06/16/2022 City Council Meeting Minutes June 16, 2022
City of Clearwater
Main Library- Council Chambers
100 N. Osceola Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33755
m
Meeting Minutes
Thursday, June 16, 2022
6:00 PM
Main Library - Council Chambers
City Council
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City of Clearwater
City Council Meeting Minutes June 16, 2022
Rollcall
Present: 5 - Mayor Frank Hibbard, Vice Mayor Kathleen Beckman,
Councilmember David Allbritton, Councilmember Mark Bunker and
Councilmember Lina Teixeira
Also Present: Jon Jennings — City Manager, Micah Maxwell —Assistant City
Manager, Michael Delk—Assistant City Manager, David Margolis —
City Attorney, Rosemarie Call — City Clerk and Nicole Sprague —
Deputy City Clerk.
To provide continuity for research, items are listed in agenda order although not
necessarily discussed in that order.
1. Call to Order— Mayor Hibbard
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m.
2. Invocation — Rev. Connor Penn from St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church
3. Pledge of Allegiance
4. Special recognitions and Presentations (Proclamations, service awards, or other
special recognitions. Presentations by governmental agencies or groups providing
formal updates to Council will be limited to ten minutes.) — Given.
4.1 June Service Awards
The May/June 2022 Bimonthly Team Award was presented to Clearwater
Comic Con Committee.
4.2 Juneteenth Proclamation, June 19, 2022 - Sherman Stroman, City of Clearwater Diversity
Manager
5. Approval of Minutes
5.1 Approve the minutes of the June 2, 2022 City Council Meeting as submitted in written
summation by the City Clerk.
Councilmember Allbritton moved to approve the minutes of the
June 2, 2022 City Council Meeting as submitted in written
summation by the City Clerk. The motion was duly seconded and
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carried unanimously.
6. Citizens to be heard re items not on the agenda
Gerry Maguire said Councilmember Bunker was doing a great job and
expressed concerns with MK Ultra and the political mafia in Clearwater.
7. Consent Agenda — Approved as submitted.
7.1 Approve the renewal of a 15-year Revocable License Agreement from July 1, 2022
through June 30, 2037 between the City of Clearwater and the Clearwater Historical
Society for the purpose of providing a permanent location for the historical Plumb House
and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. (consent)
7.2 Approve a Revocable Sub-License Agreement between the City of Clearwater, the
Clearwater Historical Society, a non-profit corporation, and Community Service
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit corporation, for use of the Plumb House for a period of 5
years with an option for an additional 5 years and authorize the appropriate officials to
execute same. (consent)
7.3 Approve the City Manager's recommendation to establish a Public Work's department
and an Office of Innovation; to discontinue the Engineering department and the Utility
Customer Service department; and to establish a Utility Customer Service division and a
Right of Way division; pursuant to City Charter Section 3.03 (b) of the City Charter.
(consent)
7.4 Award a construction contract to Poole and Kent Company of Florida, of Tampa, FL, for
Marshall Street Water Reclamation Facility (MS WRF) Process Control Gates Repairs in
the amount of$3,161,578.20 pursuant to Invitation to Bid (ITB) 18-0047-UT; approve
Supplemental Work Order 2 to Brown and Caldwell for Construction Engineering
Services in the amount of$275,770, increasing the work order from $156,788 to
$432,558, pursuant to Request for Qualifications (RFQ) 26-19, Engineer of Record
Consulting Services (EOR); and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same.
(consent)
7.5 Appoint Dan Carpenter to a four-year term as a Trustee of the Clearwater Firefighters'
Supplemental Trust Fund in accordance with Sec. 175.061 of the Florida State Statutes.
