Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout101583 - MINUTES - CRA MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING CITY OF DANIA BEACH COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2008 —4:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order Chairman Jones called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. Present: Chairman: Albert Jones Vice-Chairman: Anne Castro Commissioners: Bob Anton Patricia Flury City Manager: Ivan Pato City Attorney: Thomas Ansbro City Clerk: Louise Stilson CRA Director: Jeremy Earle CRA Attorney: William Salim Absent: Commissioner: John Bertino 2. Approval of Minutes of August 6. 2008 Vice-Chairman Castro motioned to approve the Minutes of August 6, 2008; seconded by Commissioner Anton. The motion carried on the following 4-0 Roll Call vote: Commissioner Anton Yes Vice-Chairman Castro Yes Commissioner Flury Yes Chairman Jones Yes 3. CRA Update Jeremy Earle, CRA Director, noted we are creating an implementation plan and we have assembled the best team possible. We also want to get the community involved and excited about their redevelopment plan. He advised that redevelopment does not happen overnight, but takes years to come to fruition. Director Earle indicated that today we are laying the groundwork for redevelopment that will happen. The plan is project driven and it will definitely be based on economic development. He noted it takes at least a year to develop a plan, but Michelle Mellgren and her team are trying to get ours developed in 6-8 months. Director Earle reminded everyone that not everything will become a part of this redevelopment plan; a series of policy documents will be supplements to the plan. He remarked that this is only one step of the process to get our CRA up to speed to where we want to be. Director Earle further advised that County Commissioner Rodstrom will present the $6.3M check to the CRA Board on October I". He also noted that the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Parcel 109 prepared by Michael Cannon is not a marketing plan for the City, it is a parcel specific document for the development of the 109 Park site. Director Earle stated that we are seeking an experienced developer who is willing to add to the revitalization of the City and keep the character of Dania Beach. He asked the Board for approval of the document. Commissioner Flury motioned to approve the RFQ for Parcel 109; seconded by Commissioner Anton. The motion carried on the following 4-0 Roll Call vote: Commissioner Anton Yes Vice-Chairman Castro Yes Commissioner Flury Yes Chairman Jones Yes Director Earle clarified that in addition to himself, the RFQ Review Committee will consist of Michael Cannon, Executive Director, Integra Realty Resources-Miami; Dominic Orlando, Director of Public Services; and Patricia Varney, Director of Finance. 4. Findings of Necessity Approval Michelle Mellgren and Bob Daniels, the Mellgren Planning Group, presented a PowerPoint presentation of the Findings of Necessity. She noted that the main aspects of this document were discussed at the August 6, 2008 CRA Board Meeting. Ms. Mellgren advised that we are expanding the existing CRA boundaries from 525 acres to 1,349 acres and that the three neighborhoods comprising the largest portion of this expansion show clear and convincing evidence of deteriorated demographic and economic conditions. She remarked that the Finding of Necessity meets the requirements of Chapter 163, Part III, Florida Statutes, as well as Broward County requirements. Ms. Mellgren asked the CRA Board to recommend the Finding of Necessity to the City Commission and eventually to Broward County for their approval. Vice-Chairman Castro asked Ms. Mellgren if she anticipates any problems once this document reaches the County, considering we are a TIF-less CRA. She questioned whether they could prevent us from expanding our CRA boundaries. Ms. Mellgren advised this was an attorney question, however, she did not believe there would be any opposition on the County's part. Jeremy Earle, CRA Director, noted he met with Bertha Henry, Interim County Administrator, and outlined the plan and why we were doing it, and she did not foresee any problems. He further commented that the County would be extremely hard pressed not to approve this plan. Bill Salim, CRA Attorney, noted the County could object to our plan, however, based on Ms. Mellgren's Finding of Necessity which meets all the legal requirements, he did not expect they would. He advised he did not think they would be giving us any extra money, but he did not anticipate any objections at the County level. Attorney Salim further commented that the County requires this process to be done every five years. Minutes of Regular Meeting 2 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,September 3,2008—4:00 p.m. Commissioner Anton questioned if we could appeal the County's decision, in the event they reject our plan. Director Earle asked Frank Schnidman to respond to the Board's questions. Vice-Chairman Castro confirmed with Director Earle that the resolution for the City Commission to approve the Finding of Necessity would be presented at a forthcoming City Commission meeting. Frank Schnidman, Senior Fellow, Florida