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Minutes 04-24-14 Strategic PlanMINUTES OF THE SPECIAL JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD MEETING HELD AT THE INTRACOASTAL CLUBHOUSE AT 2240 N. FEDERAL HIGHWAY, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2014, AT 9 A.M. PRESENT: Jerry Taylor, Mayor Joe Casello, Vice Mayor David T. Merker, Commissioner Mack McCray, Commissioner Michael M. Fitzpatrick, Commissioner ABSENT: Mark Karageorge CRA Board Member Buck Buchanan, CRA Board Member CALL TO ORDER Mayor Taylor called the meeting to order at 9:10 a.m. Ms. LaVerriere introduced the newest member of the management team, Mr. Colin Groff, Utility Director. He is relocating to Boynton Beach from Jacksonville, Florida. He has 27 years of experience in various public agencies throughout Florida with a wide variety of diverse skills and knowledge in water management and the environment, including cost management and budgeting. He has a strong background in all utilities and the City is delighted to have him. Mayor Taylor welcomed Mr. Groff to the City of Boynton Beach. A roll call revealed a quorum was present. Ms. LaVerriere advised Commissioner Merker was en route. Ms. LaVerriere explained the purpose of the meeting was to give the Commission a six month update on the Strategic Plan. There have been some successes, items that need discussion and reports on various projects. It was planned to go over the goals and action items. Any changes or modifications can be made. In June, the development of the action agenda for the new fiscal year will be reviewed for the next budget year. Lyle Sumek, Meeting Facilitator, wanted to keep the proceeds as informal as possible. He gave a brief overview of the strategic plan. The model he used is not to develop a document, but institutionalize a process. No priorities would be set or detailed direction 1 Lori LaVerriere, City Manager James Cherof, City Attorney Janet M. Prainito, City Clerk Vivian Brooks, CRA Director SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 given, at this time. Last year a very specific vision for Boynton Beach was outlined for 15 years in the future. There is a set of valued -based principals that will be reviewed and used extensively in the update. There would be a five -year plan update which is goals with five year outcome based objectives and challenges that may change significantly as the environment changes. There is a specific action agenda that is the focus of the discussion. The mission or purpose of City government had been identified and the core services and core sets of beliefs. All of this result in the action items. The agenda would include major successes and when asked the responses were varied. The six major successes for the last six months would be discussed and comments from staff and the Commission would be added. There would be discussion on three major issues; the Downtown Master Plan that includes the Old High School and City Hall, Heart of Boynton and Federal Highway Corridor. Discussion would involve the progress of each and how they fit together. The Heart of Boynton land assembly was another major issue as was the Community Redevelopment Agency going to the City. There would be more in -depth discussion on those three areas. Updates would be reviewed for the CRA area and Downtown Greenway, Ocean Avenue property acquisition, CRA design guidelines, Cottage District, Ocean Breeze East and MLK Corridor. (Commissioner Merker arrived at 9:18 a.m.) For the City, the updates would relate to the Water Taxi, pensions, department strategic plans, CDBG funding, workforce housing and Code Compliance. The updates are relatively short for all topics. The discussions will vary in length. The successes will focus on the last six months even if there was only slow progress. The Police Department was a common theme in all interviews. The new Chief, re- organization and new leadership were mentioned as a successful year. Vice Mayor Casello had attended many of the Chief's neighborhood talks that have been very informative and highly successful. A police presence is now welcome. The general feeling from the public has been an improved attitude which stems from leadership. Commissioner McCray had also attended several of the meetings with the Chief and they were well received. He was concerned if the City was able to retain their trained police officers. Mr. Sumek would add that to his list for further follow up. Mayor Taylor felt the reorganization was very beneficial and he was receiving very positive feedback from the community. Commissioner Fitzpatrick recalled a re- 2 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 organization can be a painful process and the Department should continue to focus on moving forward. Good communication is essential to success and Commissioner McCray remarked the Chief is available, takes his calls and follows up. Chief Katz expressed appreciation for the positive comments and the support of the Commission and City Manager. He introduced the three Majors who he felt were responsible for the major successes in the Department. Commissioner Merker concurred with the previous remarks, but remained concerned with the communication within the department. Chief Katz responded there is always resistance when the status quo is disrupted in any organization. Organizational change and a cultural change require disruption of the status quo that will make some unhappy. The intent is to make a Police Department that functions more efficiently and effectively for the public. Chief Katz was concerned with the individual officers as well. There are protracted negotiations ongoing with legitimate issues that have to be addressed by both sides. The law precludes the Chief from discussing the matters with the union representatives and that creates a vacuum. There are some individuals who are not happy with the Department. It was noted that 20% of the population cannot be pleased in any manner. Commissioner McCray held the same was true with the Commission. Everyone cannot be satisfied. Statistically, crime is down 2.5% from last year with a 14% increase in arrests. There has been a reduction in use of force from 3.2% to 2.5 %. The clearance rate for crimes increased 84% rising from 12% to 22 %. Major Steele has been instrumental in working through the issues in the detective's bureau and creating greater efficiencies and opening up opportunities for people. The town hall meetings have provided invaluable feedback including the re- opening of the police lobby to 24 hours a day. Other departments have helped the Police Department to become better able to serve the citizens. There has been a 42% decrease in Worker Compensation claims and 20% reduction of overtime costs totally a $200,000 savings. The last evaluation revealed there was a 48% reduction of sick time, which is a good measure of morale. Eventually, without successful negotiations, there will be a loss of personnel. In the last 10 months no officers have gone to another agency other than the FBI. Commissioner Merker concluded some loss could be a good thing. Chief Katz's experience was positively impacting morale. When cynicism is high, it can be a challenge. The resolution of the contract will have the most impact. 