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12-14-1999 CRA Meeting 0 CITY OF CLERMONT MINUTES COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY PUBLIC HEARING December 14, 1999' A Community Redevelopment Agency meeting of the City of Clermont was held Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at Jenkins Auditorium at 691 Montrose Street and was called to order at 6:30 p.m. with the following Members in attendance: Mayor Turville, Council Member Biddle, Council Member Mullins, Council Member Lamb, Council Member MacLauchlin, Gordon Hallgren and Elaine Hyatt Barton, Also present was City Manager Saunders, and Deputy City Clerk Maddox. Minutes A motion was made by Council Member Biddle, seconded by Council Member Lamb and carried unanimously, to approve the Minutes of the CRA Meetings held on June 8, 1999, August 10, 1999, and October 12, 1999. Downtown Clermont Partnership-Report Rose Biddle, President of the Downtown Clermont Partnership stated that over 20,000 people attended the 2-day event of First Friday and Light-Up Clermont and there were positive comments from both the public and the businesses. Ms. Biddle thanked the City for getting the lights up and helping make it a festive and successful weekend. Ms. Biddle invited the CRA Board Members to the Downtown Clermont Partnership's Holiday social on December 15, 1999, at 6:00 p.m. at Jenkins Auditorium. Ms. Biddle stated that Post Master Willie Montgomery has requested that the Partnership assist him in getting signs placed on the corner of West and Highway 50 and West and Montrose, directing people to the Post Office. City Manager Saunders stated that the City will install the signs but the Post Office furnished the signs. Mr. Saunders stated he would get with Post Master Montgomery. - Ms. Biddle thanked the City for getting the "loading zone" signs up and stated that she had positive input regarding the zones from both the delivery service drivers and the business owners. City Manager Saunders stated that he and Public Services Director • CITY OF CLERMONT MINUTES COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY PUBLIC HEARING December 14, 1999 Page 2 Davis had reviewed the loading zones and were going to re-stripe them so they would be more visible. Clermont Main Street-Report Jeff Biddle reported on behalf of Main Street President Robert Porter. Mr. Biddle stated that the Main Street Program was also involved in the Light-Up-Clermont events and sponsored the Santa parade and were very pleased with that weekend's events and the participation of so many people. Mr. Biddle stated that the Main Street Program has - ( ) received some additional membership donations, including those from the Elk's Club, the CRA and the Downtown Partnership. Mr. Biddle stated the Program is actively seeking memberships and would be having a membership drive in the near future. Streetscape On behalf of Rose Biddle, Jeff Biddle stated that the Downtown Partnership, through the grant received from the South Lake Foundation has been able to have Conceptual Plans drawn for the downtown streetscape. Mr. Biddle passed out a copy of the conceptual plans to all Board Members. Mr. Biddle emphasized that they were "conceptual plans" and not construction drawings and no final decisions have been made regarding the streetscape design. City Manager Saunders stated that the next step in the process is to hire an engineering firm and their first step will be to take the conceptual plans, figure out what will and will not work with our city's codes and produce preliminary plans for approval. A motion was made by Council Member Biddle, seconded by Council Member Lamb and carried unanimously, to approve the conceptual streetscape plans for presentation to the City Council. c) fl CITY OF CLERMONT MINUTES COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY PUBLIC HEARING December 14, 1999 Page 3 Downtown Parking There was a discussion regarding the on-going problem of parking in the downtown area. Mr. Biddle stated that while the 2-hour parking around the main block between 7th and 8th and Montrose Street seems to be working well, there is a problem at the intersection of West Avenue and Montrose Street, and business owners on West Avenue have complained that there are cars left in city parking spaces for weeks at a time. Mr. Biddle stated that the other businesses in the area would like to be a good neighbor but have had no success in working with the businesses that are abusing the parking situation. Gordon Hallgren stated that the business owners in the area have talked with the owner of the auto repair business owner and tried to work out a solution in order that his customers do not take all of the parking spaces available on West Avenue for days and weeks at a time while their automobiles are being repaired and stated there are sometimes as many as 15 to 20 cars parked on the street waiting for repair or waiting to be picked up by their owners. Council Members Turville and Lamb suggested that the downtown partnership and business owners in the area again try to work out a solution with the auto repair business owner. Council Member MacLaughlin reminded everyone that at the time the auto business' CUP was granted they were required to have so many parking spaces on site and City Manager Saunders stated that while that was true, there is an overflow of automobiles to be repaired or picked up so the business owner uses the street parking for an overflow lot. Mayor Turville stated it is not unusual for the Council to review a CUP if there is a parking problem created or the parking is not adequate. Elaine Barton stated that the auto repair business owner is not a good neighbor and the Downtown Clermont Partnership, the Clermont Police Department and other business neighbors have tried to resolve the issue to no avail. C) CITY OF CLERMONT MINUTES COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY PUBLIC HEARING December 14, 1999 Page 4 City Manager Saunders stated that basically this business owner is using the City's parking spaces as a automobile storage lot for his business. Mr. Saunders stated that the neighboring businesses are complaining and even the Police Department has complained that they have no parking spaces for the citizens meeting there because of all of the spaces being taken up for days and weeks at a time. Mr. Saunders stated that he has received suggestions that the City have a "no overnight parking" code, with residents living in the area exempted and it has also been suggested that all of the downtown area, including West Avenue be 2-hour parking and make certain it is enforced. There was discussion by the Board regarding the advantages and disadvantages to both of those suggested solutions. - City Manager Saunders stated he did not feel that a solution was to arbitrarily stick up 2- hour parking signs and suggested that the the Downtown Partnership study and suggest a parking plan for all of the central business district and make their recommendations to the CRA Board and then to the City Council. Council Member Biddle stated that he would not like to make all of the area 2-hour parking and would like to leave some parking spaces available for those businesses that have overflow, but find some compromise that is considerate of all the businesses in the area. Mayor Turville stated that any recommendations should flow up through the system so there is no questions of any conflict of interest and after discussion it was consensus that the Board request the Downtown Clermont Partnership do a study of the downtown parking situation and make suggestions of a parking plan for the central business district area to the CRA, who will present those suggestions to the City Council. CRA Board There was discussion regarding the make-up of the CRA Board and the possible conflict of all Council Members being on the CRA Board. CITY OF CLERMONT MINUTES COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY PUBLIC HEARING December 14, 1999 Page 5 Council Member Lamb stated that she agreed that there should be more members of the community on the Board and fewer Council Members. Gorden Hallgren stated that Council Members often do not have the time to attend extra meetings and other duties that the CRA Board does. Council Member Turville stated he felt that since the CRA Board did not have a long- established track record yet, he felt there should be several City Council Members on the Board and that parameters should be set for financial decisions allowed to be made by the CRA Board without City Council approval. There was further extensive discussion regarding the make up of the CRA Board and the authority the Board should have in relations to spending money without City Council approval. _ A motion was made by Council Member Biddle, seconded by Council Member Lamb and approved unanimously to recommend to the City Council that the CRA Board consist of 3 City Council Members and 4 citizens and that Finance Director Van Zile and City Manager Saunders will prepare the financial thresholds and parameters for the Board. There being no further business the meeting was adjourned. Itik, IP Mayor Harold S. Turville, Jr. Attest: oseph E. Va e, City Clerk