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12/14/2015 Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes December 14, 2015 City of Clearwater City Hall 112 S. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33756 e d s w r' �mu Meeting Minutes Monday, December 14, 2015 1 :00 PM City Hall Chambers Community Redevelopment Agency Page 1 City of Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes December 14, 2015 Roll Call Present 5 - Chair George N. Cretekos, Trustee Doreen Hock-DiPolito, Trustee Jay E. Polglaze, Trustee Bill Jonson, and Trustee Hoyt Hamilton Also Present—William B. Horne — City Manager, Jill Silverboard —Assistant City Manager, Rod Irwin — CRA Executive Director/Assistant City Manager, Pamela K. Akin — City Attorney, Rosemarie Call — City Clerk, Nicole Sprague — Official Records and Legislative Services Coo rd in ator To provide continuity for research, items are listed in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 1. Call To Order— Chair Cretekos The meeting was called to order at 1:04 p.m. 2. Approval of Minutes 2.1 Approve the minutes of the November 2, 2015 Special CRA Meeting and the November 30, 2015 CRA meeting as submitted in written summation by the City Clerk. Trustee Hock-DiPolito moved to approve the minutes of the November 2, 2015 Special CRA meeting as submitted in written summation by the City Clerk. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. Trustee Jonson moved to approve the minutes of the November 30, 2015 CRA meeting as submitted in written summation by the City Clerk. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 3. Citizens to be Heard Regarding Items Not on the Agenda — None. 4. New Business Items 4.1 Amend the Interlocal Agreement between the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the City of Clearwater to allow funds to be utilized by the Clearwater Main Library for pre-venture, startup and small business programs and services and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. Page 2 City of Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes December 14, 2015 This amendment will match the funding to the intent as described in Section 2 of the agreement. As currently written, the funding may only be used for STEM-related activities at the maker spaces. The purpose outlined in Section 2 also includes small business start up, entrepreneurship, job seeking and business marketing support. This amendment mirrors the item just reviewed by the CRA. No additional funding is requested. Trustee Jonson moved to Amend the Interlocal Agreement between the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the City of Clearwater to allow funds to be utilized by the Clearwater Main Library for pre-venture, startup and small business programs and services and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 4.2 Approve Cleveland Street District Facade Improvement Program loan documents (Financial Incentive Contract, mortgage and note) in the amount of$25,000 for the property located at 24-28 N. Ft. Harrison Avenue and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. As background, on September 4, 2007, the CRA approved the Cleveland Street District Facade Improvement Program. The Facade Improvement Program creates incentives for property owners and businesses on Cleveland Street to improve the appearance of their businesses and properties. It was hoped that this program would foster and encourage investment and pride in building facades along Cleveland Street and add to the Cafe District envisioned in a revitalized downtown Clearwater. While staff widely marketed this program after CRA adoption, there was little interest in the program during the recession. However, property owners are now interested in making investments to their buildings. Application for 24 N. Ft. Harrison Avenue Shannon Seymour, Managing Member of 24 N. Ft. Harrison LLC, property owner at 24-28 N. Ft. Harrison Avenue, applied for a Cleveland Street Facade Improvement Program Financial Incentive. As part of the application process, the property owner provided an itemized list of eligible facade improvements totaling $70,563. The proposed timeframe for completion of the exterior is spring of 2016. The program matches improvements dollar-for-dollar up to $35,000. The CRA Executive Director approved a $10,000 grant. The balance of$25,000 will be in the form of a loan at 0% with zero payments, to be repaid upon sale of the property, default of the loan, or at the loan maturity date of fifteen years from date of closing. Page 3 City of Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes December 14, 2015 As described in the Facade Program Guidelines, the loan will be secured by a mortgage and note on the property to be repaid upon sale of the property. Once the eligible improvements are completed and the requisite mortgage and note are executed, the loan will be disbursed as a reimbursement of costs incurred by the property owner. As a stipulation of the loan, the property owner will maintain the facade improvements as approved, in good condition, for a period of five years from completion. The proposed improvements to 24 N. Ft. Harrison meet the Downtown Design Guidelines and overall CRA objectives. Staff recommends approval of the loan documents. In response to a question, Downtown Manager Anne Fogarty France said the $25,000-loan will be matched by the property owner/applicant for the fagade improvements. The loan amount will be deducted from the $197,000-balance in the Fagade Improvements budget line item. Trustee Hock-DiPolito moved to approve Cleveland Street District Facade Improvement Program loan documents (Financial Incentive Contract, mortgage and note) in the amount of $25,000 