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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-19-13 Minutes CRA COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD MEETING Ocoee Commission Chambers 150 North Lakeshore Drive Ocoee, Florida February 19, 2013 MINUTES 6:00 PM CALL TO ORDER L Roll Call and Determination of Quorum Chairman R. Johnson called the Community Redevelopment Area I3oard to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Commission Chambers of City hall. City Clerk Eikenberry called roll and declared a quorum present. Roll Call: Member hood, Member Wilsen, Member C. Johnson (arrived at 6 :06 ptn). Member Vandergrift, Vice Chair Corless. Chairman R. Johnson, and Member Keller Also Present: City Manager Frank, City Attorney Cookson, City Clerk Eikenberry, CRA Administrator Russ Wagner and Assistant City Manager Shadrix. IL Approval of ]Minutes of the October 16, 2012 Regular CRA Board Meeting Vice Chair Curless, seconded by Member Vandergrift, moved to approve the minutes of the October 16, 2012 CRA Meeting. Motion carried 6 -0, with Member C Johnson not present. CRA Administrator Wagner discussed the board membership, particularly the two citizen members. IIe stated their original terms were four year terms. We are awaiting a letter from Orange County stating they still wish for Carla Johnson to remain on the hoard, and will make appointment /reappointments at that time. In the meantime. he stated that they he has discussed it with the City Attorney and there is 110 problem with their authority in the intervening period. 11I. Multi Modal Mobility Ilan Presentation — Whit Blanton, AICP /Nick Lepp, MCP — Renaissance Planning Group Whit Blanton, Renaissance Planning Group, said he will present their findings and recommendations for the Multi Model Mobility Plan to the Board. He presented the draft plan to staff and revised the final report based on their feedback. They will move this forward based on the input that is given to them. He gave an overview of the project, and stated that historically the Plan just focused on mobility. the ability to get to and through Ocoee by achieving certain roadway level of service standards. We have broadened that to bring in a focus on accessibility, the ability to reach a lot of different destinations easier, particularly within the CRA. where we are focusing a more compact pedestrian oriented pattern. We wanted to put together a transportation network that would guide, not only the city's actions, but actions of private sector. FDOT, MeiroPlan, Lynx, etc. IIe said this plan is a very strong template to support economic growth in the city, but also improve mobility and accessibility for existing and further residents. He showed a graph demonstrating the good access to Disney, downtown Orlando, and many other destinations from Ocoee. The focus is how to develop supporting local transportation network so that it is a complimentary function, so that every trip doesn't have to involve State Road 50. It is not a matter of just widening SR 50 because that will remain congested, but how to provide other Options for people to travel. Member C. Johnson arrived at 6:06 p.ni. What type of transportation network is best suited to support economic vitality and redevelopment within the targeted redevelopment area. They looked citywide for trips coming into and out of the city. They looked at a short term assessment of the CRA transportation network, all modes and transportation options, but then also wanted to make sure there was a long term framework that would support in well into the future. In establishing the goals and desired outcomes for this plan, we established a long term vision for mobility that supports economic redevelopment and vitality by creating a more walkable tocal point in the commr.mity, a place where you can have jobs and housing in close proximity. Right now, the West Oaks Mall is a transit focal point; it is a great opportunity to create a hub for transit that could be a centerpiece for West Orange County. Economic development thrives on good access and you need good access for all modes. Ocoee has good highway access, but how do we create it for all modes, and maintain regional mobility. The plan established draft objectives, goals, and policies that will guide the update of the City's comprehensive plan. Ultimately, this Plan will be the foundation of your refined Transportation Element and Comp Plan. We have provided all the data, inventory and analysis to support the Comp Plan. There is no longer state oversight, so you have to have a clear and compelling vision that the City Commission can continue to support and a basis for addressing developer's issues. FDOT is starting a study for SR50 and you want to be ready to guide that study with your own Plan. This Plan fundamentally attempts to align the City's Comp Plan with the CRA Master Plan. He discussed some of the field data analysis that was done such as sidewalks, bicycle