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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-11-05 Minutes WS OCOEE CITY COMMISSION May 11, 2005 at 6:30 P.M. VISIONING WORKSHOP I CALL TO ORDER Mayor Vandergrift called the workshop session to order at 6:35 p.m. in the Commission Chambers Conference Room of City Hall. Roll Call: Mayor Vandergrift, Commissioner Anderson, and Commissioner Parker. Commissioner Howell and Commissioner Johnson were absent. Also Present: City Manager Frank, City Attorney Rosenthal, and City Clerk Eikenberry. I DISCUSSION Mayor Vandergrift opened the Workshop and explained the reason for holding a series of visioning workshops is due to the rapid expansion of the area, particularly the City of Ocoee, and that we need to ensure that we are setting things in motion that will support the rapid growth. Commissioner Parker said in 15 years we will have 70,000 residents and we need to start growing from within. The real estate market is unprecedented, homes are selling in hours, and thousands of new homes are being built. We cannot wait 15 years until the population doubles to start working on infrastructure and other issues. We need to promote volunteer work, and bring in large, quiet industry that will expand the tax base without creating other problems. She also said that she feels we should consider the capability of handling ALS rescue calls with our own personnel, instead of waiting for Health Central to arrive. Commissioner Anderson said he agrees 100% with Commission Parker on the ALS issue. He said his main concern is how we are going to pay for everything. We need to stop using Bonds and using next year's money to do this year's projects. Acquiring property while the prices are still affordable is the best way to get money needed for infrastructure improvements. He agrees that we need to encourage and entice quiet industry to come to Ocoee. He also said we paid for a detailed analysis of the Northwest Sector and we should follow the professionals' advice. City Manager Frank said that with all the new programs and infrastructure improvements being proposed, it is going to be very difficult to do the things we want to without increasing the millage rate from 4.5. Property values are going up, but it is only 25% of our budget, and the $600,000.00 - $900,000.00 increase in ad valorem taxes will be almost entirely used up with the cost of six new police officers (and related training/equipment). Providing ALS service to the residents should be considered, but there are very large cost factors involved, and the Fire Department budget would have to be increased from just over 4 million to 5 or 6 million dollars. We can also consider user fees, special assessments, and other ways to increase revenues to cover costs. He said with home values soaring, and we are bringing in a different type of resident now who "expects more" when purchasing new homes for $300,000.00 and up. Commissioner Anderson asked if you can add one mil to the millage rate for a designated period of time (5 years, for example) to pay for infrastructure improvements, and the consensus in the room was that it could be done that way, with no one advising otherwise. Community Development Director Wagner said that with the shift in housing values, the development ofthe surrounding community would naturally follow. He said the residential trend is shifting towards vertical building, and bigger houses on smaller lots. There are not many large pieces of property left, so industrial growth in the City may be High Tech type business that take Page 1 of 4 City Commission Workshop Meeting May 11, 2005 up less land and tend to be cleaner and quieter and do not put additional strain on the infrastructure. He feels the City might consider buying land and assembling parcels that are ready to be built on to make them attractive to new developers. City Engineer Wheeler said some of the challenges the City will face are growth needed in systems such as water, sewer, reuse water, transportation, and solid waste. He said the widening of State Road 50 (SR50) is creating a hardship because of the unknown time frame. He also said if vertical building and multi-family dwellings become more of a trend, the demands on the infrastructure may exceed the capacity. Commissioner Anderson asked if we can use CRA money from the SR50 corridor to fund infrastructure issues. City Manager Frank advised that it may be possible to fund some of it, but he would have to look into it. City Attorney Rosenthal said the City may want to consider special assessment programs similar to what other cities have done for things such as sidewalks and utilities, to help prevent raising the millage rate and free up money in the general fund. Gordon Applegate, Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Board, said he would like to see the City use some of the Coke property for parks and recreation improvements because we are already below what we need for our current population and we will need much more. He also said he would like to see a recreation complex where sporting events are centralized rather than spread out in 5 or 6 locations throughout the City. He believes parks and recreation facilities should be a high priority, because they draw people into the City who are looking for a family/community atmosphere. City Attorney Rosenthal said if the City wanted to have a centralized sports facility, we could also consider the option of condemning lower cost housing in order to expand parks. Veronica Royce, Parks and Recreation Board member, said she is in favor of the City looking into land acquisitions if it will help fund recreation facilities and other things. She said future generations want to live and work in the same area rather than commute. She asked how we can get more money from new businesses, to which Commissioner