HomeMy WebLinkAboutSEOPW OMNI CRA 2006-07-31 Marked Agenda• •
City of Miami
Marked Agenda
SEOPW and OMNI
Community Redevelopment Agencies
Michelle Spence -Jones, Chair
Angel Gonzalez, Vice Chair
Linda M. Haskins, Commissioner
Joe Sanchez, Commissioner
Tomas Regalado, Commissioner
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CRA OFFICE ADDRESS:
49 NW 5th ST, SUITE 100, Miami, FL 33128
Phone: (305) 679-6800, Fax: (305) 679-6835
City Hall
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33133
www.miamigov.com
Monday, July 31, 2006
5:30 PM
ICE PALACE (AT BIG TIME PRODUCTIONS)
59 NW 14TH STREET
MIAMI, FLORIDA 33136
5:30 - 8:00 P.M.
PRESENTATION
1. 06-01249
On the 31st day of July 2006, the Board of Directors of the Community Redevelopment
Agency (CRA) for the Southeast Overtown/Park West and Omni Districts of the City of
Miami met in regular session at the Ice Palace, 59 Northwest 14th Street, Miami, Florida
33136. The meeting was called to order by Chair Michelle Spence -Jones at 5:48 p.m. and
was adjourned at 8:35 p.m.
Present: Commissioner Regalado, Chair Spence -Jones and Commissioner Haskins
Absent: Vice Chair Gonzalez and Commissioner Sanchez
ALSO PRESENT:
Frank Rollason, Executive Director, CRA, City of Miami
Pedro G. Hernandez, City Manager
Jorge L. Fernandez, General Counsel, CRA
James Villacorta, Assistant General Counsel, CRA
William R. Bloom, Special Counsel, CRA
Priscilla A. Thompson, Clerk of the Board
Pamela E. Burns, Assistant Clerk of the Board
Minutes are transcribed verbatim. Periodically, agenda items are revisited during a
meeting. "[Later...]" refers to discussions that were interrupted and later continued.
CRA PRESENTATION
A PRESENTATION OF AN UNSOLICITED PROPOSAL TO THE
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE SEOPW /PARK WEST CRA
FROM MR. ALBERTO MILO, JR., PRESIDENT OF THE URBAN
DEVELOPMENT GROUP (UDG) FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRA
PROPERTY LOCATED IN THE SEOPW CRA CURRENTLY UTILIZED
AS CRA LOT NO. 3 ON THE CORNER OF NW 3RD AVENUE AND
10TH STREET (SEE ATTACHED MAP).
Cover Memo.pdf, Back-up.pdf
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Marked Agenda July 31, 2006
PRESENTED
A motion was made by Commissioner Haskins, seconded by Commissioner Regalado, and
was passed unanimously, with Vice Chair Gonzalez and Commissioner Sanchez absent, to
authorize the Executive Director of the CRA to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the
development of the CRA property located in the Southeast Overtown/Park West CRA
currently utilized as CRA Lot No. 3, located on the corner of Northwest 3rd Avenue and 10th
Street.
Chair Spence -Jones: And we're going to open up for the regular CRA (Community
Redevelopment Agency) agenda.
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): Right, Southeast
Overtown/Park West and Omni CRAs.
Chair Spence -Jones: Yes. OK. I'm turning it over to you, Frank. This is in reference to a
CRA presentation for an --
Mr. Rollason: Right. This is a presentation of an unsolicited proposal that we received
from a developer who is interested in acquiring a piece of property that belongs to the CRA,
which we know as parking lot 3, which is the CRA parking lot on the north side of Jackson
Soul Food Restaurant, at 10th Avenue -- at 10th Street and 3rd Avenue, so Mr. Alberto Milo,
who is the president of Urban Development Group, has requested to appear before the
Board and make this presentation, so where is Alberto? Here we go. OK. You step to the
mike and --
Alberto Milo: Good evening, Commissioners. I'm going to give you a brief synopsis on our
proposal to the CRA for a parking lot located at 3 --
Mr. Rollason: Albert, you need to identify yourself and give your address for the record,
please.
Mr. Milo: Albert Milo, president of the Urban Development Group, 1801 Southwest 3rd
Avenue, Suite 500. Sorry about that, Ms. Thompson. The proposal is for the CRA parking
lot located at 345 Northwest 10th Street. The -- our development company is looking to
partner with Mt. Zion CDC (Community Development Corporation) to foster this
development. In addition to Mt. Zion, we have Alex Frasier on our development team. We
feel that our property is going to meet several community needs, primarily foster economic
development, educational development, affordable homeownership, community
empowerment, and affordable rental housing. Jazz Village is going to be a mixed -use
property. It's slated to be a ten -story building; the ground floor retail of about 12,000
square feet. It's going to have about 26,000 square feet of office space and 63 residential
condominium units. It'll also have a detached parking garage to serve our future building,
in additional to other expansion of the area for the CRA. Carrfour Corporation is going to
develop the rental affordable housing portion of the development, and they're slated to
have between 60 and 70 units. Mr. Doug Mayer is here, and he'll talk about the rental
affordable housing component. On the economic development side of the equation, we
feel like we're going to bring somewhere between 30 to 60 jobs, between the retail and the
school. We're trying to bring a national medical training school to the area for the office
space that's going to allow local residents to have the opportunity to search and achieve
higher type of careers in the medical field, and potentially, get higher -paying jobs. The
retail is slated to have some neighborhood businesses, along with some national
franchises of eating establishments, and the affordable homeownership component's
going to have obviously condominiums and workforce housing on top. Here today I have
several members of my development team. We have Clyde Judson, our architect, who will
be addressing the site plan portion of it. I have Mr. James McQueen, representing Mt. Zion
Development Corp, Mr. Alex Frasier, with our minority (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We have Doug
Mayer from Carrfour Corporation that's going to address the affordable housing
component. We also have Mr. Phil Bacon from the Collins Center. They're one of our
stakeholders in the development because they own property under the South Florida Smart
Growth Partnership, so unless you have any questions for me now, I'll field them, or if you
want to let the architect go through the site plan first, and then I can come back and let
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Doug do -- explain his part.
Chair Spence -Jones: Are there any questions before we go through the site plan? OK.
Just -- we're ready.
Clyde Judson: Good afternoon. My name is Clyde Judson, with Judson and Partners
Architects, located at 155 South Miami Avenue, Suite PH1C. Real simply and real briefly,
the project is proposed to be located on the corner of Northwest 3rd Avenue and 10th
Street. 1-95 is here. The clinic is just on the west side of 1-95. Jackson Soul Food is here,
and the recently renovated apartments are on the east side of Northwest 3rd Avenue. The
two phases that Mr. Milo talked about would be here. Phase I is here. The proposed
condominiums will be located on the corner -- with -- on the ground floor will be retail, and
the second and third -- possible third floors will be office space. The proposed parking
garage will be here, and phase II would be the Carrfour project, which would be rentals,
which will be located on -- fronted on Northwest 11th Street. The design proposes to have
a courtyard space in between the two developments to allow the -- to develop some
common space. Basically, that's the site plan. If anybody has any questions, I'll be glad to
answer those questions.
Chair Spence -Jones: You have any questions? OK.
Commissioner Haskins: The ones marked "L," those are the proposed Carrfour, or is that -
that's existing?
Mr. Judson: Oh, those are existing.
Commissioner Haskins: And where would the Carrfour project be?
Mr. Judson: This one right here.
Commissioner Haskins: OK, as part of the garage?
Mr. Judson: The garage is --
Commissioner Haskins: Well, those are residential units, I'm sorry. OK, and then the
garage itself, in "A," is that going to be a lined garage? Will that be lined?
Mr. Judson: Yes.
Commissioner Haskins: It wouldn't be like a garage -- a stand-alone garage, right?
Mr. Judson: No. In fact, I think the City's zoning code requires it to be lined.
Commissioner Haskins: OK, and then, "D," the proposed surface parking --
Mr. Judson: Yes.
Commissioner Haskins: -- is that needed if you have a garage?
Mr. Judson: I'II let Mr. Milo address that. Albert.
Mr. Milo: The "D" is actually, Commissioner Haskins, a portion of what was slated to be
Athalie Range Park. It's underneath the highway. The portion that you see, that "E" and
"D," is actually right underneath the overpass of 1-95, so it's not that we need it as far as
the development, but it's part of the capital improvement for the park program, so it's --
Commissioner Haskins: OK.
Mr. Milo: -- starting to make something that's cohesive, rather than just something that's
independent just sitting there on its own.
Commissioner Haskins: So it's not part of your project?
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Mr. Milo: Not directly part of the project --
Commissioner Haskins: OK.
Mr. Milo: -- but we intend to -- just to make it, again, cohesive.
Chair Spence -Jones: And if I can add. I don't know if you know, this is the -- right up under
the current expressway right now that we have, and that is where the domino park is slated
to go at this present time. It is actually fenced up presently, so there's no activity that's
actually happening within that space, but one of the concerns I have is we need to make
sure that we have some sort of real use for it because if not, it's going to become an area
where the homeless really congregate, so I think at least -- this would at least keep some
activity going there from a consistent basis, but this would not change -- I guess, the
additional green space that would be made available would actually be made for parking,
some additional parking that may be needed from an overflow standpoint, but the park
itself, the domino park would remain there.
Mr. Milo: Yeah. It's an integral part of the development, but that's the key to make it
cohesive.
Chair Spence -Jones: They just need to flow somehow.
Commissioner Haskins: OK.
Chair Spence -Jones: I have a couple questions, but I want to wait 'till my colleague --
Commissioner Regalado: This is not, Mr. Milo, affordable or this is regular -- what you plan
to build is regular, you know, construction, office, housing?
Mr. Milo: No. The housing is to be affordable and workforce housing, and the --
Commissioner Regalado: OK --
Mr. Milo: -- so (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Commissioner Regalado: -- and the help willh come from?
Mr. Milo: The help?
Commissioner Regalado: Yeah, in terms of monies to --
Chair Spence -Jones: Fund it.
Mr. Milo: To funding?
Commissioner Regalado: -- fund.
Mr. Milo: Well, we have different sources of funding that we anticipate for the development.
On the commercial side, we're looking at the new market tax credits, which are federal
credits from the Department of Treasury; on the homeownership side, the traditional
funding of the Community Development funds, the County surtax funds, and any Affordable
Housing Trust funds.
Commissioner Regalado: Yeah, but -- that was the question. I mean, the idea and the
place is great because, like the Chairperson said, you know, there's nothing there, and
anything that gets built that is new and that has life, displaces the homeless and the
undesirable. That's -- but because of what's going on in the County, don't you think that it
will be harder to have access to these monies, in order to comply with the timetable that
you are offering?
Mr. Milo: I think the -- what's going on in the County is two -fold. In my personal opinion,
City of Miami
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you know, our company is one of the developers that has actually produced housing for the
County, so I think the County, once the shakeup is cleared out, and probably sooner, rather
than later, is going to need to bring developers that have produced housing back to the
forefront in order to get them their dollars, and to get the other side of the story, which is
the projects that have been built for affordable housing, but irrespective of that, assuming
they don't get their stuff fixed in a timely fashion, the County funding -- this project can
move forward without County funding because the new market tax credit is a new vehicle,
and we can build a project with the City funding and the new market tax credits, which is
federal, and still make the project happen, so hopefully, that's not the case. Hopefully, we
can still use the County dollars, but assuming we can't, we feel comfortable we can move
forward still with the --
Commissioner Regalado: And the timeline is?
Mr. Milo: The timeline to build it? We're ready. I mean, there's a process, obviously, that --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yes.
Mr. Milo: -- we have to go through because today is just an unsolicited proposal, but --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah. I think, Frank, you can somewhat explain, but I have some
other questions. I don't want to wait until you finish before we understand the process of
what --
Commissioner Regalado: No, I'm done, Madam Chair.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
Mr. Milo: Do you want to hear from Carrfour and let them talk about their piece?
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah, but let me just ask some quick little questions real fast. The
one thing that I think is great about the proposal -- and hopefully, once we put out, I guess,
an official bid -- is that how it's done, Frank? -- then we'll at least get a sense of kind of
what else is out there because I think it's important to do that, but so that you kind of
understand where our head is, the 3rd Avenue Business Corridor has been, over the last
six or seven months, for me, a major push, and that's why we've been focusing really hard
to make sure that we recruit new businesses. I believe Grady -- Brother Grady Muhammad
is here now, and he's been working very hard to, hopefully, get those businesses locked in
and moving, but between that section of 10th and 11th is a crucial point. It's really what we
would consider our super block in the neighborhood, so everything that's happening on
the right side of the street with the new businesses that are going in will hopefully, over the
next six to nine months, be moving; that is the ideal scene. The problem, however, not
having anything happening on the left side of the street, you know, you can't really attract
businesses to the area unless everything else is coming up at the same time, so I think that
having a proposal like that gives us at least the solidity that we need in order for, you know,
businesses to feel comfortable about coming into an area because something else is
attached to it. I do like the idea, and I've been a big, big advocate of making sure that, yes,
we do have affordable housing, but what Carrfour is doing in this -- and I know a lot of
people look at Carrfour because it's transitional housing most of the time, and they're
afraid of it, but for me, I think that having, you know, an agency like Carrfour that has
definitely a proven record on providing support for transitional living is very important in
this particular community, and especially since I have Camillus House is going to be
coming soon, and most of those people, hopefully, will be able to transition from a place
like Camillus House to, you know, their own rental property, so to me, I think it's really
important to -- having both of those elements. I do have those same concerns that
Commissioner Regalado mentioned; is because of this issue that's happening with the
County right now, and most of the housing developers -- including Carrfour, correct? -- a
lot -- the County dollars, having the County dollars make your program -- projects move are
really, really important, so you know, I just think that we need to make sure that, on our
end, from the City's end, and our City Manager pushes hard so that if these projects move,
for whatever reason, we don't get stuck in not having the additional dollars that are
necessary to make happen. I wanted to just ask you one quick question regarding the
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July 31, 2006
parking, OK. The -- it would be a garage, correctly -- correct?
Mr. Judson: Correct.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. The garage itself will be made available to not just the residents,
but the surrounding businesses, like right across the street because we're talking about
businesses that are now currently using that open lot. Will we be getting more parking
now for those businesses than we --
Mr. Milo: Yeah.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- would have if it remain a surface?
Mr. Milo: Yeah. That's why the intent is to make it a municipal garage when the project is
eventually built, not just to service our development, but -- first of all, there's 56 parking
spaces there currently that are going to be taken up by the development, which businesses
or residents of the area use currently, but more importantly -- at least I believe that the
parking garage is actually probably the most integral part of the development, as far as
spurring our development, but more importantly, spurring the businesses on the other side
of 3rd Avenue and future businesses on 9th Street and 10th Street that could be able to
park in this garage and further foster development in the area.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. Two more questions and I'm done. Mt. Zion, as you said, they're
here represented?
Mr. Milo: Yeah. Mr. McQueen is here on behalf of Mt. Zion.
Commissioner Spence -Jones: I just wanted to get a clearer understanding. I know Mt.
Zion is actually on the south side of this, correct?
James McQueen: Yeah. We're located on the -- James McQueen, 301 Northwest 9th Street.
Mt. Zion is located on the south side of the -- of 10th Street, and we are -- we have -- we are
currently in the area and have been in the area. We've had some very interesting
discussions not only about this particular development, but also about the development of
the community as a whole, and we look forward to working with Mr. Milo in trying to bring
this project to fruition.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK, and --
Mr. Milo: And Mr. Frasier here also, from our development team, is going to handle some
of the other aspects of our development.
Alex Frasier: Frasier Financial Group, 2222 Ponce De Leon. We were going to bring
(UNINTELLIGIBLE) we may have from other organizations throughout the country that we
do some of our lending through to help us bring some monies to the project as well as also
try to have some end buyers at the end of the day, a marketing strategy to get some end
buyers of the urban professional market to come back to the Overtown area.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK, and Alex is -- used to be our president of the only black bank that
we had really in South Florida, so it is a pleasure. I think that it's very important for young
leadership and people from the Overtown area, especially young African -American boys in
the area, to see people like yourself that have grown from the sports industry and have
moved beyond that to be in the financial world, so --
Mr. Frasier: Thank you.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- I think that you also serve as a great role model --
Mr. Frasier: Thank you.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- so I don't know if there's any other questions that my colleagues
have. I'm going to ask the executive director if he has any questions regarding our next
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steps.
Mr. Rollason: I don't have any questions, but there's a couple of things that the
Commissioners should be aware of.
Chair Spence -Jones: Sure.
Number one, when you look at that proposal, you need to realize that what's in orange is
going on our property. We don't own all that property --
Chair Spence -Jones: Right.
Mr. Rollason: -- so when you talk about the affordable housing piece, it's not on our
property. It's the Carrfour piece; it's separate from our property. Now this is a joint venture
to be able to pull that in, and it's a good project in concept, but when you put the project
out to bid, you'll be putting out our piece of property and ask for the proposals that'll come
in. Other people may come in with a project and not have access to that Carrfour piece of
property, and they would come in with something entirely different, but right now, with
what he's presenting -- and Alberto, you jump in wherever, if I'm, you know, steering them
wrong -- that you need to understand that the affordable housing piece we're talking about
with Carrfour is on property on 11th Street and not on our property.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK --
Mr. Rollason: I --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- so in other words, we would only -- when the bid goes out, we
would only put it out --
Mr. Rollason: Yeah. We can only put it --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- well, we could only put it out --
Mr. Rollason: -- out for our piece.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- for what we have.
Mr. Rollason: That's correct. Now his proposal will come in, I would assume, mirroring
what he's presenting here today, and in a way that would joint venture that or guarantee
that that piece would be built with our piece so that we don't end up with something that
doesn't capture that other piece with this.
Chair Spence -Jones: No problem.
Mr. Rollason: That's number one. Number two, the process would be, if the Board so
desires, they can direct us to put out an RFP (Request for Proposals) on this piece of
property. It would go out for no more than 30 days, and we would take all proposals that
come in, do an evaluation, and then a recommendation would come back to you to go with
the project, or not go with any project, or whittle it down to a couple of projects, or you
know, however it shakes out, but that's the process that they would have to go through to
be able to go forward with this.
Chair Spence -Jones: Well, let me just say this. I'm extremely supportive of any housing
that's happening within Overtown, and what we need to see more of, from where I sit, is the
kind of collaboration that we're seeing right now. Unfortunately, what's happening a lot of
times within my district, you don't see this type of collaboration happening with the various
agencies and various groups, and I think that it's really important for people to understand
that you have to be sensitive to the neighborhoods that you serve or that you plan on
building in, so for me, I'm very excited about this particular project, but I'm also excited
about the opportunity to see what else is out there. We have to get some stuff moving in
Overtown, and this is only one of the many things that we can move, but -- especially since
we have 3rd Avenue happening, so I'm very supportive of putting this out to bid so that we
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can find out --
Mr. Rollason: All right.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- what else is out there.
Mr. Rollason: That would just take a motion from the Board. Also, I want to point out --
just let me tell you just a couple more things. One is is that, when we put it out, one of the
requirements we would put in is that the existing parking would be maintained for the
public. Those 56 spaces wouldn't go away, and they would have to incorporate that into
the project.
Commissioner Haskins: I think this is one of those processes in government you have to
go through, even though it's the best result. The folks here have the best chance because
they've put together a group of properties that the development altogether makes a lot of
sense, rather than our property by itself, and I've got to commend this group for really
coming up with something that was -- is very thoughtful, and looking at an accumulation of
properties and trying to get virtually a city block really fixed up here. It's a -- you know, it's -
- I understand the rules of the game and all of that, but this is one of those situations, when
we go out to bid, we're only going to ask on our parcel, and nobody else is going to have
access to the major parcels of land involved in this, but I think we should go forward, and I
congratulate you on your collaboration. I think you really put a lot of thought into it, and I
think it's everything we want to be able to deliver in Overtown.
Mr. Rollason: Other than the big blocks that we have that we're dealing with, this is the
largest single piece of property that the CRA owns in Southeast Overtown/Park West, so
it's critical that we, you know, get the maximum use out of it, and it's also the intent of
Chapter 163 that when a project comes forward like this and you like it, that is the reason
that it goes out for those 30 days because there is nothing to say that you can't say, listen,
this is the project we got. You know, ready, set, go, but the law does require that we
examine and give, you know, diligence -- due diligence to everything that's presented.
Chair Spence -Jones: So is there a motion?
Commissioner Haskins: So moved.
Commissioner Regalado: I'll second the motion, and of course, this -- within the
philosophy of the CRA. I mean, empty lots do not help the area, but we do have to go
through the process, and if this is the case, I'm fine with it, so I'll second the motion.
Mr. Rollason: All right, so for the record, this is a motion for us to put the block out for an
RFP.
Chair Spence -Jones: All in favor?
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Spence -Jones: All opposed? This item is passed. Oh, I'm sorry.
Grady Muhammad: No problem. Madam -- I'm sorry, Chairman -- Chairwoman, CRA board
members, staff, attorneys, Grady Muhammad, Tools for Change. We're definitely in favor of
this project, especially with the number of parking spaces to be able to bring the additional
parking to the 3rd Avenue Corridor. The affordable housing on the principals; it's that
win -win partnership that we've always been looking for, and we're definitely without --
unequivocally in favor of this project because it has that element of affordable with
Carrfour, with the homeownership market rate housing. This is that win -win partnership
we've been talking about; you, as well as Commissioner Haskins, been talking about for the
community, and we're definitely in favor, and we're more than appreciate that you
supported it, and we will continue to watch the principals to ensure the parking and the
other assistance for the businesses are there. Thank you all.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. Thank you, Brother Muhammad. Let me just say this because
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City of Miami
Marked Agenda
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Community Redevelopment Agencies
Michelle Spence -Jones, Chair
Angel Gonzalez, Vice Chair
Linda M. Haskins, Commissioner
Joe Sanchez, Commissioner
Tomas Regalado, Commissioner
**************************
CRA OFFICE ADDRESS:
49 NW 5th ST, SUITE 100, Miami, FL 33128
Phone: (305) 679-6800, Fax: (305) 679-6835
City Hall
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33133
www.miamigov.com
Monday, July 31, 2006
5:30 PM
ICE PALACE (AT BIG TIME PRODUCTIONS)
59 NW 14TH STREET
MIAMI, FLORIDA 33136
5:30 - 8:00 P.M.
PRESENTATION
1. 06-01249
On the 31st day of July 2006, the Board of Directors of the Community Redevelopment
Agency (CRA) for the Southeast Overtown/Park West and Omni Districts of the City of
Miami met in regular session at the Ice Palace, 59 Northwest 14th Street, Miami, Florida
33136. The meeting was called to order by Chair Michelle Spence -Jones at 5:48 p.m. and
was adjourned at 8:35 p.m.
