Deseret Ranch finds itself in a unique time and place. First, Florida has a history as one of the fastest growing states in the country, a reality the state has been grappling with for decades. That rapid growth continues, with some 900 new residents being added to the nation’s third-most populous state every day. More than 10 million people will call Central Florida home by 2080, according to forecasts. That’s why it is critical to take time now to apply our best thinking to deliberate long-range planning. By looking decades into the future, we can plan for regional water supply, transportation, education, conservation, and other needs.
Growth across Central Florida has been managed piecemeal over the years, with no clear vision of where people and infrastructure should be located and how the amenities to serve them should be provided. As a result, issues ranging from transportation gridlock to insufficient water supplies have become concerns. As the largest tract of undeveloped land in the area, Deseret Ranch is in the path of growth between the expanding employment centers of southeast Orlando and Florida’s Space Coast. As more jobs are created in this region over the coming decades, growth will inevitably impact the Ranch. The time is now to thoughtfully plan for that growth, in a way that utilizes Ranch property while carefully protecting its precious natural resources.
Deseret Ranch has played an important role in land and resource management in Central Florida for more than 70 years, and we are committed to working with neighboring communities to appropriately plan for the next 70 years and beyond. When growth does come, we want it to result in vibrant communities that address the environment and improve quality of life.
Osceola County and Deseret Ranch completed a sector plan in 2015 for a portion of Deseret’s property. With an area of 133,000 acres and a planning horizon of 2080, the North Ranch Sector Plan represented a unique opportunity to use all the lessons of the past to preserve what’s best about Central Florida – including our ranching heritage – while accommodating sustainable economic activity in the future.
For all these reasons, Osceola County and Deseret Ranch worked together to create a long-range vision, or “sector plan,” for a portion of Ranch property in the county. This sector plan looked at the environment, land use, economic development, transportation, water supply, and agriculture on a scale and timeframe rarely seen.
Osceola County and Deseret Ranch began their work in 2013, after then-Governor Rick Scott invited the County to work with the Ranch to create a forward-thinking vision for the property. Building on a decades-long relationship, County officials worked with Deseret Ranch managers to develop a long-range master plan for 133,000 acres of Deseret’s property called the “North Ranch.” Florida law encourages such envisioning through a state-regulated process called “sector planning.”
The North Ranch Sector Plan started first with an environmental framework that identified significant natural resource features and areas that should be preserved. The plan then looked at growing economic centers and population projections and identified future transportation corridors and water supplies to serve them. The plan also designated areas most appropriate for continued agriculture. In short, it balanced societal needs to create a reasonable and comprehensive scenario for the property, looking more than 50 years into the future.
After more than a year of collaboration by Osceola County planners and Deseret Ranch managers, the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the North Ranch Sector Plan in September 2015. The State of Florida then reviewed and approved the final plan, which became effective on October 30, 2015, creating a forward-looking framework to guide the future of this portion of the Ranch and the East Central Florida region.
What does this mean for the future of Deseret Ranch?
First, there will be no land use changes to the sector plan property for decades to come. Ranching and farming will continue as they have for the last 70-plus years. Ranching is our way of life, and even decades from now we will still be doing what we do today. In fact, the plan designates part of the planning area as “long-term agriculture.” Deseret will remain one of the nation’s largest and most productive cattle ranches as far as we can foresee.- Second, when changes do come to the property, key environmental resources will be protected. The planned protections will ensure that there is connectivity across the landscape and that natural systems retain their function. About 56% of the planning area is designated as conservation, parks, and open space.
Third, whenever growth comes, there will be a framework in place to avoid piecemeal decisions, minimize unforeseen impacts, and establish a vision for great communities to be built in future generations. This can reduce automobile dependence, with more opportunities for commuter rail, bicycles, and pedestrian travel. We will not have to react to growth pressures after the fact.- Fourth, the plan can reinforce and focus regional job growth by connecting high-tech job clusters that surround Deseret Ranch. Employers look for good transportation capacity, and the plan forecasts what roads will be needed and where.
- Fifth, the plan identifies future water demand for the property and potential water supplies. Central Florida has rightly devoted significant attention to water supply planning in recent years, and the sector plan supplements the regional work already accomplished.
We sincerely believe that the North Ranch Sector Plan serves as a balanced and thoughtful guide to smart growth that preserves the wonderful quality of life we enjoy in Central Florida. The sector plan strengthens Deseret Ranch’s ability to continue ranching and farming and will help preserve Central Florida’s cultural heritage of working ranch lands and agricultural production.
For more information, please see: North Ranch Sector Plan section of Osceola County’s Strategic Initiatives (osceola.org)
Video: Deseret Ranch planning executive Don Whyte explains the purpose and goals of the North Ranch Sector Plan (an excerpt from “The World Report,” April 2016, produced by Newsroom staff of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Video: Florida Audubon Advocacy Director Charles Lee comments on the value of land set aside for conservation in the North Ranch Sector Plan, Osceola County Board of County Commissioners Meeting, October 17, 2016
Osceola County Press Release on conservation lands in North Ranch Sector Plan, October 28, 2016: Agreement Protects Large Swath of Deseret Ranch from Development (osceola.org)
What is sector planning? And why did Florida create this state-regulated process for long-range envisioning? “Sector Planning: A Sharper Tool to Manage Growth,” Bob Rhodes, Planning Magazine, October 2014
