West Viera Community Advisory Panel Meeting
October 4, 2005
Facilitator’s Summary

Introduction
The meeting was called to order at 6:15 p.m. by Steve Johnson, President of The Viera Company. Mr. Johnson welcomed everyone and thanked panel members for giving their time and participating in the process. He introduced the facilitator, Analee Mayes.

The following Community Advisory Panel members were present:

Kristin Bakke
Alan Bekkenhuis
Tom Dillon
Jim Fletcher
Kathy Harter
Debbie Helton for Roy Wright
Franck Kaiser
Lidia Lynch
Jennie Ninesling
Dean Pettit
Beverly Pinyerd
Ayn Samuelson
Bob Wille

At panel members’ request, planners followed up by phone with several people who were unable to attend the meeting – Mario Busacca, Keith Winsten and Joanna Bass. They were given the opportunity to review the preliminary concept plan maps and graphics. Their comments are included in this summary under the heading Panel Members’ Comments and Questions.

School Siting Issues
At the request of Ayn Samuelson, the panel members discussed school siting issues briefly. In preparation for the discussion, a white paper had been distributed prior to the meeting outlining the requirements for school siting under the law for Developments of Regional Impact and The Viera Company’s agreement with the Brevard County School Board.

The purpose of the discussion was to raise The Viera Company’s awareness of issues of concern to panel members, so they could be considered as the planning process continues. Highlights of the discussion were as follows:

 The number of school age children in Viera will depend on the diversity of housing and the demographics of buyers.
 How many school age children will live in Viera? Does The Viera Company want to build schools and have children bussed into Viera to attend schools? Or, would it be better to just have Viera residents attend neighborhood schools in Viera?
 It’s important that Viera residents be able to attend Viera schools. The Viera Company should negotiate with the school board to ensure that Viera residents can attend Viera schools.
 People move to neighborhoods for the schools. When buyers realize their children have to be bussed elsewhere instead of attending the schools in their neighborhood they’ll be upset. For example, Suntree residents were bussed to Viera.
 School boundaries are a hot political issue that won’t be resolved in a meeting of the West Viera community advisory panel.
 Neighborhood demographics change over time. It’s not possible to forecast how they may change in the future, affecting the need for schools.
 Viera should be self-supporting, with just the schools needed to serve residents.
 Only 10,000 to 11,000 more units are planned for Viera. According to the formula used by Brevard County schools, 8 new schools will be needed: 5 elementary schools, 2 high schools and 1 middle school.
 The planning team sees schools as the fundamental building blocks of neighborhoods. They are planning for Viera students to attend Viera schools. Schools are to be within walking distance with pedestrian access (trails) from neighborhoods.
 If Viera’s master plan is built on a village concept, it’s important to consider the size of the schools. Brevard County’s tendency is to build very large schools.
 Florida schools are too large, especially for middle school age children.
 To save money on architectural fees and construction costs, the county’s schools are “cookie cutter”.
 The school age population is shrinking. In the future there will be fewer school age children and excess capacity in Florida schools.
 Families with school age children cannot afford today’s single family homes. Construction and insurance costs continue to rise. Only land costs can be controlled by increasing density.
 The school board is looking at a boundary change. With the cost of gas, bussing is increasingly expensive. Board members listen to voters more than they listen to developers.
 Would The Viera Company consider building a school and leasing it back to the school board, to have greater flexibility in the size and design? Or would The Viera Company consider a charter school?

Preliminary Concept Plan
The preliminary concept plan was presented by Joe Anglin, a principal of Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin Lopez Rinehart, Inc. The proposed plan incorporates elements of both concepts presented at the August 4th community advisory panel meeting, referred to as Concepts A and B. Comments of panel members on Concepts A and B are listed below:

Concept A
• Provide more home choices (conventional and traditional).
• Provide realistic form that will accommodate automobiles.
• Provide roadway connectivity while discouraging cut through traffic.
• Provide development form that will allow desired commercial development.
• Provide a marketable plan.
• Provide a plan that will address transportation issues.
• Provide a reason to deviate from current development form.