(consent)
7.6 Ratify and confirm a Purchase Order to Ten-8 Fire Equipment Inc., of Bradenton, FL, for
the additional purchase of one new Pierce Heavy Duty Velocity Pumper in an amount of
$773,138.00 in accordance with Clearwater Code of Ordinances Section 2.563(1)(k),
Emergencies; declare G2611 surplus, effective upon receipt of the purchased vehicle,
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and authorize for disposal at auction or trade-in, whichever is in the best interest of the
City, in accordance with Clearwater Code of Ordinances Section 2.623(7)(c), public
auction, or (e), trade-in, and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. (consent)
7.7 Schedule a special council meeting on Thursday, July 7, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. (consent)
Vice Mayor Beckman moved to approve the Consent Agenda as
submitted and authorize the appropriate officials to execute
same. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
Public Hearings - Not before 6:00 PM
8. Administrative Public Hearings
8.1 Approve the 2022 Affordable Housing Inventory List pursuant to requirements of Chapter
166.0451, Florida Statutes, adopt Resolution 22-13 and authorize the appropriate
officials to execute same. (APH)
The 2006 Legislature amended Chapter 166, Florida Statutes, adding Section
166.0451 entitled "Disposition of municipal property for affordable housing." The
state statute includes that the governing body of each municipality must review
the proposed affordable housing inventory list at a public hearing and may
revise the list at the conclusion of the hearing. Following the public hearing, the
local governing body must adopt a resolution that includes an inventory list of
such property deemed appropriate for affordable housing development.
Section (1) of the statutory amendment requires that every three years each
municipality prepare an inventory list of all real property within its jurisdiction to
which the municipality holds fee simple title that is appropriate for use as
affordable housing. Therefore, the 2022 Affordable Housing Inventory List
includes the address and legal description of each property and specifies
whether the property is vacant or improved.
The previous list was approved by City Council in 2019 and included a total of
19 properties. Resolution 22-13, as drafted, proposes eight (8) parcels, to
which the City has title, as appropriate for use as affordable housing.
Resolution 22-13 was presented and read by title only.
Councilmember Bunker moved to approve the 2022 Affordable
Housing Inventory List pursuant to requirements of Chapter
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166.0451, Florida Statutes, adopt Resolution 22-13 and authorize
the appropriate officials to execute same. The motion was duly
seconded and upon roll call, the vote was:
Ayes: 5 - Mayor Hibbard, Vice Mayor Beckman, Councilmember Allbritton,
Councilmember Bunker and Councilmember Teixeira
8.2 Approve the annexation, initial Future Land Use Map designation of Residential Urban
(RU) and initial Zoning Atlas designation of Low Medium Density Residential (LMDR)
District for 1272 Sedeeva Circle North and pass Ordinances 9564-22, 9565-22, and
9566-22 on second reading. (ANX2021-06011)
This voluntary annexation request was passed on first reading on August 19,
2021 and involves a 0.186-acre property consisting of one parcel located on the
north side of Sedeeva Circle North, approximately 220 feet west of North Betty
Lane. The property is contiguous to existing city boundaries to the north, east
and south. Second reading of this annexation request was delayed because the
applicant was constructing a single-family dwelling on this parcel under the
County's jurisdiction. The construction has been completed and a Certificate of
Occupancy issued so second reading can now take place. A Future Land Use
Map designation of Residential Urban (RU) and a Zoning Atlas designation of
Low Medium Density Residential (LMDR) were approved for the property on first
reading. Due to the amount of time that has lapsed since that hearing, new
ordinance numbers have been assigned to reflect the current year (previous
Ordinance numbers: 9484-21, 9485-21 and 9486-21), so a third and final
reading will also be scheduled at the July 21, 2022 meeting.
Ordinances 9564-22, 9565-22, and 9566-22 were presented and
read by title only.