facility connections, and traffic projections based on growth throughout the area. 1-Ie showed a map and noted that they tried to find equilibrium between the amount of capacity provided and travel demand. What shows is that the north south corridors and collector streets have excess capacity and can accommodate future growth. Tlowever, SR50 is equal in capacity verses demand for the future. Other east west corridors also have some issues (Clarcona Ocoee, Silver Star.) That is a reason why you need a good parallel street network to go through the CRA and provide that connectivity. Their recommendations in guiding the citywide Plan historically have been getting six lane roads built. This plan calls for constraining existing two and four lane roads, so there is not a future of six lane roads in Ocoee. It has created a situation where the roads go from four lanes 10 six and back to four, which is not good for travel behavior. He said that the City should focus on what they can afford to do, and what is appropriate for livability and connectivity. Most importantly, is the desire to work closely with FDOT and incorporate the City's Plan into the SR50 a plan that is underway? In the short term, through 2025, it would be making sure we have the Maine Street connection to Blackwood Avenue, Maguire Road and Old Winter Garden Road functioning well, and then long term additional projects are identified in the Plan for after 2025. Transit has continued to take on a larger role in Ocoee over the last 10 -20 years. It will continue to grow as demographics change and as Metro Orlando transit is becoming more prominent. There will be interest in connecting to Sun Rail as it develops. 'There is a corridor study looking at SR50, and one of the plan objectives is to ensure that Ocoee does not get left out in that study. In addition to the bus routes, the Plan seeks to preserve commuter rail and freight rail. etc. Although, the projects are not being undertaken by the City, if the City is silent on it, others who are not silent will dictate what should happen so it is important to identify that in your goals and objectives. This is a multi -model plan, the integration of the different travel modes, the connectivity of neighborhoods to retail and commercial destinations. We want to make sure we till in the gaps in the network. The sidewalk system has gaps, as well as bicycle lanes. There are a number of streets in Ocoee where you want traffic to slow down to 20 -25 mph where there are cars and people on the road. There also has to be good crosswalks, pedestrian signals, and clear markings. Additionally, off-road trails have been added. He concluded by saying it is long past time where roadway -only solutions are the way to go with your transportation element, so they have developed a Plan that is very balanced and comprehensive to address and resolve the congestion problems, but also recognize that shorter trips mean fewer trips out on the main roads. You get shorter trips by having development closer together. the objective of the CRA is to foster that interaction of complimentary land used, The City network can support the future growth; the challenges come from the state and county maintained roads. The City needs to develop their part of the equation to demonstrate that partnership with the state and county so that they do their part and contribute their dollars to be complimentary. He said they recognize that most people in Ocoee will continue to drive, but want to give people more choices and comfort at using other modes when they can. The City needs revenue to maintain current roads and develop that network, so they have projected out impact fee revenues and other potential funding sources, possibly from the TIF financing of the CRA. He noted that Kissimmee just adopted mobility fees, and they are lower than their former impact fees. This Plan provides a blueprint for you to identify, when development occurs, where right of way needs to be set aside for cycling, walking, transit shelters, easements, etc. He restated the importance of working with partners to get large projects done. MetroPlan is gearing up their effort for long range plans, and it is critical the Ocoee has a Plan in place. In order to get federal funding, it needs to be a project identified in MetroPlan's long -range transportation plan. He discussed ways to articulate to FDOT that we want a more urban footprint for SR50, so that speeds are a little slower and minimize the crossing distances. That is one of the biggest barriers for accessibility for the CRA at this time. This has been accomplished in downtown Orlando because it was heavily guided by the city. He stated that this will ultimately be incorporated into the City's transportation element and will he the guiding document. Also, continue to look at funding sources on how hest to fund projects. Commissioner Johnson said he does not feel like Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is