A comprehensive Mobility plan presented to the council outlined strategies to improve on-street and off-street facilities, enhance intersections, and consider future planning needs. The plan includes projects such as adding shared use pathways and filling in sidewalk gaps, as well as follow-on projects like a bicycle master plan and a sidewalk master plan, aimed at addressing local street and accessibility issues. The drive towards adopting a Mobility fee is in response to the need for funding these improvements, especially in light of inflation’s significant effect on construction costs for roadways, sidewalks, and bike lanes.

The plan incorporates a technical report that supports the extraordinary circumstances necessitating the Mobility fee, as required by the Florida legislature in 2021. This report, prepared as of September 2023 and thus less than 12 months old, is in compliance with statutory requirements. It details approximately 18 steps involved in developing the Mobility plan and fee, emphasizing the need for the city to adopt rates at their fully calculated value. This would allow the city to keep pace with the rising costs due to inflation, which has particularly affected the city since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlighting the importance of the Mobility plan, the study area, including potential annexed areas and areas with high travel to and from the city, is expected to see a 27% growth by 2045. This exceeds the county’s growth and aligns with Florida’s state growth projections. Furthermore, vehicle miles traveled within the study area are projected to increase by 37% by 2045, surpassing the state’s growth rate of 29%. These figures underscore the urgency for Oviedo to implement a fully adopted Mobility fee to manage the impending growth effectively.

The presentation also tackled the evaluation of trip origins and destinations within Seminole County, the proposed mobility fee rates for various developments, and the assessment’s focus on affordable residential categories. The council considered the potential impacts of the Mobility fee on different business types, from fast food restaurants to banks and car washes. It was highlighted that reduced rates for the Mobility fee would be structured into the program for affordable housing, small retail businesses, and mixed-use development to foster a balanced economic growth.

The council’s discussion on the Mobility plan also underscored the need for further evaluations of potential projects, with particular attention to environmental, neighborhood, and business impacts. The importance of coordinating with other governmental bodies and organizing community workshops to assess these projects was emphasized. The Mobility plan is seen as an important component in addressing the impact of new development on the city’s transportation system and in promoting a comprehensive approach to future growth and transportation needs.

In addition to the presentation, the meeting included a call for public engagement, as the meeting was live-streamed, and feedback was encouraged. The council outlined the next steps for the Mobility plan, which involve the development and update of the city’s ordinance to allow for the Mobility fee and the scheduling of adoption hearings.