CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) approved buying 5432 Acorn Street for $380,000 to extend a Rivergate-Palm District riverwalk and link Boat Ramp Park.
5 items on the agenda · 4 decisions recorded
On the agenda
- 1Call to Order - Roll Call▶ 0:00
- 2
You arrived here from a search for “Peter Altman” — transcript expanded below
Nomination of Chair for the Purpose of Meeting
approvedThe CRA Board nominated and appointed Peter Altman as Chair for the purpose of this meeting. The motion passed unanimously 3-0.
- motion:Motion to appoint Peter Altman as Chair for the purpose of this meeting. (passed)3–0
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[00:00:28] Okay, so I took the liberty of banging the gavel, but we don't have a chair, so is there [00:00:34] a motion for that? [00:00:35] I'll make a motion to that effect to make Peter Altman the chair for this meeting. [00:00:41] I'll second it. [00:00:42] Woo-hoo. [00:00:43] Wow. [00:00:44] That was quick. [00:00:45] I'm honored. [00:00:46] Only for today. [00:00:47] Those in favor? [00:00:48] Aye. [00:00:49] Those in favor? [00:00:50] Aye. [00:00:51] Aye. [00:00:52] Aye. [00:00:53] Aye. [00:00:54] Aye. [00:00:55] Aye. [00:00:56] Aye. [00:00:57] Okay, we have a three zip to keep the trend going. The first order of business for us
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Approval of March 28, 2024 CRA Meeting Minutes
approvedThe CRA Board approved the minutes from the March 28, 2024 CRA meeting without discussion.
- motion:Motion to approve the March 28, 2024 CRA meeting minutes. (passed)
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[00:01:05] is to look at the CRA meeting minutes of March the 28th, and I don't know if there are any [00:01:12] questions or corrections. Otherwise, we'd look for a motion to approve. [00:01:15] I move to approve. [00:01:16] I'll second. [00:01:17] Motion made and seconded without discussion. Those in favor? [00:01:22] Aye. [00:01:23] Aye. [00:01:24] Opposed?
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Proposed Purchase and Sale Agreement for 5432 Acorn Street
approvedThe CRA Board approved the purchase of 5432 Acorn Street for $380,000 pursuant to a Purchase and Sale Agreement to implement the Community Redevelopment Plan in the Rivergate-Palm District. Staff presented that the property would help connect Boat Ramp Park, enable a riverwalk under the Main Street Bridge, support stormwater/resiliency planning, and unlock redevelopment of the SunTrust/Gateway parcels. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
- motion:Motion to approve the purchase of 5432 Acorn Street for $380,000 pursuant to the Purchase and Sale Agreement. (passed)
- vote:Voice vote on the motion to approve the purchase. (passed)
5432 Acorn StreetAcorn Street right-of-wayBoat Ramp ParkMain Street BridgeMonson Mayor propertyPotter propertyComfort Inn and SuitesFormer Gateway ChurchStonehavenStroud EngineerSunTrustTampa Bay Regional Planning CouncilKellyMr. OrabeckMs. MannsAdopted Community Redevelopment PlanClosing target end of MayCody RiverCody RiverwalkDeposit of $11,400Property assemblage budget ($1 million / $875,000 available)Rivergate-Palm District Conceptual Master PlanRivertown Revival branding▶ Jump to 1:25 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:01:25] And now we can turn the next item, which is the Proposed Purchase and Sale Agreement [00:01:30] for 5432 Acorn Street, over to our Executive Director, Ms. Manns. [00:01:37] In turn, we'll be turning it over to Mr. Orabeck, who has put together a PowerPoint presentation [00:01:46] to you related to the Proposed Purchase and Sale Agreement for the property, which we [00:01:53] are recommending you consider favorably in the amount of $380,000. And Mr. Orabeck, if [00:02:06] you'd take it from there. [00:02:07] Yes, ma'am. Gladly. Good evening, Mr. Acting Chair and members of the Board. As the Executive [00:02:14] Director pointed out, this is a request to approve the purchase of 5432 Acorn Street [00:02:19] for $380,000 pursuant to a Purchase and Sale Agreement substantially in the form of Attachment [00:02:25] 1 for the purposes of implementing the Adoptive Community Redevelopment Plan. [00:02:30] So as the Board knows, the plan and associated planning efforts, such as the Rivergate-Palm [00:02:35] District Conceptual Master Plan that was carried out by you and the community and the Tampa [00:02:41] Bay Regional Planning Council, they identified the Rivergate-Palm District as one of the [00:02:47] city's most important opportunities for redevelopment. Accordingly, our team has been working to [00:02:53] assemble a critical mass of properties within the district for catalytic redevelopment pursuant [00:02:58] to the plan. [00:03:01] And just to put the picture out there for everyone, I know you guys have this burned [00:03:05] into your mind's eye, but here is our U.S. Highway 19. Here is the Cody River, the heart [00:03:14] of the community flowing through it. Here is our Main Street Bridge. The orange lines [00:03:19] that you see are