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11/15/2016 Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes November 15, 2016 City of Clearwater City Hall 112 S. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33756 9 ' e Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 15, 2016 9:00 AM City Hall Chambers Community Redevelopment Agency Page 1 City of Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes November 15, 2016 Roll Call Present 5 - Chair George N. Cretekos, Trustee Doreen Caudell, Trustee Bob Cundiff, Trustee Hoyt Hamilton, and Trustee Bill Jonson Also Present—William B. Horne — City Manager, Jill Silverboard — Deputy City Manager, Pamela K. Akin — City Attorney, Rosemarie Call — City Clerk, Seth Taylor - CRA Executive Director, and Nicole Sprague — Official Records and Legislative Services Coordinator 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 9:24 a.m. at City Hall. 2. Approval of Minutes 2.1 Approve the minutes of the October 17, 2016 CRA Meeting as submitted in written summation by the City Clerk. Trustee Cundiff moved to approve the minutes of the October 17, 2016 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 Approve an Agreement between the Community Redevelopment Agency and Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc., a Florida non-profit corporation, to produce Downtown Clearwater's festival series (Blast Fridays, Miracle on Cleveland Street, Cruisin' at the Capitol) in an amount not to exceed $100,000 for Fiscal Year 2016-2017, and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. The Community Redevelopment Agency proposes to contract with Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc. to produce a downtown festival series that includes seven events, tentatively scheduled as follows: • December 2, 2016 - Miracle on Cleveland Street • January 27, 2017 - Blast Friday • Mid-February - Cruisin' at the Cap Page 2 City of Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes November 15, 2016 • February 24, 2017 - Blast Friday • March 31, 2017 - Blast Friday • April 28, 2017 - Blast Friday • May 26, 2017 - Blast Friday Based on past years feedback from the CRA Board of Trustees and other downtown stakeholders including the Downtown Development Board, the festival series for Fiscal Year 2016-2017 will be improved by introducing more entertainment and energizing the festival atmosphere along Cleveland Street from Osceola Avenue to East Avenue. A goal this year is to generate economic and social activity along the entire corridor from Osceola Avenue to East Avenue, so as to benefit more merchants and businesses in the area. This will be accomplished in part by: encouraging full participation from ground floor businesses, programming vacant storefronts with art, curating food and craft vendors along the corridor, and programming Station Square Park with entertainment. Downtown Clearwater's 2016-2017 festival series will showcase and celebrate the area's assets, as well as promote downtown's potential for future growth and activity. The Downtown Development Board has allocated $25,000 to help fund the festival series, subject to CRA favorable action. CRA staff recommends approval of the Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Agreement between the CRA and Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc. APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT: Funding has been allocated in cost code 0188-09311-581000-552-000-0000 in the amount of$100,000. In response to questions, CRA Executive Director Seth Taylor said staff met with Ruth Eckerd Hall representatives to discuss how the festival series can be improved, both groups shared a similar vision. Ideas to improve the festival series included adding public art in retail spaces, introducing food trucks and other types of vendors and activating Station Square Park with music and lighter entertainment. Staff feels confident in executing the improvements. REH/Blast Friday representative Bobby Rossi said there is demand to move the Cruisin at the Capitol event to March, providing a better opportunity to enhance the festival and expand, due to the increased number of cars vendors. Trustee Hamilton moved to approve an Agreement between the Community Redevelopment Agency and Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc., a Florida non-profit corporation, to produce Downtown Clearwater's Page 3 City of Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes November 15, 2016 festival series (Blast Fridays, Miracle on Cleveland Street, Cruisin' at the Capitol) in an amount not to exceed $100,000 for Fiscal Year 2016-2017, and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 4.2 Accept 2nd Century Clearwater Quarterly Progress Report for period July 1, 2016 through September 30, 2016, as well as the Funding and Program Activity Reports detailing cumulative expenditures through September 30, 2016. As part of the 2nd Century Clearwater implementation, staff committed to providing quarterly progress reports. The update is reflected in the 2nd Century Clearwater Implementation Matrix which includes the Funding Sources and Cost(through Q4 FY15-16) spreadsheet. Additionally, staff has provided the Trustees the Program Activity Reports for ULI General Fund Account (181-99888); CRA Library Activation Account (388-99887); CRA ULI Implementation Account (388-99885) detailing total encumbrances and expenditures. Projects Update: The majority of 2nd Century Clearwater initiatives are associated with specific geographical districts located in or adjacent to Downtown Clearwater. The remaining, broader initiatives are linked to the entire Community Redevelopment Area and in some cases the entire city. The quarterly progress report will highlight significant activities by region. Activity reports and project updates are reflective of the original Urban Land Institute action items as well as Community Redevelopment Agency and city-wide initiatives significantly impacting Downtown and the Community Redevelopment Area. For reporting purposes, the 2nd Century Clearwater initiatives have been categorized into five areas: • Downtown Gateway • Downtown Core • Bluff • Waterfront • CRA & City-wide Expenditure Update: With respect to the financial expenditure report, on an accrual basis, $7,508,425 has been encumbered with $918,415 expended for projects since September 2014. Broken down by funding source, the expenditure allocations are: General Fund, $148,533; ULI General Fund Reserve, $403,181; and CRA, $366,701. The majority of expenditures to date are attributable to seven projects:1) Bluff Master Plan - Imagine Clearwater, $165,200; 2) Boost the Library - Library Maker Space and staffing, $145,502; 3) Comprehensive Boating Plan, $59,975; 4) Create a Water Taxi or