard does not insure against politicallyinfluenced decisions.

Planning is being carried out in so manyparts of local government that confl i ctand duplication are to be expected. Anumbrell a agency with the power to coor-

dinate planning is needed. The locationof the Jacksonville Area Planning Boardaway from tQe mainstream of governmenthas hampered its ability to coordinateeffecti vely .

. The Capital Outlay Program provides agood process for establishing prioritiesbut must receive adequate funding. Ifour resources permit no newor improvedpublic facilities or even the maintenanceof existing public works, the CapitalOutlay Program is of little value.

. The rezoning process should be stream-lined to avoid wasteful duplication.The present hearing method is tedious,duplicative and cumbersome. A lack ofpredictable scheduling places a burdenand inequities on interested parties,particularly private citizens.

. Planning for the use of federal grant.funds should be given careful scrutinyfor conformity with the community'sobjectives.

Public participation in planning is in-adequate, Communityawareness of andsupport for planning must be strengthened.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The City of Jacksonville must have a planning process designed to involve and assist its citizensin determining the type of city they want and to implement the attainment of the goals established.

To achieve the more di rect and active participation of citizens and their elected official s in thecomprehensive planning required for the success of the process, and to ensure that planning inaacksonvil1e is comprehensive, coordinated, and most important of all, implemented, the JCCI StudyCommitteeon Planning in Local Governmentrecommends:

That the Florida Legislature terminate theJacksonville Area Planning Board and that theCity Council act to establish an Office ofPlanning/Budget Policy as a staff unit pf theMayor. This office would initiate and givedirection to overall planning and would coor-dinate, review and commenton the highlyspecialized planning appropriate to andinitiated by certain departments and authorities.In coordination.with the Finance Department, itwould formulate budgetary policies and prioritiesso that the budgetar.y process would be cons"istentwith and guided by the Compreeensive Deve10p-n~nt Plan. Thepresent Finance Departmentwould retain respon~ibility for administeringfinancial matters and monitoring approvedbudgets.

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. That each year the Mayor present to theCouncil comprehensive development plans(including operating arid capital outl aybudgets) for one, fi ve, and fifteen yearperiods. These plans should be in con-fonnance with the requirements of theFlorida Local Government ComprehensivePlanning Act. In addition to the elementsrequired by that Act, Jacksonville'sComprehensive Development Plan shouldinclude health and welfare elements. Thepl ans and budgets should be presented tothe Council at the second Council meetingin July of each year for simultaneousreview and adoption prior to October 1st.

. That the professional staff of the Office ofPlanning/Budget Policy should on October 1stof each year begin updating the one, five,and fifteen year comprehensive plans to bepresented in the succeeding year.

. That citizen participation in the preparationof these plans be provided in the followingmanner:

An appropriate number of neighborhoodplanning units (made up of identifiableneighborhoods arranged i _ncl usters)should be established. These neighbor-hood planning units should bedirectly involved in the planning fortheir own areas, and assigned a staffperson from the Office of Pl anning/Budget Policy; Their meetings wouldbe held in appropriate communityschools.

An Advisory Committee to the Office ofPlanning/Budget Policy should beestabl ished.. Each neighborhood plann-ing unit should designate one memberof this advisory committee. Additionalmembersconstituting-one-third of thecommittee membershipand representingthe communityat large should beappointed by the Mayor. The plans,after citizen input, should be com-pleted no later than February 28thof each year in order that fiscalelements be coordinated with the plansfor presentation to the City Councilin Ju ly .

. Anycapital tmprovement under considerationby an authority or other local goverrvnentuni t shoul d be submitted to the Office ofPlanning/Budget Policy prior to any majorplanning expenditures related to that pro-ject. The Office-of Planning/Budget Policywould prepare a planning impact statementindicating the economic, social, and envi-ronmenta1 effects of the proposed projecton the citizenry and all units of localgovernment. The Office of Planning/BudgetPolieywould recommendto the Mayor andCouncil whether the project should be anamendmentto the existing plan or madeapart of the plan being considered for thenext year. Action by the Mayor and Councilafter full consideration of the planningimpact statement would be required forinclusion of this capital improvement ineither case.

That the zoni ng process be streaml ined andintegrated into the newplanning processin the following manner:

The Zoning Board should be eliminated.A zoning atlas should be included in theland use element of each one-yearcomprehensive-development plan.There should be a full-time hearingofficer in the Office of Planning/Budget Policy whoshould be guidedin his decisions by the policies andstandards handbook established by cityordinance. This hearing officer wouldhave final authority regarding vari-ances. Applications for exceptionsand rezonings after adoption of theplan each year would require a reviewand publ ic hearing by the hearingofficer followed by recommendationsto the Urban Affairs Committee ofCity Council. The Urban AffairsCommittee, after rev iewing theserecommendations,would forward itsrecommendations to the full CityCouncil for final determination.