Concept B
• Provide interconnectivity, so kids can get around on their own in the neighborhood and smaller roads designed to passively regulate traffic.
• Provide larger lots on feeder roads.
• Provide open space.
• Provide the charm of small scale communities (villages w/ squares).
• Provide housing diversity in neighborhoods.
• Provide traffic calming.
• Provide a Publix, a large hardware store, and a movie theater.
• Provide a design so that roads would not need to be widened in the future.
• Provide housing for young professionals.
• Utilize environment and wildlife.

General
• Provide more jobs for west side residents, “tech-jobs.”
• Provide arts and culture for adults and children.

Development Pattern and Density
The preliminary concept plan calls for four new village centers, three south of Wickham Road and east of the power line, and one north of Wickham Road and west of the power line. Density in the villages is about 3 units/acre, on average. The lowest density development provided for in the plan is referred to as rural development. It is located along the western side of the property and is expected to have an overall density of 1 unit per 5 acres. There is a large, connected conservation area along the far western edge of the property adjacent to the River Lakes Conservation Area.

Each village is expected to have a full range of housing types with retail, civic and office uses in the village center. Each village is also expected to have a park and a school. An amphitheater is planned for the village south of Wickham Road, and the area around the intersection of Wickham Road and Stadium Parkway is planned as a health employment center, incorporating the proposed Viera Medical Park. There is also a 120-acre site at the southwest quadrant of Viera Boulevard and I-95 that could be available for a major employer. Some replanning of the town center is proposed, with increased density, a main street, and mixed use.

Street Pattern and Connectivity
The street pattern consists of a network of main streets with some 4-lane road sections. The main street of each village is perpendicular to the through street, like Park Avenue in Winter Park. In each village, the brown area is the area of higher density with interconnected streets. Each neighborhood has streets and pathways back to the village center.

The plan also includes a trail system and a system of interconnected lakes among the villages. The lakes also connect to canals that lead to the conservation area along the west edge of the property and ultimately to the St. Johns River, beyond Viera to the west. The trail system extends from the perimeter of the conservation area, along the lake system, connecting each village to the conservation area.

Conceptual Village
Mr. Anglin showed a concept plan and illustrative photographs of various elements of the villages, which included:

 Town Green – a place for arts and culture
 Village Center – all four village centers will be located on a body of water; as much as 300,000 square feet of office and retail is planned for the center of the village near the Pineda interchange
 Neighborhood Office
 Civic Uses – every village will have an elementary school and church sites
 Recreation Lakes
 Neighborhood Parks
 Trail System
 Open Space Connection into Neighborhoods
 “Nature” Community
 Full Range of Housing Types and Prices – from condominiums to 100-foot wide lots
 Community Parks – active parks will be located in each village
 Blueways

Conceptual Town Center
Mr. Anglin presented a detailed concept plan for the town center, part of the existing Development of Regional Impact. Some replanning of this area is proposed to include higher density housing, a potential hotel/conference center, outdoor cafes and festivals, a Viera Main Street, and additional shopping.

Panel Members’ Comments and Questions
Panel members were asked to share their thoughts on the proposed preliminary concept plan. The following are the highlights of the discussion, organized by major theme:

Concern about the viability of village retail
 Could village centers accommodate stores like Publix? Planners’ response: Village centers may accommodate a store like the one at Baldwin Park in Orlando.
 Concerned about the capacity of the village centers to support the population. Even thought they are not very attractive, neighborhoods need gas stations and mini-storage facilities. Planners’ response: The marketing firm RCL sized the village centers to support the residents. They are not sized for a regional market.
 Will a small scale hardware store in a village center be able to compete with a Lowe’s or Home Depot?
 Worried about the viability of neighborhood commercial uses in the village centers
 Observed the Publix store in Baldwin Park for several hours and saw no bicycles. Commercial uses are struggling even in this beautiful, growing neighborhood. Planners’ response: Commercial success doesn’t come overnight. Even in downtown Winter Park, the commercial area is in constant flux. The stores are always changing.
 Include a green grocer and farmers’ market in village centers