assembled properties, even that little corner clip over there by the [00:03:26] corner where the Main Street Gateway sign is going in. Of course, you have the SunTrust [00:03:32] building, you have the former Gateway Church, you have our parking garage, and then you [00:03:38] have the little, I believe it was a cigar warehouse type building over there. So there's [00:03:43] been, oh, and come on, this is the Monson Mayor property, don't want to jinx it, it's [00:03:47] under contract, right? It's under contract, but the Potter property is down, and of course [00:03:52] this is one boat ramp park that's been part of the community forever. [00:03:58] So orange is what has been assembled or is in public ownership, and red is the subject [00:04:04] property. That is 5432 Acorn Street. And as you know, and as I discussed, the plan [00:04:14] has talked about this area, it's highlighted the importance, both the adopted community [00:04:20] redevelopment plan, and here you can see what we call the Rivergate District and a conceptual [00:04:26] rooftop plan. Of course, Main Street Landings, today known as Stonehaven, has been a critical [00:04:32] piece of that, and various planning efforts, this one being the community redevelopment [00:04:36] plan, they specifically identify the Acorn right away. So Acorn has been part of these [00:04:41] plans the whole way. And specific things are called out, additional waterfront uses, actually [00:04:51] connecting Boat Ramp Park to the south under the Main Street Bridge. These are all concepts [00:04:56] that you and the community as a whole have been talking about for years. [00:05:03] And here's one of those other planning efforts. The Tampa Bay RPC working with the community [00:05:08] came up with the Rivergate Palm District, and here we've just exerted a couple of the [00:05:12] master plan graphics, which again provide another conceptual rooftop plan for what this [00:05:19] area could be when it grows up, what it would be in the future. And interestingly, this [00:05:26] subject property and the Acorn Street right away were specifically planned as part of [00:05:31] this effort. In fact, there was even a concept developed for it, which included a kayak launch [00:05:43] and facility there. There it is zoomed in. And the highlighted attributes of the property [00:05:53] include that it's about .27 acres, approximately 67 running feet. The asking price for the [00:06:00] property, it was listed in the market to the public at $421,000. It's on the tax roll [00:06:07] for $211,000 and change. It was appraised at $380,000. So as mentioned, it was in the [00:06:17] marketplace. Staff knows and our team knows that we've been working to acquire property [00:06:24] in this area. We thought it was worthy of your consideration because in combination [00:06:28] with the Acorn Street public right away, it would create adequate space for a riverfront [00:06:33] amenity as conceived in the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council planning effort or an access [00:06:40] point to build around in accordance with the plan. This property, it's a little piece of [00:06:46] property, but it gives us big opportunity because in addition to being specifically [00:06:50] planned in that RPC master planning effort, it gives the ability if the board and the [00:06:57] community would see fit, if you wanted to connect Boat Ramp Park and you wanted to see [00:07:02] a Cody Riverwalk and you wanted to see that go under the Main Street Bridge and wrap around [00:07:06] Stonehaven, it could tie right into this property, which would unlock the value of the [00:07:12] whole Rivergate District, brings it to the waterfront, it brings SunTrust, it brings [00:07:17] the redevelopment of Gateway, that greater master parcel you've been working hard on [00:07:23] so long, it lets it connect to the riverfront. It's opportunities of all sizes because it [00:07:30] also could help with stormwater and so many other things. So it's an example of how [00:07:35] something seemingly small is not small. It's actually quite big. So we ordered the [00:07:42] appraisal on the property. It came in at $380,000. We were able to come to a meeting [00:07:48] of the minds with the seller at a purchase price of $380,000 to be paid via deposit of [00:07:55] $11,400 and the balance of time of closing of a short contingency. One of the terms was [00:08:02] they really wanted to move on that. And so we have proposed to accommodate that request. [00:08:08] And so the anticipated closing date would be by the end of May. And the closing cost [00:08:14] would be split pursuant to Section 17. If this is approved, obviously we're going to move [00:08:20] forward with our due diligence. We're going to take it down. And then we're going to be [00:08:26] working very hard on that SunTrust Gateway redevelopment proposal. And we'll be bringing [00:08:35] back to the board for your consideration a disposition and offering plan for that. [00:08:41] We would, as part of that planning effort, obviously we'll be deciding what specifically [00:08:48] you want to do with this property. And then we're going to work to carry it out. [00:08:57] As far as budget fiscal impact goes, it's important to point out that the contract amounts [00:09:03] to $380,000. There would additionally be some recurring maintenance costs and costs [00:09:07] associated with the next steps. The adopted agency budget includes $1 million for property [00:09:13] assemblage, of which $875,000 is currently available for this purchase. So the funds are available [00:09:19] to make this happen. I like to bring it into the big picture and talk about how everything [00:09:25] is connected. I wanted to bring up one of these concepts that you had developed when you went [00:09:31] through the branding of Rivertown Revival. Whether you're an elected official or you're a city [00:09:37] member or you're a member of the public, these transformative projects, these big capital [00:09:43] projects that really move communities forward, transform a community, it can never be done [00:09:49] fast enough. It can never happen fast enough. You will never be satisfied. But if we work [00:09:55] hard, smart, and together, it can happen. In my experience, it does happen. And in my [00:10:01] observation over the last four months here, and then comparing it to the city that I remember [00:10:07] leaving in 1992, I would suggest it is happening. Thanks to you guys working hard, smart, and [00:10:15] together. So I'd encourage you to make it happen because even though it can never be fast [00:10:21] enough, your team, our team, has done so many great things in this area where we can't wait to do [00:10:30] the next thing. Like staff, we can't wait for you to buy this. We can't wait to bring you a plan to [00:10:36] redevelop this. But just think, there is a gateway sign that welcomes you and hopefully 60,000 [00:10:45] more visitors off of 19 a day into downtown. There is a Kaiser that was never there before. [00:10:52] There is a modern hotel, Comfort Inn and Suites, that wasn't there before. There was a parking [00:10:59] garage there before. I mean, this was a labor of love. This was trials and tribulations. But you [00:11:07] made it happen and it's fully occupied. You've taken the Potter property down. The Montemayor [00:11:13] property is under contract. And now you can imagine something really special here. And if you [00:11:20] take this action tonight, you could potentially connect it physically, creating a destination in its [00:11:27] own right and having a river walk on your river. And that river walk would connect to the rest of [00:11:33] this district and this property that you can't wait to redevelop. So it's never fast enough, but [00:11:39] working hard, smart, and together it can happen and it is happening. So we encourage you to approve [00:11:46] the request before you and we'd be happy to take any questions or comments you have. [00:11:53] Kelly, you were in on this discussion earlier. Do you want to respond or reply to your feelings? [00:12:01] Yes. So, I mean, I love this idea. I think that's what we need, something to tie. We're two [00:12:07] separate sections right now. We need something to kind of tie us all together. And I think boardwalks [00:12:13] on the water. We're not using our waterways. The boardwalks on the waterways are going to be [00:12:19] amazing. And that's the perfect property that's right in between of everything else we're doing to make [00:12:25] this happen. I was concerned about the initial price. So, of course, being a realtor, I looked up the [00:12:31] price and what I thought it should be valued at. And I'm glad we're only paying 384 because that's [00:12:37] what we're doing. And I think it's the time to make the move. [00:12:43] The newbie on the corner, I'll just start by saying that I agree with the linkage argument. I mean, there is [00:12:49] those four corners right there on Main Street. And I know there are some businesses over there that are [00:12:55] desperate for some walkability and some riverfront access on that side. And I think this very well [00:13:01] my two things that popped up were the cost and affordability. And so I appreciate you making those [00:13:07] comments on that. Is there any way we can get a walkthrough timeline on? I know back in March, [00:13:13] probably during COVID, there was a significant reduction in price. And I'm assuming just with the market, [00:13:19] we didn't get what we wanted originally. And that's the cost of doing business. It was originally [00:13:25] what was it at $250,000 originally? [00:13:31] I think they'd asked more for it, which is why it didn't go through. There was a purchase and then they [00:13:37] with the intention to sell and then that just didn't break. But I believe that it was in the 300s that they were [00:13:43] asking for back two years ago. So we're basically getting it, I think, about the same price that it was [00:13:49] You can talk about what's happened to the real estate prices. [00:13:55] Anything along the water is going to be valued at that. That's a value. I mean, I have