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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20210608 Virtual CRA Board MeetingMINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING DANIA BEACH COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021 - 5:30 P.M. Call to Order/Roll Call Chair James called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Present: Chair: Vice -Chair: Board Members: Executive Director City Attorney: CRA Secretary: 2. Citizen Comments Tamara James Marco A. Salvino, Sr. Joyce L. Davis Lori Lewellen Lauren Odman K. Michael Chen Thomas Ansbro Thomas Schneider There were no comments at this meeting. 3. Administrative Reports 3.1 Administrative Report Director Chen noted he received a call from Broward County yesterday and we have met the qualifications to convert the garage loan to a grant. He reviewed the information included in the agenda packet, consisting of updates on the At Home Dania Beach Residential Beautification Program, Dania Beach Innovation Ecosystem (Dania Beach Business Academy - "Passions to Profits"), Dania After Dark (the RFP is currently under legal review), the Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration (at the Board's direction, the CRA will initiate preparation to produce the Arts & Seafood Celebration 2022 event), and the Commercial Property Improvement Program (expansion of the program to all commercial corridors in the CRA is awaiting direction from the Board). Chair James asked if religious institutions could apply for the Commercial Property Improvement Program. Director Chen noted it is currently limited to commercial enterprises. He described the previous program that was replaced with the program we have today and the boundaries of the program. The subject was brought up because there was discussion about expanding eligibility across the CRA district and not just the corridors it presently operates under. Discussion ensued regarding expanding the program and increasing the percentage. Chair James would like to see us expand the program to other areas in the CRA. Vice -Chair Salvino suggested Director Chen bring back other areas that should be included in the program area at the next meeting. Chair James agreed and noted the other Board Members should provide to Director Chen areas that they believe should be included. Director Chen continued his report with an update on the Smith's Store property and two adjacent properties, economic development, Oasis Point Job Fair, social media marketing, and the PATCH. 4. Presentations There were no presentations on this agenda. 5. Consent Agenda 5.1 Minutes: Approve Minutes of May 11, 2021 CRA Board Virtual Meeting Approve Minutes of May 13, 2021 CRA Board Virtual Workshop 5.2 Travel Requests: None Board Member Lewellen motioned to approve the Consent Agenda; seconded by Board Member Davis. The motion carried unanimously. 6. Proposals and Bids There were no proposals on this agenda. 7. Discussion and Possible Action 7.1 At Home Dania Beach-CRA Properties Director Chen reviewed the information included in the agenda packet. He addressed the 16 parcels owned by the CRA; 11 parcels are potentially buildable, and one parcel is for sale, one parcel is right-of-way, and there are the Smith Store properties. He noted out of the 11 potentially buildable parcels, six are definitely buildable. He said we need to understand what Minutes of Virtual Regular Meeting 2 Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Tuesday, June 8, 2021 — 5:30 p.m. we have; all of the parcels need to be surveyed with the exception of the Smith Store properties. We also need appraisals done on the parcels, so we know how much they are worth. Once we have the surveys and appraisals, he suggested we put the entire six buildable parcels up for RFP on a for -sale basis to keep the City and CRA out of the design of the parcels. Covenants could be placed on the parcels to reflect any desires by the Board relative to affordable or workforce housing. He reviewed the sale options and considerations available to the Board described in his memo. The way to keep the City and CRA safe is using covenants rather than getting involved in the design process. Vice -Chair Salvino suggested putting the lots up for sale; he would recommend if we can get that kind of money for the lots, we should give them 10% to put down on the house. The lots are worth more than we may realize. Narrow and unbuildable lots could be used for pocket parks. Director Chen noted the March 2020 appraisal of the Smith parcels which was $10 per square foot; that puts these values at $20-30,000. The appraisal is a year old, and he recommends getting new appraisals. Chair James felt the At Home Dania Beach program was very successful with the first six parcels. She said the first six homes were nowhere near the market prices described by Vice - Chair Salvino. She felt we need to help first-time homebuyers and veterans, and require the buyers initially be required to be residents of the CRA area. She agrees to the $10,000 CRA assistance to first-time homebuyers. We need to mandate some requirements. Board Member Lewellen said we could put certain covenants on the land via the RFP process. On the first six properties, we did not make any money. She likes the suggestion of selling the properties and putting the covenants on them because we would not have as much risk, and we are helping the CRA as a whole. Chair James agreed with going out to RFP but $300,000 paid by a developer is not affordable and not feasible for the first-time homebuyers. She wants to make sure the things in the covenants benefit the residents. Vice -Chair Salvino suggested Director Chen get an appraisal on one of the lots to see where we are. Construction costs have gone way up, and many people would not be able to afford the prices presently. He suggested Director Chen ask