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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-01-19 CRA Board Regular Meeting Minutes MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING CITY OF DANIA BEACH COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2008 - 6:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order Chairman Anton called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Present: Chairman: Bob Anton Vice-Chainnan: Albert Jones Commissioners: John Bertino Anne Castro Patricia Flury Assistant City Manager: Colin Donnelly City Attorney: Thomas Ansbro City Clerk: Louise Stilson Absent: City Manager: Ivan Pato 2. Approval of Minutes of December 13, 2007 Commissioner Castro motioned to approve the Minutes of December 13, 2007; seconded by Commissioner Flury. The motion carried on the following 5-0 Roll Call vote: Commissioner Bertino Yes Vice-Chairman Jones Yes Commissioner Castro Yes Chairman Anton Yes Commissioner Flury Yes Addenda 5. Interview for CRA Director Angela Bauldree Commissioner Flury introduced Angela Bauldree, applicant for the CRA Redevelopment Director position. She asked Ms. Bauldree to give the CRA Board an overview of her education and professional work experience. Angela Bauldree noted that she currently works for the City of Tamarac as their Housing Administrator. She is involved in housing programs; capital projects; neighborhood planning; budgeting and grants administration. Prior to this she worked for almost four years with the City of Hallandale, as their Community Redevelopment Director. During this time, she oversaw their CRA, which had TIE funding and allowed them the opportunity to proceed with capital projects, housing and many other community-related needs. Vice-Chairman Jones asked how she would jumpstart redevelopment in the City, considering we have very few incentives to offer developers. Ms. Bauldree responded that we would need to implement developer agreements requesting contributions because of the impact to the City, in terms of traffic, schools, etc. She pointed out that as a Grant Writer, she would try to seek opportunities for grant funding with the County or the State, depending on the project. Commissioner Bertino asked what type of network she had with developers. Ms. Bauldree responded our location makes the developers want to come to us and offer us what they think our City needs. She noted there is a lot of opportunity in Dania Beach. Ms. Bauldree also thought Community outreach was a good method to attract developers. Commissioner Castro questioned her familiarity with Enterprise Zones. Ms. Bauldree was aware of the Enterprise Zone within the City; however, she does not have any experience with Enterprise Zones. Commissioner Castro asked what strategies she would use to attract developers and how she would create the developer agreements. Ms. Bauldree commented the willingness of the City to grow and revitalize itself is crucial. It takes a long term commitment on the part of the City to facilitate variances, impact fees, and other financial aspects that will encourage developers to come to Dania Beach. Commissioner Castro questioned the difference between Tamarac or Hallandale Beach and Dania Beach. Ms. Bauldree noted that our City is larger than Tamarac and Hallandale Beach. There is a lot of potential in Dania Beach and it may be time to change from "Antique Row" to another type of business, if it is no longer working for the City. Ms. Bauldree responded for Commissioner Castro that the Gulfstream Race Park was the largest project that she worked on during her time in Hallandale Beach, although there were many other people involved in it. Chairman Anton questioned her experience in putting together parcels and facilitating agreements among multiple land owners and individual developers. Minutes of Regular Meeting 2 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,January 9,2008—6:00 p.m. Ms. Bauldree indicated that acquiring parcels and combining them for development was one of the most important aspects of her position in Hallandale Beach. In some cases they had to relocate a business owner to another area where they could still maintain their business, in order to enable the City to develop a specific parcel of land. Commissioner Flury asked what her previous job was, before working for the City of Hallandale Beach. Ms. Bauldree advised she worked as Special Projects Coordinator for Broward County where she was involved in contracting for Mass Transit services. Prior to her employment with the County, she worked at the Veteran's Hospital as their Purchasing Agent. Ms. Bauldree noted the biggest challenge for this position would be the fact that our CRA does not have a TIF. If selected, she would try to help the City put its goals and dreams into reality. Item #3 was heard after Item #5 3. Canterbury Square Update — Steve Casper Steve Casper noted he is going to get a permit to makeover his 9'xl4' building. He questioned if he could be his own contractor, and if so, where he could obtain a permit. Mr. Casper would also like to know the color scheme generally approved by the City. He suggested we consider a Danish theme for the CRA district. Mr. Casper noted he has been in the building located on Federal Highway for 37 years. He questioned whether he needed a permit from the Department of Transportation (FDOT) to allow him to stay there for as long as he wanted. Mr. Casper further commented that he canvassed the Dania Beach area, and there is an interest in getting business people to come to these meetings and offer their input. He finally questioned if the Library considered having a corporate sponsor. Commissioner Castro responded we have no color scheme for the City. She added the CRA prefers a Mediterranean style, although we have agreed to different styles on a couple projects. As regards the Library, Dania Beach is a Broward County Library branch; however, she has heard that Broward County is exploring options for corporate sponsors for parks and libraries. Laurence Leeds, A1CP, Director of Community Development, thought Mr. Casper should talk to Phil Reeves, Building Official, to determine