Title
Downtown Redevelopment Plan (B)
Explanation
Community Redevelopment Areas are governed by a comprehensive visioning document known as the Redevelopment Plan. The Redevelopment Plan is a powerful visioning tool which, if structured properly, can provide great support for redevelopment initiatives. Redevelopment Plans serve as a sort of comprehensive plan for CRA's; they are intended to identify the high level goals and objectives needed to bring about redevelopment, reinvestment, and meaningful change. Redevelopment Plans also serve an important legal function, as all CRA activities must be supported by concepts identified within the Redevelopment Plan. As such, it is important that Plans are maintained and updated on a regular basis and that they are structured to be practical, comprehensive, and flexible, in order to maintain maximum utility for the CRA and the community.
The Downtown Community Redevelopment Area currently operates under a Redevelopment Plan adopted in 2001. As this plan approaches the 10-year mark, it is time to evaluate and update this document in order to align the plan with current issues/opportunities and to support a robust, proactive redevelopment framework. Since December 2010, CRA staff has worked with the Downtown Redevelopment Advisory Board (DRAB) to update the Redevelopment Plan for the Downtown Community Redevelopment Area. Plan revisions have been handled in-house by CRA staff, facilitated through a multi-step process with the DRAB and stakeholders. In updating the Downtown Redevelopment Plan, CRA staff utilized a framework developed and refined during recent updates to both the Eastside and the Fifth Avenue/Pleasant Street Redevelopment Areas. The CRA's work developing redevelopment plans, in conjunction with the CRA's Strategic Planning system, has been honored by Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association.
The new Redevelopment Plan is structured to provide strong redevelopment guidance while also remaining flexible enough to meet both the known and unforeseen needs the Downtown Redevelopment Area will face moving forward. The plan identifies a Guiding Principle for Downtown, and provides a framework identifying a series of redevelopment objectives describing broad goals for the Redevelopment Area. Each objective is further supported and clarified through a series of initiatives that provide a more focused strategic framework for implementing CRA goals.
The draft Redevelopment Plan was approved by DRAB on August 10th, 2011, and by the CRA Board on September 19th, 2011. This issue has been noticed pursuant to Florida Statutes, and taxing authorities were notified via written report that the CRA Board has approved Redevelopment Plan amendments which modify the Plan in its entirety, including an extension of the duration of the Redevelopment Plan.
Fiscal Note
None at this time
Recommendation
CRA Board to the City Commission: 1) Hold a public hearing; 2) adopt a resolution amending the Downtown Redevelopment Plan in its entirety, subject to approval as to form and legality by the CRA/City Attorney.