Oak Hill commission proposes citizen advisory committee, seeks planners to update comprehensive plan

Mayor Taylor opened the Dec. workshop of the Oak Hill City Commission to begin a comprehensive plan update and the commission agreed to move forward with a citizen advisory committee to guide revisions. "Comprehensive plan update, general discussion," the mayor said as the meeting began.

The commission discussed membership, schedule and whether to pay for outside technical help. A city staff member said staff had "reached out to the East Central Florida Regional Planning Commission" to request low-cost facilitation and technical assistance and expected cost details by the end of the week. Commissioners said the regional commission would be a lower-cost alternative to private firms such as Kimley-Horn and Mead & Hunt, both mentioned in the discussion.

Resident Terry Mason introduced himself and volunteered to serve on the advisory board: "Terry Mason, 659 Angelia Drive. I was interested in it, being a part of the comprehensive plan board," he said. Commissioners agreed the committee should include representatives from the Planned Land Development Review Committee (PLDRC) and citizen members, with the commission retaining final responsibility for any changes.

Debate at the workshop touched on technical issues the committee will review. One participant urged the commission to consider a 0.5-acre minimum lot size for certain residential areas, arguing that smaller lots in nearby developments had sold well. "Let's do the right thing from now on and get 0.5 acre lots going," a resident said. Other speakers recommended clarifying the difference between major and minor developments (one cited the current 5-acre dividing line) and fixing inconsistent definitions in the code, including separate definitions of a "tree" in different sections.

Commissioners discussed timing and scope: they proposed reviewing the future land-use element first and set an internal target (April) for completing that element's review. The commission asked staff to prepare a list of planner candidates for the next meeting; commissioners said they expected to have candidates available for consideration on Dec. 8 and, if selected, to have the advisory committee begin meeting in January.

On procurement, one commissioner proposed issuing a request for proposals for planners so the city could evaluate options and hire a planner responsive to the commission's needs. Staff said they would report back at the next regular meeting with more detail about planner availability and potential costs. The commission did not take formal votes to hire a planner at the workshop.

The workshop closed after a motion to adjourn was made and seconded.