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+ Comp Plan Highlights Part 1

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+ Comp Plan Highlights 2

+ Height Workshop 10/11/07

+ Written Comments, Part 1

+ Interim Development Ordinance

+ Written Comments, Part 2

+ Final Ward Meetings

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Comp Plan Highlights Part 1

Your comments count!

(click here for "Highlights Part 2)

This is your chance to help shape the future of the city. The Council has set up a new e-mail address specifically for your comments:

bslcompplan@yahoo.com

You may also drop off written comments at the Library in Bay St. Louis, City Council Office or the Hancock Chamber. If you wish to mail in comments, send to:

City Council Office
P O Box 2550
Bay St. Louis, MS 39521

Copies will be made of all comments received and given to each council member and the planners.

The first public meeting concerning the new Bay St. Louis Comprehensive Plan was held on August 9th with participation by almost 200 citizens.

BSL Comprehensive Plan Highlights Part 1

The entire plan is available for download at the Hancock Chamber site and hard copies can be read at various locations. Click here for a concise explanation of what a “comp plan” actually is and why public input on the draft is so critical at this point in the process.

Below is a summary
of the draft’s first 36 pages

Issues that stimulated intensive discussion between members of the Advisory Committee in the past year have been highlighted in yellow:

Page 1: Describes the standard requirements that a comp plan must address: Goals and Objectives for the next 20 – 25 years, land use plan, transportation plan and community facility plan.

Pages 2-5: Lists some of the sources that the plan draws from, including Renewal Forum, Governor’s Commission, various Task Forces and existing plans.

Pages 6 – 16: Existing Land Use: Discusses present land-uses and provides charts and statistics to consider while formulating a future land-use guide.

Pages 17-19: A description of Goals and Objectives, listing sources of the community vision.

Pages 20 – 26: Key Issues Facing the City This list includes topics that were researched and discussed at length by the Advisory Committee. They include:

1. FEMA Advisory Base Flood Elevations – discusses the problems many homeowners will face with rebuilding under new elevation requirements and the importance of the city’s participation in the National Flood Insurance Program.

2. Insurance – Discusses that limited access and increased cost of insurance will affect the redevelopment efforts.

3. Sustainability of the Community – Covers the issues of rebuilding a stronger community to protect investments, reduce costs of damages and speed recovery from future storms. “The committee made recommendations which would encourage denser developments on higher land within the City of Bay St. Louis and encourage less intensive developments on areas likely to flood, or wetlands areas which may serve to mitigate some of the flooding from storm surge.”

4. Long-Term Economic Recovery – Discusses why maintaining community character and identity is key to long-term economic prosperity, both by attracting tourists and providing quality of life to support, attract and recruit new and existing residents and businesses.

5. Increased Height and Density:

Density - Presents options for increasing density on higher ground, drawing from ideas on Traditional Neighborhood Development* (see definition of this at end of this summary).

“Owners of houses lost in Bay St. Louis will be hard pressed to build back homes… unless there is a way to fund the additional costs of new hurricane resistant construction. Added density on linear lots provides that opportunity to make the community in its own image.”

This section accordingly considers options such as garage and mother-in-law apartment, granny flats, courtyard housing, and mansion houses with multiple units.

Also discussed by the Advisory Committee, was the need for a new zoning classification if these options are adopted – something between R-2 (duplex) and R-3 (high density residential).

Height – “The issue of height is both a character issue and also an economic issue for small businesses seeking to rebuild in downtown. The Advisory Committee considered a height limitation of 50 feet within the downtown area would provide for a four story structure. The committee also recommended that a workshop be held with architects, engineers and developers to understand the costs of construction, requirements of FEMA and City to meet new elevation requirements and coastal construction requirements and the costs of insurance.” Note: 50 feet is approximately the height of the Masonic Temple on Main Street.

“Height restrictions should also be considered for multi-family residential and mixed-use developments including condominiums. The committee considered a ten story height limitation as a guideline within specific condominium designated areas.” Note: For instance, the Riverwalk development on the Jordan River.

More on height, see below

6. Redevelopment and Growing with Character – Recommendations by the Advisory committee include “reestablishing the character (for the) economic well-being of the community…” “Highway 90 and 603 should be attractive in order to encourage economic vitality along the business corridor.”

7. Second Home Development- Discusses the importance of 2nd homes in the community and considers options for encouraging their redevelopment.

Page 27 – 36:
Lists Goals and Objectives
on the topics of Community Character, Downtown and Retail Development, Economic Development, Housing and Land Use.

There are 23 Goals listed under these various topics. Most Goals are followed by one or more Objectives – specific means of obtaining those goals. There are 60 Objectives.

