Loading...
04/18/2005 CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL WORKSESSION MINUTES CITY OF CLEARWATER April 8, 2005 Present: Frank Hibbard Mayor William C. Jonson Vice-Mayor Hoyt P. Hamilton Councilmember Carlen Petersen Councilmember John Doran Councilmember Also present: William B. Horne II City Manager Garry Brumback Assistant City Manager Pamela K. Akin City Attorney Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter The Special Work Session was called to order at 8:30 a.m. at the Main Library. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order . Summarize Workshop Two Facilitator Dr. James Moore, National Director of Community Planning & Urban Design for HDR Engineering, Inc. reviewed the Council’s prioritized lists of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats developed on March 18, 2005. Discussion of Time Frames and Costs STRENGTHS : 1) Administrative issues: a) safe City (safest of its size in Florida); b) full-service City with strong staff; c) quality municipal services; and d) financial strength. These strengths, derived chiefly from efforts by City officials and staff, should be maintained and strengthened where possible. Ongoing effort may require incrementally more money. 2) Extrinsic issues: a) County seat; b) good public/private schools; c) geography: bay, harbor, beach, bluff; d) climate - why people live here; e) Tampa International Airport – easy access to world; f) strong regional environment attractive for tourism; and g) medical facilities; top 100 hospital. While these strengths are derived wholly or in part from issues beyond direct City control, the ability to optimize such advantages or to insure their continuity is generally within City control. Ongoing efforts may not involve significant capital outlays, but may demand incrementally more attention and financing. While medical facilities may not be within the City’s purview, their continued growth and success are a City concern, and the City can potentially assist in these areas by working with medical facility leaders and administrators. 3) Cultural Resources: a) Ruth Eckerd Hall; b) Francis Wilson Playhouse; and c) Library System. Existing facilities represent previous capital outlays and on-going operational Council Special Work Session 2005-04-08 1 expenses. Additional capital will be needed to add to or expand these resources. At present, these are medium- or long-term situations. WEAKNESSES: 1) Psychic Issues: a) no critical mass of energy; b) no sense of identity or unique sense of place; and c) lack of unified vision by citizens. These issues derive from and relate to the community’s sense of self and identity. The City is attempting to mitigate and overcome these concerns with on-going visioning efforts, which need to continue for some time into the future (ultimately may be continuous concern). While this will involve administrative and staff time and effort, it should not have significant capital impacts. 2) Misleading Perceptions: a) City run by Scientology; b) insufficient parking at beach and downtown; c) City is a retirement/bedroom community; d) beach roundabout does not work; and e) traffic is terrible. This relates to the City’s ability to promote itself and ensure that the right messages are sent out, either in official form via press releases, publications, official pronouncements, etc., or in unofficial form through community meetings and internal discussions. Where possible, City leaders should validate facts related to perceived misperceptions, i.e. true status of beach parking. In the example, “traffic is terrible,” the inability to put objective benchmarks on the term “terrible” makes it difficult, if not impossible, to refute the statement. What is “terrible” for a long-time resident might seem mild to recent arrivals from large cities. Combating misperceptions is an ongoing effort that demands administrative and staff time and energy, but relatively little capital outlay. A key opportunity to address this issue will occur during visioning efforts; staff and officials should be armed with facts on issues that seem to be routinely misunderstood. If a general perception is that there is “no parking downtown,” staff and officials should research the number and location of downtown spaces, display them on a map, and pass the information to residents. This may not vitiate individual complaints about the ability to park directly in front of a desired destination, but will highlight the subjective nature of the complaint. 3) Development Issues: a) no destination; no place for congregation; b) underutilized downtown; c) too many small land parcels – makes land assembly difficult; d) termination of historic properties; and e) boating access for non-waterfront property owners. These issues relate to on-going development and redevelopment. To some degree, addressing these concerns begins with administrative efforts – i.e., rewriting development codes to facilitate land assembly, etc.— and may involve capital expenses, particularly with respect to boating access. It is a City goal to increase access to the water bodies that provide Clearwater some of its character. This will involve expanding existing facilities and developing new ones, which will entail capital expenditures. In some instances, some projects need to be undertaken solely by the public sector. The City also may be able to create public-private partnerships that attach the goal of increased boating access to private sector development goals. 