By Cara Jean Nielsen,
Special Assessments Program Manager

A Master Plan is “Your Neighborhood’s Vision.” Most neighborhoods have things they want to improve, such as neighborhood identification; or they want to solve a safety problem such as speeding traffic. A Master Plan puts onto paper ideas and solutions – giving a cohesive guide for residents to follow so they can achieve their goals. To see if you’re interested in Master Planning, City Staff will come to your neighborhood with a slide show, talk about the process, and show how other neighborhoods have taken advantage of this program to improve their communities. Included in the presentation will be:
  • Funding of a Master Plan through NCIP
  • “Wish list” of neighborhood improvements
  • Developing a Master Plan, including cost estimates
  • Funding mechanisms, including Special Assessment
  • Special Assessment Process
  • Community involvement is critical to the process.
  • Once you determine your neighborhood is supportive of a Master Plan and funding of construction mostly through Special Assessment, the neighborhood:
  • Applies for a NCIP grant to Master Plan your neighborhood
  • After approval, City Staff will select the design consultant for Master Planning through a RFP process
  • Charettes/workshops with the design consultant and City Staff will be held for ideas for Master Plan design – these are small discussion groups to solicit ideas. Neighborhood participation is crucial – the more people the better
  • The design consultant begins to put ideas on paper
  • A 2nd charette is held to show preliminary drawings from the consultant and solicit more ideas
  • More meetings with the community are held to fine tune design and discuss main priorities
  • Design team modifies plans
  • Preliminary cost estimates are crated
  • Meetings are held until the community reaches consensus on design. Preliminary cost estimates are shared to assist in this process to assist the neighborhood in their priorities
  • Concept plans are finalized – neighborhood now ha their vision and potential costs
  • Once staff feels comfortable that the neighborhood has reached consensus, an official City Questionnaire will be sent to all property owners in that neighborhood. Based on the percentage of questionnaires received back, and the positive number of responses, the Commission decides on whether to move forward with the project and fund construction plans
  • Assuming the support from the community is evident, and the Commission directs staff to move forward with design, a consultant is hired to do the final design
  • While the final design is worked on, Staff continues to keep the neighborhood informed
  • A State-certified appraiser – with experience in Special Assessments – is hired to determine how the Special Assessment will be spread. Historically, single-family home neighborhoods are usually done by an equal share method. Neighborhoods that are “mixed,” i.e. a blend of condos, multi-family, commercial, etc., are sometimes done by different industry-accepted standard methods
  • Once final design has been reached, accurate cost estimates are determined from construction plans
  • Week-long final workshops are held so that the community can review the final designs and what their cost of the project will be
  • A Public Hearing in front of the City Commission is held approximately three months after the workshops. It takes this long to get to Public Hearing due to the requirements under FS 170 – the Florida law that governs Special Assessment. A certified letter is mailed out to each property owner in the assessment area to notify them of the Public Hearing.
  • At the Public Hearing, the Commission will set the assessment amount for each homeowner in the project area and a lien will be placed on the property for the amount of the assessment, until it is paid in full.
  • Construction/bid documents are prepared and City solicits bids for construction
  • After the bid is awarded, construction begins. Staff meets with community for updates on progress
  • Once construction is complete, the project is closed out. The City sends out a bill to each homeowner in the assessment area for payment of the assessment amount, which was set at the public hearing
  • Historically, if the amount is less than $1,000, the City requires the payment due upon receipt of the bill; and if the amount is more than $1,000, the homeowner can choose to make yearly payments, in equal installments, for up to 10 years.

Click here to view details on proposed improvements.
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