Anderson advised we are doing that with Impact Fees that were recently adopted. She added that she would like to see bicycle and pedestrian traffic paths making it easier to use alternate transportation. Gary Singer said that the City is going to have to take a hard look at zoning to see if assets should be redeployed, for example industrial vs. townhome developments. He also said the City needs to increase the tax base, and one way to do that is to convert vacant land. Commissioner Anderson asked Mr. SINGER if the rapid development in Ocoee is due to our location in relationship to major highways, to which Mr. Singer said that many cities in central Florida such as Apopka, Sanford, and Ocoee have gotten huge boosts from having major expressways. There are other factors such as good schools and capacity that also bring growth. Mayor Vandergrift mentioned the Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRA) and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts as a key factor in future development. Gary Singer felt the City should take a comprehensive look at creating self-contained "whole communities" such as Baldwin Park in Orlando or Thornton Park. Community Development Director Wagner said that the ULI (Urban Land Institute) Report rated Baldwin Park as the #1 project in the country. Mayor Vandergrift talked about Urban Sprawl, and the importance of the city to protect against that type of haphazard growth and outward extension, without careful planning of services and infrastructure. Page 2 of4 City Commission Workshop Meeting May 11, 2005 Rosemary Wilson asked why the City is considering selling the Coke property that was purchased inexpensively, when we could use that land for recreation facilities. Discussion ensued regarding the Coke property: whether or not to sell off part of the property to pay for the whole parcel; that the City hasn't paid anything but demand interest on the property; doing an RFP with that property; and that there will be a large interest payment due next year. Mayor Vandergrift said he would like to see the City maintain control of the Coke property and turn it into a first class complex similar to Maitland Center, with a combination of research, recreation, culture, and education. He said the City does not need residential as bad as it needs a business and learning area. The School Board owns approximately 110 of the 365 acres. He would like to see the City hold onto the property, slow down the rapid residential development, and create a public access complex. Commissioner Anderson asked about the possibility of going with tall buildings, 20 story, with a water and skyline on Lake Apopka. That would create a lot of residences without using up a lot of land. Community Development Director Wagner said the City has invested in consultants, engineers, and attorneys to review the best use for this land. From the first day, the plan was to payoff the debt by selling a portion of the land. The School Board is our partner, and they would like to see residential areas. Sale of a small single-family area would bring in six million dollars, payoff the debt, and still leave a lot of prime-area land to develop. We have to put in water, sewer, etc. and we need to consider a balance of uses, and what type oftax base is needed to help the community continue to pay for itself. The School Board may want to put buses out there. We could consider leasing land to developers, but selling the land would get the City out from under the debt. He added that he has a list of forty builders that are interested in that property. He said we may want to consider a Master Developer. Discussion occurred regarding continuing the Visioning Workshops approximately every six weeks. Consensus was to have Finance Director Horton and other key staff members attend the next meeting when discussions are continued regarding the Coke property, including financial aspects and budget impact. Mayor Vandergrift wrapped up the meeting by going over items that were charted during the workshop discussion: Finance, Bonding Transportation Community Perception Infrastructure, Utilities Recreation, Parks & Programs Safety Schools Growth Political Planning Page 3 of 4 City Commission Workshop Meeting May 11, 2005 Taxes / Special Assessment Tax Base; Residential vs. Commercial High Rises, Vertical Building Trend What paying its way means; at what year of growth is there a return on money Redevelopment; CRA, TIF Districts, and MSTU's Reuse Water Get County out of our business Grants State Mandates Vertical Firefighting (water) Stormwater County Transportation Proportionate rise in home values and costs vs. income Partnerships; YMCA, Recreation, Developers Business Taxes Multi Use Housing / Townhomes Industrial Properties Faster Pace of Government Distance to Home, Work, and Play Mayor Vandergrift said the Central Florida area is growing into a large Megalopolis, and we need to think about how to put a perimeter around Ocoee and make it stand out as special. Commissioner Anderson raised the question of Utilities paying for itself the way Solid Waste does, and there was discussion about possibly forming a Utilities Commission in the future, similar to Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC). Rosemary Wilson added that she doesn't like the idea of building vertical, she believes residents were attracted to this town for its historical beauty and high-rises would take away from that. Consensus was to have Administrative Aide Cowan set a date for the next visioning session, which should take place within six weeks. The meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m. Attest: APPROVED: City of Ocoee t-- (f' (-.:\ ~ - r, /'" V:;" '.1, ._.'~ \' ~i-{_.fA') ~~""./i'j,' /' C-)'~-t-tj1 I~ ,__ c:::;J . ['/tt.. ~, J. ~ S. Scott Vandergrift, Mayor Beth Eikenberry, City Clerk G Page 4 of4