Ferry Service, $71,488; 5) North Marina Page 4 City of Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes November 15, 2016 Master Plan, $156,777; 6) Attract an Incubator - Clearwater Business SPARK, $93,318; and 7) Comprehensive Branding Initiative, $100,000. The 2nd Century Clearwater Implementation Matrix and Funding Sources and Cost spreadsheet reflects activities conducted thru Q4 FY 2015/16. Additionally, staff has provided Program Activity Reports identifying line item expenditures and fund balance through the period ending September 30, 2016, for the following accounts: General Fund ULI account (181-99888); CRA/ULI Implementation Account (388-94885); and CRA Library Activation Account (388-99887). CRA Executive Director Seth Taylor provided a PowerPoint presentation. In response to questions, Mr. Taylor said the Connect Jolley Trolley to Downtown Gateway initiative is on hold due to the PSTA's RFP for trolley services, staff needs to have a better understanding of any potential impacts. Staff changed the name of the Mercado to "Community Market"in an effort to be more inclusive of the entire city and not limit space to Latino vendors or customers. The consultant for public spaces will provide recommendations as it relates to the scale of the market and type of traffic it may attract. Mr. Taylor said the Project for Public Spaces consultant will visit the area in January as part of the market study, the consultant may recommend branding the market as a Mercado. Staff will be able to delve into the feasibility of expanding trolley service into the Downtown after the market scale, patron traffic and streetscape have been defined. The Fagade Improvement program incentivizes property owners and retailers to improve and enhance store fronts. Staff works closely with Planning and Development to produce store front plans that respect the character and scale of the neighborhood, to the extent the historic architectural qualities can be preserved. Mr. Taylor said staff is giving Station Square Park the "Bryant Park"treatment, supplementing moveable furniture with programming to foster a safe, active and welcoming space. The Station Square Park programming will be funded through department funds and programming partners. In response to a question, Economic Development and Housing Director Denise Sanderson said The Nolan is coming along nicely, with the first residents moving in December 1. The last building to go online is their retail project. The developer feels confident the leases can be filled. Deputy City Manager Jill Silverboard said the Seminole Boat Ramp project is underway and moving into the design phase, and will incorporate certain streetscape elements, from Seminole"to Ft. Page 5 City of Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes November 15, 2016 Harrison Ave. Neighborhood Services is working on a demonstration project for the Ft. Harrison area. Planning and Development Director Michael Delk said the Seminole Boat Ramp Master Plan is coming along; detailed drawings are forthcoming and will be rolled out soon at neighborhood meetings. The project will improve the public right-of-way and the pedestrian trail all the way to the end of the park. Staff is working with Engineering regarding getting control of the park,AECOM is working on getting a head start with necessary permits for the waterfront improvement. Mr. Delk said the waterfront improvement includes additional transient slips for the marina area, the upgrading of a partial sea wall, cleaning up of the shoreline, and providing a public walkway around the main parking area at the ramp. Ms. Silverboard said once this portion of the work is completed, staff would be able to pursue appropriate grant opportunities. Mr. Delk said staff is planning a tactical urbanism project around the Ft. Harrison Ave. area early next year, which would temporarily refashion the Ft. Harrison to an urban street that would support the implementation of the redevelopment in that area. Ms. Silverboard said staff has identified the N. Ft. Harrison corridor as a complete streets candidate for future consideration. The tactical urbanism project would provide feedback from residents and individuals who regularly use that corridor, providing clarity as to how they would respond to a complete street implementation. In response to questions, Mr. Taylor said staff believes an annual meeting with stakeholders to discuss progress made during the past year and future initiatives would be beneficial and should be discussed by the CRA. The CRA provides an annual report is March. It was suggested that a report in February or March be given to update the community on the progress and status of the 2nd Century Initiative, similar to the quarterly ULI meetings that included all of the stakeholder groups. Comments were made that CRA staff and Council go out into the community on a regular basis to explain what is going on. Mr. Taylor said the annual meeting could be held in a local restaurant to celebrate what is happening in Downtown Clearwater. It was suggested that the annual report can be unveiled at the Capitol Theatre, or similar location, and that the unveiling be coordinated with the stakeholders. In response to a question, Mr. Taylor said the financial estimates for some of the components would be available once the Master Plan is completed. The City Manager said as it relates to activating the Downtown, the 400-block of Cleveland Street has many of the elements that would make someone come to Downtown on any particular day. The 500 and 600-block is not as robust and is clear that the investment has not come. As expectations for activating Downtown are identified, the Page 6 City of Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency 5. Adjourn Attest City Clerk City of Clearwater Meeting Minutes November 15, 2016 investments needed by investors and retailers is key; not sure how successful staff can be when private sector investment is essential. It was commented that there are a lot of positive things happening in Downtown, such as private sector investments, residential projects, and high -wage jobs; as that develops, transit options should be discussed. The City Manager said the Cleveland Street Post Office project is not a priority now; staff has toured the facility. It was stated that the Post Office responded to the City's request that included building the agency a new post office. Trustee Caudell moved to accept 2nd Century Clearwater Quarterly Progress Report for period July 1, 2016 through September 30, 2016, as well as the Funding and Program Activity Reports detailing cumulative expenditures through September 30, 2016. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 10:23 a.m. Chair Community Redevelopment Agency Page 7