Kenneth B. Metcalf joined Greenberg Traurig's Tallahassee office in 2004 as Director of Planning for the Environmental and Land Development Practice group. Ken has 24 years of professional planning experience in the public and private sector, including 16 years with the Florida Department of Community Affairs. As Director of Planning, Ken navigates Greenberg Traurig clients through Florida's complex growth management arena, providing public and private sector clients with innovative solutions and planning strategies across a broad range of planning issues. His private sector services range from developing large area-wide planning strategies, such as for DRIs, sector plans and Rural Land Stewardship plans to more design-oriented, form-based planning work involving traditional neighborhood developments and urban redevelopment projects. In representing private developers, he fosters cooperative working relationships with local governments, often working on major plan amendments, such as New Town policies, at the direction of the local government in a quasi-public role to benefit both the developer client and the local government. With a growing list of public sector clients, Ken provides planning services to assist local governments, whether assisting with public development projects, as with a CRA-type project, or assisting with more traditional planning activities, such as updates to comprehensive plans and land development regulations, policy analysis and specialized technical analysis. Based on his extensive governmental experience, he routinely negotiates with the Department of Community Affairs and other regional and state agencies on behalf of public and private sector clients.
Prior to joining Greenberg Traurig, Ken served as DCA Regional Administrator for the Southeast and Treasure Coast Regions of Florida where he directed a large team of managers and planners in implementing the comprehensive planning, Development of Regional Impact (DRI) and Area of Critical State Concern (ACSC) programs. As a high level administrator, he was actively involved in formulating Department growth management policy and implementation strategies, particularly as related to urban sprawl control, smart growth strategies, multimodal transportation planning, school planning and concurrency and coastal/environmental planning. Ken led agency negotiations and compliance reviews on all complex cases in the region and served as the Department's primary expert witness for administrative hearings and Administration Commission rulemaking.. He regularly interacted with the public and private sector in one of Florida's most intensive regions that includes over 125 local governments and 100 DRIs. He has expertise in all substantive and procedural aspects of the comprehensive planning and DRI programs. Ken also worked closely with state and federal agencies in implementing state-wide environmental and coastal zone management strategies and was active in developing Department policy regarding coastal high hazard area requirements, marina siting and manatee protection plans. He also served as Administrator for transportation planning. In this capacity, he focused on integrating land use and transportation policy, developing land use and transportation standards for multi-modal planning, and working on technical analysis requirements related to concurrency, DRI methodology and hurricane evacuation modeling. Prior to joining the Department, Ken worked as a local government planner with the City of Ocala/Marion County MPO where he conducted development review, drafted amendments to the comprehensive plan and worked on the database for the urban area model.
As DCA Administrator for the Florida Keys ACSC Program, Ken was active in developing and implementing State growth management policy in the Keys. In this role, he interacted regularly with local governments and regional agencies in conducting rulemaking activities, compliance negotiations and enforcement actions. His work involved extensive amendments to the local government comprehensive plans and land development regulations, including major initiatives resulting from rulemaking negotiations on behalf of the Administration Commission (Governor and Cabinet), including the permit allocation system, carrying capacity program, and the ACSC work program involving wastewater facility master planning, land acquisition and special area planning for listed species. Ken has extensive experience in working with regional permitting agencies on habitat protection strategies, including habitat conservation planning efforts for the Florida Key deer and other listed species. During his tenure, he served on numerous agency committees.
Mr. Metcalf has been accepted as an expert witness in more than 30 administrative and circuit court proceedings involving a variety of planning subjects, including: urban and regional planning, comprehensive planning, Florida's growth management requirements, Developments of Regional Impact, Area of Critical State Concern Program, Monroe County and Key West Comprehensive Plans and Land Development Regulations, aerial photograph interpretation and assessment of development impacts.