Councilmember Teixeira moved to approve the annexation, initial
Future Land Use Map designation of Residential Urban (RU) and
initial Zoning Atlas designation of Low Medium Density
Residential (LMDR) District for 1272 Sedeeva Circle North and
pass Ordinances 9564-22, 9565-22, and 9566-22 on second
reading. The motion was duly seconded and upon roll call, the
vote was:
Ayes: 5 - Mayor Hibbard, Vice Mayor Beckman, Councilmember Allbritton,
Councilmember Bunker and Councilmember Teixeira
9. Second Readings - Public Hearing
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9.1 Adopt Ordinance 9540-22 on second reading, annexing certain real property whose post
office address is 1827 Audubon Street, Clearwater, Florida 33764 into the corporate
limits of the city and redefining the boundary lines of the city to include said addition.
Ordinance 9540-22 was presented and read by title only.
Councilmember Allbritton moved to adopt Ordinance 9540-22 on
second and final reading. The motion was duly seconded and
carried unanimously.
Ayes: 5 - Mayor Hibbard, Vice Mayor Beckman, Councilmember Allbritton,
Councilmember Bunker and Councilmember Teixeira
9.2 Adopt Ordinance 9541-22 on second reading, amending the future land use plan element
of the Comprehensive Plan to designate the land use for certain real property whose post
office address is 1827 Audubon Street, Clearwater, Florida 33764, upon annexation into
the City of Clearwater, as Residential Low (RL).
Ordinance 9541-22 was presented and read by title only. Vice
Mayor Beckman moved to adopt Ordinance 9541-22 on second
and final reading. The motion was duly seconded and upon roll
call, the vote was:
Ayes: 5 - Mayor Hibbard, Vice Mayor Beckman, Councilmember Allbritton,
Councilmember Bunker and Councilmember Teixeira
9.3 Adopt Ordinance 9542-22 on second reading, amending the Zoning Atlas of the city by
zoning certain real property whose post office address is 1827 Audubon Street,
Clearwater, Florida 33764, upon annexation into the City of Clearwater, as Low Medium
Density Residential (LMDR).
Ordinance 9542-22 was presented and read by title only.
Councilmember Bunker moved to adopt Ordinance 9542-22 on
second and final reading. The motion was duly seconded and
upon roll call, the vote was:
Ayes: 5 - Mayor Hibbard, Vice Mayor Beckman, Councilmember Allbritton,
Councilmember Bunker and Councilmember Teixeira
9.4 Adopt Ordinance 9567-22 on second reading, annexing certain unaddressed real
property located on the southeast corner of Otten Street and Weston Drive, Clearwater,
Florida 33755 into the corporate limits of the city and redefining the boundary lines of the
city to include said addition.
Ordinance 9567-22 was presented and read by title only.
Councilmember Teixeira moved to adopt Ordinance 9567-22 on
second and final reading. The motion was duly seconded and
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upon roll call, the vote was:
Ayes: 5 - Mayor Hibbard, Vice Mayor Beckman, Councilmember Allbritton,
Councilmember Bunker and Councilmember Teixeira
9.5 Adopt Ordinance 9568-22 on second reading, amending the future land use plan element
of the Comprehensive Plan to designate the land use for certain unaddressed real
property located on the southeast corner of Otten Street and Weston Drive, Clearwater,
Florida 33755, upon annexation into the City of Clearwater, as Residential Low (RL).
Ordinance 9568-22 was presented and read by title only.
Councilmember Allbritton moved to adopt Ordinance 9568-22 on
second and final reading. The motion was duly seconded and
upon roll call, the vote was:
Ayes: 5 - Mayor Hibbard, Vice Mayor Beckman, Councilmember Allbritton,
Councilmember Bunker and Councilmember Teixeira
9.6 Adopt Ordinance 9569-22 on second reading, amending the Zoning Atlas of the city by
zoning certain unaddressed real property located on the southeast corner of Otten Street
and Weston Drive, Clearwater, Florida 33755, upon annexation into the City of
Clearwater, as Low Medium Density Residential (LMDR).
