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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3-16-16 RDA MinutesRDA Minutes March 16, 2016 Page 1 REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MINUTES March 16, 2016 PRESENT:Thomas Belter,Steve Cummings,Steve Hintz, Archie Stam EXCUSED:John Bermingham, Doug Pearson, Jason Lasky STAFF:Allen Davis, Executive Director/Community Development Director;Darlene Brandt, Grants Coordinator;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 minutes of January 20, 2016 and 2014 Audit were approved as distributed (Stam/Hintz). Public Hearing: Spot Blight Designation 1218 Oshkosh Avenue Chairman Cummings opened the public hearing on the proposed spot blight designation for 1218 Oshkosh Avenue No one appeared and the public hearing was closed. Res. 16-04 Approve Spot Blight Designation; Approve Acquisition of Property at 1218 Oshkosh Avenue ($150,000) Motion by Belter to move Res. 16-04 Seconded by Stam Mr. Hintz inquired about the cost of the property. Mr. Davis responded that 1208 and 1212 Oshkosh Avenue were in much worse shape than this building,which is why the price of 1218 Oshkosh Avenue is greater. 1218 Oshkosh Avenue is the last piece needed on Oshkosh Avenue to make road improvements at the intersection of Sawyer Street and Oshkosh Avenue.The payment for 1218 Oshkosh Avenue will be made over the next 2 years. Mr. Belter inquired about other properties needed for the road improvements. Mr. Davis stated there may be a properties on the north side of the alley which would need to be acquired to extend Sawyer Street to Rainbow Avenue.The City will know more when a traffic study and design are completed. The item was called. Motion carried 4-0. RDA Minutes March 16, 2016 Page 2 Public Hearing: Spot Blight Designation 1017 Bowen Street Chairman Cummings opened the public hearing on the proposed spot blight designation for 1017 Bowen Street No one appeared and the public hearing was closed. Res. 16-05 Approve Spot Blight Designation; Approve Acquisition of Property at 1017 Bowen Street ($20,000) Motion by Belter to move Res. 16-05 Seconded by Hintz Mr. Hintz stated many properties in the City are in need of rehabilitation and he had no issues with the properties being blighted and acquired. He is unsure the direction the City is taking when selecting the properties to be acquired. He inquired if there were guidelines to be followed when selecting these homes and if they are concentrated to certain neighborhoods or scattered sites. Mr. Davis responded he does not know of specific guidelines since the properties acquired are ones offered to the City by property owners or Winnebago County. Staff goes through the list and determines if the properties are in Neighborhood Associations or part of redevelopment areas. In cases where there are scattered site acquisitions, the property is typically in a Neighborhood Association. Mr.Hintz inquired if the City receives HUD foreclosure listings. Ms. Brandt responded negatively. Mr. Hintz stated he has looked at homes on the HUD list and they seem to be a good bargain but in need of extensive rehabilitation. This might be something that is looked at systematically when considering acquiring houses. Mr. Hintz stated he would like to see some more set guidelines when selecting homes. Mr. Belter stated he would like to see a focus pattern where certain blocks or areas are worked on and the guidelines be defined and refined. Possibly a ranking of bad homes or blocks that need rehabilitation. Mr. Cummings stated that is the direction GO-HNI will going, once it is formed. He inquired if it is possible to make money on these homes. Ms. Brandt responded it is possible to make money on the property but it will have to follow certain regulations because it is federal money. Mr. Davis stated this property is the first project of its kind the City has taken on and feels it is a good candidate because of its potential resale value. Mr. Belter inquired who was managing the projects. RDA Minutes March 16, 2016 Page 3 Mr. Davis responded that Ken Gresser, Housing Rehabilitation Specialist for the City of Oshkosh, will oversee the projects and will bid out the work. Mr. Hintz stated he hopes to expand the list of properties and determine some geographic boundaries. Mr. Belter agreed that there needs to be some direction when selecting and rehabilitating homes. Mr. Stam stated he would like a report back to the RDA when the project concludes. Ms. Brandt stated the City hopes to hold an open house because it is the first project of its kind and to show residents what the City can do to help improve the neighborhoods. The item was called. Motion carried 4-0 Public Hearing: Spot Blight Designation 503 Waugoo Avenue Chairman Cummings opened the public hearing on the proposed spot blight designation for 503 Waugoo Avenue No one appeared and the public hearing was closed. Res. 16-06 Approve Spot Blight Designation; Approve Acquisition of Property at 503 Waugoo Avenue ($22,090.09 Plus Closing Costs) Motion by Belter to move Res. 16-06 Seconded by Hintz Mr. Cummings inquired about the demolition date for the property. Mr. Davis stated there is no set date for demolition. Once the City closes, the property will undergo asbestos abatement and then get bids for the demo. The item was called. Motion carried 4-0. Res. 16-07 Determination of Necessity; Establish Fair Market Value; Authorize Purchase of Property at 302 Merritt Avenue ($28,186.80 Plus Closing Costs) Motion by Belter to move Res. 16-07 Seconded by Stam Ms. Brandt stated the reason this property does not need to be spot blighted is because it is