Present: Commissioner Regalado, Chair Spence -Jones and Commissioner Haskins
Absent: Vice Chair Gonzalez and Comrissioner Sanchez
ALSO PRESENT:
Frank Rollason, Executive Director, CRA, City of Miami
Pedro G. Hernandez, City Manager
Jorge L. Fernandez, General Counsel, CRA
James Villacorta, Assistant General Counsel, CRA
William R. Bloom, Special Counsel, CRA
Priscilla A. Thompson, Clerk of the Board
Pamela E. Burns, Assistant Clerk of the Board
Minutes are transcribed verbatim. Periodically, agenda items are revisited during a
meeting. "[Later...]" refers to discussions that were interrupted and later continued.
CRA PRESENTATION
A PRESENTATION OF AN UNSOLICITED PROPOSAL TO THE
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE SEOPW /PARK WEST CRA
FROM MR. ALBERTO MILO, JR., PRESIDENT OF THE URBAN
DEVELOPMENT GROUP (UDG) FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRA
PROPERTY LOCATED IN THE SEOPW CRA CURRENTLY UTILIZED
AS CRA LOT NO. 3 ON THE CORNER OF NW 3RD AVENUE AND
10TH STREET (SEE ATTACHED MAP).
Cover Memo.pdf, Back-up.pdf
City ql Miami
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PRESENTED
A motion was made by Commissioner Haskins, seconded by Commissioner Regalado, and
was passed unanimously, with Vice Chair Gonzalez and Commissioner Sanchez absent, to
authorize the Executive Director of the CRA to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the
development of the CRA property located in the Southeast Overtown/Park West CRA
currently utilized as CRA Lot No. 3, located on the corner of Northwest 3rd Avenue and 10th
Street.
Chair Spence -Jones: And we're going to open up for the regular CRA (Community
Redevelopment Agency) agenda.
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): Right, Southeast
Overtown/Park West and Omni CRAs.
Chair Spence -Jones: Yes. OK. I'm turning it over to you, Frank. This is in reference to a
CRA presentation for an --
Mr. Rollason: Right. This is a presentation of an unsolicited proposal that we received
from a developer who is interested in acquiring a piece of property that belongs to the CRA,
which we know as parking lot 3, which is the CRA parking lot on the north side of Jackson
Soul Food Restaurant, at 10th Avenue -- at 10th Street and 3rd Avenue, so Mr. Alberto Milo,
who is the president of Urban Development Group, has requested to appear before the
Board and make this presentation, so where is Alberto? Here we go. OK. You step to the
mike and --
Alberto Milo: Good evening, Commissioners. I'm going to give you a brief synopsis on our
proposal to the CRA for a parking lot located at 3 --
Mr. Rollason: Albert, you need to identify yourself and give your address for the record,
please.
Mr. Milo: Albert Milo, president of the Urban Development Group, 1801 Southwest 3rd
Avenue, Suite 500. Sorry about that, Ms. Thompson. The proposal is for the CRA parking
lot located at 345 Northwest 10th Street. The -- our development company is looking to
partner with Mt. Zion CDC (Community Development Corporation) to foster this
development. In addition to Mt. Zion, we have Alex Frasier on our development team. We
feel that our property is going to meet several community needs, primarily foster economic
development, educational development, affordable homeownership, community
empowerment, and affordable rental housing. Jazz Village is going to be a mixed -use
property. It's slated to be a ten -story building; the ground floor retail of about 12,000
square feet. It's going to have about 26,000 square feet of office space and 63 residential
condominium units. It'll also have a detached parking garage to serve our future building,
in additional to other expansion of the area for the CRA. Carrfour Corporation is going to
develop the rental affordable housing portion of the development, and they're slated to
have between 60 and 70 units. Mr. Doug Mayer is here, and he'll talk about the rental
affordable housing component. On the economic development side of the equation, we
feel like we're going to bring somewhere between 30 to 60 jobs, between the retail and the
school. We're trying to bring a national medical training school to the area for the office
space that's going to allow local residents to have the opportunity to search and achieve
higher type of careers in the medical field, and potentially, get higher -paying jobs. The
retail is slated to have some neighborhood businesses, along with some national
franchises of eating establishments, and the affordable homeownership component's
going to have obviously condominiums and workforce housing on top. Here today I have
several members of my development team. We have Clyde Judson, our architect, who will
be addressing the site plan portion of it. I have Mr. James McQueen, representing Mt. Zion
Development Corp, Mr. Alex Frasier, with our minority (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We have Doug
Mayer from Carrfour Corporation that's going to address the affordable housing
component. We also have Mr. Phil Bacon from the Collins Center. They're one of our
stakeholders in the development because they own property under the South Florida Smart
Growth Partnership, so unless you have any questions for me now, I'll field them, or if you
want to let the architect go through the site plan first, and then I can come back and let
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Doug do -- explain his part.
Chair Spence -Jones: Are there any questions before we go through the site plan? OK.
Just -- we're ready.
Clyde Judson: Good afternoon. My name is Clyde Judson, with Judson and Partners
Architects, located at 155 South Miami Avenue, Suite PH1C. Real simply and real briefly,
the project is proposed to be located on the corner of Northwest 3rd Avenue and 10th
Street. 1-95 is here. The clinic is just on the west side of 1-95. Jackson Soul Food is here,
and the recently renovated apartments are on the east side of Northwest 3rd Avenue. The
two phases that Mr. Milo talked about would be here. Phase I is here. The proposed
condominiums will be located on the corner -- with -- on the ground floor will be retail, and
the second and third -- possible third floors will be office space. The proposed parking
garage will be here, and phase II would be the Carrfour project, which would be rentals,
which will be located on -- fronted on Northwest 11th Street. The design proposes to have
a courtyard space in between the two developments to allow the -- to develop some
common space. Basically, that's the site plan. If anybody has any questions, I'll be glad to
answer those questions.
Chair Spence -Jones: You have any questions? OK.
Commissioner Haskins: The ones marked "L," those are the proposed Carrfour, or is that -
- that's existing?
Mr. Judson: Oh, those are existing.
Commissioner Haskins: And where would the Carrfour project be?
Mr. Judson: This one right here.
Commissioner Haskins: OK, as part of the garage?
Mr. Judson: The garage is --
Commissioner Haskins: Well, those are residential units, I'm sorry. OK, and then the
garage itself, in "A," is that going to be a lined garage? Will that be lined?
Mr. Judson: Yes.
Commissioner Haskins: It wouldn't be like a garage -- a stand-alone garage, right?
Mr. Judson: No. In fact, I think the City's zoning code requires it to be lined.
Commissioner Haskins: OK, and then, "D," the proposed surface parking --
Mr. Judson: Yes.
Commissioner Haskins: -- is that needed if you have a garage?
Mr. Judson: I'll let Mr. Milo address that. Albert.
Mr. Milo: The "D" is actually, Commissioner Haskins, a portion of what was slated to be
Athalie Range Park. It's underneath the highway. The portion that you see, that "E" and
"D," is actually right underneath the overpass of 1-95, so it's not that we need it as far as
the development, but it's part of the capital improvement for the park program, so it's --
Commissioner Haskins: OK.
Mr. Milo: -- starting to make something that's cohesive, rather than just something that's
independent just sitting there on its own.
Commissioner Haskins: So its not part of your project?
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Mr. Milo: Not directly part of the project --
Commissioner Haskins: OK.
Mr. Milo: -- but we intend to -- just to make it, again, cohesive.
Chair Spence -Jones: And if I can add. 1 don't know if you know, this is the -- right up under
the current expressway right now that we have, and that is where the domino park is slated
to go at this present time. It is actually fenced up presently, so there's no activity that's
actually happening within that space, but one of the concerns I have is we need to make
sure that we have some sort of real use for it because if not, it's going to become an area
where the homeless really congregate, so I think at least -- this would at least keep some
activity going there from a consistent basis, but this would not change -- I guess, the
additional green space that would be made available would actually be made for parking,
some additional parking that may be needed from an overflow standpoint, but the park
itself, the domino park would remain there.
Mr. Milo: Yeah. It's an integral part of the development, but that's the key to make it
cohesive.
Chair Spence -Jones: They just need to flow somehow.
Commissioner Haskins: OK.
Chair Spence -Jones: I have a couple questions, but I want to wait 'till my colleague --
Commissioner Regalado: This is not, Mr. Milo, affordable or this is regular -- what you plan
to build is regular, you know, construction, office, housing?
Mr. Milo: No. The housing is to be affordable and workforce housing, and the --
Commissioner Regalado: OK --
Mr. Milo: -- so (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Commissioner Regalado: -- and the help willh come from?
Mr. Milo: The help?
Commissioner Regalado: Yeah, in terms of monies to --
Chair Spence -Jones: Fund it.
Mr. Milo: To funding?
Commissioner Regalado: -- fund.
Mr. Milo: Well, we have different sources of funding that we anticipate for the development.
On the commercial side, we're looking at the new market tax credits, which are federal
credits from the Department of Treasury; on the homeownership side, the traditional
funding of the Community Development funds, the County surtax funds, and any Affordable
Housing Trust funds.
Commissioner Regalado: Yeah, but -- that was the question. 1 mean, the idea and the
place is great because, like the Chairperson said, you know, there's nothing there, and
anything that gets built that is new and that has life, displaces the homeless and the
undesirable. That's -- but because of what's going on in the County, don't you think that it
will be harder to have access to these monies, in order to comply with the timetable that
you are offering?
Mr. Milo: I think the -- what's going on in the County is two -fold. In my personal opinion,
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you know, our company is one of the developers that has actually produced housing for the
County, so I think the County, once the shakeup is cleared out, and probably sooner, rather
than later, is going to need to bring developers that have produced housing back to the
forefront in order to get them their dollars, and to get the other side of the story, which is
the projects that have been built for affordable housing, but irrespective of that, assuming
they don't get their stuff fixed in a timely fashion, the County funding -- this project can
move forward without County funding because the new market tax credit is a new vehicle,
and we can build a project with the City funding and the new market tax credits, which is
federal, and still make the project happen, so hopefully, that's not the case. Hopefully, we
can still use the County dollars, but assuming we can't, we feel comfortable we can move
forward still with the --
Commissioner Regalado: And the timeline is?
Mr. Milo: The timeline to build it? We're ready. I mean, there's a process, obviously, that --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yes.
Mr. Milo: -- we have to go through because today is just an unsolicited proposal, but --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah. I think, Frank, you can somewhat explain, but I have some
other questions. I don't want to wait until you finish before we understand the process of
what --
Commissioner Regalado: No, I'm done, Madam Chair.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
Mr. Milo: Do you want to hear from Carrfour and let them talk about their piece?
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah, but let me just ask some quick little questions real fast. The
one thing that I think is great about the proposal -- and hopefully, once we put out, 1 guess,
an official bid -- is that how it's done, Frank? -- then we'll at least get a sense of kind of
what else is out there because I think it's important to do that, but so that you kind of
understand where our head is, the 3rd Avenue Business Corridor has been, over the last
six or seven months, for me, a major push, and that's why we've been focusing really hard
to make sure that we recruit new businesses. I believe Grady -- Brother Grady Muhammad
is here now, and he's been working very hard to, hopefully, get those businesses locked in
and moving, but between that section of 10th and 11th is a crucial point. It's really what we
would consider our super block in the neighborhood, so everything that's happening on
the right side of the street with the new businesses that are going in will hopefully, over the
next six to nine months, be moving; that is the ideal scene. The problem, however, not
having anything happening on the left side of the street, you know, you can't really attract
businesses to the area unless everything else is coming up at the same time, so I think that
having a proposal like that gives us at least the solidity that we need in order for, you know,
businesses to feel comfortable about coming into an area because something else is
attached to it. I do like the idea, and I've been a big, big advocate of making sure that, yes,
we do have affordable housing, but what Carrfour is doing in this -- and I know a lot of
people look at Carrfour because it's transitional housing most of the time, and they're
afraid of it, but for me, I think that having, you know, an agency like Carrfour that has
definitely a proven record on providing support for transitional living is very important in
this particular community, and especially since I have Camillus House is going to be
coming soon, and most of those people, hopefully, will be able to transition from a place
like Camillus House to, you know, their own rental property, so to me, I think it's really
important to -- having both of those elements. I do have those same concerns that
Commissioner Regalado mentioned; is because of this issue that's happening with the
County right now, and most of the housing developers -- including Carrfour, correct? -- a
lot -- the County dollars, having the County dollars make your program -- projects move are
really, really important, so you know, I just think that we need to make sure that, on our
end, from the City's end, and our City Manager pushes hard so that if these projects move,
for whatever reason, we don't get stuck in not having the additional dollars that are
necessary to make happen. I wanted to just ask you one quick question regarding the
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parking, OK. The -- it would be a garage, correctly -- correct?
Mr. Judson: Correct.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. The garage itself will be made available to not just the residents,
but the surrounding businesses, like right across the street because we're talking about
businesses that are now currently using that open lot. Will we be getting more parking
now for those businesses than we --
Mr. Milo: Yeah.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- would have if it remain a surface?
Mr. Milo: Yeah. That's why the intent is to make it a municipal garage when the project is
eventually built, not just to service our development, but -- first of all, there's 56 parking
spaces there currently that are going to be taken up by the development, which businesses
or residents of the area use currently, but more importantly -- at least I believe that the
parking garage is actually probably the most integral part of the development, as far as
spurring our development, but more importantly, spurring the businesses on the other side
of 3rd Avenue and future businesses on 9th Street and 10th Street that could be able to
park in this garage and further foster development in the area.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. Two more questions and I'm done. Mt. Zion, as you said, they're
here represented?
Mr. Milo: Yeah. Mr. McQueen is here on behalf of Mt. Zion.
Commissioner Spence -Jones: I just wanted to get a clearer understanding. I know Mt.
Zion is actually on the south side of this, correct?
James McQueen: Yeah. We're located on the -- James McQueen, 301 Northwest 9th Street.
Mt. Zion is located on the south side of the -- of 10th Street, and we are -- we have -- we are
currently in the area and have been in the area. We've had some very interesting
discussions not only about this particular development, but also about the development of
the community as a whole, and we look forward to working with Mr. Milo in trying to bring
this project to fruition.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK, and --
Mr. Milo: And Mr. Frasier here also, from our development team, is going to handle some
of the other aspects of our development.
Alex Frasier: Frasier Financial Group, 2222 Ponce De Leon. We were going to bring
(UNINTELLIGIBLE) we may have from other organizations throughout the country that we
do some of our lending through to help us bring some monies to the project as well as also
try to have some end buyers at the end of the day, a marketing strategy to get some end
buyers of the urban professional market to come back to the Overtown area.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK, and Alex is -- used to be our president of the only black bank that
we had really in South Florida, so it is a pleasure. I think that it's very important for young
leadership and people from the Overtown area, especially young African -American boys in
the area, to see people like yourself that have grown from the sports industry and have
moved beyond that to be in the financial world, so --
Mr. Frasier: Thank you.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- I think that you also serve as a great role model --
Mr. Frasier: Thank you.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- so I don't know if there's any other questions that my colleagues
have. I'm going to ask the executive director if he has any questions regarding our next
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steps.
Mr. Rollason: I don't have any questions, but there's a couple of things that the
Commissioners should be aware of.
Chair Spence -Jones: Sure.
Number one, when you look at that proposal, you need to realize that what's in orange is
going on our property. We don't own all that property --
Chair Spence -Jones: Right.
Mr. Rollason: -- so when you talk about the affordable housing piece, it's not on our
property. Its the Carrfour piece; it's separate from our property. Now this is a joint venture
to be able to pull that in, and it's a good project in concept, but when you put the project
out to bid, you'll be putting out our piece of property and ask for the proposals that'll come
in. Other people may come in with a project and not have access to that Carrfour piece of
property, and they would come in with something entirely different, but right now, with
what he's presenting -- and Alberto, you jump in wherever, if I'm, you know, steering them
wrong -- that you need to understand that the affordable housing piece we're talking about
with Carrfour is on property on 11th Street and not on our property.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK --
Mr. Rollason: I --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- so in other words, we would only -- when the bid goes out, we
would only put it out --
Mr. Rollason: Yeah. We can only put it --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- well, we could only put it out --
Mr. Rollason: -- out for our piece.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- for what we have.
Mr. Rollason: That's correct. Now his proposal will come in, I would assume, mirroring
what he's presenting here today, and in a way that would joint venture that or guarantee
that that piece would be built with our piece so that we don't end up with something that
doesn't capture that other piece with this.
Chair Spence -Jones: No problem.
Mr. Rollason: That's number one. Number two, the process would be, if the Board so
desires, they can direct us to put out an RFP (Request for Proposals) on this piece of
property. It would go out for no more than 30 days, and we would take all proposals that
come in, do an evaluation, and then a recommendation would come back to you to go with
the project, or not go with any project, or whittle it down to a couple of projects, or you
know, however it shakes out, but that's the process that they would have to go through to
be able to go forward with this.
Chair Spence -Jones: Well, let me just say this. I'm extremely supportive of any housing
that's happening within Overtown, and what we need to see more of, from where I sit, is the
kind of collaboration that we're seeing right now. Unfortunately, what's happening a lot of
times within my district, you don't see this type of collaboration happening with the various
agencies and various groups, and I think that it's really important for people to understand
that you have to be sensitive to the neighborhoods that you serve or that you plan on
building in, so for me, I'm very excited about this particular project, but I'm also excited
about the opportunity to see what else is out there. We have to get some stuff moving in
Overtown, and this is only one of the many things that we can move, but -- especially since
we have 3rd Avenue happening, so I'm very supportive of putting this out to bid so that we
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can find out --
Mr. Rollason: All right.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- what else is out there.
Mr. Rollason: That would just take a motion from the Board. Also, I want to point out --
just let me tell you just a couple more things. One is is that, when we put it out, one of the
requirements we would put in is that the existing parking would be maintained for the
public. Those 56 spaces wouldn't go away, and they would have to incorporate that into
the project.
Commissioner Haskins: I think this is one of those processes in government you have to
go through, even though it's the best result. The folks here have the best chance because
they've put together a group of properties that the development altogether makes a lot of
sense, rather than our property by itself, and I've got to commend this group for really
coming up with something that was -- is very thoughtful, and looking at an accumulation of
properties and trying to get virtually a city block really fixed up here. It's a -- you know, it's -
- I understand the rules of the game and all of that, but this is one of those situations, when
we go out to bid, we're only going to ask on our parcel, and nobody else is going to have
access to the major parcels of land involved in this, but I think we should go forward, and I
congratulate you on your collaboration. I think you really put a lot of thought into it, and I
think it's everything we want to be able to deliver in Overtown.
Mr. Rollason: Other than the big blocks that we have that we're dealing with, this is the
largest single piece of property that the CRA owns in Southeast Overtown/Park West, so
it's critical that we, you know, get the maximum use out of it, and it's also the intent of
Chapter 163 that when a project comes forward like this and you like it, that is the reason
that it goes out for those 30 days because there is nothing to say that you can't say, listen,
this is the project we got. You know, ready, set, go, but the law does require that we
examine and give, you know, diligence -- due diligence to everything that's presented.
Chair Spence -Jones: So is there a motion?
Commissioner Haskins: So moved.
Commissioner Regalado: I'II second the motion, and of course, this -- within the
philosophy of the CRA. I mean, empty lots do not help the area, but we do have to go
through the process, and if this is the case, I'm fine with it, so I'll second the motion.
Mr. Rollason: All right, so for the record, this is a motion for us to put the block out for an
RFP.
Chair Spence -Jones: All in favor?
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Spence -Jones: All opposed? This item is passed. Oh, I'm sorry.
Grady Muhammad: No problem. Madam -- I'm sorry, Chairman -- Chairwoman, CRA board
members, staff, attorneys, Grady Muhammad, Tools for Change. We're definitely in favor of
this project, especially with the number of parking spaces to be able to bring the additional
parking to the 3rd Avenue Corridor. The affordable housing on the principals; it's that
win -win partnership that we've always been looking for, and we're definitely without --
unequivocally in favor of this project because it has that element of affordable with
Carrfour, with the homeownership market rate housing. This is that win -win partnership
we've been talking about; you, as well as Commissioner Haskins, been talking about for the
community, and we're definitely in favor, and we're more than appreciate that you
supported it, and we will continue to watch the principals to ensure the parking and the
other assistance for the businesses are there. Thank you all.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. Thank you, Brother Muhammad. Let me just say this because
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this is not -- so that I don't get confused. It's not a public hearing, though, correct?
Mr. Rollason: No, it is not.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK, so Mr. Cutler, can we just save them for the public hearings part
of it? I always want to hear from everybody, but I want to make sure I stick to the agenda. I
think --
Doug Mayer: OK. I just wanted to say one thing. Carrfour was approached to partic --
Mr. Rollason: We need your name and address --
Mr. Mayer: I'm sorry.
Mr. Rollason: -- for the record.
Mr. Mayer: My name is Doug Mayer. I'm vice president of housing development for
Carrfour Supportive Housing. When we started this process, Carrfour was partnering with
the Collins Center, another nonprofit. They're the ones that own the land that we were
going to build on, and when they came to me and said they had spoken to Albert Milo about
coming together and doing this, it just made so much sense, from our perspective -- one of
the things that I -- that I'm proud of about this partnership is the housing that we're going to
build is going to be affordable. These are apartments. They're going to be affordable for
people that live in Overtown today, and I wanted to say that publicly because a lot of times,
people come and they go, oh, you're building stuff and nobody can afford to live there. The
units that we've got there -- we have 18 units that are going to rent from $240 to $263 a
month, and then we've got another 52 units that are going to rent for $500 to about 550 a
month. That's affordable housing, and that's housing that people there can live in, and it's
going to --1 want you to see -- this is the type of development you can do with tax credits.
This is one of our projects in East Little Havana, and it's called Villa Aurora, and with what
we're applying for -- actually, our tax credit application goes in on Thursday of this week for
the -- and our portion is called Sir John Apartments, but you can do a beautiful building
with tax credits. You can have balconies, as we have here. It can have architectural
features that make it an attractive property. It doesn't have to look like a pillbox, and that's
the kind of project that we promise we'll do for our part of the project. I just wanted, like I
said, to say on the record that the people that we're serving are going to be people that live
in Overtown.
Chair Spence -Jones: Thank you, Doug.
Commissioner Haskins: I wish your architect had designed Dade County's transportation
building across the way.
Chair Spence -Jones: All right.
Mr. Rollason: That's affectionately known in Overtown as UB1 -- that's Ugly Building 1, and
then the one going up the side is (AUDIO INTERRUPTED).
FINANCIALS
2. 06-01211 CRA REPORT
FINANCIAL SUMMARY THROUGH MONTH END JUNE 30, 2006
Financial Summary.pdf
DISCUSSED
Chair Spence -Jones: We're going to go ahead and move on to number 2 on the agenda.
Frank.
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): All right.
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Number 2 is the financial report from our financial officer, Miguel Valentin, on the month
end through June 30.
Miguel Valentin (Finance Officer, Community Redevelopment Agency): Good evening,
Chairman, Commissioners. As we're doing every month, we're presenting the combined
statement of financial position. As of June 30, 2006, as cash unrestricted under Southeast
Overtown/Park West, we are disclosing the amount of $551,042, and under Omni, we are
disclosing the amount of 75,000. In addition to that, there is no reportable condition to
inform to the Board.
