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Sanford reviews growth-tier map as consultants warn 14,000 potential housing units could strain water, wastewater and fire services
Summary
At a special April 28 workshop, Freese and Nichols told Sanford leaders there are roughly 14,000 potential new housing units in approved or pending developments; consultants advised the city to consider System Development Fees or other funding to maintain current levels of service for water, wastewater and fire protection.
Alexis Garcia of Freese and Nichols presented a draft Growth Tier Map and policy framework to the Sanford City Council on April 28, saying the tool is intended to help the council and staff analyze annexation requests and long-term service needs for water, wastewater, parks, streets and sidewalks. Consultants recapped a March 24 meeting and said this session would emphasize utilities and public infrastructure rather than prior topics such as police, fire, schools and libraries.
Consultant Charles Archer told council there are about 12,000 lots in already-approved developments and roughly 2,000 more under review — about 14,000 potential new housing units within the City’s jurisdiction. Archer said water, wastewater and fire service are the most expensive to extend and that the city should factor those capital and operational costs into annexation and development decisions. He told the council TriRiver Water’s system is currently sound, citing ongoing maintenance, adequate fire flow capacity and long-range planning as supporting factors.
Assistant City Manager Vic Czar said Developers’ Agreements currently provide one source of funding for infrastructure extensions but that the city may shift toward System Development Fees (SDFs) to offset future costs; he confirmed staff and consultants have run long-range projections extending more than 40 years to estimate water and wastewater needs. The consultants proposed using the Growth Tier Map and an accompanying policy to make annexation analyses more consistent and to identify where new development would trigger major capital investments.
Consultants also flagged recreational land as a constraint for growth. Garcia said the National Recreation and Park Association recommends 10 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents while Sanford currently has about 0.75 acres per 1,000 residents; she noted Sanford adopted a Parks, Recreation and Greenway Plan in 2024 and has plans for a new park near City Hall. Garcia suggested parks could become a bargaining chip in annexation negotiations or part of incentive packages offered to developers.
On operations, Garcia said solid waste collection and route distances are a practical limit on expanding service areas while Public Works maintains sidewalks within City rights-of-way and is working on a 'Safe Streets for All' project. Consultant Danny Wilson recommended excluding streets and sidewalks from the Growth Tier Map because of limited concrete data to tier those assets reliably.
The consultants said they will prepare a draft growth tier map and policy for the council to review at a June 23, 2026, work session and aim to present a final draft for adoption in October 2026. The presentation and council questions focused on where new development would impose the greatest fiscal and operational demands, and on whether the city’s funding approach should change to preserve existing service levels as the city grows.