Atlantic University, noted he is an attorney appearing before the CRA Board as a private citizen. He provided a summary of his career experience and remarked he is familiar with Chapter 163 F.S., which relates to Community Redevelopment Agencies. Attorney Schnidman advised that the County has authority to approve CRA's, and we need to get their approval. If the County does not approve the plan, there is no appeal process, other than amending the law. He stated that there should not be a fiscal concern and that the County is required, under the law, to approve what we propose. Attorney Schnidman indicated that Chapter 163.300 is up for review this legislative year. He further noted that there is no downside to expanding the CRA District. Vice-Chairman Castro motioned to recommend the Findings of Necessity to the City Commission; seconded by Commissioner Anton. The motion carried on the following 4-0 Roll Call vote: Commissioner Anton Yes Vice-Chairman Castro Yes Commissioner Flury Yes Chairman Jones Yes 5. CRA Redevelopment Plan Presentation- Michele Mellgren Group Fred Schwartz, Kimley-Horn and Associates, presented some interim solutions on the planning process such as: • Reconsider street closures • Realign Old Griffin Road • Extend Dania Beach Boulevard to the west • Look at the inter-connections around Dania Jai Alai • Provide access to the marina area • Create new City Center Mr. Schwartz noted that the City has very good access to the main interstates and arterials. He also pointed out that small blocks are very good for redevelopment. Mr. Schwartz provided a comparison table with other cities in South Florida, relating to traffic volume. The table showed that discouraging redevelopment on Federal Highway because of traffic would not alter the current traffic situation. Minutes of Regular Meeting 3 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,September 3,2008—4:00 p.m. Mr. Schwartz indicated that if the proposed FEC Station is located in Dania Beach, they would suggest conducting a Walkability Analysis which would include: • Adding roadway and/or sidewalks with redevelopment on NW I't Avenue, which would change the dynamics of the place, to become a car/pedestrian environment. • Keep Federal Highway the way it is and have NW 1" Avenue be the one dedicated for pedestrian and parking. • Recommend a 3-level Parking Garage, with retail at the bottom and parking above. He suggested the City Hall site or the lot north of Dania Beach Boulevard, as possible locations. Chairman Jones asked Mr. Schwartz for his opinion on street closures. Mr. Schwartz stated that overall they do not like street closures. He said street closures do not work for some neighborhoods; they create winners and losers. Mr. Schwartz advised he needed more data in order to make a sound recommendation. Commissioner Flury asked Mr. Schwartz to review all data available before making a recommendation. She noted that studies conducted before and after the closures revealed that crime had dropped significantly. Michele Mellgren, President of The Mellgren Planning Group, presented a PowerPoint overview of the CRA Redevelopment Plan Land Use which is attached to and incorporated into these minutes. She reviewed the process and goal of the Redevelopment Plan which would be project driven with funding identified, and a time certain. They are currently finalizing the conceptual Master Plan and identifying projects to implement the Plan, including an estimate of cost for the projects and the policies to be established for implementation. Ms. Mellgren noted the Consensus Plan includes the following: • Marine uses along C-10 Canal and Dania Waterway • City Center • Sun Garden Isles area: workforce housing, marine uses, a bridge to extend Dania Beach Boulevard • West of the C-10 Canal: proposed hotels and entertainment • College Gardens area: commercial on Stirling Road and light industrial as well • Dania Beach Heights: improved infrastructure and townhomes She noted that the goal of the Redevelopment Plan is to improve physical conditions, address social issues, and expand economic development that would benefit the City as a whole. Ms. Mellgren provided information regarding the marine industry and economic development opportunities. She noted that a study conducted by the Marine Industries Association showed that there are 17 potential sites for Marina expansion on the Dania Waterway. Ms. Mellgren noted some of the constraints in the redevelopment area are: • Bridge heights • Crime • Absentee landlords Minutes of Regular Meeting 4 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,September 3,2008—4:00 p.m. Discussion followed between Commissioner Anton and Ms. Mellgren regarding the need to increase bridge heights. Commissioner Anton indicated that the marinas along the Bryan Road area would be willing to help pay a portion of the cost to raise the bridge over the C-10 Canal. Ms. Mellgren confirmed for Chairman Jones that the issue of absentee landlords would be addressed in their final Plan. Vice-Chairman Castro left the meeting at 5:20 p.m. to attend the Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting. Ms. Mellgren pointed out that some of the Concepts contemplate the realignment of Old Griffin