Chair Spence -Jones: Any questions?
Commissioner Haskins: Yeah, I do have a couple. In Omni, the revenues are -- other
revenues are 6.8 million, better than budget, is that right? Or under budget, under budget?
Mr. Valentin: This is -- yes.
Commissioner Haskins: OK.
Mr. Valentin: Well -- yes, under budget.
Commissioner Haskins: And what were those revenues going to be?
Mr. Valentin: What happened is, if you look at the item "Other Revenues" --
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Mr. Valentin: -- part of this revenue amount is the carryover --
Commissioner Haskins: The fund balance.
Mr. Valentin: -- fund balance from '05.
Commissioner Haskins: OK, so that's always going to show that kind of variance --
Mr. Valentin: Yeah.
Commissioner Haskins: -- but what concerns me in this, in both Southeast Overtown and
Park -- Southeast Overtown/Park West and the Omni is community redevelopment
expenses in Southeast Overtown/Park West were budgeted at $7.6 million, only $1.3 million
has been spent; and in Omni, it was budgeted at 14.3 million, only 2.2 million has been
spent. It looks like we're building a very large fund balance -- continuing fund balance
carryover by not applying the funds to --
Mr. Valentin: Well, what I'm able to tell you is most of the funds --
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Mr. Valentin: -- are being encumbered. What happened is, maybe in future years, we're
going to use the monies for the projects that we are intending to carry out.
Commissioner Haskins: OK. They're being encumbered, but they're not being spent,
right? And encumbered isn't a legal encumbrance, it's that you said that we're going to do
the sewer in and -- storm sewer in front of one of the entertainment district --
Mr. Valentin: We have authorization for those items.
Commissioner Haskins: -- businesses, right? I mean, that's -- so you're setting these
monies aside for those sorts of future projects.
Mr. Valentin: Exactly.
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Commissioner Haskins: OK, but can you give us, at some point, an accounting of what it's
all set aside for --
Mr. Valentin: Yes.
Commissioner Haskins: -- and how long it's been set aside, and --? Because we're looking
at all the projects for the CRAs, and we're looking at bonding capacity and that sort of
thing, and there seems to be -- if we look at the $7 million in fund balance carry forward on
Omni and the 4 million on Southeast Overtown/Park West, and then on top of it, we've got --
so that's $11 million, and another $18 million coming in for this year; that's a lot of money
that's being set aside.
Mr. Rollason: Commissioner, if I can comment on that for a moment, please. When we get
into the two budgets -- this is a recap of the month end.
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Mr. Rollason: When we get into the two budgets, you will find, in the capital pages and the
grant pages, where the bulk of this money is accounted for; some of it is already
appropriated. Some of it, as you say, is encumbered and been identified for projects that
the Board has not taken action on at this point, but there is not a large fund balance or
there is not a large budget reserve. They're all earmarked for projects that are in some way
of coming down the pike to be done, and I -- I mean, I agree with your concerns because
there are some constraints on TIF (Tax Increment Fund) money, and I have made the Board
aware of that over the past several years, that we need to get this money appropriated and
into projects that will be built within three years, and I think we have -- with, for instance,
the Omni water project is three and a half, and we're putting another half million dollars in
it. Tonight we'll ask the Board to approve the agreement to go forward with WASA (Water
and Sewer Authority) on that. Other projects that you see there -- and we'll see them when
we get into -- you will see that the money is tied up into projects to go forward, and in fact,
tonight is the first time we've had a move off of an existing project to move the money
somewhere else; that the Board has continued to want to keep the money in the projects
that have been identified at this point, so I think when we get into the budgets of the
individual CRAs and we go to the capital sheet, we can answer those questions more
completely.
Commissioner Haskins: Yeah, and you know, while we're at it, we might -- because I
couldn't reconcile between this and the budget because it looks to me, from the face of the
June 30, 2006, that there should be a carryover fund balance of close to $11 million out of
Southeast Overtown/Park West, where the budget is only showing $6.8 million, so there's a
significant different there, and from the face of the statements for June 30, '06 on Omni, it
looks like there should be close to -- actually, it's $20 million carryover, where the budget is
only showing 13.3. From the pace of spending, it doesn't seem like those monies are going
to go out between now and the end of the year, since we're already in July now, so I
couldn't reconcile the two. It looked like there was, you know, $15 million missing in the
budgets.
Mr. Valentin: Well, what I'm able to tell you is we ware carrying forward the entire fund
balance for a next year budget. If you want me to tailor a report showing you the detail of
that, I'm able to do it.
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Mr. Valentin: If you want me to do it, I will go ahead and do it throughout the week, and I
will submit that for your consideration.
Commissioner Haskins: OK. I would like to see it.
Mr. Valentin: Yes, ma'am.
RESOLUTIONS
CO, gil1'1ia,ni
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Marked Agenda ® July 31, 2006
3. 06-00917 CRA RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE
SOUTHEAST OVERTOWN/PARK WEST COMMUNITY
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY ("CRA"), WITH ATTACHMENT(S),
APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE CRA'S PROPOSED GENERAL
OPERATING BUDGET AND TAX INCREMENT FUND BUDGET FOR
THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2006 AND ENDING
SEPTEMBER 30, 2007; AND DIRECTING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
TO TRANSMIT A COPY OF EACH BUDGET TO THE CITY OF MIAMI
AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTY.
Cover Memo.pdf, 06-00917 Back-up.pdf, 06-00917 Legislation.pdf,
Cover Memo v2.pdf, Legislation v2.pdf, Attachments v2.pdf
CRA-R-06-0024
MOVED: Linda Haskins
SECONDED: Tomas Regalado
Motion that this matter be ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
AYES: Commissioner Regalado, Chair Spence -Jones and Commissioner Haskins
ABSENT: Vice Chair Gonzalez and Commissioner Sanchez
Direction by Commissioner Haskins to the Executive Director that her approval of the
resolution was subject to his providing a report to the Board regarding the carryover fund
balances and capital improvement projects in the proposed budget.
Direction by Commissioner Haskins to the Executive Director to invite the Police
Department to the CRA meeting currently scheduled for September 25, 2006 to discuss the
Board's issues regarding the police presence in the entertainment area downtown and in
Overtown.
Chair Spence -Jones: All right, so we're going to move to number 3 on the budget.
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): All right. Item
number 3 is a resolution requesting the approval and adopting the CRA's (Community
Redevelopment Agency) budget for Southeast Overtown/Park West, and directing the
executive director to forward it to the City Commission for their acceptance, and you know,
we'll entertain any questions on that. I know Commissioner Haskins had some questions
about on the back side, so we will certainly --
Chair Spence -Jones: Commissioner.
Mr. Rollason: -- address those.
Commissioner Haskins: I mean, I see -- I mean, I'm -- can't find $4 million that I think
should be there, so I would like to defer the item.
Mr. Rollason: Well, if we can address that and try to come up where -- I mean, I think we've
accounted for all the money, and I think we're in the situation where we don't meet again in
August, and you would -- and we meet at the last Monday in September, which would
probably bring us after the time that the budgets are approved before the Commission, so if
we can try to address those items tonight and try to find out why you feel there's 4 million
missing and why we think it's all there, maybe we can discover what the problem is.
Miguel Valentin (Finance Officer, Community Redevelopment Agency): Where in
City of Atramr
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Marked Agenda • July 31, 2006
particular? Where (INAUDIBLE) --?
Commissioner Haskins: Aren't you going to carry forward the 4 million from last year and
the 6.9 million from this year?
Mr. Valentin: Well, actually, for 2007 --
Commissioner Haskins: Six point eight.
Mr. Valentin: Exactly. This is --
Commissioner Haskins: Well, isn't there 4 million from last year that you're going to
carryover again?
Mr. Valentin: Part of it.
Commissioner Haskins: OK.
Mr. Valentin: Part of it, but important thing that I wanted to stress out is we are carrying
forward everything. We are not leaving anything behind, and that's why I'm pretty confident
in providing you the entire detail --
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Mr. Valentin: -- in whatever we are intending to use the monies.
Commissioner Haskins: Does it go into a capital fund at the end of the year? Is that what
happens?
Mr. Valentin: Most it -- most of it.
Commissioner Haskins: And do we have a capital fund budget to approve?
Mr. Rollason: Yes. It's on page 8. If you look to page 8, you'll see the budget is in the back
for all the capital projects, and it'll show you those projects that were appropriated prior to
FY (fiscal year) '07, and those that we're looking to budget for this year, if you just follow
those X's down, it'll lay that out.
Commissioner Haskins: Yeah. That's not a capital fund budget. That's showing the detail
of the line for capital expenditures is what it's doing, but I still don't understand how this
works.
Mr. Valentin: Well, if -- for that, I'm not able to give you this information right now, but by
tomorrow, I'm able to tailor a report for you. That is no problem.
Commissioner Haskins: Could -- if we -- if I made a motion to approve the budget on the
condition that there is no carryover fund balance without having that report and no
budgeting of expenses against it with having -- without having that report, that will
accomplish an approval tonight, right?
Mr. Valentin: Yeah.
Mr. Rollason: That's fine with me.
Mr. Valentin: That's fine.
Commissioner Haskins: So moved.
Commissioner Regalado: I'll second it, with the condition, but I'll still say, Frank, if you
have any ideas within the budget, if there is room, just in case that some extra security is
needed in the area --
City. of Miann
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Marked Agenda July 31, 2006
Mr. Rollason: Well --
Commissioner Regalado: -- not for a particular club. Particular club have to pay for their
own.
Mr. Rollason: I understand.
Commissioner Regalado: I'm talking about the area.
Mr. Rollason: The interlocal agreements require that any use of dollars for police activity
be approved by the County. We do not have the ability in-house, except for a pilot program.
Commissioner Regalado: I didn't say police; I said security.
Mr. Rollason: I understand. Well, I think the County looks at the community policing and
the security issues as being reserved to them, as we've had discussions before. If you can
remember, we've done two special projects, one in Omni, and one that's just finishing up in
Overtown now that were pilot programs for that use, and the County, as soon as they saw
the use of those dollars, came right to us to question our authority to be able to do that, but
we can certainly look at it. I don't think funding's the issue. It's going to be the mechanism
that we go forward with it, if that's the desire of the Board.
Commissioner Spence -Jones: So Commissioner Regalado, you're saying like a roving
security type service that could be --
Commissioner Regalado: Exactly.
Commissioner Spence -Jones: -- made available?
Commissioner Regalado: Anything that is visible. Anything that --
Mr. Rollason: 1 understand.
Commissioner Regalado: -- it's a car with either, you know, yellow lights or green lights,
and flashing going around. I mean, the same thing that you have in the large shopping
center --
Mr. Rollason: Right.
Commissioner Regalado: -- parking lots. It's a roving security, and that is not police
because these are not sworn police officers. These are security, and they just go around
the street trying to help someone. I mean, look what happened in Coconut Grove. A guy,
unfortunately, was shot and killed because he was looking for an address, and this is the --
what gives people the perception of safety, so I don't know up to what extent the County
considers security officer a police issue. I don't think so because they are not sworn police
officer.
Commissioner Haskins: I'm not -- I -- you know, I'm with Commissioner Spence [sic] on
this one. I don't understand spending scarce taxpayer dollars on this. When I go to
Dadeland and there's a roving security guard, that's paid by the merchants that have their
building at Dadeland. That's. not paid for by anybody else but the merchants that have their
businesses at Dadeland Mall, and from my discussions with the police today, the
uniformed officers have a difficult enough time in dealing with some of these folks that if
we have just a roving security guard, I don't know what that's really going to do, you know.
I mean, I understand your concern, Commissioner. I mean, I respect your concern, I really
do, but I'm not sure that that money is going to be what gets us the security over there, and
I think it's up to the clubs to police themselves, but you go back to will they do that.
Commissioner Regalado: And that's the point that I'm making, Linda. The thing is -- and I
fully understand that the clubs need to even hire off -duty police officer, which is -- a
security guard, there's nothing they can do about it, but my issue is not so much about
what's going on in the clubs, but what you said. The downtown people are moving in. If,
City of Miami
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Marked Agenda July 31, 2006
you know, three blocks from your building, you know that this ruckus is going on, but you
see if you move a security vehicle going around, you feel safer in your building. This is not
for the protection of the clubs. This is for the whole downtown area protection, and since
we cannot accomplish with the police, then we should try with the security. It's like the
roving police officer that they have in the special taxing district in (UNINTELLIGIBLE), you
know, enclosed in front of Mercy Hospital. They have a roving police officer that they pay,
so you know, I'm just saying -- I'm telling you, I'm just saying that this incident is the
beginning of an era of problems for the attendance and popularity of those clubs, because
what's going to happen is that the quiet and decent people are going to say, I'm not going,
and the rowdy ones are going to say, I'll go, until it becomes -- the whole area becomes a
nightmare and a war zone, so that was my point.
Commissioner Haskins: No. I mean, I think your point is really well -- it really is well -taken.
Can we reach a compromise?
Commissioner Regalado: No, no, no. I mean --
Commissioner Haskins: Just a --
Commissioner Regalado: -- I'm just saying --
Commissioner Haskins: -- suggestion that maybe --
Chair Spence -Jones: But as long --
Commissioner Haskins: -- we bring the police in, in the next CRA meeting, just to discuss
these issues --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yes --
Commissioner Haskins: -- and what they would recommend.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- and if we get to the point that we -- first of all, I want to make sure
that that -- the comment about police, once they do come here, we address the issue that
Overtown residents are facing like everyday with just living. I'm not talking about going out
and partying. I'm talking about just being able to live without having things happen to
them, but if we do get that roving -- somehow that that becomes an option, I would like for
that same thing to be offered to all these businesses that we're trying to move to 3rd
Avenue, to let them rove down 3rd Avenue where those new businesses are because
they're going to have the same issue with people hanging outside of their doors and
creating an issue when they get ready to park, so I just think that if we're going to do it, it
needs to be an overall, well -thought out plan because --
Mr. Rollason: Throughout the CRAs.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- no business should be affected by it, one way or the other.
Mr. Rollason: I understand, but it would be throughout the CRAs is what you're --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yes.
Mr. Rollason: -- talking --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yes.
Mr. Rollason: OK. That's the way we'll approach it with Police.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK, so we -- did we get a motion on that, on item number 3? OK, so
all in favor?
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
City of Miami
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Marked Agenda July 31, 2006
Chair Spence -Jones: Any opposed? Motion is passed.
4. 06-00918 CRA RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE OMNI
REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT
AGENCY ("CRA"), WITH ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING AND
ADOPTING THE CRA'S PROPOSED GENERAL OPERATING BUDGET
AND TAX INCREMENT FUND BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2006 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2007;
AND DIRECTING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO TRANSMIT A COPY
OF EACH BUDGET TO THE CITY OF MIAMI AND MIAMI-DADE
COUNTY.
06-00918 Cover Memo.pdf, 06-00918 Back-up.pdf, 06-00918
Legislation.pdf, Cover Memo v2.pdf, Legislation v2.pdf, Attachments
v2.pdf
CRA-R-06-0025
MOVED: Linda Haskins
SECONDED: Tomas Regalado
Motion that this matter be ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
AYES: Commissioner Regalado, Chair Spence -Jones and Commissioner Haskins
ABSENT: Vice Chair Gonzalez and Commissioner Sanchez
Direction by Chair Spence -Jones to the City Manager to pursue a better working
relationship/partnership with the Performing Arts Center to ensure official CRA
acknowledgement, credit, and participation in the development of the Performing Arts
Center.
Direction by Chair Spence -Jones to the Executive Director to ensure that there will be an
official smoke detector program in the upcoming CRA budgets.
Note for the Record: Commissioner Haskins stated that her approval of the resolution was
subject to the executive director providing a report to the Board regarding the carryover
fund balances and capital improvement projects in the proposed budget; the same
conditions she outlined for the Southeast Overtown/Park West budget.
Chair Spence -Jones: We're going to move to item number 4.
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): Item number 4 is
the budget for the Omni CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency), and we can do it with
the same requirement that we provide that capital information, if that's acceptable to the
Board.
Commissioner Haskins: Yeah, and I just had one other question on this. There's $3 million
for a public -private infrastructure development --
Mr. Rollason: Yes.
Commissioner Haskins: -- grant program. How does that work?
Mr. Rollason: That -- and there's also a million in the Southeast Overtown/Park West --
Commissioner Haskins: Right.
City of Miami
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Mr. Rollason: -- and what we did was, in meetings with then -Chairman Winton, there are
individual developers, such as the Filling Station Lofts or Park Place -- Parc Lofts, that
come forward and they need assistance to -- with certain infrastructure. The idea was to, in
the bond program, address some of these infrastructure needs on a global perspective, but
in the short-term, there's projects that are coming out of the ground, and so the idea was to
have a fund that developers could apply to and say, look, I'm putting in this much. I need
this much, such as what we did with Filling Stations [sic] Lofts with the grant of 850,000,
and we were able to, after the projects had been identified, come up with these dollars in
both of the CRAs, as a prelude to what, hopefully, we're going to be able to do with the
bond money, which is probably, by the time projects are in the ground, 18 months or 2
years out, if things go well. Right now, there's projects that are coming up, and they're
saying, I need help, and so the idea was to create this fund as a private -public type thing
where they would come in and they would apply, and they would be evaluated on what type
of infrastructure -- whether it be Florida Power & Light, duct banks, or it be storm water or
deep injection wells, or whatever, in the public right-of-way, or perhaps, going through their
property, they'd made it possible for the property next door to be able to start to develop
and not have to go that full distance by themselves, so that's the objective, and each
project would have to come back on its own merit to the Board for approval.
Commissioner Haskins: Do they come directly to the -- through the Board, or is this
something that they go to the executive director, and the executive director --
Mr. Rollason: Right. They would come to the exec --
Commissioner Haskins: -- makes the decision on who to give money to?
Mr. Rollason: No, no, no.
Commissioner Haskins: OK.
Mr. Rollason: The decision is made at the Board.
Commissioner Haskins: OK.
Mr. Rollason: They make application -- they would come to us.
Commissioner Haskins: OK.
Mr. Rollason: If it looked like something that made sense to go forward with, just like
Henry's project, we would bring it.
Commissioner Haskins: OK.
Mr. Rollason: If somebody came to me with a project that had absolutely no funding
whatsoever, but wanted us to put in the infrastructure on an if, come that now they can go
and get the money, I'd be a little hesitant to bring that to the Board and say this was a good
investment. Keep in mind that, just like the water project, if we're able to start to address
some of these things globally with the bond money, a lot of these requests are going to go
away because we're going to have it put in the ground for them already.
Commissioner Haskins: Exactly. OK.
Commissioner Regalado: One -- Chair, one question. OK. Frank, on the Omni budget, of
course I don't have any problem. However, there is an issue -- well, there're two issues in
the Omni, and I just wanted to find out how do we stand on it. Number one, we are -- the
CRA is putting its money where its mouth was many years ago and funding the Performing
Arts Center, right? And we keep doing that --
Mr. Rollason: That is correct.
Commissioner Regalado: -- to the tune of one point --
City of Miami
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Mr. Rollason: One point four three right now.
Commissioner Regalado: -- four three.
Mr. Rollason: Annually.
Commissioner Regalado: Plus, we are in the threshold of giving more money to the PAC
(Performing Arts Center). That's why -- I was looking at some e-mail (electronic mail)
communi -- (AUDIO INTERRUPTED) -- I read that the explanation is that this money is a part
of the City of Miami, should have the three hundred and fifty -some thousand dollar -- it
should have come or it has to come from the City of Miami, right?
Mr. Rollason: I saw that e-mail today, and I'm not exactly sure how to interpret that.
Originally, there was no money coming from the City; it was all by the CRA. It was 4.5
million. What has happened is that the project has gone over budget, and then at a
CRA/CIP (Capital Improvements Program) Committee meeting that we had a couple of
weeks ago that Chairman Spence [sic] chairs that committee too, it was brought to my
attention by CIT (Capital Improvements & Transportation) that this project is over like
$380,000, and that the CRA was going to have to come up with this money.
Commissioner Regalado: Well --
Mr. Rollason: My position has been is that the budget's 4.5, and that our direction to the
City was stay within that budget, or come to us ahead of time before it's over budget, and
let us know we have a problem. My understanding now is that it is a problem; it is going to
have to be addressed, and it will probably have to come out of the CRA to fund that. We
funded some additional items that was requested by the PAC, by PAB-B, dealing with
signalization at some intersections, which was roughly $350,000, and when that request
came in, I forwarded it to CIT, and I said that I had no problem with that being added to the
scope of work, but that we wanted to stay within the budget of the 4.5. We were assured it
would stay within the 4.5.
Commissioner Regalado: Well --
Mr. Rollason: I'm now hearing that there's two like separate budgets; how it's separated,
and part of it is the City project and part of it is the County project, and that we're within the
budget of this one; we're not within the budget of that one, and I really haven't had a
chance to ferret it out, but it is over, and the money's going to have to be put in there.
Commissioner Regalado: Yeah, but my comment was, more or less, on the same line.
Eventually, the CRA, we're going to have to pay for it because it would come to a point
where it would say, board members, if we don't do this, the project will not get done, and
it's a shame, and all that, but my point wasn't that. My point was that if the Board agrees
and the Chair and Vice Chair -- are you vice chair?
Commissioner Haskins: No, I don't think so.
Commissioner Regalado: No.
Chair Spence -Jones: Gonzalez.
Mr. Rollason: No.
Commissioner Regalado: Oh, sorry.
Mr. Rollason: Commissioner Gonzalez is vice chair.
Commissioner Regalado: OK. No. I thought you -- because (UNINTELLIGIBLE) big chairs.
Well, anyway --
Commissioner Haskins: So do you.
City of Mann
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Commissioner Regalado: (INAUDIBLE). No. Anyway, if this board agrees, I think that we
should communicate to all parties, the County, and the PAC, and all that, that this is an
issue that the City Manager of the City of Miami will be dealing with them when he goes to
talk about everything because this $352,000 eventually will come out of the CRA, and that's
almost for sure, but it's important that the City Manager has leverage to go and talk to the
County in all these issues that he has to discuss, and say, oh, by the way, you know what?
If you guys don't help us, we still have some -- half a block of the super block pending that
there is an over budget there, a little money, like $300,000. It is important to give him
leverage, and I just hope that that would be some kind of direction that the Board gives you
in order to help the Manager in his dealing with the County. Now the other issue is, if the
CRA, in the future, is going to be almost supporting this young man going to college and
spending a lot of money, the PAC, the Performing Arts Center, that people in the Omni area
and the CRA should have something to say about the way that this center is operating and
running because, to me, this PAC Board is an elitist, exclusive club of, you know, beautiful
people that, by the way, hasn't -- they have not raised the money that they should have
done it in years, so I don't know. People from the Omni, people from the Park
West/Overtown, they should have a say in the running of the PAC. After all, it's their
money, and I just wish that the CRA Board will go on record saying, well, you know what?