These 9 pages of the draft contain many items that will have an enormaous impact on community residents and businesses. Each deserves careful consideration and citizens are strongly encouraged to read ALL nine pages thoroughly. The individual goals and objectives listed below are NOT necessarily the most important – they are merely ones that opened up the most dialogue in Advisory Committee meetings.

Community Character
(pages 27 and 28)

Goal 1: “Preserve the small town and unique character of the city, by protecting and nurturing architectural heritage, natural resources, the arts community and small businesses.

Objective 1: Establish design guidelines and architectural standards…. Note: The city has contracted with “Placemakers” – nationally known planners - to formulate just such guidelines (funded by a CDGB grant). Work will begin on this project shortly.

Objective 2: Establish a height limitation of 50 feet within the downtown area of Bay St. Louis to retain the character of the community. Establish a height limitation for businesses on the beachside of Beach Boulevard in the downtown area of 35 feet.

The committee felt that the city should host a workshop with developers and architects to understand the economic feasibility of building within these height limitations, as well as actual costs of reconstruction and illustrate how the downtown may look with higher buildings.

Goal 2: Encourage vibrant and diverse neighborhoods and a healthy downtown business district, incorporating mixed use techniques that foster walkability and community interaction and attraction as a tourist destination.

Objective1: Investigate form-based codes (Smart Code) in areas of the City in which new building is necessary and desirable, and through form based codes, new development can enhance local character and local vitality.

Objective 2. Utilize cluster development and Traditional Neighborhood Development standards* to incorporate condominium, housing redevelopment and mixed-use developments into existing neighborhoods. These standards should establish the height, density and scale of the development to be complementary to existing adjacent developments.

Downtown and Retail Development
(pages 28 and 29)

GOAL 1: Maintain a healthy retail and small business community, which attracts customers from across the region and people seeking to establish second homes in Bay St. Louis.

Objective 1: Consider mixed-use development in the downtown area to encourage residential living areas over commercial and service oriented land uses.

GOAL 2: Maintain and market historic, cultural and ecological and recreational based tourism in Bay St. Louis.

Objective 1: Establish a plaza in Downtown Bay St. Louis in the proposed waterfront park.

Objective 2: Encourage loft and gallery space in the Depot District.

GOAL 3: Public buildings will remain in Downtown Bay St. Louis, to bring people into downtown at all times of the year.

Objective 1: Encourage the county to rebuild county buildings and reuse these buildings for daily county business in downtown Bay St. Louis.

Objective 2: Establish a parking garage in downtown Bay St. Louis.

GOAL 4: Establish a public marina in or around the downtown area.

Economic Development
(page 30)

Significant Finding: Hancock County is home to the John C. Stennis Space Center and economic developers within the County have targeted the Aerospace sector…

GOAL 1: Develop Bay St. Louis to have a quality of life attractive to businesses seeking to relocate to Hancock County. This includes an emphasis on culture, recreation, education and stable taxes.

GOAL 2: Establish education programs in the Bay St. Louis schools that build an educated technical workforce.

GOAL 3: Position Bay St. Louis to capture a diversity of businesses, including spin-off businesses from the Stennis Space Center, government, defense and aerospace technology contracts or businesses.

Objective 1: Encourage employers to make use of the local workforce.

Objective 2: Encourage high quality office space development, as well as technology centers, to capture businesses that support Stennis Space Center mission or to house spin-off businesses from Stennis Space Center.

GOAL 4: Diversify the City’s economy, but maintain one casino district within the City Bay St. Louis, welcoming other casinos and the types of supportive facilities needed to keep the casino industry thriving within this one district.

GOAL 5. Establish an aggressive economic development campaign to attract new service, retail and professional businesses to all business areas in Bay St. Louis.


Housing
(page 31 and 32)

Significant Finding: The process to rebuild has been slow, and homeowners and developers are faced with many decisions and issues in the rebuilding process. Chief among these issues are the higher costs for insurance and the smaller insurance market, higher construction costs, and changing base flood elevations implemented to mitigate the risk of flooding.

GOAL 1: Make housing available in appropriate quality, quantity, and range of costs in locations, densities and arrangements forming attractive, diverse and sustainable neighborhoods (from the City’s 2000 Comprehensive Plan).

Objective 1: Make every effort to encourage the continuation and upkeep of existing freestanding, single-family dwellings in residential neighborhoods that compose the bulk of the housing in Bay St. Louis. Preserve or improve the neighborhood settings where these houses mainly occur.

