Title
CRA Project Summary (NB)
Explanation
As a regular informational item on CRA agendas, staff provides a brief update on selected referrals, redevelopment projects and development agreements under review. This monthly update is typically a limited sampling of the CRA's many on-going projects, as opposed to a complete list.
CRA Wide
CRA Mixed-Use Office Building at NW 5th Ave - On this agenda.
CRA Sustainability Policy - Staff has conducted research on policies adopted by other communities and developed an outline and working draft. The target delivery date is the April CRA meeting, which falls within the same week as Earth Day.
CRA Website - CRA has created a postcard to promote the website. Additional web content and image galleries will be developed and published this spring.
Potential Eastside Expansion Areas - On this Agenda.
Parking Study - Staff has received drafts of the preliminary findings report from the parking consultants. Staff is in the process of reviewing these documents and will be coordinating with the consultant on the next steps of the project, including additional stakeholder/public input meetings.
University Avenue Medians - Garden World of Holiday was selected to provide construction services for refurbishing the existing roadway medians and a contract is expected to be in place soon. CRA staff has accepted a proposal from GRU for the installation of irrigation water supply lines. A preconstruction meeting will be scheduled for mid-February. The CRA will landscape the five West University Avenue medians and the single medians across from City Hall first. The three East University Avenue medians near the Gateway Project will be started after FDOT completes the resurfacing of the roadway later this year.
University Avenue Improvements - The improvements extend from NW 20th Terrace to the Eastside Gateway and consist of new waste receptacles, planters, and median landscaping upgrades. The CRA has obtained construction services for replacing all the broken and outdated waste receptacles and adding seating to an un-sheltered bus stop near City Hall. A pilot test of two flower planters will be installed near Prange's Florist. A pre-construction meeting and contractor mobilization date are scheduled for early February. Coordination is taking place with FDOT to ensure that all the improvements will be protected during the Avenue resurfacing to begin in the late fall.
Eastside
Southeast Gainesville Redevelopment Initiative - The City accepted the Special Area Plan from consultants at the May 12, 2008 City Commission meeting. CRA Staff has met multiple times with the City's Community Development Dept. and the City's Attorney's office to finalize the document in order to begin the process of incorporation into the Land Development Code. The City of Gainesville Planning Department has informed CRA Staff that the issue will likely go to the City Plan Board in March or April 2009.
Kennedy Homes - The CRA and the City have authorized CRA Staff to act as the agent for the City in the RFP process and redevelopment efforts at this site. The RFP is in the final stages of legal review and will be finalized shortly. CRA staff hopes to have the RFP issued by the end of the month. Along with the release of the RFP, the CRA is planning a targeted marketing strategy aimed at attracting top caliber respondents.
Cotton Club - The modification for permitted uses of the PS (Public services and operations district) was approved December 18, 2008 City Commission Meeting
Eastside Redevelopment Project - Staff presented synopsis of the redevelopment potential of the proposed project at ERAB's December 18, 2008 meeting, and the advisory board discussed the subject at great length. ERAB has requested Staff return with additional information at the February 19, 2009 meeting.
Exterior Paint Program- Staff will conduct an outreach program for potential applicants for the Exterior Paint Program.
Eastside Gateway - Construction of the Gateway is underway. Concrete ring and terrace wall planters are nearing completion. Electrical conduit and irrigation installation, and sidewalk construction is to occur over the next few weeks. Concrete staining will begin in March. Anticipated completion date is April 2009.
Redevelopment of 1712/1714 Hawthorne Road - Urban Studio Architects, a Tampa-based female-owned firm, has been contracted to provide architectural and engineering services to design and construction a café. The Request for Proposals (RFP) to attract a business is currently being reviewed by Legal and is expected to be issued in March of 2009.
Downtown
Depot Park - Project Timeline Recap and Impact of Recent Changes: On March 17, 2008, CRA and GRU staff presented a status report on the park development and remediation timelines. The remediation will be permitted and implemented in two phases. Phase 1 is comprised of the Poole Roofing site, a portion of Depot Avenue, and the Depot Building site environs. Phase 2 extends from south of the Depot building environs and onto the former-CSX property. As of March 2008, the anticipated remedial strategy for the excavated, contaminated soils was thermal treatment using a specified source contractor. GRU anticipated beginning Phase 1 in September 2008 and moving into Phase 2 starting January 2009. The anticipated completion date for the Phase 2 park site remediation was October 2009.