REFERENCES

American Society of Pl anning Officials,TowardMore Effective Planning inJacksonville, 1971.

Bartley, Ernest Local GovernmentComprehensivePlanning Act, 1975, An Informational SummaryPublic Adrr.in~on Clearing Service ofthe University of Florida, Civic InformationSeries No. 56.

City Code Relating -to Capital Outlay and CapitalImprovements, 128.101~128.302.

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Interlocal agreement creating the NortheastFlorida Regional Planning Council.

Legislation establishing the JacksonvilleArea Planning Board, Lawsof Florida,Ch. 61-2329.

Planning, Journal of the American PlanningAssociation, February 1979, Vol. 45,No.2, pp. 5, 6, 10-20, 25-43.

Report of JCCI Committee on Housing, ZoningTask Force, 1977.

~

.Report of JCCI Committee on Local GovernmentFinance, 1977.

Report of JeCI Committeeon Public Authorities,1978.

Report of Mayor's Committee on Housing, 1978.

Rivers, David E., Atlanta's Planning Process:Comprehensive, Coordinated, National CivicReview, March 1979, pp. 136-141.

COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP AND WORK

The committee met weekly from January throughJune, hearing from a variety of knowledgeableresource persons, and receiving additionalwritten materials researched by JCCI staff.FromApril - June conclusions and recommen-dations were discussed and debated.

Members of the Committee

I. M. Sulzbacher, Chairman

Ezekiel Bryant, Management TeamJames Burke, 'Management TeamGeorge Corrick, .Management TeamAnne Grimes, Management TeamDel Revels, Management TeamSandy Sheppard, Management Team

James AbernathyRay BarbeeForrest BooneWayne BowersMary Louise BoyerJ. ShepardBryanJohn BunkerPamCavenCecil W. ConeBi11 CrossenGerald DakeGeorge FisherJudy GefterMargaret GibbsSue Giddings

JCCI Staff Support:

TomHealyMiles HendersonCharles KinaWill iam Lee ~

Melinda LeightyRobert M. LurieDoug MilneMichael MoyMaria O'HearnPam PaulJane Ann PayneAnne RossEd RowanThomas WeaverWalter Williams

Marian Chambers, Executive DirectorIdaH. Cobb, Secretary

RESOURCE PERSONS TO THE COMMITTEE:

Bill Birchfield, MemberMayor's Ad Hoc Committee on Planning, 1977

Marvin Boutwell, ChiefDivision of Building and Zoning InspectionCity of Jacksonville

Frances Boyd, Moncrief ImprovementAssociation

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Dan Castle, DirectorNorthe~st Florida Regional PlanningCouncil

TomCarpenter, ChairmanJCCI Commi.tteeon'Housing, 1977

Gerald Dake, Vice-PresidentStockton, Whatley, Davin & Cow~any

Robert Davis, ChairmanJCCI Committee on Local GovernmentFinance, 1977

John DeGrove, DirectorJoint Center for Environmental andUrban Problems, Florida AtlanticUniversity and Florida InternationalUniversity

George Fisher, MemberJacksonville Area Planning Board

Marvin Ganson, MemberJCCI Committee on Public Authorities,1978

George Harmon, MemberJCCI Committee on Housing, 1977

David Harrell, PresidentJacksonvi 11e Ci ty Counci 1

Marvin Hi'l, Former Executive DirectorJacksonville Area Planning Board

Earl Huntley, ChairmanUrban Affairs Committee, City Council

Don Ingram, Executive DirectorOowntownDevelopment Authority

William H. Irvir.!f~ ManagingDirectorJacksonv;11e Electric Authority

William K, Jackson, Former ChairmanJacksonville Area Planning Board

Bob Johnson, City Council Auditor

John Mackroth, Executive DirectorJacksonville Port Authority

Donald McClure, Chief AdministrativeAssistant to Mayor Godbold

Gene McLeod, Finance Director,City of Jacksonville

Raj Mehta, Deputy DirectorJacksonville Area Planning Board

Ed Mueller, Executive DirectorJacksonville Transportation Authority

Jack O'Brien, Executive Vice-PresidentArgyle, Inc.

Pat Patrinely, Greater Arlington CivicCouncil

I

Ed Phillips, ChairmanJacksonville Zoning Board

Richard Quigley, Executive DirectorJacksonville Area Planning Board

James Rinaman, MemberJacksonville Transportation Authority

Ron Seruga, Springfield Preservation andRestoration, Inc.

