[Music] seen it looks like sorry Melissa I thought I cced you in the original email last week we've been having issues when I first she's name he was commissioner long time I know it it I saw him in physical therapy the other day Jimmy has let's he has traal mix he has a he has a mint and candy wers yeah yeah how are you [Music] I none of J's pens work in here miss that pencil will there that one works so the p f from oal are going to be here no they won't be able to make it tonight but I don't know if you need huh I watched the presentation to the city Commission on the on TV well we'll start our meeting here 60 Seconds we need what we do need somebody else usually minutes late guy's not GNA be here and Vicky Vicky um told us weeks ago that she was not going to be able to make today um Sheed yesterday and yeah because we double checked with her and then Mr guy we talked to and he is sick he sounded what did you say I'm afraid his health is you're you're Mark so Jose is he going to be here we're anticipating that he will be here yes to late so we'll keep our fingers crossed he runs from work yeah that's true one on the bunch I think he's probably don't leave us we'll get him back I'll be back leing you promise who was he city city manager okay everyone's yeah basically basically yeah he's been the city manager a good while now years I retired from being a commissioner in 2012 and I think he came pretty soon after that which is unusual for someone to be that long really long usually city managers are like yeah I was going to say 3 to five years will they just burn out or politics change yeah got you 11 I'm in 11 I said I did I quit being a commissioner in 2012 so I think you came soon after that a little more than that almost two well you weren't city manager when I was huh so you would ended 13 January I guess so miss by a year is it can you have an alternate to have one more person like as a commissioner in case somebody doesn't show we do we have places for alternance but we don't have anybody that's volunte okay so how easy would it be to fill it okay I doubt if any anybody applied no ma'am we're going to be asking for pretty soon to get we have two open for alternates and we okay we when you three there are three more Mar Jose and Nicole applied that was the three applications that we receiv received um no she's a member but she's about to get caned because she hasn't shown that for the information I'm going to have to give her the goodbye letter so we had a seven board this is a seven Bo and we had it filled up five we had it we had we we made it up to six one two three four five yeah we made it up to seven excuse me um and Siara has never shown up so on our list here missa guy who's sick Vicky who's out Jose who will be here shortly I'm sure Nicole you guys have talked to here yes yes he spend at the last two meetings yeah he's good he's he's here he usually takes a minute or two to get here so and then does the door need to be open downstairs it it was open when I came in yeah we need to double check that they they usually leave it open leave it I don't know did they they have our schedule for today and Vick here we yeah I don't know I always try to tell Lisa and I forgot to say anything on the way turn we can you I'm over in um over next to the airport and and The Summit in that neighborhood up on top I can't remember the name of remember that Association Mark I remember that yeah that's an easy where do you live I forget Le stes oh okay somebody was talking about how difficult it is to come out and try to turn left you can't well you're not supposed to turn left out of like denim States you're supposed to turn there is no left option you got to go down then he is we set it up to have a left turn with two lanes coming out and Dot came in and said no is not doing anything to 27 we don't have where's your clout there city manager which on was do 27 27 the governor doesn't even have any control true hello we're glad you're here now we have a quorum so we'll go ahead and we'll go ahead and call the meeting to order uh the first order of business is the minutes of the January 31st meeting have you all looked over those and I make a motion to approve the meetings okay thank you there a second I say okay any any discussion additions Corrections all in favor say I I all oppose same sign motion carries okay uh lee School who's going to start us off Dan like to start off Madam chair um want to welcome everyone to the February 28th City of leeburg historic preservation board meeting um today I'm Dan Miller director for the City Planning Department uh senior planner Christine Rock to my left planner Melissa Mets controlling the computer deputy director candy Harper is in the back and city manager Al Miner is here as well in the front and Mr Mike Rankin from Land Planning Group of Mount Dora is also here on behalf of the applicant for today which is Prosper living owned by Mr Barry Mansfield front Mike oh I look so much better back um today the board is being asked to vote on a request by prospera living LLC to demolish the existing Lee school buildings for the purpose of future development on this plus or minus 5 Acres site um the recent history of this site was that it was zon public until 2016 when it was rezoned to small plan unit development under ordinance 1601 to allow for assisted living and Memory Care on the site um in 2021 it was rezoned by the new owner to allow for 49 attached town homes and 14 Apartments which would go into the south building which is the big building the older of the two buildings this zoning um did go through the information about this did go through the historic preservation board and the board did allow the north building to be demolished in 2023 there was a request to change the zoning to allow purely Town Homes but the city commission looked at it and said we want a different site plan and the new site plan was not forthcoming so that ordinance died so what I'm getting to here is that the 2021 zoning on the property is still in effect which allowed for the 49 town homes and 14 Apartments I would like to um you want me to read the recommendation Mr city manager or should I allow you to speak or I I think I should go ahead with the recommendation um if that's all right so the owner prospera Senior Living LLC the petitioner is Barry Mansfield the request is the demolition of the leas school buildings the case