if he can be his own contractor. He indicated that a building permit can be obtained in the Community Development Department. Director Leeds confirmed that the City has a color code adopted in 1998 that limits the colors and defines the architecture of buildings. He noted a waiver can be obtained at no charge, it only needs Commission approval. Director Leeds liked the idea of a Danish theme for our City. He advised that unless Mr. Casper intends to have his driveway widened, FDOT should not be involved. Minutes of Regular Meeting 3 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday, January 9,2008—6:00 p.m. 4. Charter School Property Solutions Update— Cyndi Dotson Cynthia Dotson, National Project Director, Charter School Property Solutions, noted they hired the services of Kimley-Horn and Associates in order to address the traffic concerns expressed by the CRA Board at their December 13, 2007 meeting. She introduced Gregory Kyle from Kimley-Horn and Associates. Mr. Kyle, Kimley-Horn and Associates, noted they met with the Broward County Traffic Engineering Division and they indicated that a School Speed Zone would not be required on Federal Highway because there is no driveway connection on that road. The traffic impact on the neighborhood to the east would be addressed by a drop-off/pick-up loop which would force traffic off of the street. Ms. Dotson noted the school's opening and closing times vary by 45 minutes from other schools in the area. She noted their director, Gwendolyn Purcell, also present at the meeting, had agreed to consider making adjustments to the hours to mitigate the traffic impact in the area. Ms. Purcell responded for Chairman Anton that approximately eighty percent of the students are dropped off by their parents. Chairman Anton was concerned with the School Speed Zone issue and the safety of the children, considering they will be unable to cross on Federal Highway. Mr. Kyle reiterated that Broward County would not approve another crossing on Federal Highway. Commissioner Bertino noted we are responsible for the health and safety of the children in our City. He thought it is the wrong location for a school and suggested they look somewhere else. Commissioner Flury was concerned with the traffic in the neighborhood. Ms. Purcell advised they currently have approximately 200 students, but their ultimate goal is 500 students. Giselle Leonardo, Attorney for the Florida Intercultural Academy, a Civil Engineer, and a resident of Dania Beach, noted that the school is currently located on a similar site to the one being proposed. However, the traffic solution would be improved from the existing one. She also pointed out that the school would be prepared to retain a private security guard to address the school crossing issue. Ms. Dotson noted having a quality school in Dania Beach could help with redevelopment. Commissioner Bertino commented that we have very good schools in our City and reminded everyone that Dania Elementary is an A-Plus school. Vice-Chairman Jones questioned if they could install a crossing for their Charter School. Minutes of Regular Meeting 4 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday, January 9,2008—6:00 p.m. Mr. Kyle advised that based on the number of students, it is unlikely that Broward County Traffic Engineering Division would agree to that crossing. Commissioner Castro confirmed with Mr. Kyle that it would be possible to obtain a permit from the State to have a police officer take care of the crossing, instead of a private crossing guard. She suggested they consider relocating to the Griffin Road area which is lacking schools. Chairman Anton reaffirmed the Board's concerns regarding the safety and welfare of our children crossing the street. He echoed Commissioner Castro's suggestion to look for a location in the Griffin Road area. Chairman Anton stated that based on the discussion held tonight they should consider their options before moving forward with this project. Addenda 6. Proposed Business Venture at 100 E. Dania Beach Boulevard— Howard Berkowitz Howard Berkowitz. Principal, AM Capital Funding, LLC, noted he runs the Stix Cigar Lounge in Ft. Lauderdale. He indicated they are outgrowing their current facility and they are looking to relocate to a new area. Mr. Berkowitz explained that he and his partner Louis Gigliotti, P.A., want to offer their clients more options by expanding their products and accessories. He further advised that some of the products they offer are premium cigars, fine wines, clothing and coffee. Mr. Berkowitz also commented that they would offer a variety of live entertainment. He stated they want to generate more business and more revenue for Dania Beach. He would like to have the Commission's blessing before signing a lease agreement with the owner of the building. Chairman Anton noted he had met with Mr. Berkowitz and Mr. Gigliotti. The concerns are the proximity to another bar, the proximity to a church, and available parking. He indicated that variances may be required. Laurence Leeds, AICP, Director of Community Development, advised that a variance may not be required for the proximity to another bar, provided they serve only beer and wine, no liquor. He will check with the City Attorney tomorrow. Director Leeds confirmed the project is consistent with TOC guidelines. He indicated parking may require a variance; however, we will not be able to confirm this until we see the floor plan. Mr. Berkowitz confirmed for Commissioner Castro that there will not be any noise associated with the business. Their plan is to have quiet, relaxing music only. He also indicated they plan to accommodate approximately 15-20 people. The general consensus of the Board was to support the business. Minutes of Regular Meeting 5 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday, January 9,2008—6:00 p.m. 7. Adjournment Chairman Anton adjourned the meeting at 7:20 p.m. ATTEST: COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGEN Y LOUISE STILSON, C BOB ANTON CITY CLERK CHAIRMAN —CRA Approved: February 6, 2008 Minutes of Regular Meeting 6 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,January 9,2008—6:00 p.m.