3 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 Mayor Taylor commented any change will meet resistance. Management style is a contributing factor and the Chief's reorganization plan is impressive. It is long overdue. Both personal and organizational goals have to be merged together. Some will continue to resist. Mayor Taylor felt the Department was going in a great direction and he fully supported the changes being made. Mr. Sumek pointed out there has been significant change in a relatively short period of time. The original goals were to select a chief and do a reorganizational study that can now be marked as completed. There is more to do. The next success was the Marina project. Mayor Taylor noted it was moving forward at a good pace. New facilities were going up, the gas tank was moved to make it more people friendly with a green area, veranda and shaded seating. Commissioner McCray asked if the showers that were being installed would be monitored for proper usage. Ms. Brooks interjected there are no showers. Vice Mayor Casello spoke about the old dive shop and he envisioned putting an RFP out to develop it as a piano bar. It is a beautiful setting right on the water and could be a big draw. There are parking issues that should not stand in the way of progress. Ms. Brooks wanted to transition smoothly into phase 3 of the Marina. If we wait until budget time there will be a gap from time of completion of the current project to the next one. An item was placed on the May 13 agenda to get direction from the Board on the direction for the area. There are a number of issues. The Marina has been in the CRA plan since its inception in 1981. Mayor Taylor interjected there would soon be a water taxi at the Marina. Mr. Sumek announced the next success was the economic incentive policy that was an action item. Ms. LaVerriere indicated Scott Kline, Economic Development Manager, had brought numerous incentive programs before the Commission. Mr. Kline pointed out under the grants category there has been a positive return on the City's investment. Under the build out, rent reimbursement and CDBG grants, Mathnasium was awarded $15,000 in interior build out and $12,000 in rent reimbursement with a return to the City of 13 new jobs and over 120 students have received educational support. Due South Brewery received a $12,000 rent reimbursement grant and anticipate moving to a larger facility to increase their capacity to export to Georgia and Alabama. They want to remain in the City. Another success was Joey's Bakery, a start-up company, which received $12,000 in rent reimbursement and $15,000 in interior build out with seven new employees. They may be expanding with more jobs. Flipstone Technology relocated to the City with 4 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 $63,000 in CDBG and $15,000 for interior buildout funding. They are looking for an Executive Director for their non - profit technology incubator. There will be more outreach to the technological institutions and other businesses. Keenan Incorporated received a QTI match through the State, around $21,000, to relocate from New Jersey to Boynton Beach. They will hire 35 new employees over the next three years with an average salary of $50,000 each. A new project was added to the Special Event Economic Development (SEED) Fund that gave $5,000 to the Florida Brewers' Guild to hold a beer festival at Intracoastal Park. It brought many new visitors to the City and a new brewery may be opening its doors soon. It was hoped to make the City more business friendly and incentivize new development. A new building permit fee schedule was approved by the City Commission and it will be more equitable for the larger developments that want to come into the City. There was also approval of an exemption for paying permit fees for any portion greater than $10,000 in new manufacturing equipment that will help to reduce the barriers to coming into the City. A conditional lien reduction program was also approved by the City Commission. Lastly, an export seminar was held in conjunction with Enterprise Florida. Twenty businesses attended. There was an economic development stakeholders meeting which is the first step in the strategic economic development plan. A second, more strategy -based meeting would be held in July. Mr. Kline was working with the CRA and Chamber of Commerce for the Small Business Summit to be held on June 11th. Someone from Florida Trend magazine would be the keynote speaker. There are many positive events and growth within the City. Commissioner McCray agreed it was good news, but the citizens need to hear about it. Ms. LaVerriere added the City was working with the Chamber to get the word out to the Chamber businesses and working with the Communications Manager to disseminate the plans and the economic development website. Printed materials are very expensive. Marketing materials are being created with brochures to give out door to door for businesses. Commissioner McCray noted homeowner associations are always looking to have speakers come in. Mayor Taylor agreed and in his experience the residents are amazed with what is going on in Boynton because they are totally unaware and have no idea of the progress. The more that can be done to get the information out the better. Ms. LaVerriere indicated it was an ongoing project that started with the Tappas and Talk program. The programs need to be structured to maintain the focus on growth rather than complaints. Mayor Taylor asked if Mr. Kline worked with the Business Development Board and he responded they are in constant contact. Ms. LaVerriere commented the City was still in 5 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 the planning phase after creating the position and funding in the budget. All of the incentive programs are products that can be sent out to the community to improve and develop economically. It is extensive background work, building relationships, reaching out to the community, developing communication modes with businesses and collaboration with other organizations to create the foundation work. It is not glamorous at this time; it is slow. Mr. Sumek recalled the high priority items of incentives and follow through were consistent with the strategic plans and with the goals. The tone set by the Commission is critical and can make Mr. Kline's job less difficult. Mr. Kline pointed out part of the creation of the strategic economic development plan will include a marketing component with discussion on how the outreach should be accomplished. The next