Fort Walton Beach Resolution — 2012-20--2012 CRA Plan Update — reading text

RESOLUTION 2012 -20 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ADOPTING THE 2012 COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AREA PLAN UPDATE, AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. Authority & Intent The City Council adopted Resolution 77 -38 on November 22, 1977 finding the existence of slum and blight conditions in an area of the City of Fort Walton Beach Florida, establishing a community redevelopment area. Chapter 163. 360 of the Florida Statutes authorizes the City to adopt a community redevelopment plan and modifications thereto. Section 2. Recommendation by Community Redevelopment Agency On June 26, 2012, the Community Redevelopment Agency unanimously recommended approval of the 2012 Community Redevelopment Plan. Section 3. Adoption The City Council hereby adopts the 2012 Community Redevelopment Area Plan, attached hereto. Section 3. Effective Date This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon approval by City Council and signature of the Mayor. Adopted "' 1 J, 2012 / 40 Mike Anderson, Mayor Attest: Approved for form and legal sufficiency: J" u Helen Spencer, QAy Clerk ayw Dykes, City .4yj rne The City of Fort Walton Beach Adopted September, 2012 by Resolution 2012 -20  2012 Community Redevelopment Plan Acknowledgements This 2012 Community Redevelopment Plan was undertaken by the City of Florida Walton Beach, with assistance from the University of Florida, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Gainesville, Florida. Mayor Mike Anderson, Mayor City Council (the Community Redevelopment Auency) Dennis Reeves, Chairman Bobby Griggs Joyce Gillie Gossom Bobby Nabors Trey Goodwin C. H. ` Bull' Rigdon Dick Rynearson City of Fort Walton Beach Staff Michael Beedie, P. E., City Manager Tim Bolduc, Development Services Manager Stella Jones, City Planner Chris Frassetti, CRA Coordinator University of Florida V. Gail Easley, FAICP, Instructor Kristin Wright Bowen Julie Hendrix Tanner Martin Robert Murphy Tamashbeen Rahman Sulhee ` Sunny" Yoon Ivan Cabrera, Project Advisor Walton Beach 2012  2012 Community Redevelopment Plan Table of Contents Executive Summary Introduction History of Fort Walton Beach The Built Environment of the Fort Walton Beach CRA Economic Characterization of the Fort Walton Beach CRA The Need for a CRA Plan Update The CRA Process Keys to Success for a Community Redevelopment Area ( CRA) What is Tax Increment Financing ( TIF)? The Fort Walton Beach CRA TIF Fund The CRA Budget Process Goals, Objectives, and Strategies Component l: Land Use Component 2: Infrastructure Component 3: Transportation Component 4: Design Guidelines Component 5: Housing Component 6: Economic Development Special Projects 2012 City of Fort Walton Beach  2012 Community Redevelopment Plan The 2012 Update to the Fort Walton Beach Community Redevelopment Area Plan EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction & The CRA Process The purpose of any Community Redevelopment Area ( CRA) is to eliminate slum and blight using strategies that promote reinvestment and revitalization in the community. Section 163. 345 of the Florida Statutes states that, " Any county or municipality, to the greatest extent it determines feasible... shall afford maximum opportunity, consistent with the sound needs of the county or municipality as a whole, to the rehabilitation or redevelopment of the community redevelopment area by private enterprise." The original City of Fort Walton Beach Redevelopment Area was created in 1977, followed by the development of a Redevelopment Trust Fund and Community Redevelopment Agency in 1982. In 1998, the CRA area was expanded from 222 acres to 607 acres, and the boundaries remain the same today. The last Community Redevelopment Area Plan update was completed in December 2007 and included a five -year capital improvement program and implementation plan that ends in FY 2011 -12. Many of the recommendations from the 2007 CRA Plan have been implemented, are outdated, or have been re- prioritized by the CRA Board since its adoption. Tax Increment Financing ( TIF) revenues peaked in the CRA in FY 2007 -08 and FY 2008 -09 and have steadily decreased each year since. Property values have decreased more rapidly in the expanded area of the CRA since FY 2008 -09, and according to the five year projections of CRA revenues, the downward trend is forecast to continue before getting better. The downward trend in property values and an increase in the number of vacant properties and foreclosures resulted in the CRA Board of Commissioners changing philosophy towards economic development and business retention. This change in direction / philosophy resulted in the need for an update to the 2007 CRA Plan to provide encouragement and support for business and economic development as well as the physical development of the City. The 2012 CRA Plan Update also coincides with the recent adoption