Loading...
Minutes 07-08-14 MINUTES F THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BLVD. BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON JULY 8,2014, AT 6:30 P.M. PRESENT: Jerry Taylor, Chair Vivian Brooks, Executive Director Joe Casello, Vice Chair Ken Spillias, Board Counsel Buck Buchanan Michael Fitzpatrick Woodrow Hay Mack McCray David Merker I. Call to Order Chair Taylor called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. II. Invocation and Pledge to the Flag Mr. Hay gave the invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, led by Vice Chair Casello. III. Roll Call Roll call established a quorum was present. IV. Legal: None V. Agenda Approval: A. Additions, Deletions, Corrections to the Agenda Vice Chair Casello pulled Consent Agenda Item D. B. Adoption of Agenda Motion Mr. McCray moved to approve as amended. Mr. Merker seconded the motion that unanimously passed. Meeting Minutes Community Redevelopment Agency Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2014 VI. Informational Items and Disclosures by Board Members and CRA Staff: A. Disclosure of Conflicts, Contacts and Relationships for Items Presented to the CRA Board on Agenda Items Mr. Buchanan had no disclosures to make and commented on a great 4 th of July display. Mr. McCray disclosed he spoke with Ken Stapleton regarding New Business, Item B. He announced he was sorry he missed the 4 th of July celebration. Mr. Merker disclosed he spoke with Ken Stapleton regarding Item B, New Business. Vice Chair Casello thought the 4 th of July celebration was outstanding. He had no disclosures. Mr. Fitzpatrick advised last month he voted against the three CRA lot purchases primarily because he believed they were overpriced. After further review, he changed his mind regarding the Girtman property which was being purchased for over $800K per acre. The Family Dollar Store land was also purchased for over $800,000 per acre. He understood the lots were corner lots on a high visibility road and he expressed if a private for profit entity pays real money, his issues with the appraisal were settled. He noted there were two other properties he took issue with, but after discussion with Ms. Brooks, he understood her point of view. He expressed if the CRA did not overpay, nothing would happen and this would reward bad behavior. He felt there must be other tools to use. He believes the City should support the CRA's efforts through stronger Code Enforcement options. He understood there had never been a sustained effort to get bad owners to come into compliance. He spoke with Attorney Cherof and there are several legal avenues to pursue, but the question was whether the City Commission would use them. Another reason why he voted against the acquisition was contained in the meeting backup. All the information was there, but if not uniformly presented it appeared to hide something. He suggested a more basic and uniform presentation be made for these issues. Mr. Hay attended the 4 th of July and he agreed with Mr. Fitzpatrick's comments. Mike Simon, Assistant Director, attended a meeting with Kimley Horn on the Greenway /Blueway Plan update. City staff attended and input was received. It was a successful kickoff meeting. There would be meetings with the Agency and City Commissioners in the near future. 2 Meeting Minutes Community Redevelopment Agency Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2014 Chair Taylor agreed the 4 of July was fantastic. He recognized a Boy Scout present to observe the meeting to earn his citizenship badge. He welcomed him and thanked him for attending. B. Informational Announcements VII. Announcements & Awards: None VIII. Consent Agenda: A. Approval of Minutes — CRA Board Meeting, June 10, 2014 B. Approval of Period Ended June 30, 2014 Financial Report C. Monthly Purchase Orders D. Approval of Commercial Construction Project Incentive Program to White Elk Enterprises, LLC (Healing Heart, Inc.) E. Approval of Commercial Facade Improvement Grant to White Elk Enterprises, LLC (Healing Heart, Inc.) I. Pulled Consent Agenda Items: F. Approval of Commercial Construction Project Incentive Program to White Elk Enterprises, LLC (Healing Heart, Inc.) Vice Chair Casello asked if the owner was present. The applicant, Bridget Keller, presented herself. Vice Chair Casello inquired if approval of the grants would expedite construction. Ms. Keller responded it would. Motion Mr. McCray moved to approve. Mr. Casello seconded the motion that unanimously passed. X. Information Only: A. Public Comment Log - None B. Business Development Advertising Campaign C. CRA Development Project Update: Boynton Harbor Marina Harbor Master Building Project 3 Meeting Minutes Community Redevelopment Agency Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2014 D. CRA Development Project Update: Parking Lot Project on NE 1st Ave. & NE 1 st Street and & Sidewalk Connector located at 208 NE 1 st Avenue E. CRA Budget Meeting Information The meeting will take place on Thursday, August 