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08/14/2023Monday, August 14, 2023 1:00 PM City of Clearwater Main Library - Council Chambers 100 N. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33755 Main Library - Council Chambers Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Agenda August 14, 2023Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Agenda 1. Call To Order 2. Approval of Minutes 2.1 Approve the minutes of the July 17, 2023 CRA Meeting as submitted in written summation by the City Clerk. 3. Citizens to be Heard Regarding Items Not on the Agenda 4. New Business Items 4.1 Designate Anne Lopez as the Interim CRA Executive Director. 4.2 Status Update on items pertaining to the North Greenwood Community Redevelopment Area. 4.3 Status update on items pertaining to the Downtown Community Redevelopment Area. 5. Director's Report 6. Adjourn Page 2 City of Clearwater Printed on 8/7/2023 Cover Memo City of Clearwater Main Library - Council Chambers 100 N. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33755 File Number: ID#23-0955 Agenda Date: 8/14/2023 Status: Agenda ReadyVersion: 1 File Type: MinutesIn Control: Community Redevelopment Agency Agenda Number: 2.1 SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION: Approve the minutes of the July 17, 2023 CRA Meeting as submitted in written summation by the City Clerk. SUMMARY: APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT: USE OF RESERVE FUNDS: Page 1 City of Clearwater Printed on 8/7/2023 Cover Memo City of Clearwater Main Library - Council Chambers 100 N. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33755 File Number: ID#23-0993 Agenda Date: 8/14/2023 Status: Agenda ReadyVersion: 2 File Type: Action ItemIn Control: Community Redevelopment Agency Agenda Number: 4.1 SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION: Designate Anne Lopez as the Interim CRA Executive Director. SUMMARY: The purpose of this agenda item is to recommend the CRA Trustees designate Anne Lopez as the Interim CRA Executive Director. Ms. Lopez will serve in this manner until such time as a permanent replacement is found and so designated by the Trustees. An interim salary commensurate with the assignment of duties will be applied to this period of service. Page 1 City of Clearwater Printed on 8/7/2023 Cover Memo City of Clearwater Main Library - Council Chambers 100 N. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33755 File Number: cID#23-0966 Agenda Date: 8/14/2023 Status: Agenda ReadyVersion: 1 File Type: Action ItemIn Control: Community Redevelopment Agency Agenda Number: 4.2 SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION: Status Update on items pertaining to the North Greenwood Community Redevelopment Area. SUMMARY: Providing updates of the following: ·ARPA Community Grants ·Citizen Action Committee (CAC) Establishment ·Branding ·MLK Corridor - Takeaways from Forward Pinellas/Inspire Placemaking Public Engagement Process Page 1 City of Clearwater Printed on 8/7/2023 1 City of Clearwater - MLK Jr. Ave. Corridor Form Based Code Recommendations Inspire Placemaking Collective, Inc. (formerly S&ME, Inc.) was retained by Forward Pinellas for the Urban Design Services Pilot Program aimed at assisting communities in realizing local goals and objectives by offering a suite of urban design services. The City of Clearwater was one of the three jurisdictions selected for this program. The City of Clearwater is in the process of establishing a new Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) in their North Greenwood community. The North Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Avenue Corridor (primarily between Marshall and Palmetto Streets) is the historic heart of the North Greenwood neighborhood, serving as a focal point for businesses and community gathering. Redevelopment and increased pedestrian activity are a priority along the Corridor. With the goal of understanding the community’s vision, a familiarization tour and stakeholder interviews were conducted on March 7, 2023, and a two-day design charrette was held on April 5 and 6, 2023. The data and feedback received during the public input activities were used to inform the recommendations below. Form Based Code Recommendations Establishing an adequate regulatory framework is a crucial component in implementing the vison for the redevelopment of the MLK Jr. Avenue corridor (the Avenue). This may be achieved by amending the Community Development Code and Zoning Map to include a Form-Based Code (FBC) reflective of the desired character for the Avenue. The intent of the FBC will be to preserve the existing neighborhood fabric, while promoting quality infill and redevelopment projects within a vibrant, walkable, mixed-use environment. The FBC will also allow the City to establish priorities for the potential redevelopment of City-owned properties. Should the City wish to pursue an amendment to the Community Development Code and Zoning Map to incorporate a Form-Based Code for the corridor, the following recommendations should be considered. Regulating Plan The organizing principle of the FBC is the regulating plan, a two-dimensional graphic that depicts the geographic distribution of the transect zones. The preliminary plan below, generated during the Design Charrette process, was used as a basis for the creation of the Regulating Plan. MLK Avenue Form-Based Code Recommendations 2 Transect Zones The regulating plan of the FBC will use transect zones instead of zoning districts. Transect zones are to be delineated based on intensity of use (as opposed to types of land use). Some of the recommended zones would include: • Neighborhood Mixed-Use: The mixed-use area will encompass properties along MLK from Grant Street to Palm Bluff Street with the aim of revitalizing the pedestrian-friendly nature of the Avenue. Civic and cultural uses will be a pivotal component of this transect, reinforcing the sense of place and community. Flexibility will be important in this area to accommodate infill and redevelopment; compatibility provisions will also be important for areas that abut single family residential districts. • Multi-Family Residential: This lower intensity area will generally include sites along the Avenue from Marshall Street to Grant Street, from Palm Bluff Steet to Palmetto Street, and properties east of the Neighborhood Mixed-Use area to serve as a transition from the mixed-use corridor to the single-family areas. A wide range of housing typologies should be allowed to accommodate the needs of the community. • Transition Zones: Characterized by the adaptive re-use of existing buildings and incorporating a mix of low intensity commercial and residential uses, this designation would be applied along Engman Street from Blanche B Littlejohn Trail to MLK Jr. Avenue to reinforce the connection between the Trail and the Avenue. Permitted and Prohibited Uses While the Neighborhood Mixed-Use zoning designation will allow for a mix of uses, it will be