paying much attention to our suggestions and asked how we could make that happen. Mr. Blanton said FDOT required a lot of analytical evidence to go to the table with them, and this plan has it. There is a lot of information that will make the case fairly convincingly. Commissioner Johnson said the way he understands it, FDOT already has a plan. Assistant City Manager Shadrix said we have been working with FDOT for a few years; we were successful in convincing them to open up the Project Development and Environment (PD &E) and restudy the intersections (via Kittelson & Associates). They agreed with our CRA Document that focused on parallel networks and taking trips off of SR50, resulting into a smaller SR 50 footprint. City Engineer Butler, as well as many FDOT personnel, was shocked when another FDOT consultant revealed, at a recent meeting, a 1 0-lane section of SR50 going through Ocoee. It included none of the recommendations from the Kittelson study that FDOT paid for. They have assured us, as of last Friday, that they are going to go back and incorporate some of those changes. We will be monitoring that and have a meeting next week at the Deland at the district o C Johnson asked for a summary of the dialogue with FDOT over the last few years of what the City was recommending. CRA Administrator Wagner said the City's recommendations that w ere left off the plan were: reducing turn lanes to limit the width of the intersections that we felt were unnecessary; eliminate extra lanes on side streets and emphasize the cross traffic, have intersections that allowed access (they had some with no access at all). These were major changes that were recommended that had been left out. Ms. Johnson asked if the design includes aesthetic enhancements such as pavers and upgraded landscaping. Mr. Shadrix said they have indicated that we are eligible for the 1.5% grant funding to go towards enhancements, but it is going to be all on our dime. 'The also like the idea of the parallel network in the sections described in the CRA Target Area Development Plan. The recommendations from Kittelson were 6 lanes in some areas and 8 in others; but the FDOT plan recommended by AECOM was 10 all the way through. Member Keller asked if there was any discussion about creating a pedestrian walkover bridge over State Road 50 to get to the hospital or Walmart; he felt it is well worth looking at for pedestrian traffic and keeping traffic moving. Commissioner hood asked if that would be included in the cost of enhancements. Assistant City Manager Shadrix answered in the affirmative. Member Corless said she asked for the Mobility Plan at the October meeting and she was given it, but has not had time to review it as much as she wanted. She would like to reserve the right to review it in more detail and submit comments in writing. She likes the big picture, but wants to look closer at the details. Chair Johnson confirmed that the Mobility Plan had only been received last Thursday and they would all like to review it more. IV. iShopOeoee.com Presentation — CRA Administrator Wagner /Program Analyst, Edina Toth CRA Administrator Wagner explained that since the last meeting, we have hired Edina Toth to be our representative out in the business community to help sign up our businesses. We spend a lot of effort putting together materials and strategies to reach out to business and get them signed up for iShopOcoee. He added that many of our business owners do not live in the city; so this is designed to be an outreach program as well as an interactive website. Edina Toth, introduced herself, and explained the program and the progress that has been made so :Car. She showed the website opening page for iShopOcoce.com and said here residents will be able to get an introduction to the program, shop Ocoee business, find out information from the directory, and sign up for the reward cards. Business can register here as well as log on and off to update their listings. She provided the handout that she is giving to business owners that shows what the website is about. She also showed an iShopOcoce.com sticker that businesses can place in their window. She also showed the rewards card that the citizens receive when they sign up for the program online. There is a bumper sticker created for city vehicles to help get the word out about the program. She stated to date she has spoken to 210 businesses and so far only 34 have signed up. She said they have received a little push back from businesses since they have not heard much about the program and they are hesitant as to what she is offering. They started first in the downtown Ocoee businesses, and then went to south Ocoee, and now we are working in the State Road 50 area. Now that we have some sign ups, we will market to residents. There will be information in the upcoming spring edition of the News to You; they will also be placing that information in new resident packets. There will be an article in the Orlando