§ 1.6. Elements and Critical Components of the 2016 Plan

1.6.1 How the Elements Function Together

The various elements of the Comprehensive Plan have been designed to work together and critical relationships exists amongst the elements. The following table ( Table 1-2 ) explains some of these relationships for the most important elements of the Plan.

1.6.2 Santa Rosa County's Planning Area Framework

A critical component of the 2016 Comprehensive Plan is recognizing the diversity of Santa Rosa County and building in some ability to plan for the various areas of the County in different ways. Santa Rosa is many things, it is a home for several military bases, it is agricultural in parts and historic in parts with rich culture, it is an urbanizing beachfront community, and it is a bedroom to the Pensacola urban area.

Recognizing this within the Plan is mechanism for the County's planning efforts to be more tailored and responsive to the needs of the various communities located within Santa Rosa.

Along these lines, the County has been divided into six separate and distinct planning areas ( Map 1-2 ). These planning areas have been developed considering the availability of centralized water and sewer services, the existing development pattern, census tract divisions, transportation infrastructure and environmental constraints. A description of each planning area including any special or small area planning efforts within each larger planning area can be found within the Future Land Use Element's Supporting Documentation. The main goals of the planning areas are also described in the Support Documentation for the Future Land Use Element.

Table 1-2: Relationship of Key Comprehensive Plan Elements to Other Elements of the Plan

Element	Related Elements
Future Land Use	Infrastructure— —the availability of infrastructure and the County's concurrency management system greatly influence the availability of raw land for development at higher densities and intensities in a financially sustainable manner	Conservation —the conservation element establishes areas of the County that are set aside for conservation purposes influencing the availability of lands for development	Transportation —the transportation network enables commerce and citizen mobility which are key development inputs
Transportation	Infrastructure —addresses public water and sewer, stormwater and solid waste, thereby helping to shape development trends within the planning horizon and influencing the analysis of transportation demand and facility need	Coastal Management —management of transportation services for the purposes of hazard mitigation	Recreation and Open Space —determines the location and types of recreational facilities for which access is necessary, as well as addressing conversions of abandoned transportation facilities to active recreational trails, and the establishment of an overall system of bikeways and pedestrian trails	Capital Improvements — transportation capital outlay, which should support the Goals, Objectives, and Policies of the Plan
Capital Improvements	Infrastructure —the LOS standards contained within the Infrastructure Element provide the Planning basis or establish the need for additional capital projects	Intergovernmental Coordination —provides opportunities to improve the County's collaboration and coordination with other agencies, such as the Florida Department of Transportation, neighboring Counties and jurisdictions, and private utilities who are facility or service providers within the County	Recreation and Open Space —provides guidance on the development of recreational facilities within the County. This includes analysis of current facilities and policies related to needs	Future Land Use —the availability of infrastructure or planned infrastructure influences the ultimate development potential of the Future Land Use Map
Conservation	Future Land Use —land characteristics that are described in the Conservation Element such as soil types or the presence of wetlands influence the development potential of the Future Land Use Map and also have influenced the development of conservations lands within the County	Recreation and Open Space —the conservation lands within the County are an abundant resource for both recreational facilities and open space preservation and enhancement