You want our money, but we do want our people there just to -- I mean, you're there, but
you are outvoted, I'm sure.
Mr. Rollason: I'm sure. I sit on --
Commissioner Regalado: Of course, I'm sure.
Mr. Rollason: -- the construction committee; I'm not on the board. We do not have a
representative on the board, other than the City Manager had an appointee at that time who
was -- Ricky Arriola sat on that board.
Commissioner Regalado: Yeah. It was the son of the City Manager.
Mr. Rollason: OK.
Commissioner Regalado: No, no. I mean, things have to be told.
Mr. Rollason: I have tried to pursue this with the board as best I can. I have requested
that, on the donor wall, there be a brick there that says the Omni CRA. I mean, here are the
taxpayers of the Omni --
Commissioner Regalado: That's what I'm saying.
Mr. Rollason: -- putting in millions and millions of dollars of tax, and just not naming
names, I even tried to get the board members of the CRA, at the time, to go on, and that
was like a sacrilege.
Commissioner Regalado: Look, I bet you, Frank Rollason -- and the Manager is here for the
first time -- that if we're going to sell the name rights of one of those opera houses, all of
them should be named --
Commissioner Haskins: Omni CRA.
Commissioner Regalado: -- Omni CRA, you know, City of Miami and whatever, and not
Dolores and whatever that is because we have put more money, and we will be putting
more money in that sinkhole than anybody else.
Mr. Rollason: The economic engine we refer to --
Commissioner Regalado: Oh, yeah, yeah, sure.
Mr. Rollason: -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is hardly the sinkhole.
Commissioner Regalado: Sure. Well, sure, like -- sure --
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Marked Agenda July 31, 2006
Commissioner Haskins: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) project.
Commissioner Regalado: -- but that's not -- but you see, that's not the point.
Mr. Rollason: Yeah, I understand.
Commissioner Regalado: The point is that it is the people's money.
Mr. Rollason: You're exactly right --
Commissioner Regalado: You know --
Mr. Rollason: -- and I think that one of the things that we could certainly bargain, which is
not a mon -- because it all seems to come down to the monetary issues, but some of the
side things we could argue is having the representation on the board that truly represents
the area, having somebody from the Omni Advisory Board, having an appointee from the
Commission from the -- either a Commissioner of the district or the Commission,
appointees of the Mayor. I mean, we're talking literally now we're going to increase it a
huge amount of money going over there, and you -- Commissioner Regalado, it's because
of your insistence that they acquiesced to let me sit on the construction committee, which
we started --
Commissioner Regalado: It wasn't my assistance, it was my persistence --
Mr. Rollason: Yeah.
Commissioner Regalado: -- and you know what? I think it's good, but yet, sitting only on
the construction committee is not good enough.
Mr. Rollason: No, no. You should have representation on the board, and I think Fred has
been speaking about this for years, and when you look at the people in the Omni area, the
sacrifices that they put up with on a daily basis, that there should be something in return as
being a good neighbor, and if you'll recall, the Commission directed us, at a previous board
meeting, to meet with the PAC and to come up with something to come back, and we've
had one meeting, and nothing has come back, and nothing has been taken to the board of
the PAC, and that sort of sits where it wallows, and 1 think --
Chair Spence -Jones: So Mr. Executive Director, so that we don't carry it on forever, can Mr.
City Manager, since we do have you with us today, is there any way that we can yield to the
request of Commissioner Regalado to figure out a better working relationship or
partnership with them so that we do get some official acknowledgement, credit, or
participation in what's happening? Is there any way that we can --
Pedro G. Hernandez (City Manager): Madam Chair, what I'll do is --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- be able to consummate --?
Mr. Hernandez: -- work with the CRA, get more information on the subject matter, and
basically see if we can include discussions with the County as we discuss the many other
items that we have pending on both CRAs.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. Any other questions on the budget so that we can move off of
the budget? I just have -- I just wanted -- I'm sorry. For my colleagues, before I move off --
(UNINTELLIGIBLE) so -- is there any other questions on the budget?
Commissioner Regalado: No.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. I just want to make sure that -- when I start looking at these past
budgets, and you and I have been going back and forth on the budget, we put dollars into
projects, and the projects -- certain projects just sit there, and I know that, for some reason,
they have certain things attached to them or whatever. I just want -- a perfect example is --
City of Mann
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it seems like a small project, but you know, it's something that I know people throughout
the community could use, which is the smoke detector program. It's been sitting there for
how long?
Mr. Rollason: It's been -- this is the second year that I've put it in, and I --
Chair Spence -Jones: I mean, I --
Mr. Rollason: -- the -- I put it in the budget, and the Chairman of the Board does not want it
to go forward; that's just as simple as that.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. The new chairman, which is right here, right now --
Mr. Rollason: And when this budget goes in --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- I want to make sure that we officially have a program. You have it
in the Omni area --
Mr. Rollason: And it's --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- you have it in the Overtown area.
Mr. Rollason: Yes, we do.
Chair Spence -Jones: I think the defibrillators will be great for both, you know, CRAs. I'm
sure they, you know, could be helpful. I want to make sure that we have an official program
put together in order to utilize it.
Mr. Rollason: What will happen is that come the October meeting --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Mr. Rollason: -- we put together the resolutions for all these items that have been
budgeted.
Chair Spence -Jones: Yes.
Mr. Rollason: They will come to you first, as the Chair --
Chair Spence -Jones: Right.
Mr. Rollason: -- and you will say to the executive director, yes, put that on the agenda, or
no, don't put that on the agenda --
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
Mr. Rollason: -- and so they all come ready to go in October, and they're either -- they either
go forward or they sit because the Chair does not want them to go forward.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
Mr. Rollason: It's just that simple.
Chair Spence -Jones: Well, I can guarantee you this, very little is going to sit --
Mr. Rollason: They will be there --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- because we have to move.
Mr. Rollason: -- in front of you in October.
Chair Spence -Jones: It doesn't make sense to have money that we don't use.
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Mr. Rollason: No, I agree, and they're good projects.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. Do I have a motion?
Commissioner Haskins: So move, subject to the carryover issue.
Commissioner Regalado: Second.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. All in favor?
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Spence -Jones: Any opposing? OK, item is moved.
5. 06-00914 CRA RESOLUTION
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE BOARDS OF COMMISSIONERS OF
THE SOUTHEAST OVERTOWN/PARK WEST AND OMNI
REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT
AGENCIES ("CRAS") DIRECTING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO
REQUEST THAT THE CITY OF MIAMI CITY MANAGER DIRECT CITY
STAFF TO PREPARE AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER
4/SECTION 4-11 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS
AMENDED, ENTITLED "ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES/EXCEPTIONS TO
DISTANCE REQUIREMENTS," TO MODIFY THE BOUNDARIES OF THE
PARK WEST, OVERTOWN, AND MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT SPECIALTY
DISTRICTS; AND TO REQUEST THAT THE ORDINANCE BE PLACED
BEFORE THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION FOR ITS CONSIDERATION.
Cover Memo.pdf, Back-up.pdf, Legislation.pdf, Cover Memo v2.pdf,
Back-up v2.pdf, Legislation v2.pdf, Cover Memo V3.pdf, Back Up
V3.pdf, Legislation V3.pdf
DEFERRED
A motion was made by Commissioner Haskins, seconded by Commissioner Regalado, and
was passed unanimously, with Vice Chair Gonzalez and Commissioner Sanchez absent, to
defer Item 5 to the CRA meeting currently scheduled for September 25, 2006.
Chair Spence -Jones: We move into the next one now.
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): All right. Item
number 5. Item number 5 was deferred from the last budget -- last meeting. There were
some issues in there that the Board was not comfortable with; it has been revised. This'
particular item now deals strictly with changing the boundaries of the entertainment
districts with the intent of bringing all three of them together at a nucleus to where, when
you access parking underneath 395 -- and there's a map in your package that will show you
how we're making the change -- so that when you get out from parking and you walk into
either the Omni side or you walk into the Overtown side, into the blues and jazz, or you
walk into the 24-hour district, you are in an entertainment district, instead of having to walk
several blocks, not in an entertainment district, and having to walk several blocks between
them that are not tangent to one another, is the idea, so we've -- this was in the plan for the
-- Omni plan. It's addressed in the Southeast Overtown/Park West plan, with the idea of
trying to bring the entertainment centers together. In the Overtown area, we have moved it
northward so that we get the 5 a.m. district away from the new residential that we're talking
about going in on Block 36, and the other blocks to the south of that. In the 24-hour
district, it pushes west along 11th Street to 1st Avenue, and it brings it up from 7th Street;
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instead of making it a square -type of a deal, it makes it more linear along the 24-hour
district. It buffers some of that noise that Commissioner Haskins was talking about so that
it's not spread throughout a huge area, and then on the Omni side, it pushes -- this district
that we're in right now, it pushes it south a little bit up against 395 so that these few blocks
that are between 395 and the Omni district will be part of it, and the big thing is that it
includes the Performing Arts Center in the entertainment district, the largest entertainment
venue we have, and it was not within the entertainment district, so we have stretched that
out and moved it around the entertainment district to put it around the PAC (Performing
Arts Center), so what this does tonight is request the City to address the ordinance. This is
a City ordinance dealing with the Code, with the zoning, and this is a formal request from
the Board because even though, again, with Chairman Winton, he wanted to move forward
with it. When I went and spoke with Ana, Ana said she would like to have some kind of
official action by the Board to go forward, and that's what's with you here tonight,
requesting the City to revisit it, and then it would come before you as a Commission to vote
on to approve that. This is not an approval of this Board to make these changes, but
merely a recommendation to the City to look at this and incorporate these changes into the
Zoning Code.
Chair Spence -Jones: Any questions on the item?
Commissioner Regalado: I have a comment. You know, it couldn't have come in a worse
time because of what we were discussing here.
Mr. Rollason: I understand.
Jorge L. Fernandez (General Counsel): Madam Chair.
Chair Spence -Jones: I think our City Attorney wants to --
Mr. Fernandez: Yes.
Commissioner Regalado: But I mean, you know, we have the Chair and -- the area
Commissioner. Whatever you feel and the executive director -- I don't have a problem. I
just -- I'm saying that if today -- maybe last week look great; today looks different.
Mr. Rollason: I understand.
Commissioner Regalado: That's what I'm saying.
Chair Spence -Jones: Mr. City Attorney.
Mr. Fernandez: Yes. Just for -- to refresh your recollection, the City is presently
considering something similar for Watson Island, as we try to accommodate the request of
a charter school, and we have to deal with an ordinance addressing the distance
requirements for alcohol beverages, and this is very similar to that.
Commissioner Haskins: This ordinance is kind of a strange one. It does have a lot of
different other elements that I'd like to discuss, but you know, the 24 hours in Park West --
you know, Frank, I understand these clubs coming in, but I think we need to really take a
look at how they're operating. The ordinance requests a number of things, OK. They are
supposed to provide us an operational business plan that addresses hours of operation,
number of employees, menus, goals, and other operational characteristics pertinent to the
application; a parking plan they're supposed to give us. They're supposed to propose a
crowd control plan that addresses how large groups of people waiting to gain entry into the
establishment, already on the premises, will be controlled; a security plan for the
establishment of any parking facility. For establishments (UNINTELLIGIBLE) over 300
persons, a traffic circulation analysis that details the impact of traffic; the sanitation plan.
There's all sorts of things that are required. If the proposed establishmentis within 200 feet
of residential uses, a noise attenuation plan that addresses how noise will be controlled
shall be required. There are all sorts of items in here that are required; security plan is one
of the things, where the people that are going to their parking, they're supposed to take
care of that as part of this permitting, and I don't -- just don't think it's being adhered to,
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and they're not delivering on what they were permitted to do in the first place, and this is, in
particular, for the Park West area -- for the Overtown and Park West area.
Mr. Rollason: Well, I think you bring up a good point, but it's like you're in the right church,
but the wrong pew.
Commissioner Haskins: Yep.
Mr. Rollason: In other words, what we want is we want the boundaries to change so that
when the City holds their feet to the fire to make it work right, the district will work. Right
now, even if you address those issues through -- and we've been -- Commissioner, we've
been to --
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Mr. Rollason: -- City Code Enforcement. We've been to Police from the CRA (Community
Redevelopment Agency). We have met with the residential people in the area, and then I
have brought City staff in to try to address these very concerns you talk about.
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Mr. Rollason: The clubs, for them to get permitted, present these items to the City, and
they are deemed acceptable, but what happens is, on the enforcement side, it doesn't take
place because these clubs run, starting at 2 o'clock in the morning, 11 o'clock at night
sometimes, and there is no Code enforcement out there, there is no people out there.
We're out there. I'm aware of it, and so the next morning, when my phone rings and I get
the same phone calls that you're talking about, I refer that to Code Enforcement, but I
would like you to focus on the boundary issue. In other words, what the CRA is asking for
is for the boundary issues, the boundaries to be changed to accommodate a more
functioning entertainment district overall so that people can walk from the 24-hour district
right into the blues and jazz district, or go to a dinner at a restaurant that's right next door
to us that we're going to see shortly, go to the PAC for a performance, come back to the
restaurant, and when they're finished there; at 2 in the morning, or 11 o'clock at night, they
can walk right to the 24-hour district and be -- and make a night of it, if that's their desire,
and that's what we're trying to accomplish with the boundaries. The other issues that you
bring, which are very valid, need to be addressed by the City, and they -- you know, they
need to be addressed. It's what's the enforcement's going to be on these requirements.
Chair Spence -Jones: Can I just add something? Did you have anything else,
Commissioner?
Commissioner Haskins: Well, when I look at these boundaries, I'm assuming that the
southern border is -- was there because we don't have an issue with existing businesses,
existing permits south of that in the Park West entertainment district.
Mr. Rollason: Which dis -- you're in the 24-hour?
Commissioner Haskins: Yeah. I'm in the 24-hour Park West Entertainment District.
Mr. Rollason: If you look at the lavender, that's what's existing.
Commissioner Haskins: So that's existing, so I'm assuming --
Mr. Rollason: When you look at the red, that's where --
Commissioner Haskins: -- that the red line is drawn --
Mr. Rollason: -- we're bringing --
Commissioner Haskins: -- the red line --
Mr. Rollason: Right.
City of A4iami
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Commissioner Haskins: -- on the south --
Mr. Rollason: That's 10th Street.
Commissioner Haskins: -- that's 10th -- is drawn because we don't have a problem with
existing businesses south of that street.
Mr. Rollason: There is one that has a license --
Commissioner Haskins: Uh-huh.
Mr. Rollason: -- that we believe has not acted on it within whatever the time frame --
Commissioner Haskins: Within the time frame.
Mr. Rollason: -- is and it probably has gone bad, so there won't be any in there that we
have an issue with --
Chair Spence -Jones: So this is --
Mr. Rollason: -- and also, you'll notice that -- when you see that little jog up there on Miami
Avenue --
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Mr. Rollason: -- where it juts up a little bit, to accommodate and try to cut down on the
problems with Park Place and Bayview Towers, we pulled it up and brought it along the
Grand Promenade so only those clubs from 11th Street that would abut the Grand
Promenade would be able to be in that 24-hour district going west.
Commissioner Haskins: And what I would prefer is that where it juts up ends straight up,
and -- so you square it off by the lavender, OK?
Mr. Rollason: Well, if you do that --
Commissioner Haskins: That little extra piece, put that in the Overtown Entertainment
District, and keep it at 5 a.m. I don't know why we're expand -- why we would give any new
properties the ability to --
Mr. Rollason: Well, we can leave it in the Park West and make it 5 a.m. --
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Mr. Rollason: -- because it is in Park West. I mean, just like Overtown, I don't think, wants
Park West entertainment being extended into Overtown.
Commissioner Haskins: Well, actually, the ordinance defines Park West Entertainment
District separate from Overtown Entertainment --
Mr. Rollason: Right.
Commissioner Haskins: -- District, so you probably want to put that piece in the Overtown
Entertainment District, which it still is Overtown.
Mr. Rollason: That -- Overtown stops at 1st Avenue.
Commissioner Haskins: Oh.
Mr. Rollason: It becomes Park West. What I'm saying is you could make that a 5 a.m.
district part of the Park West Entertainment District, and just leave it as Park West.
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Chair Spence -Jones: Can I just ask this quick question? Is this -- definitely, we can make
that change, Commissioner Haskins, if that what you -- I'm just trying to understand -- so
the question about the 24-hour issue, this -- the new study that was done that we're looking
at now, the blue line, and the red line, and the green lines, they represent the new area,
correct?
Mr. Rollason: That's correct.
Chair Spence -Jones: So that pink -- all -- everything you see outside of that is now gone?
Mr. Rollason: That is correct.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. All right, so Commissioner Haskins and Commissioner
Regalado, was there a issue or concern about the 24 hours? Is that -- was that the issue?
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
Commissioner Regalado: Twenty-four hours -- I could not say if 24 hours is good or bad
for business or for the future or for development.
Chair Spence -Jones: Um -hum.
Commissioner Regalado: What I could tell you is that 24 hours, at this moment, looks
really bad because of the recent incidents in the area, and what's going to happen is the
following: You approve 24 hours and the people around say, well, you know, this area is
doomed because now we're going to have 24 hours of fights and -- that's not the case, but
it's all about --
Chair Spence -Jones: Perception --
Commissioner Regalado: -- perception.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- so can this, what we're proposing -- how long will we have before
we have to revisit this issue --
Mr. Rollason: Well, let me make this --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- if this is passed?
Mr. Rollason: -- suggestion. If we're going to bring Police here at the meeting in
September, why don't we have a meeting that deals with the entertainment districts, and let
the club owners come also, and let the items be -- this is not something that has to happen
tonight.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
Mr. Rollason: 1 mean, this is just something that's been on the table and moving along. We
can defer this and then have a general topic dealing with the club districts in general, the 5
a.m., the 24-hour, the security, the whole nine yards, and allow the clubs to come because
it is a impact on them when you talk about the investment that they make and the 24-hour
piece goes away.
Chair Spence -Jones: And that --
Commissioner Haskins: And that's why I asked that there -- are there any affected
businesses below that line because --
Mr. Rollason: Not below, but in the --
Commissioner Haskins: In that added piece, though, they shouldn't be operating 24 hours
City of Maim
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July 31, 2006
because they're not in the entertainment district --
Mr. Rollason: They're not.
Commissioner Haskins: -- anyway, so hopefully, there were never any promises that they
were going to get 24 --
Mr. Rollason: No.
Commissioner Haskins: -- and you know, I mean, that's something --
Mr. Rollason: It's not.
Commissioner Haskins: You know, that investment was at their own risk.
Mr. Rollason: No, you're right.
Chair Spence -Jones: I just want to add -- because I do think what you're saying is really,
really true, Frank. At one time, the City was using this as a mechanism to draw people to
the area because, quite frankly, South Beach was getting all of the club business, so you
know, I'm sure that you guys worked very hard, from a CRA perspective, to use whatever
angle you had to try to attract people off South Beach to Miami, and guess what? It did
work because a lot of those club owners left South Beach and came to the Southeast
Overtown/Park West area, Park West area, and since I am in the youngest one on the dais,
from the perspective of it being a 24-hour area or zone, or whatever the case may be, most
people do party on South Beach, and they do leave there and they come to Miami. Now,
unfortunately, that's what's happening, but I think that we do need to consider, you know,
the folks that, when no one else wanted to come there, they decided to come --
Mr. Rollason: And also --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- so I think that we -- it's a two-way street, you know.
Mr. Rollason: Right.
Chair Spence -Jones: We can't say come, come, and give them incentives, and work with
them to get there, and they make all kinds of investments in an area. It's not my district. It
really is Commissioner Haskins' district. I'm just saying that we need to -- if that is the
case, we need to make sure that there's some serious dialogue with these folks because I
wouldn't want them to feel as though we did everything to get them here and now we don't
want them --
Mr. Rollason: Right --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- here now that things are booming --
Mr. Rollason: -- and the --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- and that's kind of how the people are feeling in South Beach
already.
Mr. Rollason: -- meetings that I've had with the clubs in this -- we've had a lot of meetings
with the clubs and the businesses in the area going forward with these districts. This was
not done in a vacuum, and their feeling is, by making it linear --
Chair Spence -Jones: Um -hum.
Mr. Rollason: -- and by adding other clubs of the venue that are open in 24, it helps them to
survive rather than only have one, two, or three clubs. The other thing you should be
aware of is that it started out exactly like you said. The people went to the Beach, and then
left there and came over here, but that is not the case today. The case today is is that these
clubs are number one destination clubs. The people -- some people do come from the
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Beach, but all the cabs you see out there generally are people coming from wherever they
come from, not wanting to --
Chair Spence -Jones: Go to the Beach.
Mr. Rollason: -- drive after they leave, and there are programs within the clubs that help
them with the cab fare and so forth because the clubs encourage them to have other
modes of transportation, you know, understand the liabilities that they have, and so it's not
so much going to the Beach and then coming here, because those usually, they're at the
Beach first and then come later, have a very difficult time getting in with the lines that are
there --
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
Mr. Rollason: -- and I really encourage all of you to -- and we had it set up once before, and
at 2:30 in the morning, we were all supposed to meet at a place; nobody showed --
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Mr. Rollason: -- but I think that if we can get everybody to come out there one night and go
through it, and see what's happening out there, and see how the cabs are stacked up back
to the boulevard, you begin to get an idea of what the potential is of that area to be a true
destination for entertainment.
Commissioner Haskins: But I don't want anybody to get me wrong. I'm not saying take
away the 24 hours from the existing businesses, OK.
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Commissioner Haskins: I'm just saying let's -- why expand it?
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Commissioner Haskins: Why expand the area where we could have 24? Because I do have
a prob -- I do have an issue with what's going on in these clubs.
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Mr. Rollason: OK. We'll make it for the next meeting in September, and we'll invite the club
owners, the residential building owners that are in the area, too; that would be people like -
- that are at the Grand, that are at -- as Fred Joseph can tell you, with the noise that comes
Sunday morning, we're very aware of --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Mr. Rollason: -- and then just have a general meeting with all the people that have a vested
interest to come and talk about the club issues --
Chair Spence -Jones: OK, so are we asking to defer? We want --
Mr. Rollason: -- so we'll defer that.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- this item to be deferred?
Mr. Rollason: You can vote on that to defer it.
Chair Spence -Jones: I just want to move -- I mean, ask real fast for the folks from
Overtown Folklife Village District stakeholders, I need for you guys to definitely make sure
you look at these boundaries because if we are going to come back with a change, it seems
like it's kind of cut out everything that you guys are trying to create in that area. It's not
included at all, so I think you need to look at it and at least be prepared to address it with
the CRA team because it's not on here at all. That's a motion to continue. Do we have a --
CO, of Miami
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Mr. Rollason: To defer it.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- motion to continue?
Mr. Rollason: Defer it 'till September.
Commissioner Haskins: Motion to defer.
Commissioner Regalado: OK, I'll second and --
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. All in favor?
