07/28/2005
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ENTERPRISE ZONE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD MEETING MINUTES
CITY OF CLEARWATER
July 28, 2005
Present:
Bob Kinney
Bob Fernandez
Brian Schuh
Capt. Anthony Holloway
Rick Rosa
Chair
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member/Police Department
Board Member/Community Response Team
Absent:
Kristin Dailey
Isay Gulley
Ralph Emmanuelli
Chery! WadE!
Board Member
Vice-Chair
Board Member
Board Member
Also Present: Leslie Dougall-Sides
Diane Hufford
Brenda Moses
Assistant City Attorney
Economic Development Coordinator
Board Reporter
The Chair called the meeting to order at 1 :03 p.m. at City Hall, following by the Pledge of
Allegiance.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not
necessarily discussed in that order.
. 3 - Action Items
a) Approval of Minutes
Member Schuh moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of April 28, 2005,
as submitted in written summation to each board member. The motion was duly seconded and
carried unanimously.
b) Schedule next meeting - October 27,2005
Consensus was to hold the October 27,2005, meeting in Room 222, 2nd floor, City Hall.
4 - Board Discussion of Recertification of Zone and Goals
It was reported that Clearwater's EZDA (Enterprise Zone Development Agency) must be
recertified.
Economic Development Coordinator Diane Hufford reported mOre than 50 EZDAs
recently met to review legislation regarding Florida's Enterprise Zone Act, which expended the
program's expiration date to December 31, 2015. The legislation permits EZDAs to apply to re":
designate enterprise zones and amend boundaries.
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For re-designation, Clearwater will be required to: 1) provide a resolution requesting re-
designation, with supporting statements; 2) provide maps and written description of the
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nominated area; 3) establish specific and measurable goals for annual reporting; and 4) if
desired, request a boundary amendment that complies with Florida Statutes. Future requests to
amend boundaries may be submitted once every three years. The bill also revised the Building.
Materials Sales Tax Refund: 1) for projects completed on or after July 1, 2005, establishes
September 1, as the application deadline for the sales tax refund, and 2) deletes the one sales
tax application limitation per parcel of real estate for the sales tax refund.
Ms. Hufford reviewed several applications for building materials sales tax refunds.
Minimal activity related to job tax credits probably is attributable to the lack of housing in EZDA.
Due to the reporting cutoff date, $344,000 in applications was not reflected on the State's
annual report. Staff is developing a method to track tax credit receipts. Once the number of
downtown housing units, job opportunities, and the tax base increase, the City's EZDA no
longer will quality for job tax credits.
Goals
Ms. Hufford reviewed staff's recommended goals for recertification:
Goal #1 :
For downtown to be fully developed with a mix of retail, office, and residential
development that will enable downtown to be a lively, vital community center for the City of
Clearwater Enterprise Zone. - .
Objective: Increase the supply of new urban housing located in.oowntowri by _ units per year
during the next 10 years. Attract a hotel/motel to the downtown area in the enterprise zone.
Method to Measure: Building Permits, Increased Tax Revenues
Completion Date:
Ongoing
Goal #2:
Improve the Community's public infrastructure conditions to enhance the development of
the zone and the overall quality of life for zone residents. Increase the supply of downtown
parking to keep pace with re-occupancy of existing buildings and new construction.
Objective: Capital investment with annual dollars increased or percentage
Method to Measure: CIP dollars and projects
Completion date:
Ongoing
Discussion ensued with comments that Goal #1 is sufficient and many public projects
will be good for the area, and recommendations to add a parking measurement to the goals,
and to require temporary' parking during construction projects. The help of Americorps
members was offered to assist staff in surveys of Enterprise Zone businesses to determine
employee numbers.
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Ms. Hufford said Clearwater is reviewing the City's overall parking needs. The average
downtown office needs five parking spaces per 1,000 square-feet, while the Code requires three
parking spaces per 1,000 square-feet. In response to a question, Ms. Hufford said increasing
the Code required number of parking spaces has not been discussed..
Goal #3
Diversity - Expand Enterprise Zone employment base.
Objective: Reduction in unemployment. Number of new jobs or _%.
Number of new businesses or %.
Method to Measure: . Occupational licenses, U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Statistics
Completion Date:
Ongoing
Ms. Hufford said Goal #3 will track more than high wage jobs. For an accurate
employee count, staff can contact by telephone businesses with multiple employees with
individual occupational licenses at one location. The services of Americorps were offered to
help the City track employees in the Enterprise Zone. Ms. Hufford suggested Americorps could
start the tracking process in November.
Goal #4:
Increase awareness of the Enterprise Zone programs.
Objective: Market and promote the Enterprise Zone programs through a variety of tools
including program brochures, web site, communication with local organizations and agencies,
and one-on-one meetings and contacts with businesses, developers, tax consultants and City
departments.
Method to Measure: Number of applications received, number of projects ongoing, amount of
dollars refunded.
Completion date: Ongoing
Ms. Hufford said Goal #4 will be easy to measure, as itistied into housing numbers.
She said a TBRPC (Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council) program produces a report from
information provided by municipalities.
Ms. Hufford said she will enhance the Enterprise Zone profile and required conditions
for inclusion in the application. The City Council will review the information in the Fall. The
recertification application deadline is November 30,2005. Board members requested staff
provide copies of the application, excluding maps, for review. Board members were invited to
attend the Council meeting when the application is presented.
Building Materials Sales Tax Refund
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Ms. Hufford said a change to the Building Materials Sales Tax Refund process permits
applicants, who meet criteria, to receive funds more than once a year.
Discussion ensued r~9arding the height of the proposed Acqua project, with comments
that as Clearwater is bufltto its potential, some increased height allowances will be necessary .
downtown.
Balk Development Phase Two
Ms. Hufford reported remediation on the Balk Development was completed last
September. The City's environmental attorney forwarded required documents regarding a
restrictive covenant to the FDEP (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) two years
ago, and still awaits final approval. Once received, the City can close on the Balk property. She
reviewed the procedure for Phase Two approvals.
Member Fernandez moved to approve the letter drafted by staff to wholeheartedly
support incentives offered by the EZDA program. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
5 - Staff Comments
Assistant City Attorney Leslie Dougall-Sides said she will work with Ms. Hufford on the
City Council resolution required for the EZDA re-certification application.
6 - Public Comment - None.
7 - Adiournment
The meeting adjourned at 1 :50 p.m.
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Chair
Enterprise Zone Development Agen
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