4) Transportation Issues: a) transportation - completely auto dependent. This issue vexes most communities, regardless of the complexity of transportation systems. People are increasingly mobile and demand for mobility always seems to exceed supply. These issues also are deeply rooted in other issues of concern; for example, people drive because they feel it is unsafe to walk or drive, or because shopping is not convenient to their homes. Parking becomes an issue because everyone is auto-dependent. Places, like the beach, suffer because its small-scale and intricate street system cannot absorb large volumes of traffic at peak times. Transportation, to some degree, extends beyond the City’s purview. Much traffic that vexes Council Special Work Session 2005-04-08 2 citizens may come from outside the community. The periodic nature of tourism exacerbates some situations. A number of roads are State highways, where FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) takes precedent. Others are County roads. The MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) has a say on issues. Issues such as light-rail need to be discussed in a regional context. Transportation, in its fullest form, always will be a critical item, involve staff time and energy, and ultimately demand substantial sums of money. 5) Financial Issues: a) limited private resources (philanthropies and “deep pockets”) and b) lack of corporate presence. While these are extrinsic, some cities choose to address them as part of an economic development program. They may involve administrative and staff time, in cooperation with the chamber and local and regional economic development organizations. While communities regularly offer monetary and non-monetary incentives to corporations to relocate, this practice is less prevalent than before. A more typical approach is for communities to create conditions conducive to internal entrepreneurial growth. While such an approach may involve capital expenses, they tend to be significantly lower and can be linked to desirable goals such as urban revitalization, job training, etc. OPPORTUNITIES 1) Development issues: a) opportunity to develop more consensus within community to move forward, particularly on changes to beach/downtown; b) take advantage of momentum to manage growth/redevelopment; c) historic Downtown: gridded, dense, mixed-use, pedestrian- friendly; d) create Arts District downtown; e) Coachman Park - underutilized; f) Pinellas Trail as commercial destination trailhead, particularly within downtown; g) apply findings from condo conversion study – opportunity to incentivize tourism; h) redevelop Jack Russell Stadium site; and I) all waterfronts: Tampa Bay, harbor, gulf. The largest category of Opportunities relate to current and future redevelopment. The first two items describe administrative activities needed to lead efforts to address opportunities underway. The goal of redeveloping Downtown has been part of the City’s program for years, and many efforts underway relate to previous programs and plans the City helped instigate and fund. The public sector’s role in fomenting and supporting downtown redevelopment varies among municipalities, but generally the public sector creates the master plans, provides regulatory support, marketing, and general economic development support. Occasionally, a municipality will try to catalyze development activity by undertaking a specific development project on its own (such as the Main Library) or by entering into a public-private partnership with developers. In general, the public sector tries to provide a variety of non-cash incentives for private sector developers as a means of getting the private sector to use its expertise and financial resources to initiate positive redevelopment. The last item in the list encompasses more than the downtown waterfront, and includes a wide variety of approaches, many of which individual property owners can undertake. However, if a key goal is to make the water more of a factor in day-to-day community activities, the public sector needs to take the lead by creating a master plan for waterfronts and providing incentives and, potentially, financial assistance to carry out programs in the plan. All development opportunities include immediate, short-, medium- and long-term activities; many of these are underway. 2) Educational Issues: SPC (St. Petersburg College); other opportunities for higher learning. The visioning workshops included a number of discussions on the value of education and schools to the community’s future. While it was recognized that the City could exercise limited control over K-12, there was some sense that the City could work with the School district to ensure the ongoing quality of facilities. The benefit of expanded post-secondary educational opportunities was clear to Councilmembers, and SPC was seen as the logical starting point for Council Special Work Session 2005-04-08 3 exploring ways the City can participate in helping achieve such opportunities. Initial efforts should include meeting with College leaders to explore the potential for collaboration and mutual growth. These efforts will entail official and staff time and may result in a collaborative master plan that can blend SPC growth goals with City redevelopment goals. THREATS 1) Psychic issues: a) apathy; b) fear of change; and c) real/ perceived mistrust of government. These threats are not isolated to the City; they are topics of discussion in almost every municipality, particularly those in transition or redevelopment. When a community has no imminent threats or significant changes, public sentiment trends towards apathy; the status quo is more than enough. When change