of a new Comprehensive Plan and the comprehensive revision to the Land Development Code. All three documents set the framework for the development of the City. Therefore, this 2012 CRA Plan update shall serve as a guide to furore redevelopment activities in the Fort Walton Beach CRA over a five- to ten -year planning horizon, focusing on initiating programs and projects to stimulate private sector participation so that the community can 2012 City of Fort Walton Beach  2012 Community Redevelopment Plan eventually thrive on its own. The Plan sets forth goals, objectives, and strategies to promote redevelopment. The 2012 CPA Plan focuses on six primary components: Land Use, Infrastructure, Transportation, Design Guidelines, Housing, and Economic Development. Each component' s goal, objectives, and strategies meet all of the requirements of Chapter 163, Part III of the Florida Statutes, The Plan also identifies three special projects for completion over the planning horizon of the 2012 CRA Plan that achieves multiple objectives of multiple goals. The goal of the Land Use component is to promote sustainable redevelopment within the CRA by implementing a true mixed -use district and implementing land value improvement programs. The primary objective is to achieve consistency between zoning and land use to allow for more efficient and flexible use of land. This allows shops, housing, parks, and restaurants to be located in close proximity in order to foster a bustling urban core. Within this core it is essential that vacant and underutlized properties are targeted for development or redevelopment. An aggressive land use program can assist in converting these properties to desirable locations for new projects. Strategics to achieve these objectives include: ( 1) amending the Land Development Code and Zoning Map to create a true mixed -use district in the CRA, ( 2) implementing a Fagade Improvement Grant Program allowing businesses to improve their building, and ( 3) implementing a Land Value Investment Program to facilitate the growth in value of underutilized and vacant land. The goal of the Infrastructure component is to improve the quality and availability of infrastructure throughout the CRA. Updated infrastructure is important for redevelopment in order to attract more businesses, residents, and visitors. Strategies to achieve this goal include: ( 1) continuing an annual program to upgrade water and sewer lines, ( 2) continuing annual sidewalk and pavement improvement programs, ( 3) developing an underground utilities program, and ( 4) promoting the consolidation of trash receptacles while providing proper screening. Goal 3 — Transportation The goal of the Transportation component is to ensure the availability of an adequate and safe multi -modal transportation system throughout the CRA. The planned increase in density within the urban core is heavily dependent on an efficient and safe transportation system. Without an effective transportation system, strategies for housing and economic development may fail. Due to the already built -out nature of the CRA, the most effective strategies to provide an adequate transportation system include: ( 1) improving safety through traffic calming devices and 2012 City of Fort Walton Beach  2012 Community Redevelopment Plan congestion management techniques, ( 2) promoting the use of transit, ( 3) installing pedestrian features to encourage a walkable environment, and ( 4) installing bicycle improvements. Design The goal of the Design Guidelines component is to promote a positive image while advancing the health, safety, welfare, and appearance of the CRA. Design guidelines will allow freedom of individual preference while encourage a strong, harmonious community identity in order to attract redevelopment. The recommended ways in which design objectives will be met include ( 1) encouraging the use of building massing and variations in height and depth, ( 2) providing a list of fagade articulation techniques to assist developers, ( 3) implementing bonus provisions in the Land Development Code that are partially based on CRA design guidelines, ( 4) implementing a Fagade Grant program based on CRA design guidelines, ( 5) ensuring adequate screening and buffers for service equipment, parking, storage uses, and dumpsters, ( 6) ensuring good design of public spaces, ( 7) considering a consistent and uniform theme for public signs, and ( 8) encouraging the use of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design ( CPTED) techniques. The goal of the Housing component is to improve the quality and quantity of housing options in the CRA. Housing constitutes a significant share of construction and development in the CRA, for this reason it is essential to ensure a wide range of quality housing. Specific strategies to achieve the objectives of the CRA housing goal include: ( 1) continuing partnerships that offer low- income housing and first -time homebuyer assistance programs, ( 2)