Chester Stokes, Northeast FloridaBuilders Association

Ray Sweeney, Office of the General CounselCity of Jacksonville

C. ChadwickTaylor, Mandarin CommunityClub

Herman Terry, ChairmanJacksonville Port Authority

Carolyn Vernier, Former MemberJacksonville Area Planning Board

Walter Williams, ChairmanJacksonville Electric Authority

APPENDIX

AGENCIES, BODIES, DEPARTMENTS WHICH AREASSIGNED A PLANNING FUNCTION FOR JACKSON-VILLE OR THE JACKSONVILLE REGION

The Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council

~stablished in 1977 by Florida Statutes

Purpose - to conduct planning on aregional basis in Northeast Florida(Nassau, Baker, Duval, Clay, Putnam,St. Johns and Flagler Counties)

Responsibilities - to plan on a regional basis,to review any project utilizing federal funds,to review developments of regional impact,to review local government plans, to insureconsistency with regional plans, and to assistlocal governments on request.

Membership- three membersfrom each partici-pating county - two of who must be electedCounty Commissioners

The Jacksonville Area Planning Board

Established in 1961 by state charter

Purpose - to develop and coordinate comprehen-sive plans for the physical and economicdevelopment of the City of Jacksonville.

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Responsibilities - to develop comprehensiveplans, to coordinate the development of thearea, public facilities, improvements andutilities, to review and make recommenda-tions to the City Council and Zoning Boatdon all matters relating to zoning, toreview and make recommendations regardingsubdivision regulations, to review and makerecommendations on capital improvementprojects, to coordinate preparation of thecapital outlay program and ~ake recommen-dations on priorities to the Mayor and CityCouncil, to provide a data base, maps andarea studies, to serve as a memberof theMetropolitan Planning Organization andprovide staff services for that organization

Membership- nine membersappointed by theMayor and confirmed by City Council

The Metropolitan Planning Organization

Established in July 1978 by an interlocalagreement by the participating agenciesand the Florida Department of Transporta-tion, as mandated by the Urban Mass TransitAct of 1964.

Purpose - to develop and coordinate trans-portation planning for the urbanized areawhich includes Duval County and northernportions of St. Johns and Clay counties.

Responsibilities - to approve and submita unified work program of transportation toappropriate federal agencies, to act as thelocal air quality planning agency to con-form with the Clean Air Act of 1977

Membership- members are appointed by theGovernor - current membersare: MayorGodbold, Councilman Roberts, CommissionerCurtain from St. Johns County, CommissionerDrawdyfrom Clay County, Mr. Martin fromthe Jacksonville Area Planning Board, andMr. Paxson from the Jacksonville Transpor-tation Authority

The St. Johns River Water"ManagementDistrict

Established in 1972 by state legislationand given taxing authority in 1978

Purpose - to plan for and manage waterresources and control structures in thedistrict which includes all or parts of19 counties

Responsibilities - to regulate waterresources and issue permits, etc.

Membership- a board appointed by theGovernor

The DowntownDcvclopn~nt .Authority

Established in 1971 under the City Charter

Purpose - to implement the DowntownDevelopmentPlan which was prepared by the Planning60ardand adopted by City Council

Responsibilities - to plan, coordinate and assistin implementation of the development of theJacksonville downtownarea, to prepare specificplans for the downtownarea and submit them.forreview by the Planning Board and the CityCouncil

Membership- seven membersare appointed by theMayorand confirmed by City Council

TheJacksonville Electric Authority

Established by the Florida legislature in 1968to replace the city utility commission

Purpose - to own, manageand operate an electricutility system for the City of Jacksonville andany or all adjacent countie~

Responsibilities - include operation, construc-tion, improvement and development of theelectric system and the development of plansfor that system

Membership- seven members are appointed by theMayor and confirmed by City Council

The Jacksonville Port Authority

Established by state legislature in 1963 as anindependent agency of the City of Jacksonville

Purpose - to own, maintain and operate facilitiesfor the operation of seaports and airports inJacksonville

Res onsibi1ities - include preparing and adoptingpans for the location, construction, improvementor developmentof any project related to theport, harbor or airports

Membership- seven members, three are appointedby the Mayor and confirmed by Council and fourare appointed by the Governor and confirmed bythe Florida Senate

TheJacksonville Transportation Authority

Established in 1968 by the Florida legislatureIS the Jacksonville Expre~swayAuthority.In 1971 it became the Jacksonville TransportationAuthority

I

l

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Purpose - to plan and develop express~ways, masstransit and'parking in theJacksonville area