houses valued [00:14:01] at that that are nowhere near what this property is valued at. And like I said, when I looked at the 421, [00:14:07] I thought that was a little high. When I looked at it, I thought it probably should be under 400. And getting it at 380 [00:14:13] I think that it's a good value for us because they probably could get 424. [00:14:19] Can we get a motion and then we can discuss further on that? [00:14:25] I'll move to approve. [00:14:31] We have one member of the public here present other than staff members, but would you like to weigh in [00:14:37] at all? If you do, you'd have to come up to the microphone and speak. [00:14:43] You can't force them to speak. You cannot let them speak. [00:14:49] She could force me to speak. [00:15:00] I move to approve. [00:15:01] I'll make a second. [00:15:02] All right. [00:15:03] More discussion. [00:15:05] Can I just get on the record? [00:15:07] I know you have something to say too. [00:15:09] You mentioned before about resiliency [00:15:11] and I've seen a lot in the plans [00:15:12] about the walkability, the riverfront accents, [00:15:15] but what's this stormwater vision? [00:15:18] Is there a possibility to tie this into flood mitigation? [00:15:22] Yeah, I think the possibility is really [00:15:24] in talking to the owners of the, [00:15:27] I'll still call it Main Street Landing, [00:15:29] but the Stonehaven property. [00:15:31] The unusual situation is that Acorn Street, [00:15:35] which is a city-owned land, [00:15:37] goes all the way to the water. [00:15:39] And somehow in the development agreement [00:15:42] of the Main Street Landing, [00:15:45] because they had to put some fill in [00:15:47] just to get it to the level of the parking garage, [00:15:49] which still gets a little water, [00:15:51] the swift mud had a requirement [00:15:53] not only to put retention, [00:15:57] but also to retain, [00:16:00] but also attenuation of getting the water [00:16:04] that was coming over onto that property [00:16:06] so as not to affect the neighbors. [00:16:08] So they had to do, that's pond. [00:16:11] And so when you see the seawall out there, [00:16:13] that big vault between the parking garage [00:16:17] and the seawall is actually to retain water [00:16:22] coming off over the river [00:16:24] to avoid the effect of putting the fill on the property. [00:16:28] So they had two kinds of drainage and retaining. [00:16:35] To that effect, because of that [00:16:37] and the amount of footprint on that property, [00:16:41] the stormwater pond in the middle [00:16:45] was calculated not to be quite enough. [00:16:47] And so they had to put this other secondary pond in [00:16:51] to which they have an easement over our Acorn Street Road. [00:16:57] But to answer your question, [00:17:01] the plan that was sent in [00:17:03] for the 800 and some thousand dollar attenuation pond [00:17:07] for the bigger project, [00:17:09] which also was supposed to allow [00:17:11] for sort of a reverse use of that pond, [00:17:15] like we do with Orange Lake, [00:17:17] where we can lower it and kind of help [00:17:19] to absorb some of the impact of the storm surge. [00:17:25] That plan calls, as it was drawn out by Stroud Engineer, [00:17:28] for that connection to occur at Acorn Street, I think. [00:17:34] So I think it's gonna take, you're absolutely right, [00:17:38] I think it's gonna be part of the ultimate overall, [00:17:42] give us more room and more space [00:17:44] to design the overall strategy. [00:17:47] The other possibility, [00:17:48] there is already a boat slip on the property. [00:17:53] Not a boat slip, but an inlet that's cut in. [00:17:56] And so I think it'll be interesting to find out [00:17:58] what kind of creative ideas that can occur, [00:18:01] whether it's a weir and the ability [00:18:04] to bring water in a little more [00:18:06] and then do those kind of things. [00:18:07] But I think you're absolutely right, [00:18:09] it's completely, [00:18:12] could be a part of the overall stormwater [00:18:16] and perhaps some of the improvements that could be done [00:18:18] could be attributed to that grant. [00:18:21] Because there's already a calculation [00:18:24] to do work on that area. [00:18:26] So I think that the CRA would be smart [00:18:30] to try to draw in whatever we could from the pond. [00:18:37] But also from an economic standpoint, [00:18:40] when I was initially helping to lease that property up, [00:18:44] not as a realtor, but as an employee of sorts there, [00:18:50] I got the opportunity to show all of those units. [00:18:54] And so if you could bring that drawing up [00:18:57] that just shows the overhead, [00:18:59] the first ones to go were on the third floor on that turn. [00:19:03] And if you could, as you look at the property, [00:19:06] you can see the reason right under the two, [00:19:09] that angled arrow. [00:19:11] This right here. [00:19:12] All of those units on the third and second floor [00:19:15] were highly prized [00:19:16] because you could see all the way down the river. [00:19:19] And if you look