for the property located at 24-28 N. Ft. Harrison Avenue and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 4.3 Request that the U.S. Postal Service use the Historic Surplus Property Program to enable the sale of the Cleveland Street Post Office to the CRA for adaptive reuse and adopt Resolution 15-04. The Cleveland Street Post Office opened in 1933 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. Adaptive reuse of the property would promote historical awareness, preserve the historic building, and provide for public access to a much larger audience than the current use. The CRA desires to implement adaptive reuse of the Post Office and begin a conversation on the relocation of the Post Office to a more suitable, mission-oriented location that would better service its retail and delivery operations. Additionally, the Cleveland Street Post Office lies in the entry to Downtown Clearwater and would serve as a visual marker to the downtown, as recommended in the Urban Land Institute report. One of the recommendations published in a report to Congress by the Advisory Page 4 City of Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes December 14, 2015 Council on Historic Preservation in 2014 specifically states that "the USPS should consider the Historic Surplus Property Program for select historic properties where protection of the property is paramount and a state or local government is interested in acquiring the property" In response to questions, the City Attorney said the resolution before the CRA would initiate the communication process with the USPS. CRA Executive Director Rod Irwin said the site could be purchased in a similar manner as the Economy Inn, which involved a loan from the Central Insurance Fund, or by reallocating the planned expenditures for capital projects. Until a purchase price is known, staff cannot determine how to fund the property acquisition. If a loan from the Central Insurance Fund is pursued, the anticipated payback period would be five years. Mr. Irwin said staff tries not to go below $1 million a year in the redevelopment fund as a benchmark. The City Manager said staff will provide the Trustees with several options to consider, the Trustees will choose the option to cover the property acquisition. The resolution does not focus on cost, staff can provide a more detailed analysis on how to fund the acquisition. In response to questions, the City Clerk said the USPS has not expressed an interest in surplussing the site to staff. Initial research by the City's federal lobbyists indicate that there was no example of a municipality requesting the USPS to surplus a historic site for municipal purchase. Since the site is not surplussed, there is a concern that the purchase price would be full market value or higher, subject to the number of interested bidders. Trustee Hock-DiPolito moved to request that the U.S. Postal Service use the Historic Surplus Property Program to enable the sale of the Cleveland Street Post Office to the CRA for adaptive reuse. The motion was duly seconded. It was suggested that the resolution include language on the relocation and retention of a post office facility in Downtown Clearwater. Discussion ensued with comments made that adaptive reuse is a structured program utilized throughout the country and requires the building's architecture be preserved. Support was expressed to pursue to research alternative uses of the building. Concerns were expressed that the request to surplus the post office site will lead to eliminating a post office in downtown. Trustee Jonson moved to amend the resolution to include a new Section 1 that reads, "The CRA wishes to implement potential Page 5 City of Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes December 14, 2015 adaptive reuse of the Post Office and begin a conversation on the relocation of the Post Office to a more suitable, mission-oriented location that would better service its retail and delivery operations," and renumber the others sections accordingly. The motion was duly seconded. Ayes: 1 - Trustee Jonson Nays: 4 - Chair Cretekos, Trustee Hock-DiPolito, Trustee Polglaze and Trustee Hamilton Motion failed. One individual supported the post office site be repurposed as a restaurant or entertainment venue that would be an additional anchor for Downtown. Discussion ensued with support expressed to pursue asking the USPS to surplus the site. Concerns were expressed with closing the post office for city purchase at this point in time. Upon the vote being taken: Ayes:3 - Trustee Hock-DiPolito, Trustee Polglaze and Trustee Hamilton Nays: 2 - Chair Cretekos and Trustee Jonson Motion carried. Resolution 15-04 was presented and read by title only. Trustee Hamilton moved to adopt Resolution 15-04. The motion was duly seconded and upon roll call, the vote was: Ayes: 3 - Trustee Hock-DiPolito, Trustee Polglaze and Trustee Hamilton Nays: 2 - Chair Cretekos and Trustee Jonson Motion carried. 5. Trustee Discussion Items 5.1 Winter's Miracle event review comments - Councilmember Jonson Trustee Jonson provided pictures of the Winter's Miracle event. The event was a very effective street festival. The City can attract a bigger crowd when the event is an organized street festival and involves children. Page 6 City of Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency 6. Adjourn Meeting Minutes December 14, 2015 In response to a question, Downtown Manager Anne Fogarty France said staff can post event pictures on the City's Flickr and Instagram sites. The meeting adjourned at 1:50 p.m. — 6`2Ar \st ceckt.tos Chair Attest ■ Community Redevelopment Agency 9 , "ATEC4 , \'•... . / , . cF:., , A4Ri aC) City Clerk =a� Go�,eo�A'` �'oo' 5 /4 Page 7 City of Clearwater