Responsibilities - include planning forcoordinated transportation systems, andcoordinating plans through the MPO(Metropolitan Planning Organization)

Membership - seven members, three areappointed by the Mayor and confirmedby City Council, three are appointed bythe Governor and confirmed by the FloridaSenate, and one member is the districtengineer of the Department of Transpor~tation

The Ouval County School Board

Established by the Florida legislature

Purpose - to operate a public schoolsystem within Duval County

Responsibilities - to approve plans forlocating, constructing and maintainingSChool property, to approve and adopta countywide school building program,to coordinate, with long range plans of-local, regional and state governments toassure compatibility of the school p1ans

Membership - seven members are electedaccording to Council districts

Departments of City Government

. The Department of Public Works plans,constructs and administers all publicworks programs

. The ~epartment of Housing and UrbanDevelopment plans and administers housingprograms and enforces housing and zoningcodes

. The Bio-Environmental Services Division(Department of Health, Welfare and Bio-Environmental Services) plans for air,water, noise, and pollution control andenforces these laws. .

. The Department of Recreation and PublicAffairs plans and operates recreationalprograms and facilities.

I

ABOUT THE JACKSONVILLE COMMUNITY COUNCIL, INC.

The Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. is anon-profit broad based citizen organizationchartered in 1975. JCCI represents a merger(If three former community groups:

JCCI functions primarily through the volunteercitizen study committee process:

I:The Community Planning CouncilThe Commission on Goals and Priorities

for Human Services

Delegates to the Jacksonville CommunityPlanning Conference at Amelia Island

A Program Committee from the JCCI member-ship recommends issues of community interest.

The JCCI Board of Managers approves theissues of study for the year.

Study committee chairpersons and managementteam are selected.

Its goals are:

To build citizen competence and awarenessin effectively participating in communityaffairs.

Study Committee participants are recruitedfrom JCCI membership and the community.

To strengthen and improve the capabilityof community institutionsto serve citizensof the community.

The Study Cowaittee obtains a data baseby means of regular meetings with respon-sible, knowledgeable resource persons,and staff research.

To forecast emerging trends and opportunitiesthat will impact the quality of communitylife.

When the fact finding phase is completed,the committee reaches conclusions and

makes recommendationsas part of thefi na 1 report.

To act as a catalyst for bringing togetherdecision-makers.

The report of the Study Committee is re-leased to the public after considerationand approval by the Board of Managers.

JCCl is funded by:

The United Way of JacksonvilleThe City of JacksonvilleGifts from private corporationsGrants for specific research and

projects

JCCI members work to implement the

recommendationsof the report by communica-ting their findings to appropriate publicofficials and the community at large.

evaluation

BOARD OF MANAGERS

Yank D. Coble, Jr. PresidentRobert D. Davis President-ElectJoan Carver SecretaryGeorge Corrick Treasurer

Eleanor AshbyJacquelyn BatesJohn BryanJ. J. DanielVera Davis

Albert ErnestHowardGreensteinDavid HicksKen JohnsonDaniel L. Lauray

Flo Uell OzellRobert SchellenbergSuzanne SchnabelRobert T. ShircliffEddie MaeSteward

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James H. AbernathyHenry AdamsRobert H. AdamsGary AdlerFred AldridgeJo AlexanderBob AlligoodEleanor AshbyJames AtkinsBarbara BaldRonald J. BannisterW. Ray BarbeeJohn BarbourGerald BartelsJudy BatchelderJacquelyn Ba tesC. Ronald BeltonLuann BennettJames V. E. BentStephen BerryW. O. BirchfieldMargaret BlackSusan H. BlackJames R. Boddie, Jr.Arthur H. .BolteForrest F. BooneJames L. BorlandJohn BowdenBruce BowerWayne BowersFrederick W. BowmanMary-Louise BoyerLew BrantleyAl exander Br es tGlanzel BrownJohn C. BryanJ. Shepard Bryan, Jr.Cecilia A. BryantEzekiel BryantJ. D. Buchanan, Jr.John BunkerJamesW. BurkeJ. W. BurnetteJohnnie Lee ByrdJohn F. ByrneWilliam H. CaldwellBetty CarleyJoe CarlucciDeloris R. CarnTom CarpenterDale CarsonUlysses B. CarterWilliam CarterJoan CarverRobert CarverR. Daniel CastleGene CenterFrank Cerveny