at the lot that we would be acquiring, [00:19:22] you see that it really is placed in the middle of the river. [00:19:25] So for the purpose of the public being there [00:19:28] and walking through there, [00:19:30] they'll see that whole river corridor. [00:19:32] It's almost like you're in the river. [00:19:35] And it's really an exciting, [00:19:37] it's a great view to see from there. [00:19:42] And again, with the parking garage [00:19:44] and the ability for people to walk [00:19:45] from the parking garage to that, [00:19:48] if we could make it happen. [00:19:51] There were also just historically, [00:19:53] the McGurns had acquired boat slip [00:19:58] for I think 13 or 15 boat slips, which they never used. [00:20:02] And that I believe perhaps that that permit has expired, [00:20:07] but it's an opportunity to sort of redesign [00:20:10] and maybe work a public-private partnership [00:20:13] to work off of that seawall somehow. [00:20:17] But yeah, it is very exciting. [00:20:20] And there's no doubt in my mind, [00:20:22] the number of people who wanted a boat slip [00:20:24] and there was talk, well, maybe it would come, [00:20:26] the number of people went there [00:20:28] with the hopes that they could have a boat slip. [00:20:31] But if nothing else, there isn't even a dock [00:20:34] where you could pull up and get in [00:20:36] and drop off somebody that was there. [00:20:40] And so folks would park in the parking garage [00:20:42] with their boats and they would have the boat come there. [00:20:45] And I would have to chase them off [00:20:47] because they'd go right to the corner [00:20:48] and try to jump on from there. [00:20:50] So I think from a practical standpoint, [00:20:53] there's a desire for that functionality [00:20:56] that you're talking about that was just experienced there. [00:20:59] But- [00:21:00] You're getting me real fired up. [00:21:01] Is it right if I just share one idea? [00:21:04] So for a long time in your planning documents, [00:21:07] you've talked about the desirability [00:21:09] of remote parking from your boat ramp. [00:21:12] But the reality is no one wants to do that. [00:21:14] You can't get someone to walk a half a mile [00:21:16] through downtown to get to their boat. [00:21:18] But in my experience, [00:21:20] you can get them to walk on the river. [00:21:22] So imagine where we're going out [00:21:25] and we drop the boat and you start it [00:21:28] and be like, Greg, I'll pick you up over there. [00:21:30] And I go over here and I park, if not in the garage, [00:21:34] maybe there's a public-private partnership with the church [00:21:37] because except on Sundays at 10 o'clock, [00:21:40] maybe there's an opportunity where you have a sea [00:21:43] of asphalt that can finally now really serve the community. [00:21:47] And I just hop on the boardwalk and I hop in the boat. [00:21:50] This is a totally different experience [00:21:52] than trying to get someone to drop their boat, [00:21:55] leave it tied up, park a mile away. [00:22:00] And you're experiencing the river the whole time. [00:22:02] And in fact, you might've motored downriver to pick me up [00:22:06] rather than making me walk all the way. [00:22:08] But if I did walk, I was looking to see [00:22:09] if there were any snook out there today [00:22:11] or did I see any sheep's head? [00:22:13] It's not like you made me trudge through [00:22:15] a weird urban scenario to get there. [00:22:18] Lots of sheep hid under that bridge just once in a while. [00:22:20] That was my recollection. [00:22:23] No, it's exciting. [00:22:24] And somehow or another, [00:22:28] things sometimes fall into place [00:22:30] that I've learned over my life. [00:22:33] To look back and say, well, I could have been patient. [00:22:35] I wasn't, but it still worked out. [00:22:38] And it's finally happening. [00:22:40] So I'm very excited. [00:22:41] And I'm hopeful that the ownership will be open [00:22:45] to some kind of a mutual benefit. [00:22:48] And I think if we look at our easement, [00:22:50] we might find that looking at the design [00:22:54] of that retention pond and working it into our project [00:23:00] because it's on our land could be another negotiating part [00:23:05] to utilizing what it would be a much larger space [00:23:10] if it weren't for that retention pond [00:23:12] being right on the river, [00:23:13] where it probably wouldn't want to be otherwise [00:23:17] if there was another way to take that volume [00:23:21] and put it in a less valuable place. [00:23:26] Anyway, that's great. [00:23:28] We got a motion on the floor in a second. [00:23:30] I could go on all night, [00:23:31] but I'm very excited and I'm grateful [00:23:35] that it's in the plan and we can do it [00:23:38] and we have the funds in our budget. [00:23:41] Any other comments? [00:23:43] If not, those in favor of the motion? [00:23:45] Aye. Aye. [00:23:46] Aye. Opposed? [00:23:47] Motion carries. [00:23:49] And before we go, could I get a picture of me
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- 5Adjournment▶ 23:50