already in the approved Middle East Neighborhood which is a redevelopment area. The home is historic due to contributing factors, so the City will need to get approval from the state historical society to rehab or demo the property. Mr. Stam inquired how the property was determined historic. Ms. Brandt stated the house is one of the oldest in Oshkosh. RDA Minutes March 16, 2016 Page 4 Mr. Davis stated a historical review of the property will need to be done and determine if it meets section 4F of the historic preservation. Mr. Hintz inquired if the property was in sufficiently poor shape that it is a demolition candidate. Mr. Davis confirmed the property’s exterior is in bad shape but the City has not been inside yet to determine if it is salvageable. Mr. Hintz inquired if the property has been vacant for a while. Ms. Brandt responded the property has been vacant for about 2 years. There is a large hole in the roof and the exterior is in bad shape. It seems to be beyond repair. Mr. Hintz stated this brings up the issue of housing code.The property has sat like this for a while. Mr. Davis stated there have been code violations written up on the property however there was no property owner to make the corrections, which is why Winnebago County has it for back taxes. The item was called. Motion carried 4-0. Executive Director’s Report Mr. Davis stated the City submitted two grants totaling $300,000 for the Buckstaff property and have no word yet from WEDC. The City is anticipating a response in April and is optimistic about the grant. Mr. Belter inquired how WEDC scores the grants. Mr. Davis stated WEDC has not distributed any type of point value or scoring system. They look at the impact of the project on the community, economic potential and the leverage they are getting out of their grant.Mr. Davis believes the City has maximized those points when submitting the grants. Mr. Davis stated Greater Oshkosh Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative (GO-HNI) is a new 501c3 that has been created to work in concert with the City of Oshkosh and RDA when it comes to working on projects in neighborhoods. GO-HNI is the replacement for Neighborworks,who didn’t see Oshkosh as a good long term fit. Healthy Neighborhoods has been well received by the board and have started working on fundraising for the new 501c3. Mr.Belter inquired what the budget is for GO-HNI. Mr. Davis stated the budget was still in a state of flux because the number of staff is still unknown. The City will donate about 1/3 of funds for the first year. It is anticipated to be around $200,000 to $300,000 budget. Mr. Hintz inquired where GO-HNI is currently based. Mr. Davis stated GO-HNI is currently run out of the City because a staff member was hired to put together the 501c3. The City position ends in May and that position will have to move over to GO- HNI. GO-HNI is our version of Neighborworks. RDA Minutes March 16, 2016 Page 5 Mr. Cummings stated GO-HNI hopes to become Neighborworks Oshkosh in the future because of training and benefits that are available to Neighborworks employees. Mr. Hintz inquired outside of City funds, where is the money being raised to start GO-HNI and who is raising them. Mr. Davis stated funds will come from foundations in the area. A city staff member and the board is working on fundraising. Bill Wyman is the Chair of the GO-HNI board. Mr. Davis stated the kayak and canoe launch will be installed at Boatworks soon and a grand opening of Boatworks will be planned this spring. Mr. Belter stated he visited Boatworks Riverwalk and was impressed by the approach and bridge overlooking the river. He stated it is a good addition to the city. Mr. Davis stated the construction is continuing on the Riverwalk East of Oregon Street to Dockside Tavern. The next phase will take place this year starting at the end of the Boatworks Bridge to the lagoon at Morgan District.A grant was submitted on behalf of the Morgan District for private infrastructure improvements to the site. The grant is being reviewed by WEDC and has made it past the first phase in the grant review. Mr. Belter inquired if the City has pushed for private funding for the Riverwalk. Mr. Davis stated the City has not assessed for anything or raised private funds other than the land that has been donated. Mr. Belter stated putting in the few remaining riverwalk segments using private money versus waiting five years for public funding, might move up the timeline by a few years for completing the Riverwalk and be a really neat thing for Oshkosh. Mr. Davis stated the TIF application for Morgan District has been submitted and the TIF would be paying for the Riverwalk in that district. Another big project in the South Shore Redevelopment area is the Pioneer. Mr. Art Dumke is still working with the City on different funding options for development of the property. Mr. Andy Dumke has acquired the Granary and the City has recently adopted a Historic Building Code so he can rehab the building. Mr. Burns, the owner of the former Miles Kimball building will finish engineering on the building and bid out work this spring. Rivers 1.5 is under construction and should be open later this spring.Mr. Dumke also has an option on the site at Jackson Street and Marion Road and continues to develop more specific building and site plans. More information is being prepared on the final water tower design including alternative finishes and colors and a final site plan which will come back to the RDA for review. There was no further discussion.The meeting adjourned at approximately 4:35 PM. (Stam/Belter) Respectfully submitted, Allen Davis Executive Director