topic was dealing with the land development changes. Nancy Byrne, Director of Development, pointed out land development changes dovetail with the economic development changes. There are 42 action items in the strategic plan and 19 fall to the Department of Development. There have been challenges with staffing and the loss of key members from the Planning Division. Staff worked very closely with Ms. Brooks because many of the changes are updates to the CRA. There was a study done of the industrial and commercial areas and Land Development Regulations were made to protect those designations. The next phase would be initiate building changes. The City will initiate some changes and lay the groundwork for owners to initiate their own changes. A future phase is to start working to develop an industrial plan to target industries and make the Land Development Regulations business and developer friendly. They would work with Ms. Brooks with non - conforming issues in the CRA district and work to strengthen the Code to implement what the City wants and Mr. Kline needs to attract businesses and preserve the quality of life. All the issues are addressed through the Land Development Regulations. There are water uses and water based uses with major changes in regulations to allow turbines. The Department was being very reactive and working as fast as possible to address the changes. There is work being done on a five -year plan with a large component being educational outreach. A workshop is planned to feature what development does and how to interface with development. It is a high priority to ensure the message is delivered on the progress within the City. Mayor Taylor was glad to hear the work was being done rapidly as he had discussed with Ms. Brooks up zoning many of the properties. Money for developers has been tight 6 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 and the more properties that can be up zoned and made more desirable will be key to capture the trend. Ms. Byrne indicated there would be future discussion on the phases to be prioritized and get more information from both Mr. Kline and Ms. Brooks to make future changes. Mayor Taylor opined a much more desirable tax base is critical. Technology is also important. Ms. Byrne hoped staffing levels would be up to accomplish the tasks. Vice Mayor Casello asked what roadblocks would hinder the efforts. Ms. Byrne opined zoning was complicated because changes impact the entire City. The CRA has constituent issues with a gas station and trucks and they all take up staff time. There was so much catch up that needed to be done with the CRA district and for the CRA Board. The Department had to focus on the strategic plan goals and position the City's efforts to be successful. The little issues can have ramifications all over the City. All must be analyzed for the Commission to make informed decisions on the impact City- wide. Mr. Sumek concluded the industrial zoning related to the strategic plan had been completed as scheduled. Commissioner Merker wanted to meet with all the owners on Ocean Avenue to hear what they want. They would not be competing, just advising the Commission on their ideas. The Commission can then improvise change and educate the people on what is good for development and redevelopment of the City. He agreed the areas of importance are City Hall and the Old High School. Ocean Avenue and Federal Highway are key to redesigning and recreating a new image. Mr. Sumek indicated that would be added for discussion. Ms. Byrne noted that was the current strategic plan as part of the Downtown Corridor study. Those owners should be at the table when doing visioning to update the plan. Commissioner Fitzpatrick contended over the last 50 to 60 years the Commission had made poor land use decisions. Commercial and industrial uses are not married well with the transportation network. He wanted to approach the issue by taking all the major nodes, like railways, 1 -95 and things that can be moved and start with a clean slate. Plan as if starting from scratch and create a goal to achieve the desired quality of life. A lot of small industrial is up against the railroad because no one wants to live next to the railroad and the businesses are hard to find. Those are hard decisions to make. There is a life cycle of some buildings and some would have to be bulldozed anyway. Those areas should be identified and a 10 to 30 -year plan to transform the City to outline a more economically efficient area. The possible population in the area has to be considered also. SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 Commissioner McCray recalled plans discussed with a prior Development Director that are now coming to fruition. Things that he had contributed are now being put into place. Vice Mayor Casello questioned what the road block was and Commissioner McCray felt the road block was the elected officials at that time. Staff is not afraid to move things ahead now and work with the City Manager. Mr. Sumek advised some of the topics would be covered in later discussions. Median improvements were a priority identified and Mr. Sumek asked for comments on the achievements. Mayor Taylor was pleased with what had occurred on Federal Highway and now it is moving to Boynton Beach Boulevard. Finances were the issue and with the money, staff was complimented for implementing the changes. He hoped it would continue. Commissioner McCray agreed with Mayor Taylor and appreciated staff's work to get the area cleaned up and looking better. Vice Mayor Casello wanted faster progress. It is about curb appeal and it is important it be maintained. Due to budget constraints and manpower reductions it is the hardest thing to do. Once planted it has to be kept up. Commissioner Fitzpatrick agreed it needs to be maintained. Landscaping is important. Jeff Livergood, Director of Public Works and Engineering, appreciated the comments and the dollars allocated for Federal Highway and Boynton Beach Boulevard improvements. It is a function of the resources to buy materials and staff time that is controlling. It takes time to plan the design, work with the contractor and purchase the plants. Mr. Sumek pointed out this was a Commission priority last year. Commissioner Merker wanted to see Congress Avenue improved that has the most shopping and driven the most. It must be upgraded because it was not comparable to other cities. Mr. Livergood acknowledged it needed improvement. Ms. LaVerriere advised there was money set aside to do basic improvement in last year's budget, but not enough to do the actual foliage and plants. Mr. Sumek advised that was added for June and agreed maintenance was important. Mayor Taylor suggested the stalk of the palm tree on the 500 property should be replaced and Mr. Livergood agreed it was dead. Further, there had been complaints about striping on Congress Avenue and he knew the County had started the