Areas of Concentration
· Comprehensive Planning/Evaluation and Appraisal Reports
- Population Forecasting
- Land Use Needs Analysis
- Urban Sprawl Analysis
- Suitability and Compatibility Analysis
- Capital Improvement Schedules
- Financial Feasibility
- Transportation and Infrastructure Planning
- Coastal High Hazard Area Analysis
- Hurricane Evacuation Analysis
- Intergovernmental Coordination
· Developments of Regional Impact
- Applications for Development Approval
- Substantial Deviations/Notices of Proposed Change
- Essentially Built Out Agreements
- DRI Avoidance
-- Binding Letters of Vested Rights
-- Binding Letters of Development Rights/Clearance Letters
-- Aggregation Analysis
-- Regional Activity Centers
-- Increased Threshold Designations
· Areawide Planning Special Plans
- Sector Planning
- Rural Land Stewardship
- Master Incremental Areawide DRIs
- Neighborhood Plans
- Special Area Plans
- Strategic Plans
· Transportation Planning
- Traffic Impact Analysis
- Concurrency/Proportionate Share Methodology
- Long Term Concurrency Systems
- Concurrency Alternatives
-- Transportation Concurrency Exceptions Areas
-- Transportation Concurrency Management Areas
-- Multimodal Transportation Districts
- Transit Planning
· Coastal/Environmental
- Hurricane Evacuation Modeling
- Clearance Time Impact Analysis
- Shelter Impact Analysis
- Coastal High Hazard Area Impact Analysis
- Marina Siting/Manatee Impact Analysis
- Environmental Policy Analysis
- Listed Species Planning Strategies
· Innovative Planning
- Permit Allocation systems
- Transferable Development Rights/Credit Systems
- Performance Zoning
- New Town Planning
- New Urbanism/Transit Oriented Development
- Traditional Neighborhood Development
- Green Development
- PUD/Development Agreements
· Special Use Planning
- High-tech/Research Parks
- Resort Projects
- Entertainment Districts
- Arenas/Special Venues
- Attractions
- Marinas
Significant Representations
Public/Quasi Public Projects
· Monroe County Board of County Commissioners. Contract for planning services to assist Monroe County in addressing affordable housing needs, hurricane evacuation modeling and negotiations with the Department of Community Affairs regarding Rate of Growth allocations.
· Leon County Research and Development Authority. Contract to evaluate long term development feasibility of Innovation Park (high-tech research park) and analyze options for addressing compliance with DRI program requirements pursuant to §380.06, F.S.
· La Cour and Company/Port Orange CRA Transportation Concurrency Exception Area. Co-drafted TCEA amendment language and lead negotiations with the Department of Community Affairs. This was the second TCEA approved in the State pursuant to the 2006 legislative changes.
· FMO Company/Hardee County New Town land use category. Drafted New Town land use category to facilitate traditional neighborhood development.
· Archer Group/Calhoun County Chipola River Greenway and Resort Corridor. Drafted land use category to allow for mixed use resort and greenway corridor preservation designation.
· Pugliese Company/Osceola County New Cities Overlay. Worked with Smart Growth Director to co-draft Overlay to allow for areawide planning approach for New City and related Purchasable Development Rights Program.
· Centex Destination/Town of Marineland. Drafted plan amendments and negotiated with state to allow for a traditional neighborhood development, mixed use resort project.
· OLM Development/Destin Multi-modal Transportation District. Assisted on negotiations between DCA and City of Destin regarding MMTD plan amendments.
· Landmar Realty Group/City of New Symrna Beach Long Term Concurrency. Drafted plan amendment provisions and provided supporting analysis to establish long term concurrency system.
· Landmar Realty Group/Lighthouse Pointe Comprehensive Plan Amendment. Resort style, mixed use project with marina in Flagler County. Required plan amendments to establish standards for conversion of industrial land use to non-industrial uses.
· City of Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA). Worked with DDA on planning for Miami Heat arena and Bayside Entertainment District. (As DCA Administrator)
New DRIs/DRI Management
· Destiny New City/DRI (Comprehensive Plan). Mixed use New City planned in Osceola County for 80,000 units, major employment centers, and supporting retail centers. New urbanism plan with downtowns and supporting mixed use villages connected with high performance transit system.
