CAN DO’s, CANNOT DO’s & BEWARE’s WITH TIF

American Beach Finding of Necessity Nassau County Community Meeting August 24, 2019

CAN DO’s, CANNOT DO’s & BEWARE’s WITH TIF $

CAN DO’s

Administrative and overhead expenses Redevelopment planning, surveys, & financial analysis Acquisition of real property in the CRA district Clearance/preparation & relocation of occupants Repayment of borrowed funds All expenses related to bonds/other indebtedness Development of affordable housing Capital expenditures Promotion, marketing & events (BEWARE, PROCEED WITH CAUTION) Non Profit activities (BEWARE, PROCEED WITH CAUTION) Incentives and grants Code enforcement Land Acquisition Cost sharing/allocation for services Community policing innovations Executive Director Technical experts Educational/Professional Development Other such agents & employees as required Counsel and legal staff

CANNOT DO’s

Construction / expansion administrative buildings for public bodies/police/fire facilities Publicly owned capital improvements if scheduled in city or county capital improvement

plan until removed from schedule or plan and 3 years have elapsed. General government operating expenses unrelated to the planning & carrying out of a

community redevelopment plan Activities/projects not covered in plan Board Members/Commissioners payment for service as CRA Board member Project or program outside of the development area However, by interlocal agreement there may be legal uses of funds outside the CRA Area

and not in plan

BEWARE, PROCEED WITH CAUTION………

Market/direct funding events (AG-2010-40) Funding non-profits (AG-2010-40) Substitution of CRA funding for city/county duties/projects done previously by them Maintenance and repair of CRA projects Community Policing – details, details Reimbursement to city/county of expenses (Auditor General Reports 2006) Subject to all Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) requirements


STRUCTURE & POLICIES OF CRA’s

How a CRA is created, all local level activity.

Charter counties “delegate” authority to city CRAs Non charter counties can challenge the creation of city CRA by statutory process Finding of Necessity performed and “blight” as defined by statute, not Mr. Webster CRA Board is established Trust Fund is created Redevelopment Plan is adopted No state approval required, but reporting requirements (annually by March 31st)

How a CRA Board is created.

Elected officials of city or county OR, a board of 5 – 9 appointed by elected officials Interlocal agreement may include representatives of other taxing authorities If governing body is only 5 members then it can be governing body + 2 appointed Chair and Vice Chair of the CRA designated by governing body (not the CRA Board)

How to make a Blueprint to CRA Plan.

Even if a program or project is in the Plan, does not need to be done ultimately But if a program or project is NOT contained in the Plan it CANNOT be undertaken.

Put everything you might want to do in the Plan whether you think you will do it or not. Can only do projects in the plan AND in the CRA area

Be ready to point to page where activity is in the plan Strategic planning each year is key to details for carrying out the plan Projects and programs may not be in the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and the

CRA Plan at the same time. There is a minimum of a three (3) year time-out required

in order to move one to the other, in either direction.

What is a Tax Increment Finance Revenue?

“Tax Increment Financing” or “TIF” Contributed by cities, counties, very few districts Not school boards, water or library districts Increases in taxes collected from property values improving over time ostensibly from CRA

activities What you put in, you get out, plus much more through private partnerships Technically not ad valorem tax – “amount equal to” Increment is 95% or less of the revenues per statute (5% processing fee for local gov’t) Fiscal Year for all CRAs is October 1st – September 30th


CRA Plan Umbrellas

CRA Plans speak to short, mid, and long term action items. While these action items help guide the County and the Community for purposes of implementation, it cannot foresee all the possible challenges and opportunities for redevelopment that will come forward over that time frame.

Therefore, specific tools, that Lara Diettrich created and refers to as the “umbrellas”, are consistent with the Florida Statutes and the intentions of CRA planning; that provide a path for all that is encouraged and allowed, be a consideration of the Plan keeping the Plan flexible and relevant, not static and lacking foresight. Diettrich Planning recommends that each Plan includes a list of statements (detailed as items 1-13 below) which anticipate broad categories of redevelopment activities that the County may undertake per the Community Redevelopment Act’s regulations. The following is a list of redevelopment categories for which the County and Community may seek to allocate Redevelopment Trust Fund monies for projects and programs, in part or in whole, in the future throughout the life of each CRA District’s Plan.

