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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-11-10 CRA Board Regular Meeting Agenda AGENDA COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY REGULAR MEETING MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2008 — 6:00 P.M. ANY PERSON WHO DECIDES TO APPEAL ANY DECISION MADE WITH REGARD TO ANY MATTER CONSIDERED AT THIS MEETING OR HEARING WILL NEED A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS, AND FOR SUCH PURPOSE MAY NEED TO ENSURE THAT A VERBATIM RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS IS MADE WHICH RECORD INCLUDES THE TESTIMONY AND EVIDENCE UPON WHICH THE APPEAL IS TO BE BASED. LOBBYIST REGISTRATION REQUIRED-REGISTRATION AS A LOBBYIST IN THE CITY OF DANIA BEACH IS REQUIRED IF ANY PERSON,FIRM OR CORPORATION IS BEING PAID TO LOBBY THE COMMISSION ON ANY PETITION OR ISSUE PURSUANT TO ORDINANCE NO. 01-93. REGISTRATION FORMS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE IN THE ADMINISTRATION CENTER. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, PERSONS NEEDING ASSISTANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY OF THESE PROCEEDINGS SHOULD CONTACT THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE, 100 W. DANIA BEACH BOULEVARD, DANIA BEACH,FL 33004,(954)924-6800 EXT.3624,AT LEAST 48 HOURS PRIOR TO THE MEETING. IN CONSIDERATION OF OTHERS,WE ASK THAT YOU: A. PLEASE TURN CELL PHONES OFF,OR PLACE ON VIBRATE. IF YOU MUST MAKE A CALL,PLEASE STEP OUT INTO THE ATRIUM,IN ORDER NOT TO INTERRUPT THE MEETING. B. IF YOU MUST SPEAK TO SOMEONE IN THE AUDIENCE,PLEASE SPEAK SOFTLY OR GO OUT INTO THE ATRIUM,IN ORDER NOT TO INTERRUPT THE MEETING. 1. Call to Order/Roll Call 2. Approval of Minutes of October 8, 2008 3. CRA Update 4. CRA Presentation—Jim Carras 5. Adjournment MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING CITY OF DANIA BEACH COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2008 — 5:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order Chairman Jones called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. Present: Chairman: Albert Jones Vice-Chairman: Anne Castro Commissioners: Bob Anton John Bertino Patricia Flury City Manager: Ivan Pato City Attorney: Thomas Ansbro Deputy City Clerk: Miriam Nasser CRA Director: Jeremy Earle CRA Attorney: William Salim 2. Approval of Minutes of September 3, 2008 Commissioner Anton motioned to approve the Minutes of September 3, 2008; seconded by Vice-Chairman Castro. 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 3. CRA Update Jeremy Earle, CRA Director, reported on his meetings with Broward County representatives, Cynthia Chambers and Cathy Randazzo, regarding our $6.3M check for the Library. They advised that we cannot use two sources of funding therefore we negotiated other ways to use the money they allocated to Dania Beach. He noted that at this meeting they were able to agree on two projects, a reimbursement of $2.7M for Parcel 109 and $2.3M to be used for the parking garage structure, approximately 20% of the $6.3M. The County remarked that they do not like parking garages, but they finally agreed that we can use the money for that purpose. Director Earle advised that the County would give us back a total of$5M. He told them that if they are leaving $1.3M on the table we would want half of the amount we are receiving to be a grant. Director Earle further indicated that they agreed to give us $2.7M as a grant and $2.3M in the form of a loan, to be paid interest free for ten years, at which time we would pay them back at a two percent interest rate, providing we have moved forward with some redevelopment in the downtown area within that period of time. Commissioner Anton noted the conditions are the same as before. He confirmed with Director Earle that 109 Park will always remain City property. Director Earle noted that the County requires fresh applications to be submitted for this new arrangement. City Manager Pato noted he would be happy to work with Director Earle through this process. Vice-Chairman Castro noted that$2.3M would be a loan,unless we can demonstrate to them that projects are moving forward, in which case it would become a grant and we no longer have to pay them. Director Earle clarified for Commissioner Bertino that the County wants a return on their investment. Commissioner Flury confirmed with Director Earle that any amendment to the Interlocal Agreement needs County Commission approval. She thought we should take the relatively sure thing or whatever moves faster. Commissioner Anton agreed with Commissioner Flury and thought we should take this course of action even though he did not like the idea of leaving $1.3M on the table. He further commented that several other issues are happening and there could be a lot of negativity with Dania Beach on the part of the County, in the not too distant future. Vice-Chairman Castro confirmed with Director Earle that Attorney Moskowitz thinks