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Spence -Jones: None opposed.
6. 06-01125 CRA RESOLUTION
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE BOARDS OF COMMISSIONERS OF
THE SOUTHEAST OVERTOWN/PARK WEST AND OMNI
REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT
AGENCIES ("CRAS"), RATIFYING THE ACTIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR IN PURCHASING INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR THE
CRAS' OFFICES AND THE 24-HOUR ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT
REFUSE COLLECTION LOT FOR THE PERIOD COMMENCING JUNE
24, 2006 AND ENDING JUNE 23, 2007, AT AN ANNUAL COST OF
$9,564.56; ALLOCATING FUNDS FROM GENERAL OPERATING FUND,
"INSURANCE LIABILITY," ACCOUNT CODE NO. 689004.550011.6.650.
Cover Memo.pdf, Financial Form.pdf, Back-up.pdf, Legislation.pdf
CRA-R-06-0026
MOVED: Linda Haskins
SECONDED: Tomas Regalado
Motion that this matter be ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
AYES: Commissioner Regalado, Chair Spence -Jones and Commissioner Haskins
ABSENT: Vice Chair Gonzalez and Commissioner Sanchez
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. We're moving to the next item.
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): All right. Item
number 6 is a ratification of actions that I've already taken. These are our insurance
policies that we have on insuran -- general operating liability on two things: one, dealing
with the CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) offices, and the other dealing with the --
what we affectionately call the dumpster lot behind the CRAs.
Commissioner Haskins: So moved.
Commissioner Regalado: Second.
Chair Spence -Jones: All in favor?
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
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Chair Spence -Jones: All opposed? Motion is carried.
7. 06-01212 CRA RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE OMNI
REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT
AGENCY ("CRA") AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. CRA-R-06-0009,
WHICH AUTHORIZED THE ACCEPTANCE OF TITLE AND
REHABILITATION OF PROPERTY AT 1401 NORTH MIAMI AVENUE
(OLD FIRE STATION NO. 2), TO FURTHER AUTHORIZE THE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ACCEPT TITLE ON BEHALF OF THE CRA
TO THE ADJACENT CITY -OWNED PROPERTY, AT 1441 NORTH MIAMI
AVENUE, AND TO INCLUDE THIS PROPERTY IN THE
REHABILITATION.
Cover Memo.pdf, Back-up.pdf, Legislation.pdf
CRA-R-06-0027
MOVED: Linda Haskins
SECONDED: Tomas Regalado
Motion that this matter be ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
AYES: Commissioner Regalado, Chair Spence -Jones and Commissioner Haskins
ABSENT: Vice Chair Gonzalez and Commissioner Sanchez
Chair Spence -Jones: Next item.
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): All right.
Number 7. Number 7 is a request that we had from the City. If you recall, a couple of
meetings back, the fire station was voted to move the fire station to the Omni CRA
(Community Redevelopment Agency) so that we could spend our money to put the
$800,000 in to renovate it. There's a piece of property adjacent to the fire station, which
you can see right across the street, which is like a little park. The City would like that to
remain with the fire station and go together as a couple, and so that's to accept this piece
of property.
Commissioner Haskins: So moved.
Commissioner Regalado: Second.
Chair Spence -Jones: All in favor?
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Spence -Jones: All opposed? Motion is carried.
8. 06-01213 CRA RESOLUTION
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE BOARDS OF COMMISSIONERS OF
THE SOUTHEAST OVERTOWN/PARK WEST AND OMNI
REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT
AGENCIES ("CRAS") AUTHORIZING A GRANT, IN AN AMOUNT NOT
TO EXCEED $10,000, FOR THE CRAS' SPONSORSHIP OF THE 2006
FLORIDA REDEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE, TO BE
HELD IN THE OMNI CRA OCTOBER 17TH - 20TH, 2006, WITH
CERTAIN EVENTS IN THE OVERTOWN CRA; ALLOCATING FUNDS, IN
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Marked Agenda July 31, 2006
AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $5,000 FROM SEOPW TAX
INCREMENT FUND, "OTHER GRANTS AND AIDS," ACCOUNT CODE
NO. 689001.550108.6.940, AND IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED
$5,000 FROM OMNI TAX INCREMENT FUND, "OTHER GRANTS AND
AIDS," ACCOUNT CODE NO. 686001.590320.6.940.
Cover Memo.pdf, Financial Form.pdf, Back-up.pdf, Legislation.pdf
CRA-R-06-0028
MOVED: Linda Haskins
SECONDED: Tomas Regalado
Motion that this matter be ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
AYES: Commissioner Regalado, Chair Spence -Jones and Commissioner Haskins
ABSENT: Vice Chair Gonzalez and Commissioner Sanchez
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): All right. Item
number 8. Item number 8 is, again, going back to the previous Chair, we approached him
on the Miami CRAs (Community Redevelopment Agencies) hosting the Florida
Redevelopment Association Conference, which is an annual conference that's held around
the state, and we requested it to be in Miami, and we were awarded it, and this is request
for a grant of -- not to exceed $10,000, so that we can be the primary sponsor of the event,
which will take place in October.
Commissioner Haskins: So moved.
Mr. Rollason: It'll be at the Wyndham. It'll be within the CRA areas.
Commissioner Haskins: This is nice --
Chair Spence -Jones: Do I --
Commissioner Haskins: -- Frank. This is really a nice event, I think.
Mr. Rollason: It's a good --
Commissioner Haskins: This is great.
Mr. Rollason: -- event.
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah. I think this is -- it's definitely going to be awesome.
Mr. Rollason: Yeah.
Chair Spence -Jones: I just want to make --
Mr. Rollason: It's good exposure.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- Frank, please, how many people are expected for this?
Mr. Rollason: It usually runs between 350, 400 come in from all across the state. What's
really good about it is you get -- different legislators come, and just like our last tour, they
get to see some things happening in our CRA that are really happening. Most places have
some problems, and that's where you start to get the issues between the County and the
City in allowing the CRAs to continue, and I think we've got a tremendous story to tell here
between Midtown, and what's happening in Omni, and what's happening in Overtown and
Park West, so (AUDIO INTERRUPTED) --
City of Alrarm
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Chair Spence -Jones: Do I have a second?
Commissioner Regalado: Second.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. All in favor?
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Spence -Jones: None opposed. That motion carries.
9. 06-01236 CRA RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE
SOUTHEAST OVERTOWN/PARK WEST COMMUNITY
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY ("CRA") REALLOCATING FUNDS, IN THE
AMOUNT OF $150,000, FROM THE NORTH 11TH STREET REBUILD
PROJECT TO THE INTERIOR BUILD -OUT OF THE WARD ROOMING
HOUSE, 249 NORTHWEST 9TH STREET, FOR USE AS AN ART
GALLERY; AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO DISBURSE
SAID FUNDS, AT HIS DISCRETION, DIRECTLY TO PROJECT
VENDORS SELECTED BY THE CITY OF MIAMI OR TO AUTHORIZE
THE CITY OF MIAMI TO ISSUE PURCHASE ORDERS TO PROJECT
VENDORS, PROVIDED THAT COMPLIANCE WITH ALL APPLICABLE
RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE AWARD OF
CONTRACTS TO SAID VENDORS HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED;
REQUESTING THAT THE CITY OF MIAMI WAIVE ALL
ADMINISTRATIVE FEES AS ITS IN -KIND CONTRIBUTION; FUNDS TO
BE ALLOCATED FROM SEOPW TAX INCREMENT FUND,
"CONSTRUCTION IN PROGRESS," ACCOUNT CODE NO.
689001.550108.6. 860.
Cover Memo.pdf, Financial Form.pdf, Back-up.pdf, Legislation.pdf
CRA-R-06-0029
MOVED: Linda Haskins
SECONDED: Tomas Regalado
Motion that this matter be ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
AYES: Commissioner Regalado, Chair Spence -Jones and Commissioner Haskins
ABSENT: Vice Chair Gonzalez and Commissioner Sanchez
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): All right. Item
number --
Chair Spence -Jones: Number 9.
Mr. Rollason: -- 9 is a request to reappropriate $150,000 from a project that has been
sitting for several years on 11th Street -- that's part of the entertainment district -- to do a
study on that, PD&E (Project Development & Environment) study so that we can go forward
to redevelop that. CIP (Capital Improvements Program) or CIT (Capital Improvements &
Transportation) has told us that they don't think that study is necessary, and that money
has sat, and the objective of this resolution is to reassign that money to the Ward Rooming
House project so we can get a jumpstart on next year's budget, where we have a couple
hundred thousand dollars in. This would put $150,000 in there now where we could get
City CIT to assign a consultant to start design work in that facility.
City of Miami
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• Marked Agenda July 31, 2006
Chair Spence -Jones: I do have a comment, but do I have a motion on this at all?
Commissioner Haskins: So moved.
Chair Spence -Jones: Do I have a second?
Commissioner Regalado: Second.
Chair Spence -Jones: All right. Motion is carried. I just have -- this is my tutor right here. I
want to ask one quick question, just to make a statement on the Ward Rooming House.
Our Chairman Winton, when he was here, this was something that he tasked me to really
work on and do, and I kind of beat up -- have beat Frank up for the last six or seven months
about the Ward Rooming House and the dollars that we have put in to refurbish that
wonderful building, so now I'm coming back asking for more money to help refurbish it --
Mr. Rollason: I told you you would.
Chair Spence -Jones: Right -- because the building looks great on the outside, but we have
no pluming; we have nothing on the inside of it. The statement that I just kind of want to
make on it -- a couple of things. One, I know that we passed earlier in the budget for the
Black Archives to assist us next year by providing us with historical support for many of
the historic sites within our district, and also in the Omni district, so the Black Archives will
be brought on to kind of be like a -historical reference for all of those type of projects, but I
just want to be very clear because I know the Black Archives has a true concern about the
Ward Rooming House and their usage of the overall building. This was a part of their
original plan to put their offices in that space, and I just want to assure them that we're
definitely going to be working in that direction to make sure that as -- once everything gets
handled and cleared with the County, that we will work in the direction of making sure that
you have the space made available. My concern right now, however, is -- not to say
anything about your old place of employment, Pete Hernandez. You know, not saying
anything about them over there -- I would rather take the money that we do have that is now
sitting and not being used -- I mean, I'm going to be shifting a lot of money that is not being
used in my district -- I mean, in that particular area, but I want to at least get something
happening on inside of the building. The idea is to use it as a temporary use for art gallery
space, so that at least we have something happening in there. Even with the dollars -- and
you -- I'm sure you know this, Mr. Manager -- even with the bond -- even though they tell
you -- and you know this, Ms. -- you know this, Linda -- even though they tell you the money
is available and you need to do this and you need to do that, it takes time, a lot of time to
pull those dollars down; is that correct, Mr. Manager?
Pedro G. Hernandez (City Manager): I'II be looking at the -- all the CIP projects to see how
we can accelerate --
Chair Spence -Jones: Because we're having --
Mr. Hernandez: -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Chair Spence -Jones: -- that current issue happening at this point, right, with our other
bond -related issues --
Mr. Hernandez: Yes.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- through the County, pulling those dollars down, right?
Mr. Hernandez: I believe so.
Chair Spence -Jones: Ms. Linda, is that true?
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Chair Spence -Jones: Put it on the record so they could hear it.
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Commissioner Haskins: No. I mean, there's -- it is a little bit of a bureaucracy getting
through the County on these bond issues, and for us -- you know, for cities that have, you
know, more of the inside track and we understand it, it's frustrating, but when you're
talking about an organization like the Black Archives and some of our -- Virginia Key Beach
Trust, that sort of thing, we've got to make sure that these things are moving through the
County and there's some assistance in making sure that it gets done. I know that the
people at the County are working as hard as they can on this. There's a lot of demand and
a lot of questions, but you know, a lot of requests coming in, but it's a little bit of a
bureaucracy.
Chair Spence -Jones: And let me just say this to Dr. Fields before we move on to the next
item, is that I just want you to be very clear that we are working within that direction, and I
do know that part of your concern is wanting to make sure that, you know, the County
needs from us, I guess, allowing you to have the -- allowing for you to have the space --
Dorothy Jenkins Fields: Site control.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- so -- site control --
Ms. Jenkins Fields: What they're saying --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- so that you can pull down those dollars.
Commissioner Haskins: By August 31.
Chair Spence -Jones: Right -- OK. By -- it's by August 31?
Commissioner Haskins: It's by August 31 you need site control?
Ms. Jenkins Fields: Yes. If we are to get that money, yes.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. What I'd like to do is, at this point, I want to go ahead and --
we've already moved it for you to get started with what you need to do, and we will
continue to work together, along with the CRA, to make sure if that is the case and what it's
going to be used for, we'll move in that direction.
Ms. Jenkins Fields: OK.
Chair Spence -Jones: If not, I don't want a project to stop in my district at all, waiting for
anyone. I'm not speaking on your behalf. I'm saying whatever Frank needs to do right now,
he can begin on that part now, correct?
Mr. Rollason: Well, we can -- yes. We can -- with the action of this tonight, I'll send a memo
over to the City saying that we have this money, and that the Board is requesting that CIT
assign a consultant to it to begin design work. Now that takes care of this piece, but the
piece talking about site control --
Chair Spence -Jones: Right.
Mr. Rollason: -- you're talking, again, the same process of putting that piece of property
out to bid, and so you don't meet again until the end of September, so if the idea is that you
want them to have site control by August 31, then I think you need to take action tonight
instructing us to put that piece out to bid, and then you're probably looking at holding a
special meeting when that comes back because there is no way that that -- they can -- we
can convey that property, through ownership or a lease -- and the attorney can speak to it,
but I mean, it's really clear --
Commissioner Haskins: It's too late to do --
Mr. Rollason: -- how --
Commissioner Haskins: -- it.
City of Miami
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Mr. Rollason: Right.
Commissioner Haskins: August 31 is -- I mean --
Mr. Rollason: Right.
Commissioner Haskins: -- by the time you advertise --
Mr. Rollason: Right.
Commissioner Haskins: -- you will not make the 30 days.
Mr. Rollason: I understand, but they probably have a time period to cure, so if they put an
application in, they may have 60 days to cure and have site control. I mean, 1 don't know
what their process is, what monies they're going for, but usually, there's a cure process --
Chair Spence -Jones: Pete, do you have any --? You don't really have a lot of knowledge on
this issue?
Mr. Hernandez: No, but I'll be willing to, you know, learn from Frank and --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Mr. Hernandez: -- pick up what I need to do to help out.
Chair Spence -Jones: I'm going to go ahead and move the item the way that it is, and if I
need to convene a special meeting, I will, to accommodate the Black Archives to make sure
that something happens on that. If you guys are going to move in, it's going to happen. I
just want something happening in the building, so we're going to go ahead and leave the
item the way that it is, and if I have to call a special meeting, I will. OK.
Commissioner Haskins: I'll make the motion.
Commissioner Regalado: Second.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. All in favor?
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. Thank you. That motion carries, and we're going to move to --
Mr. Rollason: And also, if I can put on the record, so there's not any confusion, what we
passed in the budget was the money for the Black Archives, as budgeted. What'll happen
is, in October, it will come back before this Board with their proposal, what is going to --
we're going to do for that money, so that there can be an appropriation of that money for
them.
Chair Spence -Jones: No problem. Did you understand that, Dr. Fields? We put in how
much to support this effort?
Mr. Rollason: I think we put $100,000 --
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
Mr. Rollason: -- but that's what's budgeted.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
Mr. Rollason: You're now going to -- the Board is going to have to take action to
appropriate that money for that project, and that will happen after the budget's approved.
In other words, you can only do that come October, and at that time, there should be a
City of A4tatni
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Marked Agenda July 31, 2006
10. 06-01237
proposal from the Black Archives that this is our proposal; this is what --
Chair Spence -Jones: This is --
Mr. Rollason: -- we're going to provide to you for --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- for the --
Mr. Rollason: -- this 100,000.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- Schaumburg piece. We just need to get --
Ms. Jenkins Fields: Oh, yes.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- with you on that.
Ms. Jenkins Fields: Yes.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
Ms. Jenkins Fields: All right.
CRA RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE
SOUTHEAST OVERTOWN/PARK WEST COMMUNITY
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY AUTHORIZING A GRANT, IN AN AMOUNT
NOT TO EXCEED $25,000, TO THE CITY OF MIAMI, FOR THOSE
ELEMENTS OF ITS "WAKE UP MIAMI" CAMPAIGN TAKING PLACE
WITHIN THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AREA, CONTINGENT
UPON THE CITY DEMONSTRATING THAT THE CAMPAIGN IS IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THE CRA'S APPROVED REDEVELOPMENT
PLAN; AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AT HIS
DISCRETION, TO DISBURSE THE GRANT FUNDS DIRECTLY TO
SUPPLIERS AND VENDORS UPON RECEIPT OF INVOICES AND
SATISFACTORY SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION; AUTHORIZING
THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO EXECUTE ALL NECESSARY
DOCUMENTS FOR SAID PURPOSE; ALLOCATING FUNDS FROM
SEOPW TIF FUND, "OTHER GRANTS AND AIDS," ACCOUNT CODE
NO. 686001.590320.6. 940.
Cover Memo.pdf, Financial Form.pdf, Back-up.pdf, Legislation.pdf
CRA-R-06-0030
MOVED: Tomas Regalado
SECONDED: Linda Haskins
Motion that this matter be ADOPTED WITH MODIFICATIONS PASSED by the following vote.
AYES: Commissioner Regalado, Chair Spence -Jones and Commissioner Haskins
ABSENT: Vice Chair Gonzalez and Commissioner Sanchez
Chair Spence -Jones: We're going to move to item number 10 because, I don't know why,
but it's getting hot in here.
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): I understand. I
think maybe we didn't pay the rent and Eugene's turned the air off on us.
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Chair Spence -Jones: Number -- go ahead.
Mr. Rollason: Number 10 is the Wake Up Miami campaign, and this is for the CRA
(Community Redevelopment Agency) to make a grant to the City in the amount not to
exceed $25,000 is our piece, and there are a couple of caveats in here; number one, that the
money has to be expended within the CRA boundaries; and number two, we need to obtain
what that campaign is and look in the plan to see that that campaign fits into the overall
plan of the CRA that's eligible to receive funding.
Chair Spence -Jones: If I can mention this to my colleagues, this is something that I'm
actually working on now. As a matter of fact, this past weekend, that's what I was out on
the streets doing. We had about 16 surveyors. This is a campaign that we're doing in
partnership with the Knight Foundation and the Dade Community Foundation. It's an
aggressive campaign that we're actually doing it four different communities, Liberty City,
Overtown, Little Haiti, and Wynwood, which is in my district. We're kicking it off in
Overtown because we feel that that's the most important area at this point, and it is an
aggressive marketing campaign to really highlight the wakeup message, meaning
encouraging people from local communities to wake up to what's happening within their
community, to empower them, to train them, to get them ready for the growth that's
happening within the City. Baltimore did a wonderful campaign called "Believe." I don't
know if you've heard of it -- which is a Baltimore mayor that addressed all of the drugs that
was happening actually in Baltimore, and it did an outstanding -- was an outstanding job
that the mayor did. Well, we're doing the same thing, kicking off in Overtown, and it's an
aggressive radio, print, business -driven campaign; door-to-door, getting information about
what residents want to see happening, and the idea is really to kind of instill hope back in
the folks that are living there because, for so long, they felt, many of them, that no one's
really paying attention, so I really need your support on this item. This --
Commissioner Regalado: I move the item.
Commissioner Haskins: This is great. This is -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE), doesn't this go along
with what we were talking about today? I toured the Lyric Theater today and we were
talking about exactly this sort of thing and getting this word out, and dovetailing it with
some of the other things that are happening in the community. You know, not just
informing, but teaching about, you know, how do we make a better community, and how do
we work together, and so we were just talking about it. You're always ahead of me,
Thelma.
Chair Spence -Jones: Before I get a mover -- and I just want to ask this question real fast --
not assuming that I'm going to get one, but my only concern with this -- and I've asked my
staff to at least communicate this message with you, that anything above 25 -- correct?
Unidentified Speaker: Correct.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- is being -- this item is being actually given to the City of Miami,
correct --
Mr. Rollason: That's correct.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- the 25?
Jorge L. Fernandez (General Counsel, Community Redevelopment Agency): The
technicalities need to be addressed by Mr. Villacorta. Clearly, it's on a reimbursement
basis --
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Mr. Fernandez: -- upon the group showing the expenditures and the receipts. Then the
mechanism of making payment would be up to the executive director to directly then
disburse or reimburse to the group.
City of Mann
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Chair Spence -Jones: I just -- the group is us, but what I wanted to ask this question on
really -- so that I have a clear understanding, because this -- the way this reads to me, it
says 25 to the City of Miami --
Mr. Rollason: Yes.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- which means the City of Miami, which means the Commission then
has to accept it, and for us, I think the best thing to do is just really let it stay with the CRA,
and then present you with the --
Mr. Rollason: I understand --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- actual invoices.
Mr. Rollason: -- but I have nobody to give a grant to. To whom am I giving a grant?
Chair Spence -Jones: No. I'm saying we present you with the invoices for all the marketing
or whatever items that were -- because if this is the case, then I -- then this can't come in
front of us until September, which is a problem.
Mr. Rollason: So then this wouldn't be a grant to anybody; it would just be a
reimbursement for this program.
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah. That's --
Mr. Rollason: In other words --
Jim Villacorta (Assistant General -Counsel, Community Redevelopment Agency): It'd be a
program of the CRA.
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Mr. Rollason: -- it'd be a program of the CRA --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Mr. Rollason: -- and I don't have a problem with that, except the only issue I want to make
very clear is that I'm hearing the things that you're saying, and I'm racing through my mind
where I'm going to find in the plan that this program fits.
Chair Spence -Jones: Well, I've looked through the plan and this --
Mr. Rollason: OK.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- fits like three or four of those items --
Mr. Rollason: All right. We'll --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- that are in the plan.
Mr. Rollason: -- be glad to find a spot for it --
Chair Spence -Jones: OK --
Mr. Rollason: -- so we --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- so --
Mr. Rollason: -- can modify it on the floor, just being a --
Chair Spence -Jones: Can we modify it?
City of Miami
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Mr. Rollason: -- CRA project, and --
Chair Spence -Jones: And then we'll just present you with all the invoices.
Mr. Rollason: Now it can either be a reimbursement or a direct payment to the vendors.
Chair Spence -Jones: That's fine. Whatever you prefer.
Mr. Rollason: 1 mean, that usually has to happen because, otherwise, where's the money --
upfront money coming from that I'm reimbursing?
Chair Spence -Jones: That's fine.
Mr. Rollason: So, as long as we do it that way, Jim, I don't have a problem with it.
Commissioner Regalado: So do we need to vote?
Mr. Villacorta: Amend the resolution to say that it's a program of the CRA.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK, so you want to repeat it?
Mr. Rollason: Right. It'd be a program of the CRA, and it would either be through
reimbursements for invoices approved by the executive director, or it'll be direct payments
to the vendors, as approved by the executive director.