Ordinance 9569-22 was presented and read by title only. Vice
Mayor Beckman moved to adopt Ordinance 9569-22 on second
and final reading. The motion was duly seconded and upon roll
call, the vote was:
Ayes: 5 - Mayor Hibbard, Vice Mayor Beckman, Councilmember Allbritton,
Councilmember Bunker and Councilmember Teixeira
9.7 Adopt Ordinance 9579-22 on second reading, vacating the five-foot wide platted utility
easement located on Lots 1, 2 and 3, Block 44, Mandalay Sub, according to the map or
plat thereof, as recorded in Plat Book 14, Pages 32-35, of the Public Records of Pinellas
County, Florida.
Ordinance 9579-22 was presented and read by title only.
Councilmember Bunker moved to adopt Ordinance 9579-22 on
second and final reading. The motion was duly seconded and
upon roll call, the vote was:
Ayes: 5 - Mayor Hibbard, Vice Mayor Beckman, Councilmember Allbritton,
Councilmember Bunker and Councilmember Teixeira
10. City Manager Reports
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10.1Amend the City's fiscal year 2021/22 operating and capital improvement budgets at
mid-year and pass Ordinances 9589-22 and 9590-22 on first reading.
The fiscal year 2021/22 operating and capital improvement budgets were
adopted in September 2021 by ordinances 9498-21 and 9499-21. Section
2.521 of the City's Code of Ordinances requires the City Manager to prepare a
quarterly report detailing income, expenditure estimates, collections, the
explanation of significant variances, as well as the financial status of all capital
improvement projects.
A concern was expressed regarding the amount budgeted for a new city hall
and that there are alternatives to consider for its location.
Ordinance 9589-22 and 9590-22 were presented and read by title only.
Councilmember Teixeira moved to amend the City's fiscal year
2021/22 operating and capital improvement budgets at mid-year
and pass Ordinances 9589-22 and 9590-22 on first reading. The
motion was duly seconded and upon roll call, the vote was:
Ayes: 4 - Vice Mayor Beckman, Councilmember Allbritton, Councilmember
Bunker and Councilmember Teixeira
Nays: 1 - Mayor Hibbard
Motion carried.
10.2Supplement and amend Resolution 19-34 for the sale of not to exceed $30,000,000 of
City of Clearwater, Florida Non-Ad Valorem Revenue Bonds, Series 2022 (Imagine
Clearwater Improvements), authorize the appropriate officials to execute same and adopt
Resolution 22-14.
City Council previously approved issuance of not-to-exceed $30 million of
Imagine Clearwater Non-Ad Valorem revenue bonds per Resolution 19-34
adopted November 21, 2019 and Ordinance 9357-20 adopted February 6, 2020.
This resolution supplements and amends the authorizing resolution including
the following:
• Fixes certain details of the bonds, such as changing the year from 2020
to 2022
• Approves the form of the Summary Notice of Sale and the Official Notice
of Sale
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• Authorizes the award of sale to the lowest conforming bidder per the
public sale
• Approves the form and distribution of the Preliminary Official Statement
• Authorizes execution and delivery of an Official Statement
• Authorizes the execution and delivery of a Disclosure Dissemination
Agent Agreement
• Authorizes certain city officials to execute documents
Staff currently plans to sell the bonds in late June, with the closing scheduled for
mid-July.
Resolution 22-14 was presented and read by title only.
Councilmember Allbritton moved supplement and amend
Resolution 19-34 for the sale of not to exceed $30,000,000 of City
of Clearwater, Florida Non-Ad Valorem Revenue Bonds, Series
2022 (Imagine Clearwater Improvements), authorize the
appropriate officials to execute same and adopt Resolution 22-14.
The motion was duly seconded and upon roll call, the vote was:
Ayes: 5 - Mayor Hibbard, Vice Mayor Beckman, Councilmember Allbritton,
Councilmember Bunker and Councilmember Teixeira
10.3Designate a Councilmember to serve as the City's official voting delegate at the Florida
League of Cities' Annual Conference, August 11-13, 2022.