7 at 6 p.m. at Intracoastal Park F. Movies in the Park: Update June 27 — The Lego Movie I. Public Comments: (Note: comments are limited to 3 minutes in duration) Bernard Wright, 713 NW 2 nd Street, was concerned about the building plans for the Heart of Boynton. He commented he and business owners should have a voice. He lived on the MLK corridor for years and liked its heritage. He commented the Carolyn Sims Park is small. There was grassy land that was not being used and the baseball diamond had been removed. The diving boards were removed from the pool and there was a toddler pool. The cost to use the pool was $2 for adults and $1 for children. He believed the Heart of Boynton children could not enjoy the pool under the current economic circumstances. The Hester Center was not in the Heart of Boynton. He wants the heritage in the Heart of Boynton to remain and asked when they would install something the Heart of Boynton youth could enjoy. He wanted to attend the Sara Sims and Heart of Boynton discussions. Mr. Wright asserted no one from the Board had ever come to the corridor and associate with the residents and business owners there. His ancestors were slaves. They have a historic process in Boynton and he wanted to have those living in the HOB be part of the discussion. A native of Boynton knows what they need. The have to have a cultural center. He requested the Board consider his comments. Chair Taylor explained there is a baseball field at Hester Center and a Little League program that won the championship and had been ongoing for years. The City has spent a lot of money to build the pool and the Sims Center. They had not undertaken anything in the Heart of Boynton that was not discussed with the residents at meetings. He did not understand why Mr. Wright was unaware of the meetings and emphasized the City had not done anything the community did not want. Mr. Wright commented there are people that would like to see the HOB gone, and he did not know who represented the HOB. Chair Taylor has served with Mr. McCray and commented he has done an excellent job, as does Mr. Hay. He noted Mr. McCray represents the HOB area. Mr. McCray explained the Heart of Boynton plan has been ongoing for some time. There were meetings at the Sara Sims and Carolyn Sims Centers, St. John Missionary Baptist Church and the community advised what they wanted. The CRA has records of 4 Meeting Minutes Community Redevelopment Agency Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2014 those meetings Mr. Wright could read. Things would not happen overnight. Mr. McCray fought for the name of the Denson pool. The Carolyn Sims Center would have been called the Wilson Complex had he not intervened. He suggested Mr. Wright read the records. As far as not visiting 10 Avenue, Mr. McCray advised he goes there. He represents District II and the HOB. When things go wrong they call him. His family was always involved in activism and he wants to be in HOB discussion because it is his heritage. Mr. McCray commented Mr. Wright would be invited. No one else coming forward, Chair Taylor closed public comments. II. Public Hearing: None lll. Old Business None IV. New Business: A. Consideration of Short Sale Terms for HAP Recipients Stephen & Nyasha Wright Mr. Simon presented the item to accept the term of the short sale negotiations with HSBC Bank. The policies in the cover sheet were approved by the CRA Board on February 12 The list of documents needed were submitted and reviewed by legal counsel. They modeled the City's and County's policies. On March 11, 2008, the CRA approved a homebuyer assistance grant to the Wrights for $50,000 purchase a home at 1726 NE 6 th Street in the Preserve. They applied and worked with the bank for a short sale. On June 11, 2014, the Bank approved the short sale conditions. The original purchase price of the property was $239,990 and the short sale offer the bank approved was for $100,000. The first mortgage was $186,350 and the bank will accept a repayment of $85,063.50. The CRA second mortgage was $50K and was consistent with the CRA's policies. The repayment amount is $4,000. Vice Chair Casello inquired about the other $15,000. Mr. Simon explained there was a settlement charge of $6,000. The commission was about $9,000 and the CRA was $4,000. The HAP program was discontinued. Vice Chair Casello commented about 19 HAP loans were given and the CRA was rubber stamping them. He read from the meeting materials, the requestors were not in a position financially to cover two homes. He asked why the CRA was losing out, when the requester had two homes. He inquired why the requestor would not sell the other home and keep the one in the Preserve. Steven and Nyasha Wright, 235 Rosetta Way, West Palm Beach, explained they purchased the home in West Palm Beach after they purchased in the Preserve. Mr. Wright explained there was Chinese drywall and disease there and they could not live there any longer. The drywall was rectified and the home was habitable now. 5 