In the summer of 2008, GRU tested contaminated soil samples to gather data related to the thermal treatment process. GRU concluded from the data that the high concentrations of contaminants in the soils were likely to increase the treatment cost and duration above original estimates and thus sought approval of the less costly landfill disposal method instead. On November 6th, the City Commission approved the GRU recommendation to switch to landfill disposal. GRU presented a revised schedule beginning Phase 1 in July 2009 (10 months after the initial date) with a seamless transition into Phase 2 and then completion of all remedial work in February 2010. GRU proposed an alternative, expedited schedule that would require special approval from its funding partner, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), in order to move up the start date by three months. The FDEP does not usually expedite project initiation outside of an established procedure and thus the agency declined to approve the alternative process. The FDEP funding process will proceed along the normal protocol established by the agency that has been used at hundreds of similar sites statewide.
Given the changes to the cleanup process that occurred over the summer and fall, the remediation completion date is extended nominally 4 months (October 2009 vs February 2010). The impacts to park improvements funding are as follows:
* Depot Avenue reconstruction funding of approximately $3.5 million is set to expire in June 2009, approximately 3 months before the roadway remediation is to be completed. Steps are being taken to encumber these funds with construction contracts which will require a phased approach to construction.
* State and federal grants for park improvements of approximately $511,000 are set to expire about the end of 2009. Grant extensions will be required; however, their approval is not guaranteed.
* The Cade Museum Foundation, which envisions investing significant resources in the park site to create a new museum, will see impacts to its capital campaign and construction schedule from delays in the site cleanup and the development of park amenities.
* Further schedule delays will postpone the utilization of other existing sources such as grant funding from St. Johns River Water Management District, bond proceeds, Wild Spaces Public Places proceeds, and UDAG funding. Delays in using these sources may prompt their redeployment to other projects.
While a remediation schedule has been furnished to the CRA and City Commission, additional detail is needed to complete the timeline for the critical path regarding the Phase 2 remediation. Currently, the FDEP has approved only the Remedial Action Plan (RAP) for the Phase 1 site and the RAP MOD addressing landfill disposal for this phase. The FDEP has not approved the RAP or landfill disposal for the Phase 2 Depot Park site. At this time, no RAP is currently under active review by the FDEP. Before the Phase 2 Depot Park site can be initiated, the required approvals need to be obtained. While Phase 2 is not expected to begin until Phase 1 is finished around late 2009, CRA staff believes that approval of the Phase 2 RAP and landfill disposal should be obtained as soon as possible to minimize any potential delays that could possibly arise during regulatory review.
Downtown Community Plaza - Staff is currently formulating strategies for improvements to the Downtown Community Plaza. Working with DRAB, Staff is examining the issues and opportunities at play, and is also examining how the Plaza compares to examples of healthy, vibrant public spaces found in other cities. DRAB is identifying components of the Plaza which are contributing to both the success and lack of success of the Plaza's functionality as a civic square.
Bethel Station - At an upcoming meeting, the City Commission will consider leasing the Bethel Garage to the CRA. Should this lease agreement be approved, the CRA will proceed with issuing an RFP to attract new businesses that wish to locate at the Bethel site. The selected business will sublet the Bethel Garage from the CRA.
Lynch Park - The landscape architect is finalizing design documents for the park, which will include a dog park area and a garden area featuring 100% native species, and security lighting features. Staff will meet with other stakeholder departments to receive a final round of input on the plans in order to finalize the project for construction bidding.
GRU Redevelopment - Staff has received a finalized document from GRU, which incorporates small changes made subsequent to the November presentation to the CRA board. Staff is currently formulating implementation strategies and steps to move forward.
Hampton Inn/Lot 9 Redevelopment - the hotel is on schedule to open in the early summer
Lot 10 Redevelopment - Staff is working with the CRA Attorney and the City Purchasing Department to finalize the new RFP for this site. The project scope is based on the scope approved by the CRA at the September 15, 2008 meeting. Staff hopes to issue this RFP by the end of the month.