becomes likely or possible, apathy transitions into resistance; the sentiment of many is that the present is acceptable, and considerably better than any potential future. Until a community enters a stage of significant crisis, the innate response to growth and change tends to be resistance. When government officials and staff take on the issue of change, the public is apt to mistrust these activities. A key priority is for the City to assist its citizens in recognizing that “we cannot go back,” that change and growth will be facts of life for the conceivable future, and that planning for such change is the logical alternative to simply waiting for it to occur. The more the City can involve the community in discussions of future changes, the better. Where change is anticipated but has yet to be defined, the community should become part of the process of determining what types of change and growth should occur. Where change already is underway, the community should become part of the discussion of how to absorb and accommodate change and growth. The ongoing and anticipated visioning efforts are a key part of this process. These will demand administrative time and energy and can become long-term efforts, but they are essential to overcoming the three threats described above. 2) Administrative Issues: a) potential lack of referendum success; b) controlling growth; new growth implies higher densities/increased traffic; c) loss of authenticity, community feel/ historic properties; and d) increased costs to provide (increasing) services. Each threat can best be addressed through on-going administrative efforts, many can build on efforts described in the previous set of threats. Future referendums need to derive from deep-seated and on- going communication between City officials and the community. When people are unclear about a referendum’s goals or objectives, they will tend to oppose it. When they feel that referendum goals run counter to their wishes or desires, they definitely will oppose it. A critical element to the success of future referendums is to ensure that the referendum’s subject derives from long-term discussions with the community and that the referendum reflects the long-term vision of the community as a whole. Developed as the logical outcome of a carefully articulated community dialogue, a referendum stands reasonable chance of success. Without dialogue, the chances of failure increase significantly. The issues of growth and loss of authenticity are elements that must be discussed as part of these dialogues. Getting people to accept that growth and change are inevitable and can be positive is a challenge best met through dialogue and discussion. Interactions need to include discussions of general issues – urban planning, development, finance, etc. - and specific issues - downtown Clearwater, the beach, etc. The end-product of discussions should be a clear understanding of how growth will be accepted and accommodated within the City, and subsequently, a clear set of development and design guidelines to ensure that future growth fits within these accepted parameters, including the protection of community character and authenticity (as defined for Clearwater). As with the challenge of overcoming apathy and Council Special Work Session 2005-04-08 4 mistrust, most municipalities are faced with the challenge of providing increasing levels of services for fixed, or diminishing sources of funding. Overcoming this challenge generally involves aggressive efforts by the public sector to incorporate efficiency and productivity measures and programs, coupled with the aforementioned community outreach programs. 3) Extrinsic Issues: a) unfunded mandates; b) higher interest rates; and c) lack of control of schools; Countywide school system creates homogeneity and loss of community feel. Each item was considered a threat to the future well-being of the City and its residents. All three are subjects over which the City has no direct control. The first two are particularly beyond the ability of the City to influence. In addressing schools, however, the City can enter into discussions with the Pinellas County School Board, in hopes of helping frame issues as they relate to Clearwater, and offering to provide assistance in helping the Board meet its goals. This is an administrative function that will entail long-term on-going discussions and interaction and will demand administrative staff time and energy. Revisit Vision Statement & Elements An initial goal of the visioning exercises was a discussion of the current Vision Statement and potential refinements. A second goal was to expand upon Vision elements. The Council felt that much of the statement was relevant to their goals for the future. They discussed the community’s increasing diversity and need for the statement to reflect and encourage that diversity. After consideration, the Council agreed to a slight change in the wording to add depth to the Vision’s intention. The revised Vision Statement: Sparkling Clearwater is a uniquely beautiful and vibrant community that is socially and economically diverse, that reinvests in itself, and is a wonderful place to live, learn, work and play. Revisions reflect Council concern that the entire community be seen as vibrant, not simply the economy; Clearwater is a place for active and engaged citizens. It also reflects Council aspirations that, over time, Clearwater continues to diversify its population and businesses. The Council does not want the City to become too dependent on any one business or industry; it should nurture many businesses and types