Meeting Minutes Community Redevelopment Agency Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2014 Vice Chair Casello questioned why the Wrights would not want to go back to their original home. Ms. Wright explained they did not want to return because they had already purchased a home that was a single -story home and Mr. Wright's health was not the best. Walking up and down a tri -level was difficult. Mr. McCray explained hardships affect all and he sympathized with the Wrights. He was sorry they left Boynton Beach. Motion Mr. McCray moved to approve. Mr. Buchanan seconded the motion that passed 6 -1 (Vice Chair Casello dissenting.) B. Consideration of Safety Assessment Services Proposal and Contract for Ken Stapleton & Associates for Safety Assessment Services in the Amount of $19,000 Ms. Brooks explained there was a missing component in their branding and marketing efforts, which was, what does the outside world think of Boynton Beach. The CRA has two major projects that are not using the name Boynton Beach in the downtown area. Developers may not be candid with the CRA about their impressions if asked, but may with a third -party consultant. The other component was people have perceptions the City that as unsafe. The reality is Boynton Beach was safe, but it may appear unsafe due to lighting or some other issues. If approved, the consultant will review those items, chart the paths people travel, document why the public feels safe or not, look at the crime statistics, and address them. He could speak with stakeholders and non - stakeholders to determine why they do or do not invest in Boynton Beach. Ms. Brooks explained the CRA needs answers to these types of questions. Chair Taylor did not understand why staff would pay $20,000 when they could talk to people themselves. Chair Taylor would be glad to rneet with anyone and had not received this kind of feedback. Vice Chair Casello commented the Police Chief has all the crime statistics. It was up to the City to promote the City and there is a marketing budget. He agreed with Chair Taylor the CRA did not need to pay $20,000 for the study and commented the City has a closet full of surveys from consultants. Mr. Hay asked for case studies from the consultant, what they have done in the past, and how it helped those cities. He understood the prior comments and asked for further information. It was noted the consultant, Ken Stapleton was present and he had been conducting research for Riviera Beach. 6 Meeting Minutes Community Redevelopment Agency Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2014 Mr. McCray inquired about marketing. Ms. Brooks explained the CRA was marketing heavily. Next year, the proposed marketing budget was $120,000. He commented the study was not marketing, but it was a component. Mr. Merker spoke about perception and agreed the information was important for the real estate market and developers when looking to develop. The perception of safety is important. If a City is not perceived to be safe, developers and business owners would be hesitant to locate to Boynton Beach. He thought it was an opportunity and an investment. He would like it in the papers that Boynton Beach was safe and secure. He thought this was a smart investment for the City which could provide a positive result. Mr. Buchanan thought the study could look at areas where there are deficiencies and the task goes beyond talking to one or two people. The information would be in a report and in the Sunshine. For the amount of work, the report was a good deal Mr. Fitzpatrick was not opposed to the consultants, but would like to table the item to review some past reports, like Cleveland, South Beach, Hollywood and others they had studied. He wanted to see what some of the past performance reviews were. Motion Mr. Fitzpatrick moved to table. Mr. Buchanan seconded the motion. Chair Taylor opened public comment. David Katz, 67 Midwood Lane, Boynton Beach, commented anything held downtown at night is well attended with little police presence. To his knowledge, there have been no incidents. He agreed with Vice Chair Casello, when residential projects come, it will be much safer. The Pirate Fest draws 5,000 to 6,000 people and not all of them from Boynton Beach. He thought comparing studies from other cities that were not similar to Boynton Beach was crazy. Basically, the downtown was safe. Boynton Beach does not have an area to walk like Lake Worth, Atlantic Avenue, Clematis, but what they do have is safe. Ms. Brooks clarified they will look at police statistics. It was about whether people perceive the City to be safe and if not, why. It may be just physical things, such as lighting. Other cities have the same problem. The economic study recently conducted showed the No 1 concern in the City was crime. Now they have to find out why and tailor their marketing and branding efforts to address it. The study was done by the Economic Development Department from a stakeholder meeting. The number one issue was crime and the lack of a vibrant downtown. Chair Taylor commented he speaks to a lot of people and he does not hear that perception. 