§ 15-821. Legislative findings.

The board of county commissioners (the "board") finds as follows:

(a)

Prior to 2006, the land included in what is now known as the Innovation Way Overlay, generally bounded by State Road 417 on the west, State Road 528 on the north, the Econlockhatchee River on the east, and the Osceola County line on the south, was designated primarily for rural use in the future land use element and the future land use map of the comprehensive plan.

(b)

In 2005, Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty proposed the vision of a regional high-technology corridor linking the University of Central Florida to the Orlando International Airport, and thereafter the county commissioned the 2005 Innovation Way Economic Development and Resource Management Study ("Study").

(c)

The Study was completed in December 2005 and created a platform to begin the planning process for the Innovation Way Overlay.

(d)

Through a series of intensive community meetings and several public hearings, a planning vision for the Innovation Way Overlay was created. Central to this planning vision was the creation of a regional corridor linking the University of Central Florida to the Orlando International Airport, anchoring the creation of economic catalysts like industry and technology parks and the creation of high technology/high value jobs and businesses.

(e)

This high technology corridor concept, vital to the economic growth of the greater Orlando metropolitan area and diversification of the region's economic and employment base, requires higher development densities and intensities than can be accomplished with the rural future land uses that were designated for the Innovation Way Overlay.

(f)

Although greater density and intensity of development is necessary to achieve the economic goals of the high technology regional corridor, there are substantial areas of ecologically important lands located within the Innovation Way Overlay, and the need for economic diversification and development must be balanced with the protection of the environment.

(g)

The vision for the Innovation Way Overlay; incorporates the high technology corridor concept and includes protection of ecologically important lands. This balancing of high technology/high value economic development with environmental protection requires innovative urban form, multimodal transportation concepts and infrastructure, and sustainable development practices.

(h)

The board formally adopted the vision for and created the Innovation Way Overlay by adopting goals, objectives, and policies and by adopting a map depicting the Innovation Way Overlay, in the comprehensive plan in 2006 (Ordinance No. 2006-08 ). These goals, objectives and policies for the Innovation Way Overlay required the creation of an Environmental Land Stewardship Program ("ELSP") by adoption into the comprehensive plan and implementation by ordinance.

(i)

The board amended the comprehensive plan goals, objectives and policies in 2009 (Ordinance No. 2009-28 ) and in 2016 (Ordinance No. 2016-04) to establish the ELSP and set forth its primary principles consistent with the original purpose.

(j)

The primary purpose of the ELSP is to provide protection for the area's environmental resources while allowing opportunities for sustainable economic development.

(k)

Consistent with the comprehensive plan goals, objectives and policies pertaining to the Innovation Way Overlay and the ELSP, and the primary purpose of the ELSP, lands to be protected under the ELSP are identified based on one (1) or more of the following five (5) principles: to provide additional buffering along the Econlockhatchee River; to create, enhance, and preserve wildlife corridors; to provide adequate crossings for wildlife and water conveyance; to protect habitat on ecologically important lands; and to protect rare habitat. The county, in cooperation with the owners of the largest properties within the Innovation Way Overlay (the International Corporate Park property south of State Road 528, the Innovation Way East property, the Camino Reale property, the Starwood property, and the property formerly known as Camino Reale South), all as more particularly described on Appendix "B," created a map known as the Innovation Way Environmental Land Stewardship Program (ELSP) Map (Innovation Way ELSP Map). The overarching goal of the map was to identify Stewardship Lands (as hereinafter defined) on those referenced properties, which meet one (1) or more of the five (5) principles, consistent with the objectives and policies of Innovation Way. The map was submitted to and approved by the county.

Data from multiple sources was used and relied upon for analysis and identification of Stewardship Lands on the referenced properties, including the following: the Innovation Way Study, Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI), St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Databases, Florida Land Use, Cover and Forms Classification System (FLUCFCS), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) Habitat Model Data, and specific site indicators such as topography, vegetation, soils data, floodplain information, and other field observations.

(Ord. No. 2010-04 , § 1, 4-20-10; Ord. No. 2016-05 , § 1, 1-26-16)