Sentinel about the program also. Member Corless asked if the IIOA Associations can help to inform the residents about the program. CRA Administrator Wagner said we will be doing that after the initial items described by Ms. Toth. He also advised there is a meeting we will cohost with the Chamber of Commerce on February 25, 2013, at 5:30 p.m. for businesses. It is being advertised on their website. We are meeting with the West Oaks Mall and try to get those businesses signed up. It is a combination of business and resident sign up. Vice Chair Corless said she will place the information on Admiral Point's Facebook page. Member Vandergrift asked if press releases have gone out Mr. Wagner said we are talking with various media groups to get them to run stories about the program. Commissioner Wilsen said she did not know about the meeting; are the commissioners invited to attend? Commissioner Johnson said it should be announced to the Commissioners and all of the board members. Member Corless said that it is very difficult to walk into businesses cold, and she complimented Ms. Toth on getting a good start on things and said it. will get easier once the word gets out. Member C. Johnson asked if there was a means to measure the success of this marketing program. CRA Administrator Wagner said there are tracking programs, but we are not looking at those just yet. We have used the model from Austin, TX who is known to be very successthl in these types of ventures. V. Old Ocoee Master Plan Proposal — CRA Administrator Wagner CRA Administrator Wagner said this was included for the CRA Board's information; this will have to be considered at a Regular Commission Meeting. The City Commission has discussed for years about developing a Master Plan for the older section of downtown; the possibility of another CRA area. There has also been discussion about adopting a Brownfield as part of it which opens up an assortment of other tax incentives. This is just to open a discussion about whether or not we want to move ahead with this. It would not be funded by the CRA because it is outside of the CRA area. The brownfield portion could extend into the current CRA, or it could be an extension of the CRA. The study tells us the best approach; it is an economic development program for the older area of downtown; it sets up a Master Plan; and opens up the City for economic grants. VI CRA Projects Update — CRA Administrator Wagner CRA Administrator Wagner said the Lake Bennett Fountain is up and running. Member Wilsen mentioned that many people are noticing. Mr. Wagner added the Clarke Road entryway sign is up; it is well lit and looks very good there. We are working on the SR429 gateway sign and trying to resolve power issues. If the Commission wants a sign at Good homes Road, the CRA cannot pay for it so it would have to come out of the City budget. Commissioner Wilsen confirmed that the SR -50 construction would not be in the way of our sign placement. Mr. Wagner added that the banners are getting ragged and some have fallen down. We are currently working on replacing those through the year with new banners and brackets. He added that staff has had a lot of meetings with representatives from West Oaks Mall and we are excited about some of their ideas on how to turn the mall around. After the meetings, we are very hopeful that they will be successful. Member hood asked if they were given a timetable from the mall representatives, to which Mr. Wagner advised they` stated 12 18 months. Mr. Wagner continued saying that Florida Hospital is going to build something over in Winter Garden. it has been purchased and partially approved; this will help spur Orlando health to do more over in our CRA. They are bringing in $1 3 million per year from the sale of the hospital to Orlando Health. We have had discussions with therm on how to expand in our community. It is part of the West Orange health Care District and they decide how the money will stay in the district. There was discussion about how to get membership on that board. Mr. Wagner continued by stating the 'Fri City Partnership is getting back underway; there will be press releases about that soon. 'Hie RFC) is going out from Winter Garden in the next couple of weeks. He also said the SR50 widening project is the most important project right now and all of our dealings with FDOT. If the hoard would like to have a special meeting about the Multi Model Mobility Planning. SR -50, etc., we can get that set up. VII. Board Member Comments Member Keller and Member C. Johnson thanked them for the good job and the updates. Commissioner Hood said this will be his last CRA Meeting; he has enjoyed working with the board and feels they have a good vision moving forward. Chairman Johnson said it has been a pleasure working with him on the CRA board as well as the Commission. VIII. Public Comments none. The meeting adjourned at 6:54 p.m. APROVEI): Attest: Beth Eikenberry, Secretary 0 ' us y son Chair