Porters Neighborhood Improvements - The CRA has received a utility design scheme from GRU and Cox Cable for SW 3rd St (Depot Ave - 400BLK); AT&T design is anticipated. Staff has received the 30% construction documents and they are under review. Staff has identified ROW issues which will need to be addressed
CRA Streetscaping for Depot Ave - The CRA is coordinating with the Public Works Department to add CRA streetscaping materials to the Depot Ave Reconstruction project, to be bid this year. Streetscaping elements include brick sidewalks, crosswalks, and decorative lighting.
CPUH
SW 13th Street Bus Shelters - RTS is working with the landowner to obtain land rights to install this shelter adjacent to the Wild Flowers development.
Gainesville Responsible Hospitality Partnership - GRHP is formulating strategies to help publicize and promote the Responsible Hospitality Partnership and enlist new Responsible Hospitality members.
Depot Rail Trail - JMJ Consulting Engineering completed the feasibility study for the portion of trail located adjacent to the SW 13th Street overpass and between SW 11th and 13th streets. The feasibility study analyzed options for widening and accessing the trail from SW 13th Street. It is recommended that the trail be widened to 10-ft and direct access be provided to the trail from SW 13th Street. Final recommendations were based on shared use path design quality and construction costs. Design concepts for accessing the path will be addressed in the RFQ/Design Competition for the SW 13th Street overpass, to be issued in the late Winter.
Tumblin Creek Watershed Management Plan - The Tumblin Creek Watershed Management Plan (TCWMP) was completed in late 2007. Projects listed within the plan have been prioritized, and staff is initiating the top priority project, SW 7th Ave exfiltration. Other top-priority projects within the plan are in the process of being scheduled and budgeted as a part of the recent strategic planning sessions.
SW 2nd Avenue Master Plan - The CRA continues to pursue a comprehensive vision for redevelopment along the SW 2nd Avenue corridor. The goal of this initiative is to formulate a plan that is based on a thorough understanding of the infrastructure issues and market forces (including the closure of Shands at AGH) that will impact redevelopment.
SW 7th Ave Exfiltration Basin and Improvements - The CRA engineer is working with CES and JMJ engineering to coordinate design, permitting, and construction of this project.The design team is meeting with the PWD and RainTank© representative, Bill Farmer, to discuss the product and its application.
SW 8th Ave Improvements - 30% plans are complete for SW 8th Ave improvements (900-1300 BLK project.The scope of improvements include reconstruction of the roadway from 900-1000 BLK, milling and resurfacing from 1000-1300 BLK, ADA PROWAG compliant sidewalks, undergrounding utilities, safe crosswalks, and CRA streetscaping.
SW 13th Street Pedestrian Overpass Enhancement Design - The Design Competition packet is under review by the City's Legal Department.
Rails-to-Trails Signage - The City Commission has adopted the CRA's design for guide signage for the City's rail trail system. CRA is currently facilitating the design of the mounting system.
FAPS
FAPS Strategic Planning - The FAPS advisory board has completed the strategic planning process, and at the January 2009 meeting, the advisory board approved the annual budget as well as a 3-year "roadmap" of projects to implement in the Area. The board has developed a framework for evaluating potential project opportunities and created a "roadmap" to help allocate resources and schedules to ensure implementation of redevelopment goals.
NW 5th Ave Streetscape Phase II - Design is underway to complete construction documents for the next phase of the NW 5th Ave streetscape (600-1000 BLK). The scope includes undergrounding utilities, reconstructing wider sidewalks, ADA PROWAG compliancy, and CRA standard streetscaping.
A Quinn Jones House - The initial steps recommended to stabilize the house are being implemented. Duffield Home Improvement has been contracted to replace the roof and City of Gainesville facilities staff will remove the carport. Members of CRA and Parks & Recreation staff met onsite on February 12, 2009 to discuss continued stabilization efforts and plans for home. Additionally, on February 4, 2009 the State Historical Marker Council unanimously approved the A. Quinn Jones historic marker application.
Fiscal Note
None at this time
Recommendation
CRA Executive Director to CRA: Receive project update.