Yank CobleCarine W. ColeEddie Collins, Jr.Cecil W. ConeDaniel CookWilliam CookGenie CookeGeorge CorrickO. B. CosbyRichard CoveyNancie CrabbL.E. CrittendenWilliam J. CrossenJoseph CullenGerald DakeHoward L. DaleJ. J. DanielLee Daniel, Jr.James E. DavisKevin L. DavisRobert DavisVera DavisWalter DickinsonHoney DonzigerDottie DorionWalter DormanPaul C. DoyleVarinaM. DruceRuby R. DuBoseLawrence J. DuBowConnie EdgarKen EilermannAlbert Ernes t

Shirley EtheridgeRoosevelt EvansJimmie FantDremaFarmerJames S. FarrRichard G. Fenn

Emmett FergusonRonnie Ferguson

George R. FisherSusan FisherRobert FlowersJoe ForsheeTillie Fowler

Ginger FraileyEllen Fr ank

George A. FrankMoses Freeman, Jr.Juanita L. Fre'reFrank Friedman, Jr.George Gable, Jr.John F. GaillardMarvin GansonSallie GarlingtonJudy GefterCourtney L. George

JCCI MEMBERSHIP

Margaret GibbsHarold Gibson

Jim GilmoreA. E. Girardeau

James A. GlosterJake M. GodboldHerbert Gold

Gerald GoldsmithLois GraessleAlice GrantCynthia Carey-vrancMonty O. GreeneHoward GreensteinAnne GrimesRichard G. GroffB. A. Grubbs

Ginger GuyetteAlice R. HadwinMattox HairPat Hannan

Major HardingGeorge HarmonDavid HarrellWilliam HarrellRosanne HartwellPreston Haskell

Tom Healy

James HenryDavid Hicks

Marvin Hill, Jr.Helen HoekengaR. B. HolmesWendell Holmes

Betty HolzendorfElla HornsbyHomer HumPhriesJ. Earl HuntleyRodney Lo Hurs tKitty InmanAlberta JacksonDavid B. JacksonHattie R. JacksonJesse A. JacksonWilliam JacksonMarilyn JacobsJudy JacobsonIsaiah James

Kenneth L. JohnsonWilliam L~ JohnsonCharleneJonesSilas E. JonesMorton Kesler

Charles E. Kin~IraKogerDaniel KossoffJulie H. KuntzHelen Lane

Daniel Lauray

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William G. Lee, Jr.Melinda J. LeightyMadelyn LevinEarI LewisJohn LewisMax Long

George LongworthJean Ludlow

Royce LylesWilford C. Lyon, Jr.Lacy Mahon

Bruce ManningRichard C. Martin

Hugh Maston, Jr.

William S. Mathias, Jr.Meltonia MayDonald McClure

Jane McCullaghJames T. McGibonyAnne G. McIntosh

Rudolph McKissickWilliam C. Merwin

Joseph F. MikulasBobbie-Sue MillerGene Miller

Doug MilneTeala Milton

John P. MinahanJohn MonskyMax K. Morris

Linda MoseleyMichael J. MoyE. Ronal MuddRod M. Nicol

Maria O'Hearn

Michael S. O'LearyJames M. OlsenPrime OsbornFlo Nell Ozell

StevePajcicTed PappasGene Parks

Espie PatrinelyPam PaulTrinita L.PetersenMary Alice Phelan

Brenda PriestlyJack QuaritiusCaroline RademacherAnn Radwan

Christine Rasche

Harry ReaganBobby G. ReidMelvin P. ReidMac ReiggerFranklin ReinstineDel RevelsRobert L. Richard

James C. RinamanLynwood RobertsAndrew RobinsonAnne Ross

Johnny SandersHerbert SangFrank R. SatchelBob SchellenberBGert Schmidt

Harry SchnabelSuzanne Schnabel

Fred SchultzIsabelle SearsFred SeelyBettye SessionsBarbara SharpSandra L. SheppardR. T. ShircliffMary Lou ShortFrances SimmonsKenneth M. SmithBette J. SoldwedelLeonard SpearmanMary SpuhlerJohn Stafford, Jr.Martin SteinRobertA. SternEddie Mae StewardKathryn StrayerJohn J. SulikI. M. SulzbacherWilliam SulzbacherMarcus TamplinHans G. TanzlerC. Chadwick TaylorMari TerbrueggenRobert H. Threlke1James H. TobinArnold Tri tt"Barbara TwineAshley VerlanderB. J. Walker

Larry J. WeasThomas E. Weaver

Al WellsJim WellsDick Weston-Jones

Coby R. White

Margaret WiegandIsaiah Williams

Walter Williams, Jr.Courtenay WilsonHugh WilsonStephen R. WiseBetty Wood

Wayne Wood

Julie Woodruff

Benjamin WygalClaude Yates

R. P. T. YoungA. P. ZecheUaBarbara Zimmerman