08/18/2008
COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MINUTES
CITY OF CLEARWATER
August 18, 2008
Present: Frank Hibbard Chair/CRA Trustee
John Doran CRA Trustee
George N. Cretekos CRA Trustee
Paul Gibson CRA Trustee
Absent: Carlen Petersen CRA Trustee
Also present: William B. Horne II City Manager
Jill S. Silverboard Assistant City Manager
Rod Irwin Assistant City Manager/CRA Executive Director
Pamela K. Akin City Attorney
Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk
Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter
The Chair called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. at City Hall.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not
necessarily discussed in that order.
2 - Approval of Minutes
2.1. Approve the minutes of the July 14, 2008 CRA meeting as submitted in written summation
by the City Clerk.
Trustee Doran moved to approve the minutes of the Community Redevelopment Agency
meeting of July 14, 2008, as recorded and submitted in written summation by the City Clerk to
each Trustee. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
3 - CRA Items
3.1. Discussion: ERA/DowntownWorks Draft Cleveland Street District Retail Strategy Report.
Pursuant to CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) RFP (Request for Proposals) 10-
08, a contract was awarded March 17, 2008, to Economic Research Associates/Downtown
Works of Washington, D.C. for Retail Recruitment and Marketing Services for the Cleveland
Street District in Downtown Clearwater. The objective of the Contract was to support and
enhance the existing retail base within the Cleveland Street District.
The contract delineates the following services to be provided by the consultant: 1)
Develop a Strategy for Retail Recruitment and Repopulation of the retail spaces in the
Cleveland Street District, consistent with the “Café Society” vision and market characteristics; 2)
Develop a marketing and leasing plan to implement the retail strategy; and 3) Assist and
counsel the CRA with retail contacts and negotiations with property owners/retail prospects.
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These services are intended to support the overall strategy for downtown revitalization,
which is: 1) implement infrastructure improvements; 2) attract residential development; and 3)
create a “destination.” The contract marks the next step in the CRA’s program for downtown
revitalization, which to-date has included the Downtown Market Study, Façade Design Analysis
creating the “Café Society,” revised Façade Improvement Program and Sidewalk Furniture
Grant Program, and Cleveland Street branding.
ERA/Downtown Works has completed a draft report, addressing Item one of their
engagement. Activities under items two and three are also underway, in conjunction with the
CRA Downtown Manager. Staff seeks CRA Board input, advice and comment on the
discussion draft to assure that the final document reflects the expectations of the Board. Staff
will then incorporate the results of the discussion into a final draft for consideration/adoption at
the September 15, 2008, CRA meeting.
Midge McCauley, principal of ERA/Downtown Works, reported the city has turned
Cleveland Street into "a beautiful environment that is less about vehicles than pedestrians" and
is "a real downtown." Her company has analyzed the demographics within a 30-minute drive of
downtown and said there are plenty of residents, tourists and money to support at least a four-
block retail district if the city is able to recruit the right mix of retailers.
The secret, Ms. McCauley emphasized, is finding the right mix of retail uses that will
encourage people to get in their cars and drive to downtown for things they can't get in the
suburbs. She said there is a dire need for full service restaurants but the city should not try to
recruit national chain restaurants that already have the suburban territory staked out. Instead,
locally operated restaurants or ones without a national brand that people would drive 20 or 30
minutes to visit, should be sought. A secondary focus for downtown should be shops that
people won't find in other parts of town, such as gift shops, apparel stores, furniture stores and
unique book and stationery stores. Ms. McCauley also enthusiastically supports the idea of the
city buying the historic Royalty Theatre on Cleveland Street so it can be turned into a venue for
films, live theater and concerts, because it would be another attractor.
ERA/Downtown Works recommends the CRA have a full time retail recruiter on staff to
spend a lot of time on the road, researching and visiting unique retailers. Even then, the task of
creating and maintaining a successful downtown retail district is laborious and ongoing. Her
company has worked with Austin, Texas, and after more than two years and 600 prospect
contacts, the city was able to make seven deals. "It will take patience and perseverance," she
said.
Ms. McCauley pointed out that efforts will be concentrated on Cleveland Street and once
successful, revitalization will spill over onto the feeder streets. She also noted the city's
downtown design guidelines and sign code may need to be loosened up to allow each property
to have creative, colorful facades, window displays and signs. Higher rents are needed in order
to create a better retail district.
In response to questions, Ms. McCauley said: the categories of retail on the beach
should not be part of the Downtown mix; there is plenty of parking in Downtown but needs better
identification; a lot of effort should not be spent to keep SteinMart; the Harborview Center needs
to come back as a mixed use project with retail on the street level and the presence of the
Church of Scientology is not a detriment to retail recruitment. In regard to incentives, she said
Community Redevelopment Agency 2008-08-18 2
they do work and help with initial recruitment efforts and once revitalization is truly underway will
not be as beneficial.
3.2. Approve an Interlocal Aqreement between the CRA and the City of Clearwater to provide
CRA fundinq in the amount of $134,023.46 to underwrite the cost of additional Community
Policinq Services by the Clearwater Police Department in the East Gateway CRA District.
pursuant to the recently adopted East Gateway District Five-Year Action Plan and authorize the
appropriate officials to execute same.
The CRA approved the East Gateway District Five-Year Action Program on May 13,
2008. The Action Program responded to public input on the issues o(drug dealing, prostitution
and street crime by including an action item for increased police presence and crime reduction
within the East Gateway District. An allowable funding source for this action item is the use of
CRA Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds. Florida Statutes allows for the use of TIF funds for
"community policing innovations" in Community Redevelopment Areas.
CRA and Police Department staffs have reached agreement on a proposed scope of
services and terms as delineated in the attached Interlocal Agreement. Included in that scope is
the delineation of specific, measurable crime reduction targets by which to monitor the success
of the initiative as well as providing clear language required by statute assuring that the
resources are applied to the CRA/East Gateway area. Staff recommends approval of the
Interlocal Agreement.
Police Chief Sid Klein state the objectives of the agreement are to remove drug dealers
and prostitutes from the area and to deal with crimes by and on the homeless. He believes the
effort will have meaningful impact.
Trustee Cretekos moved to approve an Interlocal Agreement between the CRA and the
City of Clearwater to provide eRA funding in the amount of $134,023.46 to underwrite the cost
of additional Community Policing Services by the Clearwater Police Department in the East
Gateway CRA District, pursuant to the recently adopted East Gateway District Five-Year Action
Plan and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. The motion was duly seconded
and carried unanimously.
4 - Other Business - None.
5 - Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 2:46 p.m.
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