Road and the raising of the bridge. Commissioner Flury would like to see a timetable of the projects that are considered a priority. Commissioner Anton agreed with Commissioner Flury regarding the priority of the projects. He further noted that the Melaleuca Gardens neighborhood will object to the realignment of Old Griffin Road. Ms. Mellgren indicated that we need to be sensitive to the residential uses and make sure that we address the type of uses that are compatible with the current ones. Michael Cannon, Executive Director, Integra Realty Resources-Miami, presented a PowerPoint Analysis of the CRA Redevelopment Plan, which is attached to and incorporated into these minutes. He noted he has been working with Michelle Mellgren and her team on this project. Mr. Cannon advised that there are 17 marinas, 7 boat manufacturers, and 9 hotels in Dania Beach, which is good for our City. He recommended raising the height of the bridges in Dania Beach because boats need accessibility. He indicated that the City should consider charging a special tax rate for the marine district. Mr. Cannon commented that Dania Beach has a lot of potential to attract businesses but we need to market it. He indicated that our downtown area needs to be a well-identified urban downtown. He noted the existing land uses are fragmented, which lessens opportunities for developers, and suggested re-assembling these parcels of land. Mr. Cannon thought that implementing transferable development rights with no political action involved, would be adequate for Dania Beach. Commissioner Anton noted he was pleased to see that the proposed RFQ for the 109 Park site is looking for a mixed-use office/retail/residential/parking, which would bring workforce housing people into our downtown. He questioned how we could change the image of our City so developers become interested. Mr. Cannon noted that in order to attract development, we needed to put the infrastructure in place first, then the landscaping, as well as creating a simple permitting process. Frank Schnidman, Senior Fellow, Florida Atlantic University, advised that the CRA Board is responsible for the Vision, however, the major impediment the City is facing is the City Minutes of Regular Meeting 5 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday, September 3,2008—4:00 p.m. Commission. He noted the City Commission needs to think about the flexibility that is needed for the redevelopment plan. Mr. Schnidman further summarized the process followed by the City of Fort Lauderdale to create today's downtown area. He thought the City of Dania Beach had to meet with developers, architects and planners, but mainly we need to meet with financial entities that would be willing to spend a percentage of their resources addressing the blight in our area. 6. CRA Board Member Discussion Items Commissioner Flury thanked CRA Director Earle for a very helpful meeting. She further commented that the Community Development Department is a problem, because they cannot process plans in a timely manner. Commissioner Anton noted that our Community Development Department needs to work with developers so projects move forward. He agreed that the Commission has been a problem with development and thought we had to be friendlier and open, in order to attract businesses to our City. Commissioner Anton indicated he is in favor of the realignment of Old Griffin Road because it would help that neighborhood. He felt we had a lot of potential and we should take advantage of it. Commissioner Anton thanked Michele Mellgren and her consultants for their advice. Finally, he expressed his appreciation to Mr. Schnidman for giving us the opportunity to have a clearer vision of what we want Dania Beach to be. Chairman Jones noted that our citizens need to know the issues when electing their City officials. He commented we should focus more on the marine industry and what they are willing to do in our City. Chairman Jones further remarked that tonight's meeting has been very educational and informative because of the expertise of the consultants who made their presentations for everyone's benefit. Jeremy Earle, CRA Director, thanked the community for their input and noted the Plan is built on what the community wants for their neighborhoods. He thanked all the consultants for their expertise and assistance in making this project a reality. Joe Van Eton, representing Dania Beach Tourism Council, stressed the fact that tourism is the#1 industry in the State of Florida, as well as in Broward County. He noted that we must include the tourism industry in the Plan. Commissioner Anton noted Mr. Van Eton made a valid point. However, he said tourists bring money into the City,but the marine industry brings employment for our residents. 7. Adiournment Chairman Jones adjourned the meeting at 6:30 p.m. Minutes of Regular Meeting 6 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday, September 3,2008—4:00 p.m. ATTEST: COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT _ AGENCY cl-� I LOUISE ST LSON, C C ALBERT C. JONES CITY CLERK SROWARps CHAIRMAN-CRA i Approved: October 8, 2008 a p 7904 , Minutes of Regular Meeting 7 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday, September 3,2008—4:00 p.m.