of businesses and cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit that will serve as a buffer against potential economic decline. Elements of the Vision From the outset of the visioning workshops, a disconnect was recognized between Vision elements and subsequent discussion. Where elements were simple, succinct statements relating to specific aspects of the community, the discussion seemed to reflect administrative, not citizen’s needs. A goal of the workshops was for the Council to discuss each element, determine if additional elements were needed, and to begin framing the presentation of the vision and its elements to the community at large. Safe, Clean, Green Environment The general tenor of this element is defined by the first three words. Clearwater is a safe place to live – it has low crime and people feel safe. There is access to good emergency medical services, police and fire protection. It is a clean city – there is no litter in the streets, no graffiti on walls. Buildings and grounds are well maintained; streets are well lit; store windows Council Special Work Session 2005-04-08 5 are bright and attractive. It is well landscaped with many street trees, parks, and nature preserves. It also is a “green” city in that it is environmentally friendly, with recycling programs and other efforts to reduce waste and enhance efficiency. Elements: 1) low crime; 2) no litter, no graffiti; 3) sparkling store windows; 4) regular maintenance of buildings, fresh paint; 5) access to potable/waste water; 6) streetlights; 7) hurricane preparation/response; 8) landscaping; 9) trees, tree canopy – “Tree City USA”; 10) recycling programs, environmentally friendly; 11) parks/ preserves; 12) fire protection; 13) health care, EMS. Diverse High-Paying Jobs Clearwater looks to create and import wealth into the community. It will not be dependent on a single industry or single company for its economic success. There will be opportunities for many different and diverse skills within the community, and for people with all different levels of experience within these skills. The City looks to create “clean” jobs that pay above-median salaries, particularly in the creative industries. There are opportunities for well- trained young people, including the “creative class,” the “young and restless.” Elements: 1) not dependent on single company or single industry; 2) opportunities for all skills and all levels within a skill; 3) creative industries; 4) clean industries; 5) opportunities for trained youth; 6) opportunities for the young and the restless; 7) above-median pay scales; 8) wealth importation: bring dollars into community; and 9) retirees, jobs. High Quality Education In Clearwater, all children can reach their full educational potential. The City has established partnerships with the County School Board, St. Petersburg College, and local vocational schools to insure opportunities for all citizens, young and old, to learn and train themselves. Students add to the City’s energy, particularly in enclaves such as downtown. Elements: 1) each child can reach his/her full potential; 2) all levels, especially primary school; attracts young and restless; 3) (City doesn’t control K-12; there are opportunities for active involvement with School Board); 4) City needs to create partnerships; 5) colleges – need to provide more 4-year degrees; 5) vo-tech schools – not everyone goes to college; 6) promote reading among children; and 7) tap into energy of students within urban area. Variety of Cultural and Recreational Offerings Clearwater offers a wide variety of leisure-time activities for its citizens. These include numerous parks and active recreation facilities, as well as access to the numerous water bodies that help define the city’s geography. For organized events, the City has Ruth Eckerd Hall, with its national and international performances, the Francis Wilson Playhouse, and Coachman Park. Elements: 1) Parks and Recreation Facilities; 2) Ruth Eckerd Hall; 3) City needs to find a cultural niche; 4) Coachman Park; and 5) boating. Council Special Work Session 2005-04-08 6 Efficient, Responsive City Services The City of Clearwater strives to provide a broad range of city services in an increasingly effective and efficient manner. Even as costs increase, the City seeks to maintain, if not increase, its services by working more efficiently and effectively, as a partner to citizens and neighborhoods alike. Elements: 1) responsive to neighborhood problems; the City is a partner; 2) responsive through Code Enforcement; 3) efficient: continual improvement within system; 4) simplification; 5) cycle-time reduction; 6) what level of efficiency is wanted? Rolls Royce? Buick? Yugo?; 7) affordability is critical; and 8) costs are rising; City must be more efficient! Safe, Comfortable, Walkable Neighborhoods Clearwater is filled with a wide variety of neighborhoods; residential enclaves that cater to all ages and income levels. These neighborhoods are safe places to walk, ride bikes, or to roller blade. They are ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-compliant with wide, well- maintained sidewalks. Streets are tree-lined and shaded, and often connect neighborhoods to retail centers, neighborhood services, or Parks & Recreation facilities. Elements: 1) safe to walk, roller blade, bike; 2) ADA; 3) sidewalks; 4) well-maintained neighborhood infrastructure – lights, etc.; 5) reduce auto-dependency; 6) encourage people to walk; provide opportunity; 7) tree-lined streets, shade; 8) neighborhood support services – work with coalitions and associations; 9) control