Saint Cloud planning commission gets training on mixed-use districts, city to update future land use element

John F. Adams, vice president and shareholder of RJWA Inc., gave a training to the Saint Cloud Planning Commission on the history, purpose and regulatory structure of mixed-use districts, telling commissioners the rules are intended to concentrate growth in urban centers and preserve rural areas.

The training, delivered at a regular commission meeting, walked commissioners through why Osceola County adopted mixed-use districts, how conceptual master plans and site development plans work, and the design principles — walkability, interconnectivity, a mix of place types and phased implementation — that guide the form and allowable densities of mixed-use development.

Adams said the county concluded that keeping pre-2003 suburban densities (about 1.04 dwelling units per acre) statewide would be unsustainable without raising millage rates. “If we kept doing what we were doing, their taxes are going up,” Adams said, summarizing a key finding of…