we can get the vote of the County,with the modifications, and still be able to negotiate $1.3M. Director Earle advised that Attorney Moskowitz has told him he does not like the idea of leaving $1.3M on the table. However, he is confident that within a short period of time, he can get the five votes necessary to ensure that we get $6.3M based on the new projects. Director Earle pointed out that he made it clear to the County that if we agree to leave $1.3M on the table we are going to get credit for this action. He remarked that the grant is guaranteed now, and that he did not believe they would give us $6.3M and still give us $2.7M as a grant. Chairman Jones questioned if there would be a chance to receive $1.3M from the County at a future date. Director Earle did not think so. Vice-Chairman Castro noted that if Attorney Moskowitz thinks we can get $6.3M,with the same terms, she would favor this action. However, she would simultaneously move with the agreement to leave $1.3M on the table and take whatever they are offering now. Minutes of Regular Meeting 2 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,October 8,2008—5:00 p.m. Director Earle noted that the County advised that they would want to deal with the money issue first and consider the Findings of Necessity to expand the CRA boundaries afterwards. Commissioner Anton confirmed with Director Earle that Cynthia Chambers and Cathy Randazzo would support this arrangement with the County Commission. Director Earle commented that Bertha Henry, Broward County Administrator, wanted 25% off the original $6.3M. Director Earle noted that $1.3M is just a number to start negotiations. He would like to move forward with the process to get the $2.7M grant as soon as possible. Director Earle further noted that over the next four weeks there would be more discussions and things could change. Commissioner Anton commented the County has some major budget issues and finding $1.3M could be difficult for them. Commissioner Bertino asked if this arrangement exists with other cities. Director Earle responded in the negative. He added that we are in a better position than other cities because our projects are moving forward. City Manager Pato thought we should go for all of it and be prepared to walk away with something. He was concerned that if the grant for $2.7M is based on a current appraisal of the property, the money they give us will resemble today's value of the property and not what we paid for it. City Manager Pato further noted that the County would reimburse more than 10% on any property that they negotiate. He commented that Bertha Henry is following the same path as the previous County Administrator. Vice-Chairman Castro thought this was a reimbursement, and we can show the County what we actually paid for the property. Commissioner Bertino would like to hear Attorney Moskowitz's comments. Bill Salim, CRA Attorney, noted that Attorney Moskowitz proposes to set up meetings with certain County Commissioners to see if he can line up the votes to get an approved amended Interlocal Agreement for $6.3M, with the grant condition. If this plan does not work, he would implement Plan B,which would be to take$5M and leave $1.3 on the table. Commissioner Flury did not agree with this approach and thought that if we keep delaying our decision,we will end up with nothing. Commissioner Anton liked the idea of the grant because we are only looking at a debt service of $2.3M instead of$6.3M. He agreed with Commissioner Flury that it would be better to leave $1.3M on the table. Commissioner Anton was not opposed to letting Attorney Moskowitz try to negotiate a deal where we take the grant, and not leave $1.3M. Minutes of Regular Meeting 3 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,October 8,2008—5:00 p.m. Director Earle said he would try to turn in the applications within the next four weeks. Vice-Chairman Castro pointed out that it was a good thing that the County agreed to build the parking garage with $2.3M. She further noted that we do not want to jeopardize the expansion of the CRA with the meetings that Attorney Moskowitz would have with the County Commissioners. Vice-Chairman Castro agreed with Commissioner Flury and thought that it was better to skip the political solution and work with staff for a better deal. Commissioner Bertino noted that Attorney Moskowitz has the political contacts with the County and may get something out of these meetings. He emphasized he would like to hear his comments before we make a decision. Director Earle noted that when we met with the County to discuss the $6.3M we asked for the entire amount to be a grant, but they said no. He commented that we have a lot of things in progress and we should try to work with County staff so we can get something accomplished. Chairman Jones was concerned that the expansion of the CRA would be affected if we upset County staff by using the political solution. He agreed