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HomeMy WebLinkAbout65952 - MINUTES - CRA MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING CITY OF DANIA BEACH COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MONDAY, MAY 12, 2008 - 6:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order Chairman Jones called the meeting to order at 6:00 .m. g P Present: Chairman: Albert Jones Vice-Chairman: Anne Castro Commissioners: Bob Anton John Bertino Patricia Flury City Manager: Ivan Pato City Attorney: Thomas Ansbro City Clerk: Louise Stilson CRA Consultant: William Salim CRA Director: Jeremy Earle 2. Approval of Minutes of April 10, 2008 Vice-Chairman Castro motioned to approve the Minutes of April 10, 2008; seconded by Commissioner Anton. The motion carried on the following 5-0 Roll Call vote: Commissioner Anton Yes Vice-Chairman Castro Yes Commissioner Bertino Yes Chairman Jones Yes Commissioner Flury Yes Item #4 was heard after Item #2 Item #3 was heard after Item #6 3. Proposed CRA Policies Jeremy Earle, CRA Director, requested to continue this item until the next Board meeting, but Finance Director Varney needs direction tonight on how to proceed. He suggested that the CRA Director and the Chairman or Vice-Chairman sign any invoices relating to CRA matters. Patty Varney, Director of Finance, was concerned because she does not know the Board's direction. She noted her issue is who would be the internal control person to sign off on invoices submitted by the CRA Director. Director Varney indicated the proposed CRA Procedures may be postponed but she needs a temporary measure to address the approval of payments in connection with the CRA. Commissioner Anton advised he read the proposed Policies and said we need to respect the wishes of the CRA Director. He thought the CRA Director should sign off on invoices with the Chairman or Vice-Chairman giving the final approval. Vice-Chairman Castro asked for backup information when invoices are presented for approval. It was the consensus of the Board to continue this item to the next CRA Board meeting. Item #7 was head after Item #3 Item #4 was heard after Item #2 4. Update on Library City Attorney Ansbro advised that City staff and CRA Attorney Bill Salim met with Broward County Library staff two weeks ago regarding the proposed agreement, originally modeled from the one from the City of Coral Springs. After the meeting, it was decided that we should use the model from the City of Lauderhill which would be more suitable for our purposes. He noted they are working on the new draft agreement and hope to have a turnaround back to the County before the end of this week. City Attorney Ansbro stated that we cannot give the land to the County, but we could lease it for $1 per year for a term of 30 years. He clarified that the building would belong to the County, but the land would belong to the City. Once the contract is signed, we will go out for a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the construction of the building. City Attorney Ansbro pointed out that Public Services Director Orlando has suggested that we go green with construction. He noted that the County requested 70 parking spaces for their staff which should be within walking distance of the Library, and ADA compliant. 5. Update on 109 Park Property Jeremy Earle, CRA Director, advised that we are currently waiting until July to go out for Request for Qualifications (RFQ). He noted that developers are waiting for the CRA Board and the Commission to develop a vision before coming to the City. CPA Director Earle further indicated that we are looking for qualified developers for the project and he hopes to have the RFQ published within the next few weeks. 6. Michele Mellgren Amended Scope of Services Michele Mellgren advised they are planning a 4-day Visioning Session with the community. She noted they will create a "Community Preference Survey" and will be addressing goals and objectives for the City. Ms. Mellgren indicated they want to bring a redevelopment plan to the Board which will serve as a road map to redevelopment which should be accomplished by the end of the year. She advised that the amended Scope of Services for the Agreement with The Mellgren Group will soon be coming before the CRA Board and City Commission for approval. Minutes of Regular Meeting 2 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Monday,May 12,2008—6:00 p.m. She noted the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Mapping Program, one important tool in the amendment, would allow us to identify and print specific problems within a certain area. Vice-Chairman Castro noted there is a lot of interesting information that can be obtained with the GIS Program. The Amendment to the Agreement will include all the necessary details covering all three neighborhoods and hopefully expand the CRA which would open up funding opportunities. Vice-Chairman Castro asked Michele Mellgren for an update on the preparation of the Unified Land Development Code. Ms. Mellgren advised the "One Code Project" is under way. She noted they have created a unique format which is very user-friendly. Ms. Mellgren confirmed for the Board that she has met with Nick Lupo, Code Compliance Manager, and received his input on the different aspects of the Code. She further clarified that this project is on schedule. Commissioner Flury referred to the Redevelopment Plan and noted it is important that Ms. Mellgren and her team understand that there have been many charettes in the City. She advised that over the years less people attended the charettes because only a report, which did not include funding options, was developed. Commissioner Flury pointed out that Ms. Mellgren needs to be sympathetic and understanding with these people who have lost hope of seeing any redevelopment in their neighborhoods. She commented that a real good plan should include funding sources, so it is essential that this plan be practical and reasonable. Commissioner Flury requested the Mellgren Planning Group review the studies we already have on file and select the best information they can find. Ms. Mellgren noted they will definitely use the information from previous studies. She advised that experts on her team will search for funding information resources so they can provide a realistic plan. Commissioner Bertino cautioned that many people have been satiated with coming to the meetings, and when they do, they always say that they are talking on behalf of their neighbors. He emphasized the importance of using older studies in the preparation of their plan. Commissioner Anton noted they may need to reach out to the Homeowners Associations