The Florida League of Cities is hosting their annual conference at the Diplomat
Beach Resort, Hollywood, Florida on August 11-13, 2022.
The League is asking each municipality to designate one official to be the voting
delegate at the Annual Business Session on Saturday, August 13 at 9:00 a.m.
Election of League leadership and adoption of resolutions are undertaken at the
business meeting.
Councilmember Bunker moved to designate Vice Mayor Beckman to
serve as the City's official voting delegate at the Florida League of
Cities' Annual Conference, August 11-13, 2022. The motion was
duly seconded and carried unanimously.
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10.4Approve a preferred development concept and team for the former City Hall site and the
former Harborview site and direct staff to begin negotiations to finalize a development
agreement.
On May 5, 2022, City Council directed staff to issue a call for Development
Concepts for the former City Hall site and former Harborview site commonly
referred to as the "Bluff Properties." The call was published on May 11 and
closed on June 9, 2022. The City received three responses from GSP
Development, Elevate Clearwater, and Gotham Organization.
At the June 13 special work session, City Council heard a 15-minute
presentation from each group. Staff was directed to place the item on the June
16 council meeting agenda in order to reach consensus on a preferred
development concept and team and to direct staff to begin negotiations to
finalize a development agreement.
Nineteen individuals supported Elevate Clearwater's proposal.
Two individuals supported Gotham's proposal.
One individual expressed concern with developing remaining
greenspace in downtown and supported leasing the former Harborview
site.
One individual questioned if the parking infrastructure could sustain the
proposed activities.
One individual expressed concern with vehicular emissions and
suggested the buses that stop at Waters Edge be electric.
The Council recessed from 7:31 to 7:42 p.m.
In response to questions, the City Attorney said when it comes to
development on the bluff, the City engaged in a statutory process of
disposing property in the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA), that
triggered the following statutory requirements: 1) provide at least a 30-day
period for competitive solicitation, 2) Council must consider certain
factors, such as the financial and legal ability of the developer to carry out
what they say they are going to carry out and what plan would be in the
public's best interest. This process is different than the more formal RFP
process outlined by city policy, there are a series of formal score
sheets, criteria, and formal voting. He said when it comes to real estate
development within the CRA, the Legislature did not impose a rigid
process intentionally because development proposals are radically
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different, as questions regarding design, parking, timelines,
mixed-income communities, and sustainability features arise during the
process. He said this process provides cities the freedom to craft a
solution that's right for the city. Council is not required to follow the criteria
that the Mayor provided but the criteria does provide a logical framework
for the discussion. The City Attorney said he nor the City Manager were
present when the initial process was conducted. He understands that the
initial process was advertised and Council vetted the submissions publicly,
and ultimately, Council was dissatisfied with the route the negotiations took.
He said Council exercised their right to decline to move forward with
negotiations. The matter has been discussed publicly for quite some time
and has been known to the development community for some time. The City
Manager said staff did not actively solicit any of the three groups that
provided submissions in this process.
The City Manager said the staff review team included him, Assistant City
Manager Michael Delk, Economic Development & Housing
Director Denise Sanderson, Planning & Development Director Gina
Clayton, Engineering Director Tara Kivett, Amanda Thompson, the City
Attorney, Assistant City Attorneys Michael Fuino and Matthew Mytych,
and Finance Director Jay Ravins. The staff review team unanimously
recommended the Gotham Group due to their visionary approach of the
properties. Staff liked the view corridors of the Gotham proposal, one will
be able to see the water as one drives Osceola Avenue. He said it is
critically important that the City maintains access to the water, visually
and physically. All three groups are immensely qualified. Assistant City
Manager Michael Delk said, from an urban design standpoint, the staff
review team believed Gotham's proposal integrated well with the Imagine
Clearwater project, activating and connecting downtown to the waterfront.