with Director Earle's first suggestion to accept $5M and leave $1.3M on the table. The CRA Board generally agreed to move forward with Director Earle's proposal to accept $5M and leave $1.3M on the table. Director Earle noted that he recently had a very productive meeting with representatives of the Marine Industry. They are excited with the potential for the Marine Industry which will benefit our community. Director Earle was confident that Frank Hertzhold and his team would succeed in getting the funds that we need for our future redevelopment. Commissioner Anton noted that he attended this meeting and there were representatives from Marina Mile, The Marine Industries Association, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Florida Inland Navigational District (FIND) and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). He noted there were interesting subjects discussed, such as widening the channel under the US1 Bridge, as well as raising the Bridge and the possible name change of the Dania Cut-Off Canal. They all seemed very confident that they could find funding, and deal with the FEC railroad situation as well. Commissioner Anton indicated that they all agreed to work with The Mellgren Planning Group to help them develop the proper zoning code. They also discussed the C-10 Canal and the low Griffin Road Bridge and suggested creating some private/public partnership to deal with this matter. He thought it was a very positive meeting and commended Director Earle for making it happen. Commissioner Anton finally noted that expanding the Marine Industry in our City would bring high-paying jobs to the community. Director Earle remarked that this redevelopment plan will increase the tax base of our City and provide more employment opportunities for our community. He commented that a recent survey showed that the Marine Industry has 22 sites in Broward County, 18 of which are located in Dania Beach. Minutes of Regular Meeting 4 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,October 8,2008—5:00 p.m. 4. CRA Presentation There were no presentations at this meeting. 5. CRA Next Steps Jeremy Earle, CRA Director, noted that we want to work on the Redevelopment Plan and the implementation of the Plan at the same time. He distributed a copy of the CRA Next Steps Report to the Board, outlining the items that would be accomplished during the next few months, which report is attached to and incorporated into these minutes. Director Earle indicated that we are putting our policies and procedures in place as well as complying with State Statutes. He pointed out that the things we do will have to be workable and implementable. Director Earle advised that Jim Carras, Carras Community Investment, Inc., would provide advisory services for the creation of a New Markets Tax Credits Community Development Entity as well as a Brownfield Area. Mr. Carras would also advise us in finding particular funding sources. He explained that Kimley-Horn and Associates would provide consulting services to undertake a Parking Evaluation Study, which should become the basis for our shared parking agreements for the CRA. Director Earle also noted that Kimley-Horn would prepare the engineering sketches that the County requires. He remarked that each consultant is a specialist in their respective fields and will put the CRA on the right track very quickly. Director Earle asked the Board for approval of the contracts in order to move forward as soon as possible. Commissioner Flury confirmed with Director Earle that funding for these contracts are included in the CRA budget. Commissioner Flury motioned to proceed with the contracts for the services requested; seconded by Vice-Chairman Castro. Commissioner Anton clarified for the record that this process is required for the implementation of the CPA Plan. 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 Director Earle further advised that Frank Schnidman would also be providing services to the CRA and staff in matters pertaining to the achievement of the CRA's goals and objectives, including the facilitation of private land assembly. Once Mr. Schnidman meets with the parties concerned, he would assist in the preparation of a CRA policy to foster private land assembly. He also noted that Michael Cannon will help us conduct our Economic Benefit Analysis. Director Earle thanked the CRA Board for their support. Minutes of Regular Meeting 5 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,October 8,2008—5:00 p.m. Commissioner Flury confirmed with Director Earle that the time-frame to submit the application to the County is four weeks. Vice-Chairman Castro would like everyone involved to have a commitment to check the status in about three months based on when we start. Director Earle noted he would include this clause in the agreements. 