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Home My WebLink AboutGDC Master Land Use Plan Sebastian HighlandsI SEBASTIAN HIGHLANDS MASTER LAND USE PLAN INDIAN RIVER COUNTY JUNE 1979 GENERAL DEVELOPMENT CORP PREPARED FOR GENERAL DEVELOPMENT BY BISCAYNEE ENGINEERING- MIAMI, FT. LAUDERDALE, COCOA TARIJ-1 OF CO\TTI-NTS ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION IMAGE OF THE COkMNITY OTHER CG 4,1UNITY FACILITIES, PARKS & OPEN SPACE POPULATION alPLOYMENTT APPENDIX 2 SEBASTIAN I f I GI R ANDS LAND USE PLAN ABSTRACT Historically, land use plans have been general guides to provide communities with not only a physical design, but also basic information about its future citizens so that service demands, needs and wants may be anticipated and satisfied. Only recently, legislation has been enacted requiring local land use plans to be adopted legal documents with the traditional imple- mentation tools such as zoning, to be subservient to the land use plan. It is the intent of this plan to revert back to the historical use. General Development, via this report, is giving to the local planners an overview of Sebastian Highlands and supplying them with the necessary information to allow them to integrate this plan into their community plans. The information presented in this report is based on land uses shown on the corresponding map. -1- INTRODUCTION Sebastian Highlands is a 5,000 acre single family home development located in the City of Sebastian and contiguous to the pristine Sebastian Inlet of the Indian River. To date the land has been subdivided into 13,088 lots (see Appendix 1) with a few unsubdivided parcels that would generate approximately 190 lots. Beyond housing, General Development has planned for most of the future needs of its residents. Approximately 127 acres have been set aside for parks, 44 acres for schools, 28 acres for churches and civic centers, and 75 acres for commercial establishments. Furthermore, two parcels locat- ed at the airport, and a small one -acre parcel on U.S. 1 are recommended for light industrial and commercial uses respectively. For the purposes of analysis, the proposed development has been divided into 10 study areas (see Table 1, Page 3). As of March, 1979, 10,701 homesites have been sold, of which 317 have already been constructed. A small tennis complex has also been constructed on the civic center site located near the main entrance on U.S. 1. -2- IMAGE 01: 11T-. CONTI N I TY Kevin Lynch, a prominent theorist in urban design, has set forth the premise that one's image of his community is very important when developing his concept of home. Lynch has broken down the overall image into five elements which the individual observes in conceiviyg his image: Paths, Edges, Districts, Nodes and Landmarks. This system also provides planners with a useful method to analyze and present the char- acteristics of communitites; and the following report does just that. The Edge The edge is simply the boundary of the development. It is certainly definable and there are controlled entrance and exit points which enhance the definition. Districts The entire development could be considered a district of the City of Sebastian, with the exception of the previously mentioned industrial tracts which are to be located in a sep- arate district. Landmarks A landmark is a stark identifiable point on the landscape such as a unique building or a large monument. Hopefully, the churches planned to occupy the five sites will be of unique enough architectural design to serve as landmarks. Nodes Nodes are strategic areas that provide focal or reference points from which to navigate and orientate one's home. They may be a downtown, a park, civic or shopping centers, and similar uses. The following identifies the nodes of Sebastian Highlands (see Figure 1, Page 6 ). 1. Lynch, Kevin; The Image of the City, The MIT Press, 1960 -4- I . High School: 71he County School Board Adminis- trators lave sincere desire that the proposed high school (al -0 adjacent church and civic center sites) will be much more than the simple titles imply. Upon acquiring the site, the Administra- tors envision a multi-purpose community center sponsoring such programs as adult education, athletic events and social functions. 2. Primary Shopping Center: As the largest of the three sites, this center will provide the primary stores and services to the future residents. Being over 18 acres in size, the site could ac- commodate over 190,000 square feet of leasable area. This could include a major department store, grocery and several small retail and professional service establishments. 3. Secondary Shopping Center/Elementary School: eking almost acres in size, this smaller center could accommodate 125,000 square feet of leasable area. Still large enough to support a grocery and drug stores and several small retail or service establishments. The 12 -acre elementary school site is large enough for an average size school with a small athletic field. 4. Civic Site: The larger six -acre parcel would be ideal for a small library or medical facility. The smaller 2.5 -acre parcel already has tennis courts constructed upon it. 5, 6, 73, 8. Parks: These park sites are large enough to allow airly diversified uses such as tennis, racketball, basketball, lawn bowling or in the case of 8, scenic picnic area. Paths Paths are, of course, the routes one travels to and from the nodes and other districts. Figure 1, Page 6 , also shows the thoroughfares (U.S.1 and Fellsmere Highway) and collectors that serve Sebastian Highlands. Within the development, the collectors and local streets have right-of-ways 80 and 50 feet respectively. -S- OTHER COMMUNITY FACILITIES, PARKS AND OPEN SPACE Because of their importance, it is necessary to discuss all the facilities planned for Sebastian Highlands, and not just the ones mentioned above. In all, five sites totaling 15.14 acres have been set aside for civic centers. Although no specific uses have been determined, the sites could be used for medical facil- ities, library, small auditoriums or meeting places for fraternal organizations. Three sites totaling 37.26 acres have been designated for utility plants or substations. If they are not used for such purposes, their size and location will permit other uses. Thirty-three sites totaling 126.91 acres are designated for parks. They vary substantially in size and suitability for various uses ranging from passive to active. In addi- tion, there are 45.13 acres of other open space consisting largely of low land unsuitable for development. Adding this land to that set aside for parks equals 172.04 acres or 5.56 acres of open space per 1,000 population. Furthermore there are 135.73 acres of canals and water retention areas. Although their use is limited, they render the community a more spacious appearance. Last, but certainly not least, a small yacht club on the Indian River has been provided for the use of the resi- dents of Sebastian Highlands. POPULATION The Indian River County Planning and Zoning Department has estimated the average number of person per occupied household in Sebastian to be 2.33. Assuming a 100% occupancy (to project maximum impact) of the proposed 13,278 homes would result in a population of 30,938. The homes currently under construction are in the market range of moderate income families. If this trend continues, Sebastian Highlands will become a family oriented community rather than one made up substantially of retirees. -7- EMPLOYMENT The projection of employment without knowing the specific types of employers is very difficult and has been proven grossly inaccurate. However, assuming the two shopping centers will consist mainly of general retail es- tablishments, and the two industrial tracts will attract electronics, light fabricating, or warehouse/transportation, some very rough "guesstimates" can be made. As previously estimated, the two shopping centers could support 315,000 square feet of gross leasable area. At one employee to 750 to 1,000 square feet of gross leas- able area equals 420 to 315 employees. In addition to the two shopping centers, there are approximately 42 acres zoned for commercial use along Fellsmere Highway (State Road 512), which will provide additional employment. The two industrial tracts could support 1,500,000 square feet of gross leasable area and would generate pos- sible employment for 800 to 1200 persons. .MM APPENDIX Ma