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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1-20-16 RDA minutesRDA Minutes January 20, 2016 Page 1 REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MINUTES January 20, 2016 PRESENT:John Bermingham,Steve Cummings,Steve Hintz,Jason Lasky, Archie Stam EXCUSED:Thomas Belter, Doug Pearson STAFF:Allen Davis, Executive Director/Community Development Director;Darlene Brandt, Grants Coordinator;Elizabeth Williams, Associate Planner;Andrea Flanigan, Recording Secretary Chairman Cummings called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm. Roll call was taken and a quorum declared present. The 2014 Audit was removed by staff. The minutes of July 15, 2015 were approved as distributed (Bermingham/Stam). Res. 16-01 Approve Millers Bay Neighborhood Plan Motion by Hintz to move Res.16-01 Seconded by Stam Ms. Williams stated this is the second neighborhood plan the City has adopted.The boundaries for Millers Bay include Murdock Avenue on the north side, Menominee Drive on the east side, New York Avenue on the south side and Hazel Street on the west side. The plan has various components including a vision statement that was drafted by the residents of Millers Bay and covers nine different elements that coincide with the City’s comprehensive plan. Under each of the elements, residents indicated goals and objectives through discussion and a neighborhood survey. The Millers Bay residents are very active and have already begun enhancements to Emmeline Cook School and Washington Triangle. Mr. Hintz stated he was impressed by the plan. The plan enables people to follow along with projects happening in the neighborhood. The success of the plan is based on having active people and leadership. Millers Bay is an upscale part of the City that has different issues than older parts of the City. Mr. Davis stated this will be the second of many neighborhood plans in Oshkosh. There are many different types of neighborhoods in Oshkosh and the City wants to serve all of them equally. Ms. Williams stated for the Millers Bay neighborhood plan, it is about sustaining the quality of life they currently have by keeping quality housing. As the neighborhood transitions, when long term residents move out, the neighborhood wants to establish itself as a healthy desirable place in the community. Mr. Stam stated he had the opportunity to visit their website and was very impressed by it. RDA Minutes January 20, 2016 Page 2 The item was called.Motion carried 3-0. Mr. Bermingham abstained because of his residency in Millers Bay. Res. 16-02 Approve Continuing Urban Green Space Use; Northeast Corner of Central Street and West Parkway Avenue Motion by Stam to move Res.16-02 Seconded by Bermingham Ms. Williams stated this site will be used as a community garden. There was an event to build the covered seating area on the lot. The neighborhood collaborated with Habitat for Humanity on the construction of the site and the contractor has since,come in to install brick pathways and planter beds. The project is expected to be completed in spring 2016. Mr. Hintz inquired if it was necessary for the item to be approved by the RDA annually if there are fairly permanent additions to the lot. Mr.Davis stated this is part of the Middle Village neighborhood plan and there are long term expectations. Mr. Hintz stated he did not feel it was necessary to approve the item annually in this situation. Ms. Brandt stated this was a condition on Plan Commission that this Conditional Use be contingent upon RDA approval and will be required on a yearly basis. Mr. Bermingham stated if there was a better use that presented itself for the site, it is a good way to keep control of the site. Mr. Hintz inquired if the structure on the lot was approved. Mr. Davis responded affirmatively. Mr. Bermingham stated the intended use of the lot was to keep the garden until the RDA was able to gather enough land to redevelop. Mr. Davis stated it would take a long time to do this. He stated Council and Plan Commission put the condition on the garden and the RDA could go back and ask them to revise it. Mr. Hintz stated he wanted the RDA and Middle Village to be on the same page and understand long term expectations for this property. Mr. Bermingham inquired if this could be a consent item each year and if there is anything that needs to be brought to the RDA’s attention. Mr. Cummings agreed and thought that reviewing the site in a year and seeing how the neighborhood is maintaining it would be a good idea. Mr. Hintz stated he was concerned about the structure that was built on the property and what Middle Village may think the expectations are for the site. He inquired if there were any concrete walks being installed. RDA Minutes January 20, 2016 Page 3 Ms. Williams stated there were brick pavers installed. Mr. Hintz inquired if the property was considered a community garden. Mr. Davis stated the property is characterized as an urban green space and the community garden is only a piece of the lot. Mr. Bermingham stated this is more of an educational community garden. Ms. Brandt stated the community garden would be used for education, to show kids how to plant seeds, and herbs. Mr. Hintz stated it is important to communicate with Middle Village to the status of the lot and future expectations and clarify their vision. Mr. Bermingham stated that is a good reason to keep this item on the agenda annually. Ms. Williams stated Middle Village was aware of the condition