Fort Walton Beach Resolution — 96-08-Finding Necessity for CRA — reading text

0 !~ 4. 3 FIRE CODE VIOLATIONS AND UNSAFE CONDITIONS 19 4. 3. 1 METHODOLOGY 19 4. 3. 2 CRITERIA 19 4.3. 3 FINDINGS 19 4.4 VACANT LOTS AND CLOSED BUILDINGS 22 4.4.1 METHODOLOGY 22 4.4. 2 CRITERIA 22 4.4. 3 FINDINGS 23 4. 5 DIVERSITY OF OWNERSHIP 25 4. 5. 1 METHODOLOGY AND CRITERIA 25 4. 5. 2 FINDINGS 26 4. 6 INADEQUATE INFRASTRUCTURE 28 4. 6.1 METHODOLOGY 28 4. 6. 2 CRITERIA 29 4. 6.3 FINDINGS 29 4. 7 HIGH CRIME RATES 34 4. 7.1 METHODOLOGY AND CRITERIA 34 4. 7.2 FINDINGS 34 5. 0 INADEQUATE TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES 35 5. 1 MIRACLE STRIP PARKWA Y US ( 98 / SR 30) 35 5. 2 EGLIN P ARKWA Y ( SR 85) 38 5. 3 BEAL PARKWAY (SR 189) 39 5.4 HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD 39 5. 5 TRANSPORTATION DEFICIENCY FINDINGS 40  o o 2. 1 BLIGHT The determination of blight is based on the methodology and criteria detailed in Section 4 of this report. Among the criteria for determining blighted conditions, those which have been discovered on individual blocks and areas within the proposed CRA area include: 1. Deteriorated and dilapidated buildings concentrated in the proposedCRA area; 2. Land use conflicts and deficiencies which blight adjacent uses; 3. Non-conforming structures and uses; 4. Fire code violations; 5. Buildings in unsafe condition; 6. Concentrations of vacant, unimproved lots, within otherwise viable blocks; 7. Closed buildings; 8. Diversity of ownership in commercially redevelopable areas; 9. Inadequate potable water infrastructure; 10. Inadequate drainage infrastructure; 11. Inadequate pedestrian infrastructure ( sidewalks); 12. Concentration of high crime rates in the proposed CRA area. 2. 2 INADEQUATE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE The determination of inadequate transportation infrastructure is based on the findings outlined in Section 5. This determination refers to the inadequacy of State and County routes the area, and local City streets which are impacted by deficiencies in the traversing deficient State or County roads. These include: Miracle Strip Parkway, US- 98 / SR- 30, from Saint Mary Avenue to the Brooks Bridge; Brooks Bridge, US- 98 / SR- 30; First Street, from Saint Mary Avenue to Brooks Street,just east of Alconese Eglin Parkway, SR- 85, from Miracle Strip Parkway to Hughes Street ( City Limit); Florida Place, from Eglin Parkway to Miracle Strip Parkway; Hollywood Boulevard, from Robinwood Drive to Chicago Avenue. and The inadequacy of these regional links and highways significantly impacts the safety economic vitality of the CRA area. They have strong functional relationships to safety, residential development, and the general public interest privateinvestment, employment, and welfare of the residents of the City. The inadequacies of these facilities provide a rational target for redevelopment in blocks not individually meeting blight criteria to correct conditions in blighted areas. 2  o o 2.4 PRIV ATE ENTERPRISE INVESTMENT DISPARITY Market surveys conducted for the plan update, along with supporting secondary data, indicate a severe disparity between private investment in the proposed CRA Area, and that in surrounding communities. Assessed property and real estate values in the City of Fort Walton Beach have not kept pace with Okaloosa County, showing a growth rate in taxable value which is approximately 63% of that of the County from 1992 to July, 1995. In the same period, the downtown core and waterfront area ( existing CRA Area) has seen a decrease in property and real estate taxable value. In the last ten years, this area has experienced a 16% drop in the property values. 3. 0 PROPOSED CRA AREA BOUNDARY The legal boundaries of the proposed CRA Area are shown with the existing CRA Area boundaries in the CRA Area Boundaries Map, Figure 1. Figure 2 shows the division of blocks in the CRA area for analysis purposes. These boundaries include all tracts or parcels of land, improved or unimproved, lying and being within the inscribed area, which is entirely within the City of Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County, Florida. For descriptive purposes, the boundaries of the proposed CRA Area, including the existing CRA area are: from the shore of the Santa Rosa Sound, north along a line approximately 300 feet east from the eastern edge of the Memorial Parkway right- of-way, to the north edge of the Miracle Strip Parkway right-of-way; east along the north edge of the Miracle Strip Parkway right-of-way for approximately 825 feet; north along a line approximately 1, 125 feet east from the eastern edge of the Memorial Parkway right- of-way, to the south edge of the residential lots fronting on Coral Drive; east along the south edge of the lots fronting on Coral Drive, to