to get people involved, especially in the western part of the City. Vice-Chairman Castro suggested Ms. Mellgren's representatives contact certain leaders within the community and ask them to bring some of their neighbors to the meetings. She commented that time passes and things change and people's vision of the City may have changed too. Vice- Chairman Castro pointed out that previous studies are valuable, but we need to listen to what people want today. Chairman Jones commented that we need to look back at the past when we prepare to move forward. He noted that the City needs a dedicated funding source in order to make our vision a reality. Minutes of Regular Meeting 3 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Monday,May 12,2008—6:00 p.m. CRA Director Earle advised that we are creating an implementation plan. He further indicated that every document within that plan will have a funding source attached to it, and a timeline as to when the project should be completed. CRA Director Earle commented they are working aggressively on trying to obtain the $6.3M from Broward County. Lastly, he noted that on Wednesday, June 1 Id' the Board will have an all-day Visioning Session where the Board will set their goals and objectives for the City. Item #3 was heard after Item #6 Item #7 was heard after Item #3 7. CRA Leaal Consultant William Salim, CRA Attorney, advised that Broward County wants the City to sign the agreement for the Library before they do. He noted the issue of concern is the County recess, and he will contact the Assistant County Attorney's office tomorrow, for their schedule. Vice-Chairman Castro asked Attorney Salim to tell the County representatives that the City is trying to beat the County recess and also be able to keep the bid amount for the consultant as close as possible. She stated the CRA Board would be willing to contact some of the County Commissioners for their assistance in expediting the process. City Manager Pato pointed out that we may need to have a special meeting for the Commission to sign the agreement before it is presented to the County. Attorney Salim talked about the request to obtain the $6.3M for the CRA from the County. He advised the preliminary determination on the City/County agreement should pose no legal obstacles regarding payment. However, they are facing some political issues because the funds were specifically earmarked for certain infrastructure improvements and the City decided to use SRF funds instead. Attorney Salim noted they can try to change this decision, but he cannot give any assurances. Commissioner Anton would like to obtain the $6.3M so we can move forward with some of the projects. He said we should remind the County of their offer when they discussed the proposed CRA in Dania Beach. We should also show them we have acquired the 109 Park property which meets the criteria that they originally established when the TIF-less CRA was created. Commissioner Anton thought this was the direction we need to take with the County Commission. Vice-Chairman Castro pointed out that the County is not concerned with attaching the $6.3M to a specific project; their real issue is giving us the entire $6.3M in a lump sum. She remarked we must try to get everything done before their July recess. Commissioner Flury suggested we ask the County if we can pay off the SRF funds with the $6.3M, which would allow us to pay down our debt and borrow money from other sources. Minutes of Regular Meeting 4 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Monday,May 12,2008—6:00 p.m. Commissioner Anton commented we need to have this process finished by July and receive the $6.3M which was promised to us years ago so we can get things started. Vice-Chairman Castro noted that Finance Director Varney recommended that it would be financially better for us to use the$6.3M for other purposes, as opposed to paying the SRF debt. It was the consensus of the Board to get the money from Broward County as soon as possible. 8. CRA Green Initiative Jeremy Earle, CRA Director, noted we brand Dania Beach as being extremely progressive therefore he would like to suggest that the City choose a number of homes and make them green. He introduced Kristy Andres and Laurie Pyke of IIS Group. Kristy Andres, Regional Director for Integrity Investment Strategies (IIS) Group, explained that they are a green real estate company focused on the green building industry. She pointed out that we should be conscientious of: Energy Conservation, Water Conservation, and the Improvement of indoor quality in commercial and residential buildings. Ms. Andres said that they are trying to convert the Tri-County area into the "Green Building Capital of Florida". She spoke about the green workforce housing initiative program which is intended to reduce the impact that our homes and businesses have on the environment. Primarily, they would provide homes to workforce homebuyers, mainly government employees, nurses and school teachers, at a purchase price of fifteen percent below market value. Ms. Andres explained the process to apply to the IIS Group for the Green Affordable Housing Program. Laurie Pyke, Project Manager, IIS Group, explained the steps involved in evaluating the houses to be converted. She noted that if the home rating is 100 points or below, the home is certified with the Energy Star Program and qualified for the Energy Efficient Mortgage. Ms. Andres explained that this is not a grant program, but they are teamed with investors who would offer financing. She mentioned that there are homes in Dania Beach that are owned by the City that could be used for the green initiative. Ms. Andes said they are here to reach out to the community and generate awareness of this valuable program. Chairman Jones thought there might be some opportunities for grants for existing homeowners to convert to green. Ms. Andres noted that most of their loans are for homebuyers, not home conversions. CRA Director Earle noted they are developing a partnership with IIS Group and hopefully we can identify properties owned by the City, which they would develop at no cost to us. Ms. Andres responded for City Manager Pato that they do not work with new construction. Minutes of Regular Meeting $ City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Monday, May 12,2008—6:00 p.m. 9. Adjournment Chairman Jones adjourned the meeting at 7:20 p.m. ATTEST: COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY c LOUISE STILSON, CMC ALBERT C. JONES CITY CLERK CHAIRMAN— CRA ��,w•s vrgsr Approved: June 4, 2008 1 1 Minutes of Regular Meeting 6 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Monday, May 12,2008—6:00 p.m.