Commissioner Haskins: I'II second.
Chair Spence -Jones: Oh.
Commissioner Haskins: He accepted the --
Chair Spence -Jones: Oh.
Commissioner Regalado: I'll accept the --
Chair Spence -Jones: Mo --
Commissioner Regalado: -- amendment; Linda second. We're ready to vote.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. All in favor?
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Spence -Jones: None opposed. This motion is carried.
11. 06-01285 CRA RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE OMNI
REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT
AGENCY AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO EXECUTE
AN AGREEMENT, IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE ATTACHED FORM, WITH
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY FOR THE DESIGN AND INSTALLATION OF
UPGRADES TO THE WATER AND SEWER FACILITIES IN A PORTION
OF THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AREA, IN AN AMOUNT NOT
TO EXCEED $3,500,000; FUNDS TO BE ALLOCATED FROM OMNI TIF
FUND, "CONSTRUCTION IN PROGRESS," ACCOUNT CODE NO.
686001.590320.6.860.
Cover Memo.pdf, Back-up.pdf, Legislation.pdf, Attachment.pdf
City of Miami
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July 31, 2006
CRA-R-06-0031
MOVED: Linda Haskins
SECONDED: Tomas Regalado
Motion that this matter be ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
AYES: Commissioner Regalado, Chair Spence -Jones and Commissioner Haskins
ABSENT: Vice Chair Gonzalez and Commissioner Sanchez
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): All right. The --
item number 11. Item number 11 is -- at the last board meeting, the appropriation was
made by the Board for the $3.5 million to do the Omni water project with WASA (Water and
Sewer Authority), and the stipulation was, is that I bring the agreement back to the Board
so the Board could see it and approve it. We've worked out the agreement with WASA and
the County between the -- actually, the WASA people and myself agreed on it months ago,
but by the time it went to the attorneys, making sure that everybody was protected, it took a
while, so the agreement is here, which we've entered into. Basically, what it tells us is that
we will fund this project; that WASA will handle the entire project. They will handle the
design, either in-house or with outside consultants. They will build the project, and what
will happen is is they will -- and Howard Fallon is here, and he may be able to speak on
exactly where they are, but they will have to go or have gone before the County
Commission to get the approval to use their labor forces to go forward with this project.
When this is done -- when this money is invested into the Omni area, starting from the west
side going east, so that we take the most depressed area -- for instance, there's a water
main that's needed for this restaurant right behind us; it's a couple hundred thousand
dollars project. When this is done, from the west to the east, we will have all the water
lines replaced in this area and a couple of sewer lines that are required that will allow
development to come forward without them having to come and put water lines and tear
the roads up, which is exactly what a CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) should be
doing.
Commissioner Regalado: That's exactly what the CRA should be doing, but my question
is: Are we sure that WASA is not going to come, whenever there is a new development, and
charge them for --
Mr. Rollason: Here's --
Commissioner Regalado: -- future --
Mr. Rollason: All right.
Commissioner Regalado: -- use?
Mr. Rollason: All right. First of all, we're building it out to what the anticipated zoning, with
Miami 21, will allow, so most of the mains going in are larger at this point than what is
required; most of them are 12-inch, some 16-inch. The other thing is is that, as developers
come and build and make their payments to the County, that money will come directly back
to the CRA. In other words, as they pay their frontage piece, we will get our piece back,
just like we were the ones that built it, just like a private developer does when they get their
piece back, so that's in the contract, and the CRA will be reimbursed as other developers
come and hook up. Right, the construction connection charge will be reimbursed on that.
Commissioner Haskins: Frank, is this the County's best estimate of what it will cost to do
all of the mar -- all of the projects that are marked on this page?
Howard Fallon: Yes. Howard Fallon, 3071 Southwest 38th Avenue, for Miami -Dade Water
and Sewer Department, and you're correct, Commissioner. That is our best estimate for all
of the work.
Mr. Rollason: All the work you see in the colored lines.
City of Miami
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Commissioner Haskins: The purple and the red --
Mr. Rollason: Yes.
Commissioner Haskins: -- only, right? The purple and red only?
Mr. Rollason: What you can see is the lion's share of what needs to be done, and it also
gives us the hookups off of the boulevard at Northeast 2, so that as development happens
on Northeast 2, we're not going to have to go back into the boulevard and connect and
bring it across, so this really helps in a lot of ways. Even those coming on Northeast 2, it'll
just stop for now. It'II give the ability for the Northeast 2 developers to hook in.
Chair Spence -Jones: Can I --? I'm sorry.
Commissioner Haskins: Well, the -- in this contract, in this agreement, let me tell you the
two things that I was concerned with. Number one, there was not a warrant -- a
representation that all the project can be designed, permitted, and constructed at a cost
equal to or Tess than the $3.5 million. Number two, it said -- and then going along with that,
it has a paragraph in here that says the project is expected to be completed within the -- is
expected to be completed within the three-year period from the execution of this
agreement. There's nothing in here that shows me that for $3.5 million and for putting our
faith that the County's going to do that, that you're guaranteeing at least 75 percent of
what's noted within a three-year period. There's not even a guarantee of when it would be
completed, when you would have the $3.5 million done, and how much you would
guarantee, so I just want to make sure that we're not -- you know, we can spend a lot of
money on design work and all of that, but I -- you know, I would have felt more comfortable
if I saw, you know, a time -certain that this would be done so we're assured it doesn't go on
the backburner. I trust you, but it is County -City, you know, so we have to have these
assurances, right? And you know, there wasn't even a guarantee of a portion of it, so --
Mr. Rollason: If I can comment on that for just a moment. That's one of the issues that we
went back and forth on.
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Mr. Rollason: WASA has, under both directors; under Bill Brant (phonetic) -- we've been
working on this project for two years --
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Mr. Rollason: -- to get this forward -- under Bill Brant (phonetic) and now under John
Renfroe, they have stated that they will dedicate a crew to this. They -- in fact, they already
had a crew ready to go, I think, six months ago -- wasn't it, Howard? -- and then things got
stopped again on the City side, and so the objective is that they will identify a crew that
everyday is working on this project. Now the problem you run into is that, as we all know,
when you get into the ground, what they're going to find. Some of the things we're not
aware of what they're going to find, and so with our people on our end looking at it, there
are probably going to be some costs that we hadn't anticipated that are going to come, and
there's also some areas that they feel they're going to be able to go quicker in and cheaper
in than what they have, so there's a balance there, and from the top down, they have
assured us, as best they can, that they feel that this budget is adequate. Saying that, I've
added another half a million dollars in next year's budget for this project because I know --
as you all know, in dealing with these capital projects -- that things can arise, and we don't
want the project to stop in the middle, but that would have to come back to the Board.
What's being approved now is -- the three and a half was approved; what's being approved
now is the agreement.
Chair Spence -Jones: Frank.
Mr. Rollason: I'm getting the "Hi" sign from the Chair to shut up, so --
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Chair Spence -Jones: Frank -- no, no, no. I'm fine.
Commissioner Haskins: You've already put five -- you're already thinking you need 4
million (INAUDIBLE) --
Mr. Rollason: I understand. I'm just putting it there --
Commissioner Haskins: That's my concern.
Mr. Rollason: I understand. Right. We can terminate on 30 days notice is in the contract.
In other words, if this thing starts to go south and we're not happy with the progress we're
making, we can stop, so it goes both ways. There's an obligation on their part to do the
work right, and if they do, there's an obligation on our part to keep funding, and if they
don't do right, we can get out.
Jim Villacorta (Assistant General Counsel, Community Redevelopment Agency): And the
operations people thought they could complete this within three years and under 3.5
million; it's the legal people that have been refusing to guarantee it --
Mr. Rollason: Right.
Mr. Villacorta: -- on both sides. We've been refusing to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) them --
Commissioner Haskins: So the operations people are pretty con --
Mr. Villacorta: Yes, quite comfortable.
Commissioner Haskins: Well, you always trust the operations people --
Mr. Rollason: Yeah.
Commissioner Haskins: -- over the attorneys, right, Jorge?
Mr. Rollason: Yeah. They're willing to do it and the lawyers won't let them put it in writing,
so that's where we're --
Pedro G. Hernandez (City Manager): Madam Chair, if I may, I do believe that they do have
the experience to work in all areas where you have a lot of, let's say, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
utilities. They were very successful in doing the Flagler work a few years back.
Commissioner Haskins: With the wood pipes?
Mr. Hernandez: There's the section of Flagler from Biscayne going in that was done at
night, and I think that, using their own forces, they were very effective in getting that work
done at a very reasonable price.
Mr. Fallon: Yes. That's the same exact arrangement we'll be employing for this case.
Mr. Hernandez: Right. Obviously, they do require to have approval from their board
because, in essence, they are doing much more than what they normally do, but I think
that, based on what I've seen them do in the past, they're good at doing this kind of work.
Mr. Rollason: And we think that their board is going to be amenable to this because it's
assisting another governmental agency, rather than a private developer. In other words,
we're coming in and saying we want to do this to allow the private developers to come in
and develop a blighted area of the community.
Chair Spence -Jones: I -- Linda --
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum, I'm done.
Chair Spence -Jones: No, no. It's OK. You're getting it done in your district, which is
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awesome, so then my next question is -- WASA, my next question would be -- Frank.
Mr. Rollason: I know it's coming.
Chair Spence -Jones: What is it?
Mr. Rollason: What's happening in Southeast Overtown/Park West.
Chair Spence -Jones: What -- because the last time we talked about this -- and I believe you
were at the meeting at Doubletree --
Mr. Fallon: Yes, I was.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- and I asked at that particular time, you know, with all these
development things that we're definitely trying to do in the Overtown area, especially on 3rd
Avenue, many of the -- I know for a fact that, in the Overtown Southeast/Park West [sic] -- I
mean, the Overtown area on 3rd Avenue, that's going to be a huge, big issue, these
developments we see today, the future ones, so my question then becomes, from the last
meeting we had a month ago, have we put together anything for this study that's supposed
to happen in Overtown?
Mr. Fallon: We just initiated that study and we probably need --
Chair Spence -Jones: Money?
Mr. Rollason: No, no, no, no.
Mr. Fallon: No. -- six to eight weeks time to complete --
Mr. Rollason: Don't say that. They are doing this --
Mr. Fallon: -- that.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. Hey, hey.
Mr. Rollason: Right.
Chair Spence -Jones: For free. That's what we understand, right?
Mr. Rollason: As an intergovernmental --
Commissioner Haskins: It helps them. It's their --
Mr. Rollason: -- cooperative venture.
Commissioner Haskins: -- infrastructure, right? So --
Chair Spence -Jones: So 3rd Avenue, the business corridor, and the stuff that we're trying
to do over there in that area will now be a part of this overall study for --
Mr. Rollason: Well, they will look at a study on that. The issue with that -- again, we're
looking to use the bond money because we don't have the funding like we do in the Omni
side to actually fund the work.
Chair Spence -Jones: Right.
Mr. Rollason: What he's doing -- what WASA did for us was take a overall look at the
existing -- and we supplied them with what the zoning -- the upzoning we were potentially
looking at, what would it be zoned to, and then they built to that; they designed to that.
Now they will take that and they will give it to the engineers to bring that to fruition, and
that's where the money comes in, but taking a look at Southeast Overtown/Park West is
something that WASA can do for us, and they have committed to do that, and we would
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have the same look that we got for the Omni; a map, just like you see in here.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. I just would want to make sure, once again, my Overtown
Folklife District stakeholders, if any of them are left here, I think it's important for you to
touch bases with WASA tonight so that whatever's being proposed is actually what you
kind of foresee happening within the prop -- in that area, the property you own, and then
also, in the Park West area. I don't know if -- Linda, I think that's really, more or less, your
district. I mean, I would assume that -- I see Eddie from the NET (Neighborhood
Enhancement Team) office here, but I would just assume you would want to know. I know
you have developments happening within that too --
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- so not trying to give you more work, but I think it's important that
we're --
Commissioner Haskins: Yeah, we are.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- at least --
Commissioner Haskins: We're trying to give you more work. We want to get our
infrastructure fixed.
Chair Spence -Jones: All right, so do I have a motion?
Commissioner Haskins: So moved.
Commissioner Regalado: Second.
Chair Spence -Jones: All in favor?
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Spence -Jones: All opposed? OK. All right, mo -- Listen, before we head out, there's
a couple of things that we need -- Thank you, so much, WASA, and I'll be looking for -- we'll
look forward to hearing back from you.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
REPORTS
NON -AGENDA ITEMS
NA.1 06-01394
CRA DISCUSSION
DISCUSSION REGARDING POLICE PRESENCE IN
ENTERTAINMENT AREA OF DOWNTOWN MIAMI.
DISCUSSED
Commissioner Regalado: Madam Chair.
Chair Spence -Jones: Yes.
Commissioner Regalado: I don't know if this is the right moment, but I think --
Chair Spence -Jones: Sure.
Commissioner Regalado: -- if within the budget, probably we should have some kind of
discussion -- there was a mention here of the entertainment area, and if you open today's
paper, you'll see an article that reflects really bad on the entertainment area. That is the
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second time that has happened, and while we're being told that crime is down, I guess, not
for this area or for that other area of the City, for that matter, but that's another issue, but
the point is that, in this budget, if the Miami Police Department cannot address the issue in
the way that needs to be addressed, and it can't and it wouldn't because all of us are
asking more police -- and we have the City Manager here -- for our areas, and that's
impossible. We all know that that's impossible, so there is no way that we can have a
police present at every ten feet in the entertainment area, so the CRA (Community
Redevelopment Agency) has to do something, and that something is we need to start
spending some money in security in the entertainment area. It is the responsibility of the
owners and the club operators to have police officers and security, but the thing is that if
this trend continues -- and this has been the second time, and then there is another
shooting, and there is another stabbing -- people would not want to come, and when
people would not want to come, hours of operation will diminish and places will start
closing, and then the CRA will have, in its hands, empty buildings, and worse, a perception
that will take years and millions of dollars to change, so I guess it's something that we
should address within the framework because, you know, saying, well, that's a police
issue, and they have to do what they have to do -- they can't. We had a discussion a few
hours ago that, you know, we -- we're asking for 50 police officers, but 200 are leaving, so
that's something that we need to deal with, and I'm telling you -- and I don't know, Frank,
the feedback that you have and all of --
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): Let me comment
on that for a minute. We have been having a problem with a particular club. This is where
the shooting took place this weekend. We have met with the NET (Neighborhood
Enhancement Team) commander a month ago on this particular club, and we alerted them
that they've got an issue in there. The other clubs have come to us and told us that there's
a problem, and the problem escalated this weekend. It's a club that, apparently, may be
serving underage people and some other issues are going on there. Today we had a
conversation with Chief Vega, and Chief Vega says that he is going to take this particular
project under his wing and try to address it. This is the same club where it's suspected the
individual came from that ran over and killed the parking attendant. This is the same club
from which the person left and went to the other club down the street and shot another
person, so we've got a problem. The other clubs recognize it. They are asking for it to be
addressed, and they want it cleaned up, and I think you're exactly right. It's just not dealing
with the clubs, but as the developments come in the area, such as the Parc Lofts and that
type of thing, the opportunistic crimes are going to increase, and they are going to have to
be addressed, and the police presence in the area is just going to have to increase.
Commissioner Haskins: I talked with Deputy Chief Fernandez on this today, and I think that
the Police Department wants to revisit the idea of having police -- to hire police presence
inside the clubs, which has been resisted in the past, in support of the clubs, and you
know, I'm not Cinderella. I'm not a prude, but we've really got to -- I think, from a policy
perspective, we have to take a hard look at this. Some of these clubs, some, maybe one,
are encouraging bad activities in the City of Miami. We've -- and 1, for one, don't want to
see precious taxpayer dollars supporting drug use among our kids. I think it's wrong. It's
the way I felt about the rave concerts at Bayfront, and you know, I'm not going to make
some friends today by saying this, but 1 don't think that we should, as a city, say that it's OK
to open your club at 5 in the morning for the kids that are coming to the Beach so they can
continue to stay high on their Ecstasy, and we also have to look at the fact that we have a
changing city here, and we're going to have a lot of downtown residential units, and we
have clubs that are -- I'm getting phone calls all the time in my office about Sunday
mornings and hear -- you know, waking up to bass at 5 o'clock in the morning because
that's when the club starts, and we really have to take a look at this to say what are we
going to do to make sure that quality of life of all of our citizens are maintained, and we're
not adopting a public policy to encourage drug use among kids.
Commissioner Regalado: But that's an issue -- Linda, that's an issue of policy, and it has
to be dealt with, and it's an issue that has to be dealt. My point was that, like for instance, if
you -- if we go out and ask somebody now today what do you think of downtown Miami,
they said, oh, it closes at 5, and it's very difficult. You don't go to downtown at night. It's
the perception. It would take years and millions of dollars. Now this area, if it has one bad
apple, or two bad apples, or whatever, this area is getting a name because of the problems
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that South Beach is having with parking, and fights, and stabbings, and issues, and then
you have this situation. It's either, you know, we go hard and we close -- you know, in
Santo Domingo, they are having riots. In Dominican Republic, they're having riot as we
speak now because they are closing down the bars and the cabarets at midnight, and no
more alcohol, and they have a right, and the police is out there, but having said that, it's a
policy decision. If we want to defend the area as an entertainment district and keep it like
that, we have to do something now. If we want to do away with that, fine by me, you know.
1 -- it's -- but it's something that it has cost several years for this Board to do, and two
incidents, three articles, two stories in -- at the 6 o'clock and 11 o'clock news, goes away,
the public goes away, and that's what I --
Commissioner Haskins: I mean, five people shot --
Commissioner Regalado: Yeah.
Commissioner Haskins: -- and the fact is that downtown still closes at 5. These clubs
don't start 'till 5 in the morning --
Commissioner Regalado: Right.
Commissioner Haskins: -- so between 5 and -- 5 at night and 5 in the morning, it's -- there's
nothing going on there anyway, so --
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. We're going to get back on track, and 1 just want to add real fast
to -- I mean, while I definitely agree that we definitely have a policing issue, you know, on
club row, and I think that it's something that we definitely need to look at, but before we
even remotely think about taking any dollars and using it for police for club row, I want to
see those same dollars -- if that's even a thought -- going into Overtown, where I see no
police. I was there Sun -- Saturday and Sunday working the streets in Overtown, doing
cleanups and all of that, doing door -to -doors, and I'm going to tell you, seven -- did I not
say this to you, Mr. City Manager, today?
Pedro G. Hernandez (City Manager): Say it once more.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. Do you want me to repeat it or do you want to repeat it? I can do
it faster, and then we can move on.
Mr. Hernandez: You did state it.
Chair Spence -Jones: I was there 7 o'clock Sunday morning in Overtown all day long
knocking on doors doing surveys of what people wanted to have happen in Overtown. I left
at 6 p.m. last night. I saw three police officers the whole time that I was there. I saw people
walking around addicted to drugs, issues happening around me; people not knowing that I
was a Commissioner because I was T-shirt, baseball cap. Police officers passed me left
and right not stopping not one of those addicts or none of those people coming from
across the Beach in their Yellow Cabs, which I -- I mean, we know what they were there for,
and just seeing people moving back and forth and not even stopping them, so before we
start talking about policing club avenue or club row, I'd like to see some of the -- if we're
going to divert dollars, they need to be diverted where people are just trying to have just a
decent quality of life, so you know, not so -- I just want to make sure we don't -- you know,
that is an issue, but I've got people that are -- have been living in Overtown 20 and 30 years,
and they're just begging for help with some sort of police support, so I just don't want to
get off on a tangent of trying to do that within this budget, but if I can get us back on track,
which was -- we were on item number 2, and I'm assuming that you had something else to
add because Linda asked you to provide her with something. Are we done with --
Mr. Rollason: Right.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- that item?
Mr. Rollason: No. We're going to do that. We're going to provide the report that she had
asked for on the capital projects in more detail.
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Chair Spence -Jones: At a later date?
Mr. Rollason: Right.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK --
Mr. Rollason: Next week.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- so, if you don't mind, if we can just move on to the next item, which
is -- because it doesn't require any action, correct?
Mr. Rollason: No.
NA.2 06-01395 CRA PRESENTATION
SPECIAL PRESENTATION TO FRANK K. ROLLASON, OUTGOING
CRA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
PRESENTED
Chair Spence -Jones: Before we head out, there's a couple of things that I want to make
announcements on, first being, as you know, our long-time -- I don't say long time -- felt like
a long time, right, Frank?
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): Well, it's like dog
years, you know.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- is leaving us and moving on to other things, and tonight, we have a
special presentation to him, wishing him well. As you know, Frank has -- was actually
responsible for really, really turning a lot of things around in the CRA (Community
Redevelopment Agency), and has been greatly, greatly valued and appreciated in all of his
work. Tonight is his official last board meeting with us, correct?
Mr. Rollason: I think so. I would cer -- well, unless you call a special one for some reason,
but I would think I escaped after tonight.
Chair Spence -Jones: And I think all of us have had an opportunity to work with you prior to
this. I would like to at least take the time to at least allow for my colleagues to bring words
to you, and then we'd like to officially present you with something, and then also, I would
like -- oh, OK -- I would also like to ask for my colleagues to give me a few minutes
afterwards for some additional comments, but I'm going to start it with, I guess -- I'm not
going to say the -- one of the oldest members on the CRA, but I say the most -- what do you
call it? -- refined, seasoned --
Commissioner Regalado: No. I'm the --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- like cognac.
Commissioner Haskins: The longest tenure.
Commissioner Regalado: No, no, no, no.
Chair Spence -Jones: It's cognac.
Commissioner Regalado: No, no. I'm the oldest, and listen, I -- when I was elected, it was
citywide --
Chair Spence -Jones: Um -hum.
Commissioner Regalado: -- so this was like ages before, and at that time, Frank Rollason
was, I remember, Risk Management, right?
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NA.3 06-01396
Mr. Rollason: That's true.
Commissioner Regalado: And then, from Risk Management, he went to, what is it,
assistant city manager, and then he had to do something else, and then -- and everybody --
you know, when -- in my office, when we had some issues, oh, we have to call Frank
Rollason. No, but he's not -- no, he's the assistant city manger. Well, do we have to go
(UNINTELLIGIBLE), and finally, it landed here in the CRA, and Frank, you have done a great
job. I mean, you have -- the reason that the CRA was able to move forward and survive
some of the clouds that had over is because you went by the book and you did the right
thing, and this Board, working with the Administration, was able to accomplish something,
and I really thank you for doing it.
CRA RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION (subject matter: payout of sick bank and vacation bank
of Frank K. Rollason.)