work. Mr. 8 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 Livergood indicated the County had not done as much as they had originally stated would be done. They did not have funds to stripe the white edge on the curb or the yellow, but did do the skip dash. The County was struggling with the finances to be spread throughout the County. Mayor Taylor suggested the intersection at Woolbright should be done as soon as possible. Mr. Livergood continued to explain that the funding provided was to replace the dead plant materials, add new mulch, start with pesticides and feed the palm trees again, continue with a maintenance cycle for contractors to pick up debris and to continue the funding level. Six years ago the decision had been made to reduce the maintenance of medians. Mr. Sumek suggested the Congress Avenue medians be marked for completion by June. Commissioner Merker wanted to see Boynton Beach Boulevard from Federal Highway to Congress beautified and possibly redesigned. Ms. Brooks explained it was in the budget, but funds were chipped away for other projects. It could be added for June. Commissioner Merker thought the area around City Hall should be improved. Woodrow Hay indicated he was excited about what he sees, but the trash cans take away from the beauty. Some bus stops have trash all around. Some have no containers for trash. He suggested the placement of trash cans at all bus stops should be moved up on the list. The trash detracts from the new landscaping. Mr. Livergood replied they have decorative cans located in the Heart of Boynton area and other portions of the City. Those can be dumped with the automated trucks. Two were placed on south Seacrest and 10 more have been ordered for the bus stops with the most trash. Mr. Sumek moved on to another success, social media. Ms. LaVerriere remarked the new Communications Manager has moved leaps and bounds in getting information out to the community and social media with Twitter and Facebook. With training, most of the elected officials are tweeting now. Commissioner Merker thanked Ms. Krusell for her efforts. Commissioner McCray remembered the Communications Manager was a position that was eliminated and then added back when the economy improved. Every City needs that position and it should not be cut. It is our advertisement. Ms. LaVerriere explained there was an Assistant to the City Manager position in the budget that was eliminated to add the Communications Manager. It was more valuable to the City. 9 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 Ms. Krusell concentrated on social media this year, as there is no cost. The data shows 60% of the seniors are on some type of social media and is expected to increase another 6% in the coming year. The Facebook pages for the City have increased to seven and seven Twitter accounts for individual departments such as Human Resources, Recreation and Parks and the Police Department. The Commission, City Manager and former Vice Mayor are on Twitter and Facebook as well. The followers for the City of Boynton Beach Facebook page have increased 50% in the last year. Over 500 posts with pictures have been added averaging 2.5 a week. The ads have been boosted and give a broader audience becoming more regional and national. Ms. Krusell is now tweeting live at Commission meetings to get the decisions out to the public. Media support and social training have been provided to the Chamber of Commerce, Community Redevelopment Agency and Children's Schoolhouse Museum to continue to cross - promote each other's features. The Police Department has received several awards for their Twitter account. The Communication Plan developed includes more visibility on social media with Instagram and other platforms. There is funding budgeted for a new website to be more user friendly and engaging to the audience. Commissioner McCray noted the ITS Department has to work closely with Ms. Krusell. Mayor Taylor pointed out Ms. Krusell's position was not 40 hours a week because she works so many nights and weekends attending every event she can. She is a very valuable employee. Vice Mayor Casello agreed many events he attends she is there and often at several events on the same day. Ms. Krusell advised part of her job description includes civic engagements. The job description was being reviewed. Mr. Sumek interjected this was a priority the Commission had set last year and a number of actions were completed. Commissioner Fitzpatrick knew there were several employees that are good photographers and he questioned if the photos were being warehoused and stored. Ms. Krusell agreed and the pictures are organized. The ITS department is working to provide the storage for all the photographs. Mr. Sumek moved on to the updates on union contracts, new parking lot and banners that were mentioned during the phone interviews. He indicated cities do not take the time to discuss their problems and do not celebrate their successes. Effective leaders show the progress and follow the vision and plan for the year. There is more work to be done. He had eight topics for consideration in June going forward and more could be added. 10 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 The next part of the program was to review topics for a quick update and comments. It is not a time to finalize and get direction. These are priority action items. Commissioner McCray liked the banners recognizing the Heart of Boynton. It was a job well done. Mr. Sumek listed five items for discussion under the Downtown Master Plan, Old High School, City Hall, Heart of Boynton, Ocean Avenue and Federal Highway Corridor. They need to be updated and discuss how they integrate in an overview. Ms. Brooks advised the Heart of Boynton is the first one taken to the public and coming back to the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board with a draft plan. Public notice was going out to the community in the form of a postcard and legal notice in the paper. This has to be done so other projects can come out of the one project in the plan. All of the plans dovetail. Ms. Byrne added the Heart of Boynton Plan has many Land Development Regulations for discussion. Some projects required the Heart of Boynton Plan be updated to accommodate the reality of the marketplace. The current plan had low density that would not work in today's marketplace. The RFP for Ocean Breeze East should follow the update of the plan. One goes into the next in the strategic plan. Mr. Sumek clarified the Treasure Coast Report is the Master Plan. Commissioner Merker questioned if there were trends toward denser development now that Florida is the third most populated State. In the next 20 to 30 years the population will increase. He challenged the City to look forward and possibly redesign the City for more height. Mr. Sumek indicated most cities are addressing the issue. Fort Lauderdale has 3,200 dwelling units (dus) under