important to ensure permitted uses are compatible with the scale and N MLK Avenue Form-Based Code Recommendations 3 character of the Avenue. Auto-oriented uses (currently allowed in Commercial districts), for example, should be prohibited. Similarly, single-family residential uses (other than currently existing) should be reconsidered as a permitted use. The regulations should incentivize vertical mixed-use and the provision of multi-family, particularly developments that make housing affordable to the work force. Block Layout and Connectivity Block size is key to achieving good urban form and transportation (pedestrian and vehicular) connectivity. Shorter blocks improve the pedestrian experience as well as foster a street network that supports the efficient distribution of traffic. The urban neighborhood gridded network shall be maintained and improved. Building Placement and Orientation The placement of a building on a site is critical to creating a continuous urban form and district character. Buildings must be situated and oriented towards the street; parking areas must be placed behind buildings. Building orientation may be defined by locating prominent entrances along the Avenue. The FBC must address the physical form of buildings and spaces in each of the defined transect zones instead of focusing on uses and intensities like conventional regulations. Public Realm The interaction of the building with the public realm is of great importance. The space in front of the building must include a public sidewalk, landscaping, street trees, and streetscape furniture. The City should consider requiring easements from developers to ensure sidewalks and parkways (furnishing zone between the travel lanes and the sidewalks) are designed to accommodate safe and comfortable pedestrian environments. MLK Avenue Form-Based Code Recommendations 4 Circulation, Access, and Parking Standards should ensure development design addresses vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic. Curb cuts along the Avenue should be minimized. Rear alleys, secondary roadways, or joint use driveways should be used instead. Flexibility will be needed for parking—a combination of various parking strategies (i.e., reduction in parking requirements, shared parking or district-wide parking, and public parking) will need to be considered. Building Form, Massing, and Scale Standards must be adopted to ensure building massing is adequately addressed and large building volumes are divided to appear as smaller volumes grouped together. Volume breaks may be achieved by volume projections and recesses, and varying heights and roof lines. Building form provisions should address massing roof modulation and building height. While we observed a preference for keeping the current low building heights along the corridor, the discussion needs to be held again with the community during the preparation of the FBC. Façade Articulation, and Fenestration Facades must be designed to reduce the monolithic appearance of large unadorned walls. Fenestration (the arrangement of windows and doors along a façade) is a critical part of façade articulation. The percentage of fenestration shall be regulated to ensure transparency and adequate façade design. MLK Avenue Form-Based Code Recommendations 5 Landscaping, Lighting, and Drainage The landscaping standards should focus less on buffers and use separation along the Avenue and more on providing shade and accentuating buildings and public spaces. Lighting standards will focus on safety and compatibility. Provisions should be included to encourage the use of Low Impact Development practices (e.g., green roofs, rain gardens, rain cisterns, or other design techniques). Signage Sign regulations must ensure redevelopment and infill projects have adequate signage in line with the vision for the Avenue. Standards must also address storefront signage location, materials, and size to ensure a consistent environment. The City or the CRA should also consider establishing a wayfinding program along the Avenue. Public Art Art (e.g., sculptures and murals) are an important part of urban life. Vibrant districts are made more unique when sprinkled with local art. The City should consider adopting an art program that would allow sculptures and murals throughout the Avenue. Murals should not be regulated as signs as they are not intended for advertisement, but rather as works of art. They should be allowed as part of a program managed by the City. Many cities in Florida have established their own programs and include requirements such as prior experience of the artist, size, and placement limitations. Adaptive Reuse and Renovations Given the quality of the building stock, the FBC must address the reuse and repurposing of existing buildings. Major renovations should align with the desired character and incorporate as many of the required site and building standards as possible. MLK Avenue Form-Based Code Recommendations 6 Civic and Cultural Buildings Civic and cultural buildings may include, but are not limited to, municipal buildings, religious facilities, libraries, schools, recreation facilities, and places of assembly. The FBC must include standards for the scale, placement, and design of such uses, ensuring these are celebrated as landmarks. These standards should include the following: • Civic and cultural buildings should be sited in locations of particular geometric importance, such as anchoring a major public space or terminating a street vista. Flexibility in building placement allows civic and cultural buildings to be distinguished from surrounding residential and commercial buildings and to be a prominent landmark in the community. • The scale of civic and cultural buildings should typically be larger than surrounding buildings in order to be more prominent and visible across greater distances. Floor-to-floor heights and architectural details shall be proportionately larger than those of private buildings that exist or are anticipated within adjacent blocks. Flexibility in height may be granted for roof forms, entrances, and other architectural elements, which reinforce the character. When civic and cultural uses are incorporated into mixed-used developments, their prominence should be highlighted. • The design of civic and cultural buildings shall be of the highest quality to reflect their importance within the community and their function as landmarks. Cover Memo City of Clearwater Main Library - Council Chambers 100 N. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33755 File Number: ID#23-0967 Agenda Date: 8/14/2023 Status: Agenda ReadyVersion: 1 File Type: Action ItemIn Control: Community Redevelopment Agency Agenda Number: 4.3 SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION: Status update on items pertaining to the Downtown Community Redevelopment Area. SUMMARY: ·Business Assistance | Grants Programs ·The Nolen ·The Mercado ·New Business Interests for Downtown Page 1 City of Clearwater Printed on 8/7/2023