6. CRA Board Member Discussion Items Vice-Chairman Castro asked Director Earle if he knew of any non-profit affordable housing organizations approaching Dania Beach to participate in the program. Director Earle responded in the negative. Vice-Chairman Castro asked if we could encourage non-profit participation in the Affordable Housing Program, once our CRA is up and running. She wanted to make sure that we do not overlook it, if this is part of the process. Michelle Mellgren, The Mellgren Planning Group, advised that we can incorporate non-profit organizations although she would like to make sure that it is legal to provide incentives for non- profits. Commissioner Bertino stressed the fact that Dania Beach has a lot of affordable or workforce housing. He noted we need to increase our tax base with the type of homes that are being built. Commissioner Bertino pointed out that Dania Beach has the lowest valued housing stock in the County. Ms. Mellgren explained that affordable housing is based on the household income level. She noted that we need to address the affordable housing issue better so there is a balance. Commissioner Bertino noted that while we address the affordable housing issue, we should try to upgrade some areas to a higher range of housing prices. Vice-Chairman Castro commented there are certain cities in Broward County that have no affordable housing. She thought each City should be evaluated on its own merits, before new developments are required to have a certain percentage of affordable housing. She clarified that affordable housing is a totally different concept nowadays with the addition of the non-profit and public partnership, and they are also including the workforce percentage. Commissioner Anton said we need to promote home ownership, versus rental properties. He further noted that he has no problem with affordable housing,but we need to be very careful. Ms. Mellgren indicated that we need to create an improved housing stock and come up with an Affordable Housing Program to increase the potential for ownership. Minutes of Regular Meeting 6 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,October 8,2008—5:00 p.m. Further discussion followed between members of the Board and Ms. Mellgren regarding the best way to manage affordable housing in our City. Frank Schnidman commented that the City has a housing element in the Comprehensive Plan that was approved by the County and the State in accordance with their policies and regulations. He remarked that when it comes to providing housing there is no government incentive but only private market demand. Mr. Schnidman advised that the City should describe our community as "Dania Beach: The Home of South Florida's Marine Industry". He noted that the Library is the project that will jump start our redevelopment area and therefore the design of the Library should be a Marine theme. Mr. Schnidman pointed out that Dania Beach has places like the Fishing Game Museum, the Dania Simulator for Pilots and SeaTech at FAU. Furthermore, we have Frank Hertzhold who would be looking for ways to bring together the people who serve the Marine Industry. He noted we should create a market for the people who want to live close to these facilities and think about ways to go to the County and the State to request funds. Mr. Schnidman congratulated the Board on the Library project. Commissioner Flury asked about the money for the Library and when are we planning to break ground. City Attorney Ansbro noted the money is a draw down. City Manager Pato responded we plan to break ground before the end of the year. Dominic Orlando, Public Services Director, advised that he worked on the RFP for the Library and the final draft will be sent to the City Attorney, City Manager and Broward County, and it should be advertised before the end of the year. Commissioner Flury questioned if a timeline could be provided at the next meeting. City Manager Pato explained that some of the issues that could delay the project are not in- house, but matters that Broward County would have to review and they said it would take approximately sixty days. He commented that with the holidays coming, we do not want to give the Board false expectations. Director Orlando advised this is a Design-Build project for a 10,000 sq. ft. facility and we have to comply with certain requirements from the County. He further noted that the contract should be resolved by the end of the year and construction should be finished by the end of 2009. He confirmed for Vice-Chairman Castro that a lot of the information contained in the RFP was provided by the County, except for the front-end section of the City requirements. 7. Adjournment Chairman Jones adjourned the meeting at 6:19 p.m. Minutes of Regular Meeting 7 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,October 8,2008—5:00 p.m ATTEST: COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY LOUISE STILSON, CMC ALBERT C. JONES CITY CLERK CHAIRMAN-CRA Minutes of Regular Meeting 8 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,October 8,2008—5:00 p.m