construction currently. The Downtown Master Plan becomes real critical. Ms. Byrne related the Treasure Coast study would put the pieces together which will help drive the direction of other plans. It was desired to incorporate Ocean Avenue into the Downtown Master Plan and update Federal Highway on its own. They are all interconnected because areas overlap. Minimum densities are available to developers now. A public workshop will take place to discuss the Downtown Master Plan and get input on the update to bring the residents and businesses together. May 17 there will be a public workshop with the Commission. Ms. Brooks advised the draft plan for the Downtown Master Plan would come from Treasure Coast in June or July and staff would incorporate Ocean Avenue into those plans in late fall. Staff would carry forward items they need to the next strategic plan. 11 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 Mayor Taylor surmised City Hall would be included in the plan and suggested if an individual in the private sector would be willing to build a new City Hall, the City could trade the property that is now City Hall and the Police Department that is extremely valuable. It would be a tremendous asset if we could get that idea out to the private sector. Ms. Byrne advised it has to be discussed internally. A facilitator could work with City staff, City Commission and public on how a public /private partnership works. An open workshop was the proposal so everyone is aware of the options and best practices and would be incorporated in the Downtown Master Plan when issued. Ms. LaVerriere added an RFP could be developed to put out and address the entire area. Commissioner Merker had already been soliciting people who own the land and getting their impressions and ideas of possibly selling their land, but the decision on a new City Hall had to be made. Commissioner McCray commented the Commission is a team and he wanted to know what land owners Commissioner Merker had contacted. Once one establishment is built it has a domino effect and the people who own surrounding properties want to make money too. Commissioner McCray emphasized Commissioner Merker should make people aware he was doing this on his own and not for the City Commission. Commissioner Merker indicated he had so advised. Mr. Sumek concluded the issue would come back before the Commission for decisions this fall. Vice Mayor Casello noted there had been discussions on the design for a new Police Department. Maybe, the bigger picture should be examined and put under one bond issue for financing. Mr. Sumek agreed that was a good plan to discuss in the fall. Commissioner Fitzpatrick pointed out the land from City Hall down to the Library is one big publically owned block of land that would be hard to assemble elsewhere. He was not in favor of selling any land, but long -term leases might be doable. He did not like binding future Commissions with decisions made at this time. He was not attached to the Old High School, but would politically agree to support the Old High School in exchange for support of his greenways /bikeways plans. (A short break was taken from 10:42 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.) 12 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 Mr. Sumek re- opened the meeting and moved to the Heart of Boynton land assembly item. Ms. Byrne noted the City and CRA own many parcels, as does the Housing Authority. It was hoped that developers could see some progress and see the vision of the City. The area involved is south of Poinciana Elementary. Attempts are being made to acquire the parcel to the east that would result in 12 single family lots. It has been called the Model Block. It is a partnership area with Wells Fargo Bank, Boynton Beach CDC and Neighborhood Renaissance had a urban public grant that brings the total funds to $458,000 for improvements to the Model Block area. The Urban Uplift Grant will do streetscape improvements on MLK and provide funds for holdout properties to blend in. It was hoped the item would come back as a Request for Proposals (RFP) to build an infill project. The County has put out an RFP and there have been discussions on their plans for their lands. There should be more single family homes in the area very soon. The five -year plan will address the sustainability of structures and the aging housing stock to take what has been vacant land and create taxable value on the properties. An RFP was anticipated to be done by December. Neighborhood Renaissance is getting quotes to start the work. The County Housing Authority has put out a massive RFP for all their properties and Boynton Beach is just one small area. There is open communications with the County. Mayor Taylor confirmed the proposed area included only City -owned land. Ms. Byrne noted there were earlier concepts drawn that are not now feasible. Ms. Byrne reviewed the status of other properties in the area. Commissioner Fitzpatrick needed further information because the idea of a train station and the surrounding density would involve the area. He did not understand why they were discussing single - family homes rather than townhouses with greater density near the train station. He did not see the single - family homes as compatible goals. He also had an issue with using City funds for single - family homes. Others are paying to live in townhouses and some of their tax money is going to develop single family lots. There will be high density next to zero density without any green space. He was not on board with the proposal. Ms. Byrne cautioned this was only one element of the Heart of Boynton plan that clearly states the west side of Seacrest should be single family lots. The density has been increased on the east side which follows the plan. This is the vision of the community as developed in public workshops. Seacrest Boulevard is a clear divider between single family and higher density. 