Objective 2: Remain open to innovative structures and arrangements promising the maximum number of dwelling units consistent with site and neighborhood characteristics. Obtain efficient use of land to be occupied by housing, especially in dense developments. Provide opportunities to integrate affordability into neighborhoods keeping with the context of the neighborhood. This objective applies to both public and private housing.

Objective 3: Strongly encourage residential developments to locate where suitable roads and utilities are already installed.

Objective 5: Make use of required design elements, discourage demolitions, and allow for special lot dimensions and building placements when these measures will preserve or enhance market values or other residential property in a locale or district.

GOAL 2: Rebuild housing in a manner complementary with historic precedent in architectural design and scale.

Objective 1: Develop design and zoning standards to encourage the style of housing that existed prior to Hurricane Katrina to be built back on Beach Boulevard, but allow additional density to the rear of these homes, to counter act costs associated with rebuilding.

Objective 2: Work with the Mississippi State Department of Archives and History to develop Historic Preservation Ordinance for neighborhoods with significant historic housing stock.

Land Use
(pages 33 – 36)

GOAL 1: Provide the opportunity for higher density subdivisions that incorporate green space into their design, to allow for concentration of populace in the areas least vulnerable to storm surge.

Objective 1: Review zoning ordinance and investigate the use of Smart Code to allow Traditional Neighborhood Developments. *

GOAL 2: Take maximum advantage of natural and historic elements. Bring about and maintain an appearance of neatness, order, prosperity, and small coastal town character and scale. Show thoughtful design of structures and landscapes, and considered placement, architecture and scale of new commercial, institutional, and industrial developments and redevelopments.

Objective 1: Review zoning ordinance and investigate the use of Smart Code to allow Traditional Neighborhood Developments.

Objective 2: Incorporate standards for mixed-use developments within the City’s zoning ordinance.

Significant Finding: The City’s adherence to life and safety codes, including building codes, stormwater ordinances and floodplain ordinances, contributed to the survivability during Hurricane Katrina of some homes, businesses and neighborhoods in Bay St. Louis. The City should continue to plan for resilience.

GOAL 3: Planning for future storms should be one of the primary concerns, in order to maintain lower community insurance ratings reduce damage to structures and infrastructure and facilitate evacuation.

Objective 3: Support proposed land use plans with documented evidence of their sufficiency for purposes of evacuation.

Objective 5: Continue to participate in the Community Rating System Program.

Objective 6: Continue to work with FEMA to adopt Floodplain Management measures that mitigate against the risk of flooding and hurricane damage.

GOAL 5: Establish an intergovernmental mechanism that would coordinate city and county land use decisions.

Objective 1. Establish a joint Planning and Building Department between the City of Bay St. Louis, the City of Waveland and Hancock County that could share support services, mapping capacity and specific areas of building expertise.

Objective 2. Establish regular county and city meetings to share information about land use projects which may have extra-territorial impacts.

GOAL 6: Consistent with safety, regulate sources of noise and light to minimize intrusion into residential areas and individual dwellings. Regulate sources of noise and light interfering with commercial or institutional activities (from the City’s 2000 Comprehensive Plan).

Objective 3: Control by regulation the intrusion of sound from car audio equipment on public streets and, when parked, within hearing range of residential areas, and sound escaping from audio equipment used at home.

Objective 4: Reduce, where possible, intrusive noise and light from industrial and commercial sources.

GOAL 7: Minimize storm water runoff through effective building, landscaping and site

Objective 6: Place special emphasis on FEMA guidelines and apply related engineering models as applicable when elevating or altering the contours in flood plain zones.

Objective 8: Promote public understanding of City and interagency flood related policies and requirements as these pertain to land uses, building practices, and insurance costs.

Objective 9: Encourage the use of conservation easements by developers.

Objective 10: Keep family-oriented activities, such as fishing, biking, shopping and water sports in mind when planning for future land use.

GOAL 8: Bay St. Louis will preserve its wetlands to be enjoyed by citizens and visitors, act as a nursery for fisheries, provide storm protection and provide a base for eco-tourism.

Objective 1: Work proactively with community and regional partners to purchase and preserve wetlands areas within the City.


* A Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) is a neighborhood that shares the following features: it is generally compact, designed for human scale, provides a mix of uses in proximity to one another within the neighborhood; provides a mix of housing styles, types and sizes to accommodate households of all ages, sizes and incomes; incorporates a system of relatively narrow interconnected streets with sidewalks, bikeways, and sometimes, transit, that offer multiple routes for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists; retains existing buildings with historical features or architectural features that enhance the visual character of the community; incorporates significant environmental features into the design; and is a self-sustaining community consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.