Title
Expansion of the Eastside Community Redevelopment Area (B)
This item involves a request to expand the Community Redevelopment Agency's (CRA) Eastside Area to the South and East, including land South of Hawthorne Road.
Explanation
In July 2009, the CRA asked City staff to explore how to expand the Eastside Area to include an approximately 2.5 acre vacant parcel located on the South side of Hawthorne Road. A multiple-family residential project known as Madison Lane has been approved for that parcel.
The City Commission had previously approved a Resolution finding Blight along the North side of Hawthorne Road, across from the Madison Lane site. The CRA staff is currently working on an amendment to the Eastside Area Redevelopment Plan to include that area.
In response to the July 2009 request, staff has performed a cursory review of the Madison Lane parcel and of the larger area south of Hawthorne Road, both along Hawthorne Road and in the residential areas further south. Based on those preliminary observations, it was clear that as an undeveloped, vacant site, the Madison Lane site, by itself could not meet the statutory criteria for a Blighted and/or Slum Area. Staff believes, however, that the area shown in Attachment 1, which includes the Madison Lane site and adjacent single-family areas, may meet the State's definition of a Blighted Area.
State law, however, requires the presence of supporting data and analysis, usually in the form of a formal Blight Findings Study, before a Blight Findings Resolution can be adopted. Consultation with WilsonMiller, Inc., a consultant familiar with Southeast Gainesville, indicates that completing a Blight Findings Study for the area shown in Attachment 1 would cost $15,000 (see Attachment 2).
Since the City's current budget does not include funds to complete a Blight Findings Study for the area shown in Attachment 1, staff recommends that those funds be specifically earmarked for that purpose in a future budget. Funding for Blight Findings Studies for any other areas the City Commission would like to include in the CRA could also be included in that budget.
Fiscal Note
There are no funds currently available for this project. Staff anticipates that the costs of a Blight Findings Study for the area shown in Attachment 1 are $15,000. This project can be included in the upcoming budget discussions for FY 11 or FY 12.
Recommendation
The City Commission: 1) approve area for expansion of the Community Redevelopment Agency's (CRA) Eastside Area to the South and East, including land South of Hawthorne Road as shown in Attachment 1; and 2) request that the City Manager include in budget deliberations the potential for funding the Blight Findings Study in the FY 11 and/or FY 12 budget.