13 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 Ms. Brooks added there are new proposals for Sara Sims Park. The bones are there for a fairly healthy, single - family neighborhood. The update of the plan addresses some of the market realities and the community supported additional density on the east side. The Transit Oriented Development (TOD) does not extend to the area. The outer ring barely touches MLK. It is right outside of the core downtown. Commissioner Merker agreed with Commissioner Fitzpatrick that any area that is residential with more than single - family homes should be designed and landscaped to beautify the area. If the density changes, it should include a change in the landscaping. Mayor Taylor pointed out the plan is for single - family homes without any change to density. Multi- family housing would be on the east side. Vice Mayor Casello asked if the housing would be built on the same concept of Ocean Breeze West with the same type landscaping and Ms. Brooks responded it would. Ms. Byrne added the USBC, U.S. Building Council, Palm Beach County Division would be adding landscaping to all the homes in the Heart of Boynton as one of their Earth Week projects. Commissioner McCray pointed out there was no playground equipment in the Park. It was removed to be replaced and it never happened. Wally Majors, Director of Recreation and Parks, reported there was discussion on the topic because the playground equipment was installed over at Wilson Center in close proximity. At Sara Sims there are basketball courts, racquet ball court, pavilion and trail, but no playground equipment. Commissioner McCray indicated the citizens were concerned and wanted the equipment back in at Sara Sims. Ms. Brooks offered that the CRA could pay for developing a park. There is a Master Plan for Sara Sims. There are other properties that need to be purchased. At some point the CRA will put in its budget funding to do the park the way the community envisions. It would memorialize the burial ground and would have a beautiful pavilion to be used for performances. It would be very expensive. Mr. Kline interjected the funds used for the project have been mostly federal funds coming from the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) program. Other similar sources were being sought so the City's investment has leverage. Commissioner Fitzpatrick had philosophical problems with using public funds for single - family homes. If you want a single - family home you should be able to afford it straight out. Another topic to discuss was CRA to the City. 14 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 Vice Mayor Casello had brought the subject up at a City Commission meeting and he stressed nothing was broke. He proposed the two groups be brought together to work under one umbrella. Development, Building and CRA are all understaffed and there is room in the West Wing. He thought they could do wonderful things and share ideas. Mayor Taylor was strongly opposed to combining the two. They need to be separate entities. The CRA works under its own State laws. Putting them together may create a conflict in priorities. He liked what the CRA was doing because they have a focus on the areas that need to be redeveloped. There have been outstanding audits and the CRA has been moving forward with projects. The CRA reports directly to the CRA Board. Combining with the City would bring the City Manager into the picture. Vice Mayor Casello countered that anything the CRA does has to be approved by the City anyway through Planning and Development. Commissioner Merker agreed with Mayor Taylor to keep them separate. The CRA should have its own identity. Commissioner McCray concurred with the Mayor and Commissioner Merker. The CRA is for blighted areas and has their State guidelines and mandates. The City has their State mandates. He was in favor of the status quo. Commissioner Fitzpatrick noted the CRAs were created to separate them from Planning and Development to concentrate on certain goals that could not be done by cities. Planning and Development and the CRA have two different missions. Pulling them together, both would get muddled. As far as piggybacking on the same health plans and Human Resource services was okay. They are not doing the same job. Vice Mayor Casello opined the missions are the same. He had asked the City Manager to come back with a list of pros and cons to have a discussion. Mayor Taylor concluded there were four Commissioners that wanted to keep the set up as is so the City Manager should not have to spend the time and effort on something that will not be supported. Commissioner Merker agreed. Vice Mayor Casello still wanted the report. Mayor Taylor declared the Commission directs the City Manager not to do it. Ms. LaVerriere indicated she had discussed the possibility with Ms. Brooks and identified resources. There are areas that could be identified as potential economies of scale. She could put together a narrative rather than a complete analysis. Mayor Taylor voted not to do it or waste time on it. Commissioner Merker agreed. 15 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 Attorney Cherof advised it was not an action item for the agenda. It should not be voted on at this time. Mr. Sumek added there is a sense of direction. Commissioner Fitzpatrick suggested there could be a phase one assessment to determine if there are any areas that might work together. He was not in favor of going the full route and give possible options. Looking it over to see if there were any areas that might work better together would require minimal time and resources. Vice Mayor Casello agreed with Commissioner Fitzpatrick to explore the possibility. Mr. Sumek interjected while it may be a problem, there may be opportunities as well. Commissioner McCray agreed his copy of the report could be given to Vice Mayor Casello. Commissioner Merker felt it was superficial and the City should move forward. The next section to discuss was CRA Updates with several topics identified during the interviews It includes Downtown greenway, Ocean Avenue area property, CRA design guidelines, Cottage District, Ocean Breeze East and Martin Luther King Corridor. Ms. Brooks indicated the Downtown greenway, FEC Corridor is part of the downtown vision and Master Plan. Two properties were being appraised on Federal and NE 10 that would have an entry type of feature with the same art as the west side of Seacrest and MLK. The owners have unrealistic demands in relation to the appraisals. It remains in the negotiation phase. Commissioner McCray was in favor of Ms. Brooks's efforts, but, if the negotiations are not productive, come back and do something else. Mr. Sumek moved to the Ocean Avenue Area that was a high priority with property acquisition. Ms. Brooks noted the property owners have grand ideas of their property's worth. The plan was to leverage the CRA property at 211 Ocean. There is vacant property next to it and vacant property behind it. It is only 1.3 acres. If the Oscar Magnuson House could be moved to the Cottage District it would be a potential development site that could joint venture with the other property owners. A developer said he might be interested. It is fairly small. There is no traction on buying other properties because the asking prices are in excess of the acquisition budget. Another step was to work with property owners of First Financial to see if they would come together to sell the property as one unit to develop a hotel. The market has potential at that location. If 500 Ocean breaks ground, a hotel developer could be lured to the area. 16 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 Commissioner Fitzpatrick wanted to know the goal for the First Financial site and Ms. Brooks responded it would be mixed -use density. Vice Mayor Casello asked if the owners had given any direction. Ms. Brooks explains what