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Cocoa staff begin seven‑year evaluation of city comprehensive plan to meet state deadline
Summary
Contract planners from RVI briefed the council on the Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) process required by state law, a timeline leading to transmittal to the state by October and recommended planning horizon through 2050; the work will focus on statutory consistency, data analysis and public hearings.
At the March special meeting the council heard an overview of the city’s Evaluation and Appraisal Report process — the state‑mandated review of the comprehensive plan — from Alexis Crespo of RVI and her project team.
“This is a document that we’re required to have by state law,” Crespo told the council, explaining that the city’s plan must be reviewed for consistency with changes in Florida statutes and amended as necessary. Crespo outlined a phased approach: a preliminary assessment, policy edits to achieve statutory consistency, and a transmittal to the state followed by adoption hearings.
Why it matters: The comprehensive plan guides future land use, infrastructure, capital improvements and housing policy. Crespo said the state requires a 20‑year planning horizon; RVI recommended the city adopt an extended horizon (to 2050) to provide “a little bit of wiggle room.” The review will consider each goal, objective and policy in the plan and will focus first on changes needed to comply with recent state law.
Key details: Crespo said the team will analyze population growth, demographic shifts, vacant developable land, housing stock and infrastructure capacity; the preliminary assessment will be issued to staff in the coming month and posted for public review. She said staff will return to the council with a marked‑up (strike‑through/underline) version showing edits before transmittal to the state. RVI team members present included Patrick Murray and Carol Zapata; Stockton Whitten introduced the presentation and told councilors the work was on a state schedule.
Public involvement and schedule: Crespo and staff said the city will publish the preliminary assessment on the city website, hold planning and zoning hearings and schedule multiple public hearings before council prior to transmittal. The consultants said they anticipated returning with draft amendments late in the summer so the city can meet the state’s October transmittal deadline.
Next steps: Staff will post the evaluation report, incorporate council feedback, and prepare amendments for transmittal and state review; final local adoption would follow the state review cycle.