the western edge of the City Hall property; north along the western edge of the City Hall property, to the north edge of the Coral Drive right-of-way; east along the Coral Drive right-of-way, to the east edge of the Saint Mary Avenue right-of-way; south along the east and north edge of the Saint Mary Avenue right- of-way, to First Street; east along the north edge of the First Street right- of-way, to Bass Avenue; north along the western edge of the Bass Avenue right-of-way, to Comet Street; west along the south edge of the lots fronting on Comet Drive ( north edge of the Pruitt Housing Development; then north along the eastern edge of the Robinwood Drive right- of-way; 4  o o then east along the north edge of the Hollywood Boulevard right-of-way; then north along the western edge of the City- owned property on which Pruitt Park and the Public Safety Building are located; continuing in a north-by- northwesterly direction along the centerline of the Shell Avenue right- of-way, to Walter Martin Road; northeasterly along the northwest edge of the Walter Martin Road right-of- way; northeast along the centerline of the Carson Drive right- of-way, to the city limit; east along the city limits between Cinco Bayou and Fort Walton Beach along Hughes Street; then south along the eastern edge of Fort Walton Square; then east along the centerline of the Staff Drive right-of-way, to Buck Drive; south, then east along the centerline of the Buck Drive right- of-way, to Vine A venue; south along the centerline of the Vine Avenue right-of-way, to Hollywood Boulevard; east along the Hollywood Boulevard right-of-way, to Chicago Avenue; south along the centerline of the Chicago Avenue right-of-way, to First Street; east, then south along the centerline of the First Street right- of-way, to Brooks Street; northeast along the centerline of Brooks Street, then south along a line to the east of the Elm Avenue right- of-way, where the MUIR Zoning District ends, to the waterline of the Santa Rosa Sound; then meandering west along the shore of the Santa Rosa Sound to include all uplands and waterfront development until the beginning point described above. Within the boundaries described, the proposed CRA area covers approximately 1, 381 gross acres of land within the City, of which there are approximately 1, 179 net developable acres ( 85.4%). A complete legal description of the boundaries is included in Appendix A. 5  o o 3. 1 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS General requirements and objectives for establishing a Community Redevelopment Area have been considered for defining the proposed CRA Area boundaries. The following sections describe the general conditions of the CRA Area which apply to the motivation for recommending its expansion to the proposed boundary. These conditions are based on extensive field observation, data collection, and primary market data collection, and interviews with landowners and civic organizations. 3. 1.1 BLIGHT AND NEED The proposed CRA Area incorporates a predominance of blocks which are blighted by deteriorating conditions. These conditions include the presence of a substantial number of deteriorating units, unsanitary and/or unsafe conditions, deterioration of sites and other improvements, and diversity of ownership. The blighted conditions combine with other factors to produce an urban environment which continues to discourage investment, and therefore produces a self-perpetuating condition of urban decline. 3. 1.2 NON-BLIGHTED AREAS The proposed CRA Area boundary includes blocks which are not directly blighted as per the criteria of Section 4; however, their inclusion is necessary to achieve the objective of eliminating blight throughout th~ area. They are important to achieving the elimination of blight, because: Conditions in blocks not meeting blight conditions directly impacts the quality of life and propensity for investment in blighted blocks which are abutting, adjacent, or in near proximity. Redevelopment funds may be spent in blocks not meeting blight conditions to correct conditions in blighted areas, where the block is in near proximity to blighted areas or has a functional relationship to the blighted conditions. Blocks which do not meet blight conditions, and are either surrounded, or immediately adjacent to blighted blocks have functional relationships to blighted blocks, aesthetically, and in terms of health, safety, and enjoyment. These relationships directly impact the quality-of-life of the residents and the marketability of the overall area for investment. Blocks which do not meet blight conditions, and are not immediately proximate to blighted areas, have functional relationships regarding infrastructure, which must be improv~d along linear patterns and as part of a network. Transportation 8  o