the Code allows. The owners are not developers. Commissioner Merker remarked there should be a team effort to develop the area and whatever the result, it will be gratification when completed. He had taken the initiative to speak with the owners for their vision. It is a conversation that can end with results. Mayor Taylor asked about the property west of the railroad tracks and north of Ocean Avenue. Ms. Brooks advised it had been sold and lots assembled by a private individual. The parcels go from Boynton Beach Boulevard south, all the way to the Bob Katz historic house. There is a contract on one parcel. The next topic was CRA design guidelines. Ms. Brooks announced some of the elements would be discussed. The current design guidelines do not address nomadic elements or architectural styles. The Commission and Board had discussed going in that direction. There is no color palette. A draft would be added to the May 17 agenda to get direction from the Board what should be include in the design guidelines. More graphics would be added, types of street lights, street furniture, trees, requirement for underground utilities so it is clear what is expected. The information would give Boynton an identity with the color palette or architectural design. Vice Mayor Casello inquired if any or all of the proposed additions would have to be reviewed and approved by the Planning and Development staff. Ms. Brooks replied they would not go through Planning and Development. The staff would only make recommendations. Ms. Byrne added the changes would help staff as they are negotiated items. Any structure changes go through a review process. The Commission creates the standards and staff enforces the regulations. Ms. Brooks stated the CRA would be responsible for doing the design guidelines to be presented to the Board and Commission to be approved. The timeframe for completion was the end of the year in the best case scenario. The next step would be the workshop. Commissioner Merker envisioned the City of Boynton Beach to be known as the professional city. It would encompass the area from Boynton Beach Boulevard to 2 and Seacrest Boulevard to Federal Highway would be a starting point for redevelopment or new development of Boynton Beach. He felt what was done with City Hall would be the crucial point because that is what the City controls. 17 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 The next item was the Cottage District. Ms. Brooks indicated they were still in negotiation on some properties they would like to buy. It is a slow, difficult process. She hoped to clean the area up and issue a RFP to build new homes by the end of the year. The Cottage District is between NE 4 and NE 5 east of Seacrest. There was a possibility of moving the Oscar Magnuson house to the Cottage District to allow redevelopment on Ocean Avenue. It would be sold as a home. Ms. Byrne explained the area is in the Heart of Boynton as part of a model. The Cottage District off Federal Highway is a self - proclaimed cottage district. It would make the frontage on Seacrest historic and clear the way on Ocean Avenue. It would be a good way to preserve the Oscar Magnuson House. Commissioner McCray wanted to know the estimated cost of moving the house. There was no estimate available. The land at 211 Ocean Avenue was bought for $800,000 for a quarter of an acre at the height of the market. State statute requires appraisals for every purchase. The next steps for the Cottage District would be more acquisition, RFP to replat and build. The moving of the house would probably be in the next budget year. It may have to be redesigned to remain historic because the designation is on the house and land. The next point was Ocean Breeze East. Ms. Brooks indicated it would be on the May 15 agenda. The RFP is completed and sent to the attorney for review. Due to the Heart of Boynton update there is good density and should garner good responses. It would be multi - family and could be mixed -use. The assemblage of the entire block is being encouraged in the RFP. The next steps are issuing the RFP for 60 days, a rating committee established and an agreement drafted. The top three in the rankings would make presentations to the Board. By the end of the year there should be a development agreement. Ms. Byrne advised simultaneously there will be density changes that would go before the Planning and Development Board in May and before the City Commission in June. The MLK Corridor was the next update. Ms. Brooks reported there was a development agreement in place for Family Dollar on Seacrest, an 8,100 square foot store. There are discussions for a full - service grocery store for the north side of MLK and Seacrest. The issue is property assemblage. It would be a commercial piece along the west end of MLK Corridor. If a developer group could get land control in the area the CRA could issue an RFP on their land. 18 SPECIAL. MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 Commissioner McCray felt saying it is part of a corridor is misleading. Right now it is just the four corners. Ms. Brooks reported acquisition attempts were ongoing in mid - block. There are so many 50 x 100 lots that are owned by many, many, many people. Contact has been initiated to all, but it is a slow process. The highest prospects are the commercial corridor. The next prospect will be the mid -block that will be multi - family units. Property ownership is an issue for the public and private sector. Mr. Sumek surmised it would be a very active six months with three of four major actions coming in back to back. A City update involves the water taxi. Ms. LaVerriere was hopeful Palm Beach County would approve it in May and Boynton Beach will be opted in. The City would not have to do any additional permitting. There is a water taxi slip at the Marina. An operator is needed. Eventually there will be enough traffic to create the need for one. As population increases, the need will increase. Mayor Taylor reported the League of Cities wants the municipalities to charge $25 for a decal to show they have the right to dock at your slip. Michael Simon, Assistant CRA Director, indicated it would be according to City licensing regulations and how businesses are regulated. Ms. Byrne interjected the City no longer regulates taxis, the County does. As long as they have the County decal displayed, the City allows them to use the slip without any additional fees. There is a licensed private water taxi. Mr. Simon noted the funding for the slip was obtained to offset the cost of the slip. As part of the grant the City has to allow any and all operators to stop and pick up passengers. The prior discussion was not to overburden the diverging taxi services by adding another layer of bureaucracy and licensing. There did need to be some regulations since they were stopping at public facilities whether it is insurances or other Coast Guard regulations. The