Environmental enhancements
 Like the connected lakes and canals – leave a conservation easement, including the trail, on one side of the connected lake system. If you leave it naturally vegetated or use a combination of landscaped/manicured and naturally vegetated areas, wildlife will use it.
 Maintain adequate wildlife habitat for species, especially the caracara.
 Consider connecting Viera’s east-west trails to the St. Johns River Eco Heritage Trail. The County is working on a plan. Also, Viera’s open space system might tie into the National East Coast Greenway.
 Build bridges across the waterways that are high enough for kayakers.
 Allow kayaks and non-motorized vessels in the surrounding bodies of water.
 Incorporate shoreline treatments that protect water quality, i.e., naturally vegetated ridges between the developed area and the shoreline

Effectively addressed comments from previous meeting
 My concerns were addressed. The plan provides lots of room and flexibility.
 The plan shows the team listened to CAP members in previous sessions
 Like the fact that plan includes places for employment. It’s important that there are places to live and work in Viera.
 Like village greens
 Love the trails
 Like the combination of conventional neighborhoods and traditional neighborhoods
 Aesthetically appealing – wanted to avoid a sea of homes and big box stores. I like the village, nature, character, and “town” feel to the plan.
 Plan incorporates the best of both worlds – Concept A and Concept B
 Viera is building a community.
 The concept of community is very important, and it’s apparent in the plan.
 Like the live/work concept and Viera Main Street
 Plan is consistent with Brevard Tomorrow’s Smart Growth principles
 Overall, pleased with the plan, but concerned that the villages contain too much conventional development and that might affect the success of the concept.

Location and design of the amphitheater
 Why would you locate the amphitheater outside the town center?
 Be careful where you locate the amphitheater. It would be better to locate it in the town center, closer to hotels, malls, restaurants for dining before or after the event
 Noise may be an issue, so be careful with the orientation; if the stage is built up, it pushes the sound up rather than out.
 An amphitheater was discussed in Palm Bay but didn’t materialize there.
 Make it look good when it’s empty – Planners’ response: It could look like a green when it’s empty
 Build businesses into the amphitheater

Housing Diversity
 Suggest live/work units in high density areas of town center and village centers
 Suggest artists’ lofts built into amphitheater
 The plan addressed housing affordability well with diversity of housing densities
 Will there be opportunities for smaller builders? Planners’ response: Yes, that’s the case now in Viera.
 Planners have done a good job addressing workforce housing and allowing for different lifestyles. The plan shows density isn’t always a bad word.
 Neighborhoods should vary in design.

Other
• Would Viera have its own police and fire stations? Planners’ response: Brevard County provides those services. It would be great to include stations in village centers.
• It’s important to remember Brevard County’s agricultural heritage. Would still like to see county fairgrounds located in Viera, for equestrian activities and shows, county fair, 4-H club activities, science fairs, livestock shows, etc.
• Missing element in plan – park like Wickham Park – 200 acres, equestrian activities, camping, swimming on a large lake, pavilions, etc. It can occur on the edge and could also include fairground type uses.
• Are there any examples of communities that accommodate electric vehicles like golf carts? Planners’ response: Yes, but to make it work you have to build a completely separate system of roadways for electric vehicles or promulgate and enforce special traffic laws to ensure safety.
• Public participation process has been good.
• The Viera Company should provide for public access and parking if any of the recreational facilities or lands proposed are intended to be open to the public.
• The Viera Company should ensure that there are adequate water supplies and sewage treatment capacity to serve the proposed development.

Next Steps
This is the last meeting of the West Viera community advisory panel. A community open house meeting will be held Tuesday, October 27th from 4 to 7 pm at Manatee Elementary School to share the preliminary concept plan with the public.

After the community open house, the planning team will begin preparing the Application for Development Approval, for submittal to Brevard County in April 2006. Hearings and final approval for the development plan would be expected to occur at the end of 2006 or the beginning of 2007. During this time, community advisory panel members will be kept informed through periodic email messages.

The Viera Company would like to keep open the possibility of reconvening the community advisory panel in the future. Members present indicated their willingness to meet again if asked.

In his closing remarks, Steve Johnson expressed his great appreciation for contributions of the panel members, the facilitator, and the planning team. The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 pm.