Title
Lease Office Space in the Parking Garage
Explanation
Since the 2000 tax roll the increment has more than doubled from $844,274 to a projected increment this coming year of $1,709,566. The CRA has also added $650,000 in bond funding and a $300,000 line of credit for the National Trust for Historic Preservation to the table for the Model Block project. This increase in funding means that the CRA can more aggressively move forward with key projects outlined in the redevelopment plans.
The CRA has approved one new full-time position and one part-time position beginning in October 2004. One staff person will work full-time for the College Park University Heights district and the part-time person will work in the Downtown district. The Human Resources Department is advertising these positions now. The addition of this staff will mean that the CRA can no longer house the interns in our current location. During any given semester the use of interns can provide up to 60 hours a week of unpaid staff time. These interns/externs are highly qualified students, second year law students, graduate school interns from the Urban Planning program and upper classmen from the College of Journalism. During the summer semester the extern in the CRA office worked with Codes Enforcement to move eight dangerous buildings towards demolition. This project is a high priority of the Eastside Redevelopment Advisory Board and would not be possible without extern support. The intern from the College of Journalism has been responsible for all the marketing materials for the Model Block projects providing a significant savings to the district.
With increased increment and increased staff the CRA is poised for growth. The key to this growth is not only staff but also adequate space and equipment to get the job done. Staff has spent significant time evaluating potential office locations. There were several key selection criteria taken into consideration. These incl...
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