when it was approved by Council and knew that if maintenance was not taking place and complying with the conditions,the site would go away. The neighborhood is under the impression that if they maintain the site and RDA does not have another use for the site, they will be able to continue to use the urban green space. Mr. Bermingham inquired if Habitat funded the project. Ms. Williams stated the project was funded through the Great Neighborhoods program and the labor was donated. The item was called. Motion carried 4-0 Res.16-03 Approve Continuing Urban Green Space Use; Southeast Corner of Ida Avenue and Franklin Street Motion by Stam to move Res. 16-03 Seconded by Bermingham Mr. Hintz stated this is not a community garden, but an investment in a park. He inquired who installed the walkway. Ms. Williams stated it was funded through the Great Neighborhoods Program. Mr. Bermingham stated it is a lot owned by the RDA and improved by the City. Ms. Brandt stated the residents do utilize the space and have had several events on the site. Mr. Lasky entered at 4:22 PM Mr. Hintz inquired why the site is not a pocket park. Mr. Stam stated the City would be responsible for grass cutting and snow removal. RDA Minutes January 20, 2016 Page 4 Mr. Davis stated by keeping it a conditional use, the RDA can redevelop the site as part of a larger space. Mr. Bermingham stated it will be a long time before we amass enough property to redevelop the site. When it comes time to for proposals for the site, there may be some push back from the neighborhood that is accustomed to using the urban green spaces. Mr. Davis stated it is the expectation that there will be an open space on the redeveloped site for the neighborhood to use. The item was called. Motion carried 5-0. Discussion Item:Redevelopment Authority’s Role in Property Acquisition-Housing and Neighborhood Projects Mr. Davis stated the City is looking to get more involved in projects that include acquisitions and rehabilitations of properties that are substandard around the City. Utilizing Healthy Neighborhood and Great Neighborhoods Funds, the RDA could be used to determine acquisition price, rehabilitation price and sale price of the rehabilitated home. Mayor Cummings has visited communities where this has been successful, specifically Racine.The purpose of the discussion is to get input from the RDA as to whether they would be interested in scattered site acquisitions. Mr. Cummings stated if the RDA would buy a house for a certain amount how much would have to go into it to sell it for comparable prices in the neighborhood. Mr. Hintz inquired if this was currently being handled by staff. Mr. Davis responded the rehabilitations of homes are handled by the home owners. Mr. Hintz inquired if this is something the City has done in the past. Ms. Brandt responded negatively and stated this would be a new model for Oshkosh. Mr. Cummings stated he toured some of the neighborhoods in Racine and the work done has retained the character of the homes,while bringing them up to date. Mr. Lasky inquired if the City is currently the general contractor on rehabilitations. Mr. Davis responded the homeowner hires the contractor. Mr. Lasky inquired what the qualifications were to put the City in this position as opposed to the open market of flippers. Ms. Brandt stated the City would have the housing rehabilitation specialist inspect the projects and based on that,the City would bid the project out to contractors. A review committee could review those bids to determine the best contractor. The City would oversee the project from start to finish. Mr. Lasky inquired how the need was determined or is this a discussion of interest.He inquired if local investors already doing this type of work. RDA Minutes January 20, 2016 Page 5 Mr. Cummings stated if the RDA has control of the property, they can remodel the house close to the way it was designed. Keeping the character of the home but also updating it to fit modern needs. Mr. Lasky stated he was unsure of why the City would get involved if we don’t know if there is a market for it. Ms. Brandt stated in some of the neighborhoods staff is working with, there are a lot of foreclosures that are sitting and deteriorating. The City is trying to keep those neighborhoods moving forward and progressing so people move back into these neighborhoods. There is a need to some degree and the City is trying to address that. Mr. Lasky inquired about the annual budget dollars. Ms. Williams stated Healthy Neighborhood Initiative Fund has set aside about $200,000 for CDBG and Healthy Neighborhoods to acquire properties. The City has not used any of those funds because we have not identified any properties to do so. It is an opportunity to take advantage of properties the City has access to, such as tax foreclosures before investors do. In these neighborhoods the foreclosures are turning into rentals and the goal of these neighborhood plans,is to keep them owner occupied. Mr. Hintz inquired if the RDA would be the review board in terms of looking at costs and benefits or the body acquiring the property on behalf of the City. Mr. Davis stated the RDA can set it up anyway it wants, whatever the RDA is most comfortable with.The RDA can get as involved and detailed as they want, from approving what to install or simply acquiring the property and how much rehabilitation is needed. These projects will most likely break even or make a small profit. Mr. Cummings stated the RDA would know going in how much the project