CRA-R-06-0037
MOVED: Tomas Regalado
SECONDED: Linda Haskins
Motion that this matter be ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
AYES: Commissioner Regalado, Chair Spence -Jones and Commissioner Haskins
ABSENT: Vice Chair Gonzalez and Commissioner Sanchez
Commissioner Regalado: Which, by the way, Madam Chair, we need to have some kind of
resolution because Frank needs to get his sick pay and vacation pay, and you know, since
we just award $3 million for this, or 4 million for that, I think that Frank deserve -- of course,
not a million, but a few dollars in sick pay that he (UNINTELLIGIBLE) --
Chair Spence -Jones: That he'll be losing.
Commissioner Regalado: -- so I move that he'll be allowed to take a check for sick pay that
he has not used and the vacation time that he has not used.
Chair Spence -Jones: And I believe you're not -- he's not asking for anything else at all but
that, right?
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): No. That's --
there have been pretty lucrative packages that have gone heretofore. I think that it's in line
for, you know, the sick bank and the vacation bank, and doesn't need to be anything else. I
don't need any other emoluments to go forward.
Commissioner Regalado: Believe me, he's the cheapest we have, and I'm not trying to --
but it's the truth.
Commissioner Haskins: Did he just call you cheap, tawdry?
Mr. Rollason: He's the one that asked me to come here.
Chair Spence -Jones: All right. I need a second on that.
Commissioner Haskins: Second.
Chair Spence -Jones: All right. Motion carries. All in favor?
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Spence -Jones: No opposed, so the motion carries.
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Mr. Rollason: Thank you.
Chair Spence -Jones: Thank you, Commissioner Regalado.
NA.4 06-01397 CRA DISCUSSION
DISCUSSION REGARDING REQUEST OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
TO PERFORM INTERNAL AUDIT OF SOUTHEAST
OVERTOWN/PARK WEST AND OMNI COMMUNITY
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCIES.
DISCUSSED
Chair Spence -Jones: Commissioner Haskins, I know you got a chance to work with him
beyond being the Commissioner.
Commissioner Haskins: Well, Frank, you -- I've worked -- Frank and I worked together for a
while at the City, and Frank, ever the firefighter and the emergency technician coming in,
and working on the CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency), and Frank, you've done a
great job over here. You know, to go from a situation where the audits took forever and the
management letter comments were longer than Les Miserables -- which was an appropriate
reference to those days, right? -- you've really done an outstanding job here, and if it
hadn't been for your efforts, this organization would -- I do not think would have survived.
We wouldn't have been talking with the County about extending the life of the CRA, and
you're to be commended. It's -- you've done a --
Mr. Rollason: Thank you.
Commissioner Haskins: -- great job.
Mr. Rollason: Thank you.
Chair Spence -Jones: Thank you, Ms. -- Commissioner Haskins. Well, I am definitely the
new kid on the block --
Mr. Rollason: That is true.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- and I know I have been a pain in your butt since I've been in this
seat --
Mr. Rollason: That is also true.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- but I love you and --
Mr. Rollason: Never disagree with the Chair.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- you love this pain, right? But I do truly appreciate your leadership,
and your support, and your guidance on -- you know, just to help -- wealth -- a wealth of
information, always supportive, always willing to tell you the truth, even though you may
not want to hear the truth, and always just trying to make sure that everybody's treated fair,
and that's the best thing that I can say about Frank, is that he's just a fair person, and he
really tries to do the right thing, so we will definitely miss you. I will definitely miss bugging
you as the Chair of (AUDIO INTERRUPTED) --
Mr. Rollason: -- (INAUDIBLE) a great three and a half years, very challenging, as many of
the other jobs that I've had that seem to be challenging, but this has been fun, and what's
been the most fun is it's given me the opportunity to really interface with many of the
people in the different communities, with the needs that they have, and trying to address
those and balance those out, and we're in great shape. We're in great shape in two fronts.
We have -- the audits have been cleared up, as been spoken to, so there's not a taint
hanging over the CRA with what's happening with money and that type of thing, but an
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organization like this does not exist to have a good audit because you could have a good
audit just by closing it down; we don't have to worry about the audits. The idea is to get
things done, and we're certainly on the verge now, with being able to go forward with the
bonds and that type of thing, to really do some meaningful projects in here. The one thing
that I would request of this Board, as I leave, and I mean this with all sincerity, is that I think
it would be good to request the internal auditor to come in here, with me leaving, and have
another internal audit done of this organization as I go out the door. I think it makes sense,
especially in light of a lot of things that are going on in the communities today, that people
kind of identify these kind of organizations and monies in the same pot, and I think the last
time the internal auditor was here, we did not fare so well, and I think it would be a good
thing, on the part of the organization, to have the City Commission -- because that's where
it has to come from -- request of the internal auditor to come back and do it again, and see
what we find, and I think it would -- I -- you know, I personally think it'll give us a very good
bill of health, and I think it will lend some confidence in the community to allow this to go
forward, so I thank all of you.
Chair Spence -Jones: Thank you, Frank. We'll officially present this. Let's give Frank a
hand.
Applause.
[Later...]
Chair Spence -Jones: As you know -- first of all, Frank, when officially will be your last day?
Mr. Rollason: Well, I have said that I will stay 'till the end of August to, hopefully, get
somebody on board so I can, you know, help them along the way.
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Mr. Rollason: I mean, my objective is to vacate as soon as it makes sense, but --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Mr. Rollason: -- I'm not looking to throw three and a half years away. I mean, even past
that time, I'd be available. There'll be tons of things that people have questions about, and
I'll be around, so -- but I mean, right now, I'm looking to the end of August.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. Let me just say this -- Thank you, Frank. Let me just say this, I
want to -- there's two things I want to do in this conversation. First, being this -- I have a
suggestion or a recommendation that I want to share with my colleagues, and I think it's
important for us, you know, with so many things that are coming up, at least over the next
30 to 60 days, i.e., the capital improvements bond issues, where we're identifying key
projects that we've been working on, which is, you know, taking a lot of time, having these
meetings, you know, with the community and with the Board members. The negotiations
are ongo -- not -- I guess the ongoing issues with Block 36, and of course, Crosswinds,
which is, I'm assuming, supposed to be coming back in front of us, Mr. Manager and Mr.
City Attorney, some time in September, and the list goes on of issues that are very sensitive
issues, and when I got word from Frank, and actually, got the letter from Frank saying that
he would be leaving, I was like, whoa. This is a major loss at the wrong time because we
have some key issues that we definitely need to address, and we need to have someone in
there that has the ability and at least the knowledge of where we are right now. In that
same week, I also learned that our City Attorney that had been working along with us now
and for the last, what, three or four years --
Mr. Rollason: Right.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- would be moving on to somewhere else, and I would be having a
new attorney that would now be taking over Mr. Villacort's [sic] place, so I'm like, OK, now
I'm losing an executive director and I'm losing the city attorney that has been there for -- at
least knows, has the institutional knowledge to keep this thing moving, so I want to not -- I
don't want to rain on his parade because I do want to at least introduce the new city
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attorney that will be taking over Mr. Villacort's [sic] place. I'm going to at least let my City
Attorney introduce him, and then I have one small discussion that I need to have with my
colleagues.
NA.5 06-01398 CRA DISCUSSION
BRIEF DISCUSSION REGARDING ROOF REPAIRS TO BAME (Bethel
African Methodist Episcopal).
DISCUSSED
Chair Spence -Jones: I just want to at least also acknowledge that -- to my colleagues, that
thanks to your support, the BAME (Bethel African Methodist Episcopal) roof, I believe --
Reverend Broomfield's here. Just wave -- is officially getting fixed, and thanks to their hard
work and Frank's hard work --
Applause.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- because now, you know, I just wanted to tell you that that's
wonderful, so at least they're start -- they're not getting rained on anymore.
NA.6 06-01399 CRA DISCUSSION
NA.7 06-01400
DISCUSSION REGARDING INTRODUCTION OF KEVIN R. JONES
AS NEW CRA ASSISTANT GENERAL COUNSEL.
DISCUSSED
Jorge L. Fernandez (General Counsel): Yeah. Madam Chair and Commissioners, it's my
pleasure -- and members of the public and of the community -- to introduce to you Kevin
Jones. Kevin.
Applause.
Mr. Fernandez: Kevin is -- has been a wonderful find for the Office of the City Attorney. He
has been practicing law for over nine years, three and a half of those at the State Attorney's
Office in a leadership position there in prosecuting top cases. After that, he went in
practice for himself, so he's very entrepreneurial, and most recently, he worked for an
insurance company as defense counsel. He is a true tried litigator with as much
experience as someone practicing almost ten years can have. The idea and the plan was to
bring him in into the CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) family and slowly, but
surely, over a period of time, become second chair in many of the issues to Jim, as we had
plans for Jim to do other major development type of work for the City. As you know, Jim is
a very talented attorney, and for the last three years, he has -- three, four years, he has been
giving incredible amounts of energy and commitment to the CRA. Well, the City needs
some of that good energy, and over a period of time -- the plan was not to do it
immediately, but over the next six months to a year, ease Mr. Jones in as Mr. Villacorta then
would be assuming greater development responsibilities for the City, but never having Mr.
Villacorta totally leave the CRA, but certainly, provide the CRA with two very talented
lawyers, so that is, in essence, the plan that the City Attorney had for the CRA moving
forward. However, some of those may be affected now.
CRA RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION (subject matter: appointment of James Villacorta as
Interim Executive Director of the Southeast Overtown/Park West and
Omni Community Development Agencies.)
CRA-R-06-0038
MOVED: Tomas Regalado
SECONDED: Linda Haskins
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Motion that this matter be ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
AYES: Commissioner Regalado, Chair Spence -Jones and Commissioner Haskins
ABSENT: Vice Chair Gonzalez and Commissioner Sanchez
Chair Spence -Jones: Now the reason I'm bringing this up to my colleagues, again, just
knowing -- being in office over the last six or seven months, I have experienced
tremendous loss. Every time we turn around, we had -- we were losing something, and it's
very difficult to build on anything when you're constantly losing. As you know, we lost the
City Manager, but we inherited a great one. I love you, Pete, but I'm saying, it still was a
loss. We did lose Commissioner Winton, which -- I'm just talking about my own personal
loss -- but gained a great sister in crime here, Linda, Commissioner Haskins, and now,
Frank, so 1 mean, the list just -- it doesn't end, so my initial -- when this whole thing came
up and all these losses were taking place, I realized that if I'm going to be responsible for
an area, I have to be able to lead the best way that I feel I need to lead, and for the first time,
I can definitely say, at least from my district's perspective, there is a feeling of hope that
things are changing and they're moving, and I just -- at this particular time, did not want to
see another major move. It is my suggestion, and I would like to at least bring it to my
colleagues here with me this evening, to ask for their support. My thought -- and what I'd
like to have their support on is to at least, at this particular time -- because to get anybody
else in -- and I've had conversations back and forth with the City Manager and even the City
Attorney on this issue about who could we transition in and out, you know, to get this
done, and we just -- you know, we had one person in mind, and then she took a better job,
so it just has not been easy, and I think that we need to really take our time in selecting
someone to fill Frank's shoes. We just cannot rush doing this, and there's a big fear from
the community -- I'm just telling you -- a huge, big fear that this is, you know, just a move to
eventually take the CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) and fold it back into City
government, and I think, honestly, that's the worst thing that we could ever possibly do
because the people in the community really, really feel as though they have something, and
to take this away is just another thing that they're going to have to lose, so my suggestion,
and I would like to have support on, is if we could at least appoint Mr. Jim Villacorta as our
interim CRA director, taking Frank's place, because at this particular point, we need
someone that has the knowledge and has the -- at least have the ability to address these
issues. We need somebody that's going to prepare -- not to say that you're not a great
attorney. I think you're going to be an awesome attorney. I'm not taking anything away
from you, but 1 think you need to have somebody there that you could work on the side of
that can help you with the issues on a day-to-day basis before you take over that load, and
believe me, it is a load, so my -- I've already talked to the City Attorney about it, and --
because right now, Mr. Villacorta works for the City Attorney, and 1 would never ask this
without asking the person he works for, and I was given a favorable answer.
Mr. Fernandez: Yes, certainly, and subject to Mr. Villacorta accepting the honor that you
may be bestowing upon him, clearly, I've talked to him -- talked with him about the
possibilities, and clearly, I would be very much wanting him back into the fold of the City
Attorney's Office so that I can use his talents and resources as an attorney in other major
City developments, as well as continue, in some capacity, with the CRA, once he finishes
his tour of duty, if that's what this group desires to do.
Chair Spence -Jones: And I just want to say -- because you know we've been going back
and forth on this, Pete, trying to find a solution, trying to find a solution, and you know, by
all means, I would definitely want to make sure that you walk -- you know, work
hand -in -hand, as we begin to identify, you know, the search to, you know, have someone at
least take the place of -- for the CRA director, but I think right now we just need a little
stability in order for us to really get through this hump, and based upon our conversation
you had with me, you didn't have any issues with it.
Pedro G. Hernandez (City Manager): No.
Chair Spence -Jones: I just want to make sure.
Mr. Hernandez: No issues.
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Chair Spence -Jones: OK, so I guess I got to look on this side to see if I got any issues.
Commissioner Regalado: Madam Chair, it is a brilliant idea, and I tell you why. The
Manager is about to enter in talks with the County regarding the Parrot Jungle fiasco, and
one of the major components for the County and for the City is the CRA, the extension of
the lives of the CRA. Now we know that the City Manager understands the system, the
County, and you know, it couldn't be the best person to go there and deal with the people
in the County, but he's been in WASA (Water and Sewer Authority), in Public Works,
directing Fire and Police, but maybe he's not at speed as much on the CRAs, and then we
have the possibility of having Mr. Villacorta as the CRA interim director, giving counsel to
the City Manager on all CRA issues. That way he would not have to depend on what the
County's opinion is about the CRA, but of this board, through the executive director. It is
also a brilliant idea because, like you said, this is a decision that it's important for the
people in your area, in the Omni, the Park West. You know, dealing with 24-hour
entertainment is one of the million things that this Board have to deal with, and to tell you
the truth, I, and probably my other colleagues, and you, and Linda will be focusing, during
August, and during September, and during October in the City's budget, and not paying
attention to what is going on here in the CRA, so we need a person that understands the
CRA, understand the way Frank works, and especially, frankly, Mr. Villacorta is a
professional, an honest person; a person that has not ever tell us, you know, something
that is not the right thing, even if we don't want to hear it. He's an officer of the court, an
attorney, so it would be in good hands, so you have my support. We're three here, so -- I
guess that probably the attorney will tell you that two out of three is a majority, but I don't
know if this is the case, but the thing is that, regardless of the support of the Board, we
need to know if the attorney wants to do this. I personally will urge Jim to do it because it
will take away a headache from everyone concerned, and knowing (UNINTELLIGIBLE) --
Mr. Rollason: All but one.
Commissioner Regalado: Yeah.
Mr. Rollason: All but one.
Commissioner Regalado: Yeah. Well, you got Advil. You got Advil for that, but you know -
- yeah. When he finish working at 4:30 in the morning, he can go -- just go to the clubs and
be there for like until 11 a.m., but you know, the City Attorney had plans to have two very
good attorneys working in the CRA. Well, let's give the City Attorney the possibility of
having two good attorneys working for the CRA; one as executive director, and the other as
the City Attorney representing the City and representing the interests of the CRA, so you
have all my support. I am making a motion to -- you cannot vote.
Commissioner Haskins: I second.
Chair Spence -Jones: Oh, 1 thought you had a question.
Commissioner Regalado: The City Attorney cannot vote.
Mr. Fernandez: No --
Chair Spence -Jones: Oh, I thought he had a question.
Mr. Fernandez: -- but I have a comment to make.
Commissioner Haskins: I was going to second.
Commissioner Regalado: Well, I'm making a motion to appoint, as interim director, Jim
Villacorta from the City Attorneys Office, effective --
Mr. Rollason: August 1.
Unidentified Speaker: Yes.
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Commissioner Regalado: -- August 1. That's tomorrow.
Mr. Fernandez: Yes.
Mr. Rollason: That's right.
Mr. Hernandez: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Commissioner Regalado: That's today, if we were in Madrid.
Mr. Rollason: Right.
Mr. Hernandez: That's before the clubs open.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
Mr. Rollason: And the sad part is, the clubs aren't open tonight.
Chair Spence -Jones: I'd like to -- what did you write here?
Mr. Fernandez: Yeah. Basically, the -- my handwriting is not too clear, especially --
Chair Spence -Jones: He can't even read his own handwriting.
Mr. Fernandez: No, I can't. Certainly, I'll make these comments, but before you take a vote
on that motion, after it's properly seconded, you -- before you take the vote, you need to
turn to Mr. Villacorta to make sure that he will accept if you make it. Otherwise, you may be
embarrassed in making it, and so, you need to, in the process, invite his acquiescence, but
in any event, the proper motion would be --
Commissioner Regalado: He doesn't know if he has a second yet.
Mr. Fernandez: No. That's right, so maybe --
Commissioner Haskins: I seconded it.
Jim Villacorta (Assistant General Counsel, Community Redevelopment Agency): She
second it.
Chair Spence -Jones: She second.
Commissioner Regalado: Oh, she second it.
Mr. Fernandez: Oh, you -- oh, OK.
Commissioner Haskins: Do you want to do it, Jim?
Commissioner Regalado: Yeah, simple.
Mr. Villacorta: If it's the Board's will, I'd be happy to help in the transition to a permanent
director. I don't think I could fill Frank's shoes or --
Commissioner Regalado: That's all that there is to it.
Chair Spence -Jones: Let's --
Mr. Villacorta: -- with the --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- is it -- has --?
Mr. Villacorta: -- acquiescence of the City Attorney --
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Mr. Fernandez: Of course.
Mr. Villacorta: -- and the --
Mr. Fernandez: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to take you back. Move to approve the appointment of
Mr. Villacorta's interim executive director and authorize the Chair and the City Attorney to
work out all of the details of the transition, you know, August 1, August 4, the issue of
taking care of all the concerns of Mr. Rollason; making sure that we transition him from
one payroll to another, giving him an opportunity to notify the Florida Bar that for a few
weeks, a few months, he will not be a practicing attorney, but he will be an executive
director, and you know, subject to all of those things. I think the appropriate motion is
(INAUDIBLE) --
Commissioner Regalado: OK, subject to all of that --
Mr. Fernandez: Correct. Subject to all of that.
Commissioner Regalado: -- it is my --
Commissioner Haskins: Still second it.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. All in favor?
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Spence -Jones: All opposed? None, so motion carries. Let's welcome Jim Villacorta
on.
Applause.
Chair Spence -Jones: Any comments, Jim?
Mr. Villacorta: I just want to make clear that Mr. Rollason would be available on an hourly
basis to finish 'till October 31 -- to --
Chair Spence -Jones: Can -- you can't --
Mr. Villacorta: -- August 31.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. Could you put that closer because I can't --?
Mr. Villacorta: That Frank Rollason would be available to -- for the transition until August
31 on an hourly rate.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. If that is -- hopefully, part of this with you being there --
Mr. Villacorta: Um -hum.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- will at least alleviate somebody else trying to learn because most
the stuff you should already know there --
Commissioner Regalado: Yeah.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- so if we can, Mr. City Manager and Mr. City Attorney, whatever you
just -- I guess, you made the --
Mr. Fernandez: Yes.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- added these --
Commissioner Regalado: But Madam --
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NA.8 06-01401
Chair Spence -Jones: -- things on.
Commissioner Regalado: -- Chair, if you excuse me.
Chair Spence -Jones: Sure.
Commissioner Regalado: The motion said that you and the City Attorney --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Commissioner Regalado: -- will --
Chair Spence -Jones: We'll work it out.
Commissioner Regalado: -- deal with that.
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah. I worked out all of that --
Mr. Villacorta: OK.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- but welcome on -- welcome aboard.
Mr. Villacorta: Thank you.
Chair Spence -Jones: All right. We will -- we are going to -- if there's anything else that
needs to be said or -- at this point. I think we have a tour tonight, right?
William R. Bloom (Special Counsel, Community Redevelopment Agency): Whether Frank is
going to serve on a consulting basis during the transition period --
Commissioner Regalado: No, no, no, no. That's going to be worked out by the Chairman --
Mr. Rollason: We'll work that out.
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Commissioner Regalado: -- by the Chairperson and by the City Attorney.
CRA DISCUSSION
BRIEF DISCUSSION REGARDING TOUR OF RESTAURANT.
DISCUSSED
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. I think we have an official tour of this site right after.
Frank Rollason (Executive Director, Community Redevelopment Agency): Well, I think we
have a problem. Was -- and what came was -- I'm not sure what happened with the TCO.
We may have a technical issue about being able to go over there, and I was talking with the
young lady representing the restaurant and she told me we got a problem tonight, so I don't
know --
Commissioner Haskins: What happened with the inspection?
Mr. Rollason: I'm not exactly sure, but she told me that it ain't happening tonight --
Commissioner Haskins: OK.
Mr. Rollason: -- in technical terms, so I think what we're going to have to do is --
Unidentified Speaker: Take a raincheck.
Mr. Rollason: -- take a raincheck and come back, and we'll do that, and --
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NA.9 06-01402
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. Before we adjourn, I just --
Commissioner Regalado: But why you don't -- we don't do it subject to the inspection?
Mr. Rollason: Let me see what the issue is.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
[Later...]
Chair Spence -Jones: The meeting is officially -- any other questions before I officially
adjourn the meeting?
Commissioner Haskins: I'll make the motion to adjourn.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
Mr. Rollason: There will be no tour. The individual that is -- by their insurance company is
the issue that can give the tour is no longer here, and they will reschedule it, and we'll have
a -- earlier in the evening and have a very nice tour of the facility.
Chair Spence -Jones: Meeting is officially adjourned.
CRA DISCUSSION
DISCUSSION REGARDING PENDING LITIGATION ISSUES
BETWEEN THE CRA AND JACKSON SOUL FOOD RESTAURANT.
DISCUSSED
Direction by Commissioner Haskins to the Executive Director to come back to the Board, at
the CRA meeting currently scheduled for September 25, 2006, with a reasonable settlement
or update regarding the Jackson Soul Food restaurant.
Chair Spence -Jones: While he's seeing what the issue is, I just want to just real fast,
before you -- Commissioner Haskins, I just need to ask one quick question just so that I
have a clear understanding from -- I mean, Ms. City -- Ms. City Clerk, are you -- is he
officially the person now? So do I ask him on behalf of the -- being the attorney, or just --
Priscilla A. Thompson (Clerk of the Board): If --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- I have a question for him.
Ms. Thompson: If I'm not mistaken, the motion said effective August 1 --
Chair Spence -Jones: OK, so I can ask him --
Ms. Thompson: -- which is tomorrow.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- in his City of --
Jim Villacorta (Assistant General Counsel, Community Redevelopment Agency): I'm still
the attorney --
Ms. Thompson: He's still the --
Mr. Villacorta: -- for the Board.
Ms. Thompson: -- legal advisor.
Commissioner Regalado: Or the City Attorney.
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Chair Spence -Jones: Right, the City Attorney.