· Prominence DRI (ADA)/T Henry Associates. TND New Town project in Walton County approved for 600 units, boutique resort hotel and supporting retail/entertainment district.
· Cedar Creek DRI (ADA)/Adrian Development Group. New mixed use, active adult new town in rural setting. Approved in Baker County for 6,000 units, supporting retail/theater and medical office.
· Visions DRI (ADA)/Kolter Company. Traditional Neighborhood Development project in St. Lucie County planned for 2,400 units, major retail and office employment.
· Seahaven DRI (ADA)/Seahaven L.L.C. Resort style mixed use project approved in Panama City Beach for condominium/resort units with supporting retail.
· Old Brick Township (ADA)/Fletcher Management. Mixed use new town proposed in City of Palm Coast for 5,000 units, major employment and supporting retail.
· Sweetwater Ranch DRI (ADA)/FMO Company. Mixed use new town proposed in Hardee County for 13,000 units, major employment centers and supporting retail.
· Centrepark DRI (NOPC)/Navarro-Lowrey, P.A. Modified DRI in West Palm Beach to allow for conversion from suburban business park to mixed use project with supporting residential. Negotiated build out extensions.
· The Reserve DRI (NOPC)/Kolter Company. Negotiated changes to DRI in St. Lucie County to address modified compliance requirements for habitat protection conditions.
· PGA Resort (DRI Compliance)/Ginn Company. Provided compliance analysis for DRI in City of Port St. Lucie. Hurricane evacuation and shelter impact analysis to support negotiated shelter compliance.
· Berkshire Lakes DRI (380 Agreement)/Power Corporation. Negotiated Essentially Built Out Agreement with Collier County and DCA. Provided traffic analysis to support agreement.
· Broward County Increased DRI Threshold Designation/Ram Development. Provided analysis to support plan amendment to obtain increased DRI thresholds for office allocations.
Resort/PUD/Marina Projects
· Safe Harbor Resort/New Stock Island, LLC. Drafted plan amendment provisions and provided supporting analysis for mixed use resort/marina project in the Florida Keys.
· Limetree Bay Resort/Limetree Associates, L.L.C. Prepared supporting analysis for boutique resort in Florida Keys to demonstrate compliance with comprehensive plan and code requirements.
· Stark Ranch Equestrian Resort/Ginn Company. Drafted mixed use resort land use category with performance-based density bonus system.
· Town of Marineland/Centex Destination. Drafted plan amendments and provided supporting analysis for New Town/resort land use category. (density analysis, CHHA analysis, water supply analysis, etc.)
· Bulow Creek PUD/Ginn Company Resort-style PUD. Drafted PUD provisions and provided supporting analysis to address compliance with comprehensive plan.
· Tidelands Marina Resort/Centex Destination Properties. Residential PUD with marina in the City of Palm Coast. (manatee protection analysis, extensive negotiations with FFWCC).
· Lighthouse Pointe PUD/Landmar Realty Group. Resort style, mixed use project with marina in Flagler County.
· Fallschase PUD/AIG. Mixed use project in Tallahassee. Provided supporting analysis to renegotiate vested rights terms and consistency findings for project.
Professional & Community Involvement
· Member, American Planning Association
· Member, Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society
· Volunteer, Florida Emergency Information Line
· Volunteer, Fort Braden Elementary School
Awards & Recognition
· Listed, Legal 500 US, 2008 edition
· American Institute of Certified Planners
· Edward McClure Award for Academic Excellence
· "Excellence in Planning," Florida American Planning Association for Co-authoring Ocala Historic Preservation Element
Previous Employment
· Florida Department of Community Affairs, FDCA
- Administrator, Southeast Florida Region
- Administrator, Florida Keys Area of Critical State Concern
- Transportation Planning Administrator
- Manatee Protection / Marina Siting Policy Administrator
· City of Ocala, Florida
- Senior Planner
- MPO Coordinator
(Director of Planning)