would cost and how much they would sell it for. Mr. Hintz stated he would like the City to pursue the discussion and break out the alternatives. There are some things that would be appropriate for the RDA and some things that would not. Mr. Davis stated the legal aspects and overall financing piece would be more appropriate for the RDA but when it comes down to the details, it may not need to be overseen by the RDA. Architecturally rehabilitating the homes to match the neighborhood is a goal of the project. Mr. Cummings stated this can be achieved using modern materials. The goal of these acquisitions is to stabilize the neighborhoods instead of people moving to the outskirts of town. Mr. Bermingham stated if the property is not profitable, that will eliminate the private investor. This seems like projects that Habitat for Humanity and Neighborworks would be involved with and the RDA would be a good point of contact. Mr. Cummings stated conceptually the plan works well in Racine which has an older central city. Mr. Lasky inquired if the acquisitions would be specific to central city. Mr. Davis responded that it would focus on central city. RDA Minutes January 20, 2016 Page 6 Mr. Lasky inquired if it would exclude certain areas. Mr. Davis stated it has not been talked about specifically. Ms. Williams stated the only time the City would intervene outside of a distressed neighborhood would be if one house is dragging down values of the block or a historic home that could be saved. Mr. Davis stated distressed neighborhoods are the areas that the private sector is not taking on. Executive Director’s Report Mr. Davis stated there were no responses on the Jefferson Request for Proposals. Staff is examining how to redraft and get it more widely distributed and wait until later this spring. Staff received some feedback on the RFP and they were concerned with the close proximity to Main Street and how to separate residential uses from the noise and light. The condition of the neighborhood and street is also being taken into consideration. Mr. Cummings inquired if the community garden would be allowed to continue its use this year. Mr. Davis responded the neighborhood was asked to take out the community garden and if there is a proposal,that construction could start in 2016. Mr. Davis stated there is a tentative agreement with Buckstaff contingent on two grant agreements from Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.The property owner will need to split the property into two parcels, one will be owned by the City and one owned by the RDA. The final application is almost ready to be submitted. Mr. Lasky inquired if the City will retain ownership of the property. Mr. Davis responded that it is a requirement of the agreement for the City to own the property. Mr. Davis stated Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway has awarded the City grant funds to install a handicapped accessible canoe/kayak launch this spring. The Riverwalk is being installed east of Oregon Street to Dockside Tavern. The design for the Riverwalk west of Oregon is being worked on and hoping to continue construction of that part in 2016 and 2017 using grant funds.The Morgan District partners and City prepared an Idle Industrial Site Grant to WEDC to help install $375,000 of private infrastructure on the site. The Morgan Partners also submitted a TIF application for the site that the City is reviewing. The owners hope to start the first phase of apartments and commercial space along Oregon Street by the end of 2016. One of the commercial spaces the developer hopes to have is a grocer that would be a nice addition to the neighborhood.Art. Dumke continues to work on the Pioneer property. He has completed all of the code enforcement requirements from the City this past winter. He is still working on development and funding scenarios. Andy Dumke continues his work on the former Granary as a residential and restaurant use. Marion Road Redevelopment projects include Anthem apartments which was completed and leased out very quickly. Certificate of Completion was received earlier this week and will work on transferring the property. Rivers 1.5 began construction this past spring which includes a park and open area for improvements and public art. Andy Dumke has the option for Marion Road and Jackson Street along the riverfront until December. The engineering consultant is preparing the final RDA Minutes January 20, 2016 Page 7 design on the water tower which will be shown to the RDA once it is completed. WEDC awarded the City a $50,000 grant as part of the Downtown plan update which will include Buckstaff and Pioneer. Action by the RDA action on the plan will take place in late summer. Mr. Lasky inquired if the plan included industrial sites near Buckstaff. Mr. Davis stated it would include all industrial properties. Mr. Davis stated that Brian Burns has reported to staff that he did hire an engineer to do an elevation survey and hopes to bid it this summer and start construction. The exterior is still a problem for him. Mr. Lasky inquired if it was structural or aesthetic problems. Ms. Brandt stated Mr. Burns is having issues squaring the building. Mr. Davis stated Mr. Burns would still rather save the building rather than demolish it. Ms. Brandt stated the building is gutted and has a new roof. The exterior needs work. There was no further discussion.The meeting adjourned at approximately 4:55 PM. (Bermingham/Stam) Respectfully submitted, Allen Davis Executive Director