Title
Eastside Gateway Feature (B)
Explanation
The CRA has previously acquired the Tackle Box property, located at 1430 Southeast Hawthorne Road. The CRA acquired the approximately one-third acre parcel in order to create a new gateway for the Eastside. The former Tackle Box building was demolished on April 28, 2006. The Tackle Box property had been a vacant commercial site and was in deteriorating condition.
The next steps in converting the former Tackle Box property to a Gateway include remediation of the site and the selection of a conceptual design for the gateway in order to begin developing construction documents and cost estimates for transforming the site. The former Tackle Box site is contaminated with petroleum and has been listed with the State Petroleum Clean up program, administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). At one time, the site cleanup score made it eligible for priority funding. In April 2006, Water and Air Research, the CRA's consultant working on the site, informed CRA staff that the FDEP changed the scoring process which resulted in the site receiving lowered funding priority. Water and Air Research proceeded to develop technical information that would raise the funding score; however, the information gathered did not yield data that would typically merit a scoring increase. As a result, a timeframe for when the remediation will take place is unknown. The State does offer a Pre-approved Advanced Cleanup Program (PAC), which would require the CRA to pay for 100% of the costs for a limited contaminated assessment report to determine the extent of the cleanup and a ballpark cost estimate. Once the assessment is accepted by the state, plans for cleanup can proceed with the costs being shared 25% by the owner and 75% by the state. Entering the PAC raises the site score so funding is available sooner than remaining in the standard program. However, the PAC program admittance timeframes are not set in stone, and the cleanup costs are not known until after the CRA commits to the assessment. If the assessment shows that cleanup costs are expected to exceed available CRA funding, then the site could remain in the standard cleanup program with its original funding priority. Staff recommends, as an initial step, that the CRA request the City Commission to send a letter to the Petroleum Cleanup Manager at the Alachua County Department of Environmental Protection, requesting that the site be rescored in order to be given priority for clean up and redevelopment of the site. If the site does not become a priority, the Pre-approved Advanced Cleanup Program can be considered further. There may also be an opportunity to begin to make improvements to the site before the cleanup is initiated, but that would require an assessment. Water and Air Research staff will be present at the meeting to respond to any questions regarding the remediation.
This gateway will signal the boundary between downtown and East Gainesville, and will signify an entrance into the East Gainesville community. The East Gainesville Gateway concept is intended to create a distinctive identity on the east side of Gainesville. Zamia Designs Landscape Architects has developed concepts for the proposed gateway and presented them at the May 18, 2006 Eastside Redevelopment Advisory Board meeting. The Eastside Redevelopment Advisory Board has recommended a concept that includes a ribbon sculpture that weaves throughout the site, tri-colored and uniting at the center to symbolize the unity of community building blocks: nature, culture and progress and native trees for canopy along the street and streetscaping upgrades to meet CRA standards, including street lights, benches and pavers. The concept recommended by the Eastside Redevelopment Advisory Board also includes a pedestrian scale History Walk of plaques along the sidewalk and community murals depicting aspects of East Gainesville character. Signage was discouraged by the Eastside Redevelopment Advisory Board due to the location of the gateway well within the City limits and other reasons that staff will discuss. Images and further explanation of the concept are included in the backup and Zamia Design will provide an overview of the concept at the meeting. If the CRA proceeds with this concept staff will seek the input of the Art in Public Places Trust.
Fiscal Note
To be determined following selection of the concept. There is $90,342.29 in the MY 332-790-M690-5520-6030. Tackle Box Account. The CRA has budgeted $129,000 in the Eastside Streetscaping Account and $30,000 in the Tackle Box Account in FY 2007. The CRA has budgeted $168,608 in the Eastside Streetscaping Account in FY 2008.
Recommendation
The City Commission send a letter to the Petroleum Cleanup Manager at the Alachua County Department of Environmental Protection, requesting that the site be rescored in order to be given priority for clean up and redevelopment of the site.