CRA is obligated to notify the County and the MPO of the schedule for the water taxi. If the City does not have its own registration, the CRA would be obligated to gather the information of who is stopping. There cannot be a charge, but the CRA could promote their route and schedule with signage. A decision would have to be made whether there should be another fee or another registration. Mayor Taylor was concerned if someone falls off the dock or gets hurt they do not sue the City. Pension was the next update topic. Ms. LaVerriere recalled they had the pension 101 workshop in February. The next step was working on levels of reform to review. There are some quick fixes and they would be outlined on June 4 and then get direction on what reform means and what the goals should be. 19 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 Commissioner Merker commented pensions could be the financial life and death of the City. The City has to have some control both short term and long term. Department Strategic Plans was the next update. As a matter of information, Ms. LaVerriere indicated all of the departments were working diligently to adopt their own internal departmental plans that align with the City's strategic plan being discussed. Several departments have completed their plans and others are a work in progress. It will be in the action agenda items for next year as well. The next discussion was CDBG. Mr. Kline reported there was a 108 loan program that would allow the City to borrow against its future CDBG allocations, up to five times. It is around $2 million. The eligible expenses are being examined in relation to the best uses of the funds. It is in a planning phase and will need to be brought back next year. Commissioner Fitzpatrick inquired how the money gets allocated. Mr. Kline explained it still has to be for low to moderate income and meet the CDBG eligible activities criteria. Whether it is for housing or economic development purposes, it has to be approved through HUD (Housing and Urban Development) that includes a public process as well. A plan for the funding will be determined and a workshop held. Workforce Housing was updated. Mr. Kline indicated there is a current workforce housing ordinance that has been suspended. Staff was assessing the need for affordable apartments, affordable rentals and affordable housing in the City. There is a dearth of affordable rentals in the City. The analysis is being done currently. It was a City initiated ordinance. Mr. Byrne interjected it was suspended as a catalyst to increase construction. It is now time to re- examine the statistics. It was hoped to be returned to the Commission by December. Vice Mayor Casello asked what constituted affordable housing. Ms. Byrne responded the Palm Beach County matrix was originally utilized. The concept was to make housing affordable to people in the working class, such as firefighters, police or teachers or white and blue collar workers. It forces development to provide a standard of housing. It could be rentals or single - family homes. Commissioner Merker understood there were 32% of people not paying property taxes. He inquired, if there is a downturn in the market, would the City lose more taxes. He questioned if it would be advisable to provide such housing if the loss of taxes increases. Ms. Byrne replied there would be no difference in the housing stock. The 20 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 housing stock would be built to market values. The ordinance requires the owners to not sell the properties at market value. The demographics in South Florida are changing to a younger population creating the need for a new housing stock. The City has to ensure there is housing they can afford. Mr. Kline pointed out the household income has to be examined. Affordability is viewed from the buyer's perspective. No more than 30% of household income should be for housing expense. Over 50% of renters are paying more than 30% of their income towards housing. The City has to attract a labor force to attract new businesses. Commissioner Merker questioned who would be moving in after the younger people make more money and move out. Ms. Byrne indicated that was how it should work. In theory it seemed appropriate, but Commissioner Merker questioned if it truly was logical. It could become a negative or deterrent to development. Ms. Byrne argued it was a key element of what was being done. The goal was to build a new workforce in the City and bring businesses into the City. Even existing businesses that are expanding would hire out of the local community workforce. The City needs to ensure people can live, work and play here. Mr. Kline commented there is always a need for workforce housing and entry level housing. It is good for economic development and good for the City. Vice Mayor Casello asked who would gain if entry level property is purchased and then sold. Mr. Kline responded it would depend on the model used. There are community land trust models or deed restrictions. Buyers cannot buy cheap and sell high. Ms. Byrne advised the ordinance prevents a flipping for profit. Mayor Taylor pointed out there is a program through the CRA that subsidizes home ownership. Because of recent foreclosures, about $800,000 has been lost. He thought the program should be re- evaluated. Ms. Brooks stated the program is no longer being used. It was the down payment assistance program. Housing prices fell and there was no demand for the program. The last topic was Code Compliance. Chief Katz reported a new supervisor was being selected. There is a phased process for the new supervisor. First an audit would be completed and then gather best practices in the area, collaborate with staff on any recommendations, design a new system to be implemented. It would then be evaluated after implementation and any necessary modifications made. The department was on target to meet the January deadline. Mr. Sumek concluded a review of what has been accomplished was the goal for the workshop and had been completed. At the next session more long term goals and 21 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES JOINT CITY COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOYNTON BEACH, FL April 24, 2014 issues like sober house, mental health advisory board, homeless, greenways, sea level rise and workforce housing would be further discussed. Ms. LaVerriere thanked everyone for coming and thanked staff for their efforts. The next session would be a full day. The May 6 or 20 agenda should include the entire document being brought forward for ratification including the updates for adoption. Mayor Taylor appreciated all the interest and closed the workshop at 12:15 p.m. ATTEST: ity Clerk dith A. Pyle, C eputy City Cler Pho: et M. Prainito, MMC i CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH ack Michael M. Fitzpatrick, Commis • Toner 22 asello, Vice Mayor