Title
SW 2nd Avenue Master Plan (B)
Explanation
Staff continues to work on efforts related to a comprehensive development strategy for SW 2nd Avenue (from SW 13th Street to SW 6th Street). The public space along the corridor has recently benefited from an extensive makeover, and the CRA would like to spur and facilitate redevelopment of private property in an equally thoughtful manner. The CRA will be working on this project in conjunction with Basile Baumann Prost Cole & Associates (BBPC), an economics and real estate development advisory firm which councils an array of public clients nationwide. SW 2nd Avenue is an important thoroughfare linking the University and the CPUH district to downtown Gainesville. The corridor has numerous strengths, such as a central location, large land areas with a single owner, and proximity to amenities such as UF, Shands at AGH, and downtown. However, there are also constraints and challenges: much of the area is located within an historic district, and most new construction will be urban infill redevelopment. For these reasons, Staff believes that a comprehensive approach is needed in order to realize the full potential of the corridor.
A major component of the master plan will be assessing the general market conditions for residential and commercial development, including supportable medical uses. BBPC will provide market and feasibility analyses for locating a grocery store and medical offices on the site. BBPC will also provide assessments for office, retail, R&D (and other "clean businesses") and residential mixed-use. The final result will be a Development Programming Assessment compiled by BBPC for the CRA. The Development Programming Assessment will outline a development strategy that can begin the implementation process immediately. It will include all of the information collected during the study regarding site capacity and constraints, public/private partnership strategies, additional financing strategies, engineering, and a complete development program. The document will also double as a marketing tool, as it will demonstrate the financial feasibility of the proposed development program. The primary objective of the document is to produce high quality development as soon as possible.
BBPC has provided an outline of the tasks required to create a comprehensive development strategy for SW 2nd Avenue. The project will be phased in a manner that will maximize the impact of stakeholder input at key points in the project timeline. The public involvement component of this project is essential in order to avoid pursuing a development program that will face heavy resistance. Additionally, stakeholder involvement during the planning process will begin to bring people together and cultivate the relationships necessary to see that the concepts created in this study are actually built in the future. However, while it is essential to cultivate relationships with key stakeholders, this alone will not spur redevelopment along SW 2nd Avenue. Therefore BBPC will provide a multi-disciplinary feasibility study that will address infrastructure and financial feasibility with a site-planning approach. Particular attention will be paid to the assessment of the quality and capacity of public infrastructure and utilities, and how engineering considerations will impact development potential. The consultant team's engineers will work with CRA and City staff to identify the public infrastructure required to support the proposed development program. These efforts will be necessary in order for BBPC to prepare a refined development program including approximate square feet of supportable development, and a parcel-by-parcel analysis of recommended uses. Finally, BBPC will evaluate the financial feasibility of the proposed development program from a developer's perspective, identifying any potential funding gaps and identifying strategies for successful public/private partnerships.
Fiscal Note
CPUH currently has $546,542.87 budgeted in the Primary Corridors Account (# 618-790-W724-5502). BBPC has provided a scope of services for the project at a cost of $92,450. The CPUH Advisory Board approved this scope and would prefer the consultant also attend monthly CPUH meetings to keep the board abreast of the status of the study. CPUH therefore recommends approving funding at a cost not-to-exceed $100,000.
Recommendation
College Park University Heights Redevelopment Advisory Board to the CRA: 1) Hear presentation by staff; 2) recommend approval of the work order with Basile, Baumann, Prost, Cole & Associates for the SW 2nd Avenue Master Plan at a cost not to exceed $100,000; and 3) authorize the Executive Director to execute any and all necessary contract documents for this project.