7 Meeting Minutes Community Redevelopment Agency Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2014 Mr. Merker commented everyone has perceptions and he knew image was important. Part of image was safety. Everyone has different information and he thought it should be determined who was right. The report was not $50, 000 or $100,000 to prove to the people that this is a wonderful City in which to live and work. Since it is an issue and they want to invest in trying to build up the City, this was an asset. Mr. McCray spoke to crime and advised crime is perceived in every city, and very city is concerned about crime. Boynton Beach was not the lone ranger. Mr. Buchanan liked Mr. Fitzpatrick's idea to table the item and see the work product. Mr. Stapleton explained he was not here to judge if the City is safe. It is about the first step to manage the perception of safety that impacts buying, investing and use patterns. The first step is to determine whether there is even a problem. They take the pulse as an initial step. Part of the report would review surveys already conducted and talk face - to -face with the public because many people have difficulty admitting safety issues. Mr. Stapleton explained most purchases are made after 6 p.m. and 80% of them are made by women. Women, as a target market, have a very different perception of safety than men do. Boynton Beach is unique. Vice Chair Casello asked what groups of people he would talk to and questioned why staff would not be able to learn of these perceptions. It was Mr. Stapleton's experience most City and CRA staff are overwhelmed with the work they have and are not as versed how to weed out what the issues are. Most surveys about safety are done poorly and even the national surveys only ask about one's own neighborhood or evaluate decisions whether to go downtown for dinner. Usually, it is the female member of the household. Drilling down into the details, if one markets to a group, they have to understand that group. Many aspects come into play. If the question is not asked carefully, the correct information would be obtained. If a full survey is done, at least 2,000 people, not necessarily from Boynton Beach, would need to be interviewed. Vice Chair Casello pointed out there was a charette held and the questions could have been asked there. Mr. Stapelton would review surveys done in the past and interview a group of key stakeholders identified in categories. These would be municipal and business leaders, residents, the Police Chief, the CRA and other city staff, and realtors would be the focus group. Vice Chair Casello inquired if the interview would be better directed to the general public as that would be a more accurate perception. Mr. Stapleton explained he asks insightful questions, but the survey done indicated there may be a problem. There is a series of tasks involved including field work. 8 Meeting Minutes Community Redevelopment Agency Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2014 Mr. McCray commented the City and CRA were working together for a downtown. He thought it was too soon to discuss and thought it should be tabled until more information was received. Motion Mr. McCray moved to table the item until more information was received. Mr. Merker seconded the motion. Mr. Hay inquired what cities other than West Palm Beach and Riviera Beach had been analyzed and how long the task would take. Mr. Stapleton explained they have studied 10 other cities, but each study was not the same and they customize every report. It would be a different kind of assessment than was done in other places. The motion unanimously passed. Mr. Fitzpatrick inquired when Ms. Brooks would forward the report and if they could discuss the item at the next meeting. Attorney Spillias explained the motion did not include a specific date so there should be no discussion of it. Staff can put the item on the agenda, but it could not be discussed until a motion was made to remove it from the table. V. Executive Director's Report: A. New Businesses in CRA District There were no comments on this item. B. Property Acquisition Report Ms. Brooks commented staff sought to acquire six properties, but the price was too high. C. Development Projects Update Mr. Fitzpatrick commented there is a home being bulldozed at 918 4 Street to make room for the Women's Circle expansion. The home is from the 1920's and the owner indicated to him they could not find anyone to move it. He was aware the CRA moved a cottage in the past and he requested Ms. Brooks look at the property to see if it could be moved. VI. Future Agenda Items None. 9 Meeting Minutes Community Redevelopment Agency Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2014 VII. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, Chair Taylor adjourned the meeting at 7:32 P. M. J Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 072114 10