neighborhood intrusions – commercial uses, parking lots, etc.; 10) traffic calming; 11) provide trail access, separate from streets; making it easier to go places without having to mix with traffic; 12) neighborhood parks (wanted?) Well Maintained Housing Stock in All Markets Clearwater has a wide variety of residential options, suitable for people in all walks of life, all different types of households, and all income brackets. Housing is well designed, well built and well maintained, and part of integral neighborhoods. Elements: 1) Code Enforcement; 2) HELP Squad – provides assistance to those who might need help with maintenance; 3) build on current base of volunteers; 4) promote good design; and 5) promote high quality initial construction. A Vibrant Downtown that’s Mindful of its Heritage Downtown Clearwater is the center of our City. It links current-day Clearwater to its historic heritage, and blends all types of uses and buildings into a cohesive and active district that includes offices, stores and shops, restaurants and bars, residents, civic places and other institutions. The key elements of downtown are its streets, which are active and vibrant pedestrian-friendly environments. New blends with old here, helping create a great place where people of all ages come to live, work, and play, or simply to hang out. Council Special Work Session 2005-04-08 7 Elements: 1) historic structures – identify and maintain them; 2) Connect to past (old does not automatically equal good); 3) diverse activities; 4) promote good design; design guidelines: new should blend with context; 5) make it a “Great Place”; and 6) make it a place where people of all ages come to hang out. Well-Maintained Infrastructure Clearwater functions efficiently, in part because of its infrastructure, which is effective and non-obtrusive. Streets work well for pedestrians and cars. They are well lit and clean. Flooding is controlled, and both potable and reclaimed water are available throughout the City. Electronic infrastructure is found increasingly throughout the City; many enclaves, such as downtown, have complete WiFi coverage, with the Internet accessible to anyone in these areas. Elements: 1) think about aesthetics; 2) flooding; 3) sewers; 4) street maintenance; 5) reclaimed water; 6) street lights; 7) sidewalks; and 8) WiFi, telephone, Internet. Efficient Transportation Systems Clearwater recognizes that residents and visitors need to move about the City without mandatory access to a private automobile. The City has partnered with PSTA (Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority) to help provide effective mass transit within City limits, and has worked to make enclaves within the City ideal environments for pedestrians and bicyclists. A number of trails help link the City east and west and north and south. Elements: 1) County runs PSTA; City must partner with County and 2) City needs to help find alternate modes of transportation to the car. A Quality Beach Environment Clearwater beach is a special place within the City. A resource for all our residents, it is also one of the premier tourist destinations in Florida. Easily accessible by a variety of means, it is clean and safe, and includes a wide variety of activities oriented toward people of all ages and inclinations. It includes a balanced blend of full-time residents and short-term visitors, with a wide variety of restaurants, shops, and other leisure-time activities. Elements: 1) litter-free; 2) safe; 3) community resource accessible by a variety of means to all members of the community; 4) “adequate” parking; 5) discourage cut-through (pass- through) traffic (How to do this? tolls, signage, maps, etc.); 6) balanced beach – currently trending towards condos and day-trippers; and 7) provide resident parking passes (already available at $150/year, but only for certain parking lots). Communication People in Clearwater talk to one another and to their elected officials. Neighborhood groups talk to neighborhood groups, citizens talk to the government, and vice versa. The City Council Special Work Session 2005-04-08 8 takes pride in establishing and maintaining two-way dialogues throughout the community on all sorts of subjects of interest. Elements: 1) two-way dialogues within community; 2) need to talk to citizens; 3) an important value; 4) find out how citizens want the City to communicate; and 5) dialogue! Discussion: Taking the Vision to the Community One constituent goal of the visioning workshops was to discuss and prepare a way to expand the visioning process to include a wider segment of the community. In discussion, the Council agreed on the critical need to expand the ongoing dialogue to include people who live in the community, and those who own businesses or property in the City or do business there. City Attorney Code issues Beach by Design The City Attorney requested direction to develop processes related to Beach by Design that conform to the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Consensus was to hire a consultant to develop Code provisions necessary to address Beach by Design issues. Ethics The City Attorney said the City’s ethics code requires Councilmembers to purchase their own tickets when attending charitable events. She suggested the City adopt the State’s ethics Code, which would affect the City Council and “reporting people.” Consensus was to adopt State Ethic Rules to first affect City Council and board members, then later to affect “reporting people” staff. Adjournment The Work Session adjourned at 12:20 p.m. Council Special Work Session 2005-04-08 9