a developer what the construction costs would be. Perhaps we could decide on the five parcels tonight. Director Chen noted the four adjacent lots that are unbuildable would be very buildable if they are combined. Only one lot, which is 1800 square feet, is very unbuildable. There are six parcels on this street adjacent to each other; we own four, the fifth is owned privately, and the sixth is ours. If we could acquire that fifth lot, we could do a very nice townhouse project. Board Member Odman questioned intentional housing (small houses, smaller footprint, in a smaller area) and asked if the only thing on the table are townhouses. Minutes of Virtual Regular Meeting 3 Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Tuesday, June 8, 2021 — 5:30 p.m. Director Chen responded these could actually be multi -story condo projects with height limitation that would keep it low density. There are many different configurations that could be utilized. Board Member Odman felt the best way to go about it is to have an appraisal done on one of the parcels. Board Member Lewellen said she likes the idea of purchasing the fifth lot so we have all of the lots together. She questioned if it would make sense to do an appraisal on one of the lots and one on the adjacent four lots. Director Chen felt we should investigate whether the person who owns the fifth lot is interested in selling before we do an appraisal of the four lots. He described the map included in the backup of the six parcels. Vice -Chair Salvino said once we get an appraisal of the lots and determine construction costs, the Board will have a better idea of which way to go. He is looking to use dollars wisely and put as many people as possible in homes. Chair James noted we have $500,000 in the budget for property acquisition and suggested we acquire the fifth parcel, and we could even re -allocate the money for assistance. Regarding pocket parks, she has concerns about putting them right next to someone's home as often they are not safe and encourage loitering. She would want the input of property owners right next to a potential pocket park. She favors getting the properties appraised so the Board can make the best decisions. Rev. Paul Wiggins, 321 SE 3ra, said he is perplexed by what he is hearing after the workshop; it seems to be inconsistent with some of the conversations at the workshop. Since the workshop, no one has reached out to the community. If the CRA sells the properties to developers, it will change entire neighborhoods. Residents who live in these areas need to be at the table. Chair James noted we still need to know what the appraisals are of the properties. Director Chen added the CRA does not have properties conducive to pocket parks. The Board consensus was to move forward with appraisals of the properties, and to have Director Chen provide a map of the properties and reach out to the third party who owns the fifth parcel to determine interest in selling. 7.2 CRA Board Composition/CRA Advisory Board City Attorney Ansbro reviewed the information included in the agenda packet regarding the composition of the CRA Board and a CRA Advisory Board. He noted an advisory board was to have been created after the establishment of the CRA. Minutes of Virtual Regular Meeting 4 Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Tuesday, June 8, 2021 — 5:30 p.m. Board Member Odman noted her concern of adding one or two people to the Board is how it would affect the dynamic of the Board's debates and discussions. Secondly, there is the educational component. On the pro side, it adds value to have residents on the Board. It could be very challenging and difficult to do; however, it could be done. Board Member Lewellen agreed and questioned what the criteria would be for a person to serve on the Board. To add two residents would go against the normal elections process and she is concerned it could become very political and create issues overall. It would also become a lot more challenging to get things done. Regarding an advisory board, she would like to know the criteria for serving on an advisory board as it cannot be all residents. She asked Director Chen to explain the make-up of an advisory board. Chair James felt this matter needs to be brought back due to the lack of time to continue discussion tonight. Director Chen said he has found advisory boards most useful when there is a great cross-section of the citizens. He described the qualifications for serving on the economic advisory board in Fort Lauderdale. Chair James requested Director Chen bring back more information. Director Chen noted we are moving forward with the Arts & Seafood Celebration. Board Member Davis noted it is important to her to have the voices of the community heard whether we do it through expanding the CRA Board or an advisory board. In the meantime, she would like to look at the criteria that would be put in place. Director Chen provided more details on the Arts & Seafood Celebration. Chair James questioned starting the next meeting at 5:00 p.m. to ensure there is enough time for all of the discussion. She asked Director Chen to let the Board know if he feels more time will be needed. 8. Board Member Comments Board Member Davis noted she looked at the flyers included in the backup, and she is excited about what she is seeing. 9. Information Items There were no items on this agenda. Minutes of Virtual Regular Meeting Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Tuesday, June 8, 2021 — 5:30 p.m. 10. Adjournment Chair James adjourned the meeting at 6:50 p.m. ATTEST: 01/ i ------------------ THOMAS SCHNEIDER, CMC CRA SECRETARY COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT Approved: July 13, 2021 QL1 T>q*M DANIA.BEACH COMMIIAGENCY Minutes of Virtual Regular Meeting 6 Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Tuesday, June 8, 2021 — 5:30 p.m.