1. Directional Signage and Wayfinding 2. Streetscape and Infrastructure 3. Parking 4. Design Guidelines 5. Historic Preservation 6. Housing 7. Parks, Waterways, Recreation, and Open Space 8. Public Investment Properties 9. Public Involvement

10. Marketing, Festivals, Entertainment and Tourism 11. Culture, Arts, and Education 12. Community Health 13. Maintenance

1. Directional Signage and Wayfinding Provide informational assistance and direction to pedestrians, bicyclists, and automobiles highlighting the various aspects of the CRAs in connecting people to places of interest, local history and unique features. Should be consistent with a unified architectural theme, scale, style, materials and color throughout the CRAs in order to strengthen the CRAs’ overall sense of place. As the CRAs change over the years, the wayfinding strategy will continue to evolve. 2. Streetscape and Infrastructure Pedestrian access and landscape improvements within the right-of-way of a road, typically between the curb and the right-of-way line. Often associated with improved sidewalks, bicycle lanes, crosswalks, street trees, lighting, furnishings and landscaped medians. Infrastructure generally includes roadways, sidewalks, stormwater, potable water, sanitary sewer and utilities.


3. Parking Parking structures should be integrated within the buildings, designed to promote increased visibility and pedestrian activities while also allowing for optimal density. As important to location and capacity of parking as the signage, lighting and beautification of the parking lots and/or structures is also critical, as to not distract from the aesthetic of the area but, to contribute to it. Bicycle parking, whether by rack or valet, should be readily accessible in location and quantity, especially in areas of high public attraction and use. 4. Design Guidelines Design guidelines are intended to create a series of development standards and recommendations or a blueprint that can be applied to new projects as well as redevelopment and restoration of structures within the CRAs. The guidelines and their elements should establish a bold statement of introduction into the District and to the surrounding area for residents and visitors. 5. Historic Preservation The identification and protection of Historic Resources within CRAs is crucial. The regulations provide a framework for identification and documentation of Historic Resources within the County, the subsequent designation of certain significant Historic Resources as County Landmarks, and the treatment of Historic Resources and landmarks. The landmarks should be maintained and protected in order to serve the educational, cultural, social and economic needs and further the betterment of the CRA. 6. Housing Development and redevelopment within the CRAs could be impacted by the overall availability of quality housing choices as well as opportunities to provide housing in the future. Housing should take into consideration allowances for providing housing choices with a mixture of designs, rental v. ownership, size, and price, with options that can increase residential population and support for the CRAs historical intention when it comes to housing. 7. Parks, Waterways, Recreation and Open Space Properly addressing the riverfront and providing adequate public space will provide a central gathering area and provide the identified sense of place for the Community which creates a sense of pride. These public areas will provide high-quality spaces for festivals and public events as well as recreational activities that generally bring residents and visitors together. The waterfront areas should properly connect to and extend into the community, providing safe and accessible pedestrian and bicycle route linkages within the CRA. 8. Public Investment Properties Purchasing lands located within the CRA for which some allowable uses may be, but not limited to, housing, parking, commercial, open space, and infrastructure. A comprehensive evaluation of


existing and potential properties for public investment should be approached with realistic and achievable goals that serve the overall continuing vision of the Community, the County and its CRA. 9. Public Involvement Public involvement affords the opportunity to share in the future progress of the Community, support of the mission, and provides an avenue to become part of the Plan. Community meetings and workshops need to be properly advertised and noticed so that the public may attend these organized gatherings to ask questions, voice concerns and contribute to the betterment of their neighborhood. Residents, business owners, and grassroots organizations should participate in holding the County and the process accountable. 10. Marketing, Festivals, Entertainment and Tourism Festivals, entertainment and sustainable events are opportunities that reinforce a district’s positioning and branding. That means they must be targeted at the right audiences, communicated using the right media, and designed to support, not compete with, the permanent values of the CRA. 11. Culture, Arts, and Education Culture, arts and education elevates a community’s character, illuminating its richness of amenities, its resiliency of its people, its profound riverfront environment, and its desire to advance. By creating unique offerings through these collaborations, it is the goal to heighten expectations for valuing culture, arts and education in our community. 12. Community Health Properly designed buildings, appropriate placement of structures, easy-to-reach parks, programming of community spaces, and access to healthy foods can have an extraordinary impact on community health. Need to leverage their health advantage and reimagine how property is developed and how people live so they can stay competitive and relevant. 13. Maintenance Maintenance includes regularly scheduled efforts as well as demand driven responses to weather, park user requests, recreation programming needs, vandalism, and safety of the growing presence of residents, employees, and visitors. The County and the Community must coordinate and hold each other accountable for such activities which include, but may not be limited to, litter removal, restroom maintenance, turf management, landscape maintenance, tree maintenance, irrigation system maintenance, building maintenance, lighting system maintenance, vandalism repair, leaf removal, and community event support.

Documents

CAN DO’s, CANNOT DO’s & BEWARE’s WITH TIF