In response to questions, the City Attorney said of the three proposals
received, GSP contemplated purchasing both sites, the Gotham Group said
they would like to purchase both sites and indicated they were open to a
ground lease on the Harborview site; Elevate requested to purchase the city
hall site and ground lease for the Harborview site. One of the challenges the
chosen developer will face is financing, he did not believe the Gotham Group
has done a significant financial analysis of what a ground lease would look
like. If Council chooses Gotham and if Council is interested in exploring a
ground lease for the Harborview site, there may not be enough time to
make the November ballot. He said if the City leases one site and sells
the other site, two ballot questions will be required. The City ordinance
amending the city charter must comply with the single subject rule and
the ballot summary is restricted to 75 words maximum. If the referendum
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questions are split into two, Council will need to understand the
ramifications if one question passes and the other fails. The City Attorney
said it would be very difficult to obtain financing for multi-family housing
located on leased property. Elevate representative Edmon Rakipi said if
one referendum question passed and the other failed, Elevate would
proceed with the one project. Gotham Group and DeNunzio
representative Katie Cole said hypothetically, yes the group would
proceed with the project that passed at referendum. Gotham
representative Matthew Picket said the first phase would take
approximately 30 months to build. If the project is phased, phase 2 would
break ground approximately 18 months after phase 1 and be completed
within 20 months. He said Gotham believes phasing the project is the
most financeable because it will be hard to absorb more than 300 units at
once. The City Attorney said any time the City sells property, the City can
negotiate deed restrictions with the buyer. The promises the buyer makes
will be recorded with the County Clerk of Court, the promises will run the
land. Deed restrictions can be customized to the land deal. He said there
will be two timelines of interest: 1) timeline for the transfer of title and 2)
construction phase. In most cases, the City would transfer title at or before
the commencement of construction. The City Attorney said Elevate's
proposal contemplated that the transfer of title for the city hall site would
occur five years after operation. He recommended the development
agreement include milestones, such as an application for a building
permit, commencement of vertical construction, or certificate of
occupancy. The enforceability of the milestones are as strong as Council
makes it, financial penalties can be imposed if the milestones are not
met. He said he prefers transferring title earlier because once a private
property owner takes title of the City's property, they will be on the hook for
property taxes, which inspires people to move quickly. The City Attorney
said the documents involved in this transaction will include 1) the
purchase agreement (for both parcels) or a ground lease agreement for
both parcels, or sites, or a purchase agreement for one parcel and a
ground lease for the other parcel, 2) the development agreement, and 3)
the ordinance that proposes the referendum question. He will need a
basic outline of the deal in order to draft the ordinance for the referendum
question by July 7. The development agreement will have additional
details not included in the ordinances and is subject to amendments after
July 7. The City Attorney said the concept of a music themed hotel is
not something that would be protected through traditional IP means but
he was not aware if Elevate sought any trademarks or copyrights for the
hotel concept. City representation Amanda Thompson said if cities
make it easy to drive, individuals will continue to drive. There
were 700 parking spaces in Coachman Park,people parked their cars
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and never walked up the hill to Cleveland Street. She said the City and the
Clearwater CRA are in the process of building additional parking across
the street from this site. There is a lot of underutilized public
parking currently. Underground parking must be done because the space
above is too valuable. She said the City has the funds to help offset the
cost for that parking. The Gotham Group has an understanding for
different types of mobility and how to utilize those modes of travel. The
City Attorney said Elevate's request to abate property taxes is probably
not legal but he would approach their counsel to discuss why they believe
it is legal. When it comes to taxation, cities only have those powers that
are specifically granted to them by the Legislature, cities do not have
home rule authority to impose or waive taxes. He said there is no
mechanism in Florida law for cities to abate property taxes, except for
those circumstances that the Legislature has authorized. He said the
economic development exemption allows the City to abate 50% to
75% of property taxes if job creation criteria are met. He said staff did not
see anything in the proposal that would meet that criteria. The City's
economic development exemption expires November 6, 2022. He said a
new referendum on the economic development exemption is needed in
order to authorize new exemptions. Elevate representative Ken
Stolenberg said the property will pay all of the taxes but the CRA
would rebate that amount back to the property, a common development
incentive. He said he sought the same exemption 22 years ago in
Orlando.