Commissioner Regalado: Yeah.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. I wanted to ask you this -- we've been talking all night about how
we have these dollars set aside for projects that just aren't moving, and I believe, Linda, I
don't know when you came -- when you first came on board. I don't think you might have
missed it. It might have came later, but I know you know, Commissioner Regalado, this
issue with Jackson Soul Food.
Commissioner Regalado: Oh, forever.
Chair Spence -Jones: Since 1999 --
Commissioner Regalado: Yeah, yeah, forever.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- $750,000 has been sitting in the bank.
Commissioner Regalado: Forever.
Chair Spence -Jones: Forever, and we've been having this huge, big issue about, you
know, the fact that this billboard's here, and y'all are negotiating back and forth, and -- but
there're two separate issues, correct, Mr. City Attorney?
Mr. Villacorta: The billboard is in -- is on property owned by JEJ Properties. The grant is to
Jackson Soul Food restaurant.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. 1 just --
Commissioner Haskins: Are those two different owners?
Chair Spence -Jones: No.
Mr. Villacorta: They're two different corporations --
Commissioner Haskins: Or is it two different owner/principals --
Mr. Villacorta: -- the exact --
Commissioner Haskins: -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Mr. Villacorta: -- stockholders of each firm, I don't know, but I --
Mr. Rollason: No. There's some of the same people --
Mr. Villacorta: -- believe that --
Mr. Rollason: -- but they're two separate corporations.
Commissioner Haskins: Is it owned by the same people?
Mr. Villacorta: I believe Shirlene Ingraham has interest in both corporations.
Chair Spence -Jones: But this is what I'm just trying to understand -- and you guys have
been doing this a lot longer than I have -- we have this money sitting here, and it's not --
nothing's happening with it. The business is providing job -- Jackson Soul Food is
providing jobs to people in the area; they can only open up during lunchtime because their
kitchen's not able to expand, you know, which means, if it was able to expand, we would
now be able to have them open at least for lunchtime, and sometimes dinner, and all of this
work that we're getting ready to do on 3rd Avenue by attracting new businesses in, I'm just
trying to understand -- and I've been told by our City Attorney that they're two separate
issues, and that one -- and it's even pointed to me on the record that they're two totally
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different issues, and that it's been advised to this Board that they should not be put
together and they should be dealt with separately, and I'm just not understanding why.
Mr. Rollason: Madam Chair, if I may --
Chair Spence -Jones: Sure.
Mr. Rollason: -- add to this.
Chair Spence -Jones: Are you still here?
Mr. Rollason: It was -- I'm still here.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
Mr. Rollason: It's not midnight. I haven't turned into a pumpkin. It was a recommendation
of the Administration, when this came up, that they remain separate, and that they be two
separate entities, and one had nothing to do with the other. The Board, because of input
from other members of the public that felt that they were being set upon as a result of this,
mainly dealing with the billboard, convinced the Board that even though legally and
technically they were separate, they were one and the same, and until the billboard issue
was resolved, the project shouldn't go forward. As far as technically going, it's exactly
what the City Attorney says. There're two separate issues; the money is there. The money
remains there because that money has been appropriated, not just encumbered for that
project, so therefore, we don't double -spend that money on something else, and the
direction of this Board was that until we came back with a resolution to the billboard, that
this project was not to go forward. Now this Board can take another option -- another
direction if they desire.
Chair Spence -Jones: I --
Commissioner Haskins: Is this the billboard that went up on the lot that the CRA
(Community Redevelopment Agency) paid for them --?
Mr. Rollason: That's correct.
Commissioner Haskins: OK --
Mr. Rollason: It was on a CRA lot.
Commissioner Haskins: -- and I'II tell you. You know, I would -- I'd really like to defer this
discussion to the next -- and I have a real issue with -- my district has suffered greatly, and
I've gotten lots of calls and e-mails (electronic mails) about billboards, and murals, and all
of that, and I tell you, I just think it's not that difficult to live with the rules of the City, and I
don't care, one way or the other, if it's two separate legal entities because I'm going to look
through that. If it's the same owners, it's the same owners, and if we're talking about
$750,000 for them on top of having done the bill -- done the parking lot, which then got a
big billboard put on it and took up I don't know how many spaces, I'm sorry, I do have an
issue with that.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. Let me say this to you, and I'm glad we have -- since you and I
were not here, I want to defer to the member that has been here the longest at least to at
least get -- because I wanted to have another insight because I can't talk to you any other
time, so can you please tell me, from your perspective, what -- I mean, what you've
gathered from the whole thing --
Commissioner Regalado: Well --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- and why did you guys decide --
Commissioner Regalado: -- I --
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Chair Spence -Jones: -- not to give them --
Commissioner Regalado: Look --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- just so that I understand it.
Commissioner Regalado: Well, in very simple terms, I think that throughout the years --
and Frank wasn't here, and other people were here -- the CRA has brought this issue back
and back and approved support for this restaurant in particular. Throughout the years,
somewhere along the line, there have been a red tape that has made impossible for that
money to function, and for that money to become part of the development of the area. I
personally -- and this is not a legal issue. This is not even a professional -- my sense, my
feelings that I have in that case is that the people never saw -- the people from that
business never saw the full cooperation or enthusiasm from the City to move forward with
the help to that place, and an opportunity just jumped into their hands to have that
billboard, huge billboard in the middle, and I think that I -- when that happened, no one
noticed, and when that happened, no one cared, and there was no action. The City was
sleeping at the wheel with that and other billboards, and that billboard became part of a
whole problem that plagues the City, and litigation, and all that, and you know what?
Meanwhile, the question that I always ask myself when I pass by and see this is, well, I
don't know the economic terms of that agreement that they made, but what I do know is
that, once again, the City failed to help a minority business in our municipality, and then
they had that option. We have been going back and forth, and frankly, you know, I really
don't know what is going to happen because that is not the only illegal billboard in the City
of Miami, so that's an issue that -- you know, it's very easy to make an example, have shock
therapy with a business so we can please some people, but we cannot have a double
standard. We have to go after all the illegal billboards.
Commissioner Haskins: I -- and Commissioner Regalado, my understanding is, when this
happened, there were Code Enforcement people there immediately. In fact, it was two
locations where the CRA had given money for parking lots, so -- (AUDIO INTERRUPTED) --
after that, and my understanding is there were Code Enforcement people there immediately
to try to stop that, but I really --
Chair Spence -Jones: And I -- and we don't have to vote on --
Commissioner Haskins: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- Frank, you were --
Chair Spence -Jones: Let me just say that we --
Commissioner Haskins: -- from -- Code Enforcement reported to you at the time --
Mr. Rollason: Listen, we really need to make the record clear. That billboard is not there
illegally. It is permitted; it's allowed by the City. The issue came with the covenant from
the CRA --
Commissioner Regalado: Right.
Mr. Rollason: -- that required that that parking lot only be used --
Commissioner Haskins: For parking, right.
Mr. Rollason: -- for parking, and the issue from the CRA perspective, until the Board
changes that, is that billboards coming into the area are slum and blight, and we're not in
the process of supporting more slum and blight coming.
Commissioner Haskins: Because we had another issue with another location, and I --
Mr. Rollason: Right, but that one is not in the CRA.
Commissioner Haskins: Right, but it was another one that the City had --
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Mr. Rollason: Understand --
Commissioner Haskins: -- funded through Community Development.
Mr. Rollason: -- and so when that issue was brought to the Board, the Board's direction
was to pursue removing the billboard, and that -- so we've been on that track removing the
billboard from the direction --
Chair Spence -Jones: Which --
Mr. Rollason: -- of the Board --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- by all means, I think that we need to stay on that track. Again, I'm --
we don't have to even vote on this.
Commissioner Haskins: I have no problem --
Chair Spence -Jones: That's not what this is about.
Commissioner Haskins: -- moving --
Chair Spence -Jones: I'm just trying to have a discussion because I can't talk to my
colleagues any other --
Commissioner Haskins: Right.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- time, but this time, and it's very difficult for me because these are
my constituents.
Commissioner Haskins: Yeah. I have --
Chair Spence -Jones: These are people that, you know, they got to the restaurant.
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Chair Spence -Jones: They're trying to run their restaurant, and if I, as the Commissioner,
cannot communicate to them, you know -- and they're showing me transcripts where it
clearly says, you know, that there's not a conflict or there's not an issue; that this issue's
only because we've created it as a City Commission, I can't help but to ask, you know,
why? So it's -- and I'm not trying to, you know, railroad anything in, but I have a
responsibility to the folks that I serve, so you guys --
Commissioner Haskins: Madam Chair.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- have advised me over and over again that this is not an issue, and I
want to just say, I don't know what the issue is from the bill --
Commissioner Haskins: Can I have my say?
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah, sure. Let me just finish my last thought. I sat and listened --
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- to everybody, and I'm just now adding my little part to it, but as far
as the billboard is concerned from me, I don't have the same type of issues about the
billboard; I really don't. You know, it's in my district, you know, and the billboard doesn't
bother me. Now, because there was a covenant on the land, I think that we need to go
ahead and continue -- and I think we have made some headway. I personally sat down with
our CRA attorneys, along with the attorneys from that side, trying to negotiate or trying to
find out how can we get past some of these issues, and I think that we are making some
headway, correct, Jim?
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Mr. Villacorta: Yes. We -- we're waiting for them to provide a letter of proposal back to us
about how we would -- could move the billboard from our parking lot that has the deed
restriction --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Mr. Villacorta: -- the one that we sold them, to her property, over which we have no control,
and they're supposed to have that letter to us by August 12. They're also due to answer in
court our suit for breach of the covenant on that deed.
Chair Spence -Jones: So they're doing that.
Commissioner Haskins: And as -- my issue --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Commissioner Haskins: -- with this is I agree that if we spent money to help this business
in building a parking lot, and then the business -- regardless of whether that parcel that the
parking lot is on is technically owned by a separate company -- turns around and builds a
huge bill -- puts a huge billboard on that parking lot, which was supposed to help them
with parking --
Chair Spence -Jones: But have you --?
Commissioner Haskins: -- and all the other parking -- I've been there. I've been there. I've
been there.
Chair Spence -Jones: You know it's only on one --
Commissioner Haskins: I understand it, but it still took --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- it's only on one --
Commissioner Haskins: -- parking spaces away, and we put -- this is all tied up in all the
other old CRA parking lots, too, right? With, you know, all the things that were going on --
and I'm more familiar with the other business because it was CD (Community Development)
-funded, which took away many spaces, when we're trying to help a business by building
parking, so I don't think it is that difficult to follow the rules. Everybody -- you know, when
these owners got the help from CRA in the first place, or from Community Development, in
the case of the other business, in the first place, to have a parking lot built, and you know,
it was to support their business, I don't think it showed good faith with the City to put up a
billboard on it. Now, if the billboard's going to get moved, and it's going to get moved
legally, I don't have a problem releasing the $750,000, but I wouldn't have a problem with
that because I want to see these businesses succeed. It's not about not wanting
businesses to succeed. It's about fairness to all parties --
Chair Spence -Jones: Um -hum.
Commissioner Haskins: -- because how many businesses have you talked with throughout
the City who want parking and need parking? I mean, I hear it everyday, whether it's
Wynwood, Edgewater, Biscayne, Coconut Grove; everywhere that I go, businesses need --
but for City funds to be used to build a parking lot -- and I don't care if it's two spaces
because that parking lot ain't that big --
Chair Spence -Jones: Um -hum.
Commissioner Haskins: -- in the first place --
Chair Spence -Jones: Right.
Commissioner Haskins: -- so two is a lot --
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Chair Spence -Jones: It's just one space --
Commissioner Haskins: -- you know.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- but I don't even want to make an -- I just wanted to have --
Commissioner Haskins: One is a lot.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- clarity on the issue, and I'm just going to say -- I just want to say
this because, at the end of the day, you know, the restaurant is in my district.
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Chair Spence -Jones: It is clearly in my district, and I have very few businesses in Overtown
period that are thriving, and Jackson Soul Food is one of the oldest, black businesses that
I have in town -- I mean, in Overtown, you know, that's only able to open, you know, in the
morning. I don't -- and I -- I don't know what all the history is on it, period, because that's
not my issue, but if I'm hearing from my City Attorney, and I'm hearing from the executive
director, and I even heard from you, the City Attorney, Commissioner, this is -- this -- they
should not be tied together; that this thing is only being put on there because of the
Commission saying that they should not -- one should not move over the other, and I had to
be able to bring this out today because I'm getting them calling me, and I can't even go to
the restaurant -- I'm going to be honest with you -- without either the patrons saying to me,
Commissioner, why are you giving them a hard time about them building out this
restaurant.
Commissioner Haskins: Is this -- is the advice they shouldn't be tied together or you need
not tie them together, Jorge?
Jorge L. Fernandez (City Attorney): Well, they need not be tied together, but I think, frankly,
that while I can categorically say that they need not be tied together, it is a very logical
position for the City and the CRA to have taken to tie them together because here we're
dealing with an owner of a business, notwithstanding all the issues of the community and
all of that, that, in our opinion, has not acted in good faith, and as a matter of leverage, as a
matter of policy directive, when the City -- when the CRA made the decision to pursue this
course of action, we fully endorsed it. In fact, right now, we have engaged them in
settlement negotiations, as Commissioner Spence -Jones has said, and when these are
reported back to me, I am, frankly, aghast at the amount of money that they're asking, in a
potential settlement, for attorneys' fees. I have instructed Mr. Villacorta, as he negotiates
this issue -- because I still think that a negotiated settlement is always better than,
ultimately, going to court, especially when you're dealing with a community interest, but
that the reasonableness on the part of the owners have got to be present, and to this date, I
do not see it, so I will continue, as the general counsel for the CRA, as well as the City
Attorney for the City, to insist that we find a fair, just, and equitable solution to this
problem; hopefully, sooner than not, and hopefully, through negotiations, rather than court
proceedings because in court proceedings, you know, it's all -- it takes a long time and
nobody ever wins. I really think that a good settlement is the best way to proceed, and
we're aggressively pursuing that, trying to get the owners to be more reasonable, frankly,
than they have been to the present.
Chair Spence -Jones: Jim --
Mr. Villacorta: I think the --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- and then we're going to close out on the issue. I just had to bring it
up. Go ahead.
Mr. Villacorta: This came up at a meeting where we were about to fund the contractor to
start the work on their restaurant, and the neighbors of the restaurant came to the Board
and stood up at the meeting and said why are you giving them money under your grant
agreement when they are in breach of their agreement with the CRA to use that parking lot
solely for parking. Even though it's two separate -- it then came out that it's two separate
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corporations, and the Board felt that they would not want to go forward with the grant while
they were in breach of their other agreement on the parking lot to use it solely for parking.
It's -- we're in court on both of those issues. They're asking for the grant money; we're
asking for the billboard to be moved. It's possible that we could be ordered to proceed
with the grant, but I'm fairly confident that "solely for parking" means not putting up an
80-foot billboard.
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah, and I just want -- and then I'm going to close out on this
because I know it's hot, and I'm tired, and everybody else is tired. I just -- I needed to have
this discussion because, you know, when I'm being briefed or I'm sitting in these powwow
sessions between both groups -- and mind you, wasn't until I came on board that they were
even able to sit down to the table together, the family and us, to even have a discussion,
but at least their minds are open to trying to address the issue because they felt like
somebody was trying to listen, so for me, this -- my only purpose of even bringing this up
was for us to try to resolve it. I have to have wins in my district, and unfortunately, this is
the -- we're talking about attracting new businesses, which takes time to get up and
running, when I have an existing business here right now that really needs the support, you
know, so I don't -- you know, I don't know what would be the next step, but I want to try to
at least resolve this issue by our next meeting in September because it doesn't make sense
for us to keep hold -- 1999; that's how many years?
Mr. Rollason: Well, this has been held up not since 1999, but the --
Commissioner Haskins: No.
Mr. Rollason: -- project has been since 1999, as you look at the history. I think the
direction from the Board is that once we resolve the issue, bring it back to the Board, and if
we can do that by September, and the Board is satisfied that the billboard issue has been
resolved, then we're off to the races with the other.
Commissioner Haskins: I want -- I would like to see a reasonable settlement, so that if --
Mr. Fernandez: Correct.
Commissioner Haskins: -- we can't get a reasonable settlement, then it's -- just give us an
update at the next CRA meeting because I think there are -- I mean, Michelle, I know that we
need new businesses, we need new mom-and-pop's all over the place, we need to preserve
Chair Spence -Jones: No. We need to support the businesses there -- that are there first.
Commissioner Haskins: But we did.
Chair Spence -Jones: I'm not even talking about new.
Commissioner Haskins: But we did.
Chair Spence -Jones: I'm talking about --
Commissioner Haskins: But we did.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK. I'm talking about --
Commissioner Haskins: We did, and we --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- the one that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) there.
Commissioner Haskins: -- asked them to follow some rules. That's -- and I feel -- you
know, we asked them to follow some rules --
Chair Spence -Jones: Um -hum.
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Commissioner Haskins: -- and I think it's -- you know, and -- you know, I -- maybe I'm a little
colder about this than in other things, but I, got so used to this when dealing with our
federal dollars and our state dollars, and -- through Community Development. I don't think
it's that difficult to follow the rules, and people that didn't follow the rules, they knew they
were not going to be doing business with the City of Miami again because we did not want
the situation that some of our counterparts at the County are dealing with now on all sorts
of things, so you know, I do think it's not that hard to follow the rules, and I feel very
strongly about that, and it's because of where I come from; having dealt with CD, and
federal money, and all of that. I just think it's important that we set a standard, and we --
the City did help them. The City did fund a parking lot for them.
Chair Spence -Jones: Right.
Commissioner Haskins: They did do that, and the City's done a lot, and you know, trying --
the CRA, especially, has tried to do a whole lot.
Chair Spence -Jones: Now did we not -- did they not pay for the --? I just want to be clear.
Didn't they pay for the lot -- land?
Mr. Rollason: They did.
Chair Spence -Jones: Didn't they --?
Mr. Rollason: The lot was put out for bid under the rules, and they were the only bidder.
We also provided them with a mortgage, but that was prin -- interest only for years, and I
think when it became evident that not only was the lot in jeopardy, but the restaurant was
in jeopardy as the way the two were tied together --
Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah.
Mr. Rollason: -- they came in very quickly with a check and they paid off the mortgage.
Chair Spence -Jones: So I'm asking -- so they paid for these lots?
Mr. Rollason: Yes, they did.
Chair Spence -Jones: So we didn't give it to them?
Mr. Rollason: No, no, no, no. It went -- you can't give away CRA land.
Chair Spence -Jones: No. That's not --
Mr. Rollason: It went out to bid.
Chair Spence -Jones: -- what I'm asking -- but they paid for it? That's the question.
Mr. Rollason: Right. It went out to bid, and they paid for the land. It went out --
Chair Spence -Jones: I --
Mr. Rollason: -- that parking lot --
Chair Spence -Jones: -- understand.
Mr. Rollason: -- went out to bid --
Chair Spence -Jones: Do you understand why I'm confused on the issue?
Commissioner Haskins: But didn't the City build the parking lot, and then --
Mr. Rollason: Well, that's correct.
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Commissioner Haskins: -- the parking lot went out to bid?
Mr. Rollason: It was just -- it -- listen, it was a CRA lot, just like the gentleman that stood up
here tonight wanting to develop the other CRA parking lot.
Commissioner Haskins: Michelle, that parking lot was built for Jackson Soul Food.
Mr. Rollason: It -- right.
Commissioner Haskins: Period.
Mr. Rollason: It wasn't built for them.
Chair Spence -Jones: But --
Commissioner Haskins: It was --
Mr. Rollason: It was built for public parking, and then it was looked at that Jackson Soul
Food wanted to have some dedicated parking, and through then -Commissioner Teele,
chairman of the Board, the lot was put out for bid --
Chair Spence -Jones: Um -hum.
Mr. Rollason: -- and it went out to bid. We received one bid. The bid was from Jackson
Soul Food. It went through the process; came before the Board. The Board then awarded
that lot to Jackson Soul Food with a structured mortgage, and that mortgage was handled
by the CRA. We collected the --
Mr. Villacorta: Payments.
Mr. Rollason: -- payments every month, which were in the form of money orders, and then,
when this litigation got rolling at a pretty good speed, they came in --
Chair Spence -Jones: They paid it off.
Mr. Rollason: -- it was their option; they came in and they paid it off.
Commissioner Haskins: Who was --
Chair Spence -Jones: OK.
Commissioner Haskins: -- the land bought from originally?
Mr. Rollason: I beg your pardon?
Commissioner Haskins: Who was the land bought from originally before the --? How did
the CRA get to own it?
Mr. Rollason: That was -- but see, there was a building on that that we (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -
Mr. Villacorta: Yeah. We bought the -- it had a rundown apartment building. We bought it -
Commissioner Haskins: Um -hum.
Mr. Villacorta: -- the CRA bought it for $68,000 --
Commissioner Haskins: And --
Mr. Villacorta: -- and --
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Commissioner Haskins: -- from -- who were the owners on that?
Mr. Villacorta: I don't know right off --
Mr. Rollason: I don't know who the owners were on that. We can research --
Mr. Villacorta: It wasn't Shirlene Ingraham.
Commissioner Haskins: It wasn't related, and then we built --
Mr. Rollason: No.
Commissioner Haskins: -- a parking lot on it.
Mr. Rollason: That's correct.
Mr. Villacorta: And we demolished the building, built a parking lot for --
Commissioner Haskins: For how much?
Mr. Villacorta: -- about $89,000.
Chair Spence -Jones: How much?
Mr. Villacorta: It was --
Commissioner Haskins: Eighty-nine thousand.
Mr. Villacorta: Eighty-nine, in addition to the sixty-eight that was spent.
Commissioner Haskins: Uh-huh.
Mr. Villacorta: The parking lot was appraised at 25,000; a minimum bid of 50,000 was
demanded when we put it out for bid. The only person to bid was Jackson Soul Food
Restaurant. They were given a interest -only loan for the first five or ten years, but the
mortgage encompassed the restaurant as well. When the billboard went up and it
appeared that they were in violation of that deed restriction and it was going to affect the
mortgage, they came in and paid off the mortgage so that they would not lose the
restaurant.
Commissioner Haskins: So they purchased a $170,000 parking lot for $50,000.
Mr. Rollason: Fifty-eight.
Mr. Villacorta: It was appraised at 25.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK, so -- I mean, again --
Commissioner Haskins: It was $89,000 purchase price and another $89,000 to build the lot.
Mr. Villacorta: Sixty-eight not eighty-nine.
Mr. Rollason: About 68,000 to build the lot. We put 90 in it, so $150,000 plus -- that was the
parking lot.
Chair Spence -Jones: OK, so I just wanted to make sure that when we come back in
September, we have this item on the agenda so that we can address it, and I'd like to have
at least the Jackson Soul Food people here to at least address where we are. I just think
that it's an important issue, and --
Mr. Rollason: No. I understand.
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Chair Spence -Jones: -- you know, I would hate one of the oldest black businesses not to,
for whatever reason, not have support, so that's my only point.
Mr. Rollason: It'll be on the agenda.
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