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01/12/1998 COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING CITY OF CLEARWATER January 12, 1998 Present: Rita Garvey Chair/CRA Trustee J. B. Johnson CRA Trustee Robert Clark CRA Trustee Ed Hooper CRA Trustee Karen Seel CRA Trustee Bob Keller Assistant City Manager/CRA Director Michael J. Roberto City Manager Pamela K. Akin City Attorney Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter The Chair called the meeting to order at 1:10 p.m. at City Hall. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. ITEM #2 - Approval of Minutes Trustee Seel moved to approve the minutes of the meetings of November 17,1997, and December 4, 1997, as recorded and submitted in written summation by the City Clerk to each Trustee. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. ITEM #3 - New Business a) Downtown Redevelopment/Community Redevelopment Plan Modifications On August 17, 1995, the CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) adopted the Downtown Redevelopment Plan by Resolution #95-65. The plan includes Commercial/Office/Residential and a small portion of Low Density Residential land uses at the former annex site. The subject area, bordered by Missouri and Greenwood avenues and Court and Cleveland streets, includes approximately 9.6 acres within the CRA boundaries. The proposed modification from Low Density Residential to Commercial/ Office/Residential will improve the CRA’s focus on land use opportunities in the Urban Center Eastern Corridor. Proposed modifications include eliminating: 1) recommended Entertainment Center on the former annex property site; 2) Cleveland Street/ Greenwood Avenue rotary intersection; 3) angled street system East of Greenwood Avenue; and 4) diagonal road system in subject area. As development unfolds, a new road system will be developed. Modification of the Plan will allow needed land use flexibility to better serve the City’s long range redevelopment plans and meet the City goal of Economic Development. If necessary, other agencies may need to review the Plan modifications. Assistant City Manager/CRA Director Bob Keller said based on responses to the RFP (Request for Proposal), the Selection Committee recommended negotiation with Justice Corporation to locate IMR (Information Management Resources), which currently is in Countryside, at the former annex site. The City’s initial contact with the company was during a visit by Mr. Keller and Commissioner Clark. Subsequent meetings have occurred with staff, Justice Corp., IMR, and individual City Commissioners. Justice Corporation has proposed to locate the IMR Global Center consisting of separate facilities: 1) world corporate headquarters; 2) research & development operation; and 3) training and education site at the former annex site. By December 31, 2001, the firm proposes to hire 560 new employees with salaries averaging above $40,000. Mr. Keller said these are value added jobs for the City. The proposal includes a tight time frame. Work on an agreement has begun. The City Attorney will be the CRA’s prime negotiator. A deal is not guaranteed. He was confident Justice Corp. and IMR are serious regarding their proposal and did not think they currently are considering another site. The project will come back to the CRA in stages. Primary decisions need to be made in mid-February. Trustee Hooper moved to approve the proposed modifications to the Downtown Redevelopment/Community Redevelopment Agency Plan and that the appropriate officials be authorized to execute same. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. b) Justice Corporation Proposal Five firms submitted proposals in response to the RFP/Q (Request for Proposals/Qualifications) for the former annex site. The Selection Committee reviewed the proposals and, based on criteria established in the RFP/Q, recommended negotiating with the Justice Corporation. This action does not constitute acceptance of the Justice Corporation proposal. Staff anticipates a proposed development agreement will be submitted to the CRA on February 17, 1998, requesting approval of the Justice Corporation proposal, detailing terms and conditions. In response to a question, the City Manager said the incentives and the resulting costs to taxpayers may change during the negotiations. He said time is the key element of concern for the company. Staff is determining the full cost of each item in the proposal. Location of retention, on or off site, also will determine costs. In response to a question, the City Manager said the cost of off-site retention would be part of the impact fees. A short term resolution to this issue is needed. It was felt initial enthusiasm for this projected has waned due to many questions. Concern was expressed regarding an alternative site for the main library. It was noted this proposal would bring desirable activity to Clearwater. More facts were requested before further decisions were made. The City Manager said the new Main Library will be an integral part of Downtown. Staff will bring to the Commission a list of issues to prioritize including: 1) Penny for Pinellas projects; 2) downtown pond; and 3) site for the new Main Library. Due to the dynamics of this proposal and the architectural planning needs of the firm, this issue needs to be resolved. He said the library needs to be located where it will be an asset to the downtown endeavor. The City Attorney noted no conflict of interest affects Trustee Seel’s participation regarding this issue. According to the statute, a 2nd cousin is not considered a relation and the involvement of a former business partner in a project does not create a conflict. In response to a question, Senior Planner Lou Hilton said the annex property has been assessed at over $3-million. He said the estimated taxes of $92,000 a year is based on how the property is developed. It was suggested the County be asked to come to the table to help cover the impact fees. The City Manager said discussions with the County are ongoing. The County is a partner in the QTI (Qualified Target Industry) Tax Refund. It was noted taxpayers will benefit by this property’s return to the tax rolls as well as the additional jobs. It was stated the need for a new Main Clearwater Library will not be forgotten. Trustee Clark moved to accept staff’s recommendation to negotiate with the Justice Corporation. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. c) Notify City of Clearwater of the intent to accept Justice Corporation Proposal Florida Statute 163.380(3) requires the CRA to provide the governing body notification of its intent to accept such proposal, not less than 30 days prior to the acceptance of a proposal. This item is contingent on CRA approval to accept the Justice Corporation proposal. The CRA has authorized negotiations between staff with Justice Corporation. The CRA anticipates it will consider approval of a development agreement on February 17, 1998. Trustee Johnson moved to approve notification by the CRA to the City of Clearwater of the intent to accept the proposal submitted by the Justice Corporation, subject to the negotiations of a development agreement. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. d) Request for Authorization for Outside Counsel The City Attorney requested authorization to retain outside counsel in the matter of the development of the annex site: William Pence, Esquire, of Akerman, Senterfitt & Eidson, P.A. regarding environmental matters and David Cardwel, of Holland & Knight, regarding the CRA development agreement. Trustee Seel moved to authorize retaining William Pence and David Cardwel as outside counsel in the matter of the development of the annex site. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. ITEM #4 - Assistant City Manager Verbal Reports Administrative Support Manager Diane Smith said results of the DDB’s (Downtown Development Board) straw poll indicate the Downtown Alliance was approved by a vote of 115 to 26. Staff is moving forward with the alliance. DDB members appointed to the Downtown Alliance are: 1) Alan Bomstein; 2) David Stone; 3) Glen Warren; and Roger Woodruff. Information on the Downtown Alliance will be brought forward to the CRA in March. Ms. Smith indicated the office space recruitment program located 150,000 square feet of vacant office space. Potential leases for approximately 109,000 square feet are under negotiation. In response to a question, Mr. Keller said the next step in forming the Downtown Alliance requires a review of legal issues. The matter will be brought back in March. ITEM #5 - Other Business - None. ITEM #6 - Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 1:49 p.m.