Discussion ensued with comments made that this will ultimately be
decided by the citizens of Clearwater, that Gotham's proposal integrates
very well with the park, that Gotham has the experience and reputation of
building wonderful projects, that Gotham proposal has less financial risk, and
that the individuals associated with the Gotham project have Clearwater
connections. A concern was expressed with Gotham's proposed density
in a small footprint and lack of parking for residents and that the design
does not integrate well in Clearwater. It was stated that Elevate has
successfully created a community across the bay. It was suggested that
EV chargers and solar panels be incorporated into the project because it
makes good business sense.
In response to questions, the City Attorney said the City will not know the
payment amount of the bond until the sale has gone through but the City
received an outstanding credit rating today.
In response to a question, the City Attorney said if the sale of city hall and
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a ground lease of the Harborview site is desired, he would like feedback
from Gotham before adjourning tonight regarding how long it will take
them to provide staff numbers for a ground lease proposal. He said if that
is Council's direction, staff will need to prepare two referendum questions.
The only way to place one referendum question on the ballot for a ground
lease will be to pursue a ground lease agreement for both parcels. He
said whoever is selected, Council will need to provide direction if the 10%
set-aside for workforce housing will be part of the ask, if so, is Council
willing to subsidize. The Gotham Group has stated they are willing to set
aside 10% but not for free. Staff has estimated that a 10% set-aside for
workforce housing will create a $1 million annual revenue loss.
Discussion ensued with support expressed to proceed with one
referendum question. Comments were made that if deed restrictions were
pursued, educating the public is needed. There was council consensus to
include deed restrictions and pursue one referendum question. Concerns
were expressed with having workforce housing on the waterfront. It was
stated that a set-aside for workforce housing can be on the negotiating
table but not a deal breaker. There was consensus that a set-aside for
workforce housing is not a deal breaker.
Councilmember Bunker departed chambers at 9:24 p.m.
In response to a suggestion, the City Manager said to leave the workforce
housing matter on the table, staff will discuss with the developer during
negotiations.
Councilmember Bunker returned to chambers at 9:28 p.m.
Councilmember Bunker moved to approve the Gotham Group as the
preferred development concept and team for the former City Hall site
and the former Harborview site and direct staff to begin negotiations to
finalize a development agreement. The motion was duly seconded and
carried unanimously.
11. City Attorney Reports — None.
12. Closing comments by Councilmembers (limited to 3 minutes)
Councilmember Allbritton said he traveled to Washington, DC with PSTA
CEO Brad Miller to advocate for$20 million through a RAISE grant for the
Clearwater Intermodal Center, the grant will be awarded in August. Pinellas
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County has applied for grant funding 12 times and has never been awarded
funds, Hillsborough County has been awarded 11 grants.
Vice Mayor Beckman said she appreciates all the people who showed up
tonight. She said she values opinions and tries to make objective decisions
based on the information available. She said she hopes the developer hears
what the City's values are and what residents want and expect. She
encouraged everyone to check their voter registration status.
Councilmember Bunker thanked Councilmember Teixeira for making the
vote tonight unanimous and he said he hopes that Elevate supporters will
help make the referendum successful. He said he looked forward to seeing
folks at the Juneteenth celebrations.
Councilmember Teixeira said it was a difficult meeting tonight and that she
accepts and respects the opinions of the majority. She said she was working
with summer camp children from North Greenwood and Ross Norton to
design and create a collection for the Dunedin Wearable Art Show on August
27, 2022.
13. Closing Comments by Mayor
14. Adjourn
The Mayor reviewed recent and upcoming events and thanked all those
who attended tonight's meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 9:36 p.m.
ayor
Attest City of Clearwater
05f1 --e
-City Clerk
City of Clearwater
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