is HP 24-65 um and I'm looking at the in your packet under the city of leeburg historic preservation board recommendations which is under new business number one Le school buildings were constructed in the early years of the 20th century the south building in 1915 and the north building in 1923 these buildings consist of a total of 23,000 Square ft on 4.87 plus or minus acre lot over the decades and up to the early 2000s the building served as educational facilities for the city the last use of the buildings was the Lee Adult Learning Center and in 2015 the Lake County School Board sold the property to an Orlando investor 3 years later in 2018 the property was purchased by prospera Senior Living LLC which is Mr Mansfield's company the issue here is that since the abandonment of the school use the buildings have sat unused and in deteriorating condition windows are repeatedly broken entry doors and security fences are frequently compromised the interior of both structures are often vandalized um and while I'm going through this Melissa could did you go to the photos just so that we can show everyone in addition to that vandalization of the interior and the doors and security fenses there are issues with homelessness loitering and illegal drug transactions are ongoing on the site and this continues to cause a disruption in the neighborhood and creates a negative impact on the community at the February 12 20124 meeting of the leeburg city commission there was consensus that the building should be demolished to eliminate this ongoing blight which does have negative impacts to the area and create an opportunity for new development that will support the neighborhood and downtown lebur so with that the Planning and Zoning division is therefore recommending based on the city commission consensus and the above reference factors that the lead School bu buildings be demolished to allow for future development of the site so Madam chair the action requested today is to vote to approve the recommendation to demolish the Le school buildings to eliminate an ongoing blight and create the opportunity for new development that supports the economic growth of downtown leeburg in your packet um there is the recommendation from staff the historic applica historic preservation board application form um the signatures there's the property record card from Lake County a warranty deed of the property to show the ownership and then there are some maps and uh well there's an aerial map and everyone I know everyone knows where the property is but for have you all seen it for these purposes we wanted to at least have the map in here and then we can go through the photographs so they're they're no longer trying to use the foundation or anything in regards to reworking what it was they're just trying to demolish everything now yes trying to demolish and get a fresh start okay um on the pictures at looking up at the top photograph this is the south building and it's looking West onto the property from Lee Street and then the lower photograph there is the north building um the north building is in a lot is is in terrible terrible shape there neither of them are in great shape well it used to be a building there that was the cafe cafeteria there was the cafeteria there it was not a structure that contri Ed to anything historic this next set of photographs is the rear of the building from Heron Street that's the south building and then the photograph on the bottom of the frame is the north building from photograph from West Line Street um we included some pictures of the interior on this is the last set that we have anything on on um the picture on the top left is going into the building I believe that's from the south South entrance um if I remember correctly and then the other three are what has happened with time and vandalism and broken in um so at this point Madam chair um staff is recommending that we move forward um tough decision but I think we from the staff standpoint we've spent a number of years and we've gotten nothing out of it um therefore we're making the recommendation to go ahead and demolish to allow for future opportunity for development that would benefit downtown uh it is a tough decision on staff's part but we support this decision and um wanted to if the city manager Mr Min wanted to make any comments or if is there anything that we can answer to the level of knowledge that we have we're happy to do so yeah the the only thing um you know Mr Ranken against here for Mr Mansfield the applicant I think that this issue obviously has been before you three or four times now over the course of the decade that I've served the city of lesburg um but what's different with this request is it's just a flat out request for demolition uh the other approvals were quid pro quos if the developer does this then you can do that um but just at this phase uh the community input that we've received the commission input that we've received for demolition I the the buildings are Beyond repair uh I think what you do is that if uh obviously we're recommending a no strings attached demolition order from you all and what that will trigger is the developer coming back in and reworking the existing PUD there's been some talk about apartment complexes there's been talk about apartment um or town home type of things but really at this stage I think from the perspective of the historic board you all just need to look at this as a uh this is a step to development and development is going to have to be figured out in the future by the Planning and Zoning Board and the city commission with whatever PUD comes before us but to get that moving the buildings need to be demolished so we're asking essentially for a no strings attached demolition order who's paying for the demolition Mr Mansfield okay he's the one that let it get this way I mean you know cuz he because nothing's been done all these how long's it been years that he's owned it I think I think a lot of fingers are in that pot that let it this way you know it's starting with starting with the school board sale to to another developer that didn't make good on his promises so I don't know I don't know if I would be as bold to say that it's Mr Mansfield but it's it's definitely you know this is co was in there and then Dev had any money and all this stuff you know was in there the uh lee Adult Learning Center went out I want to say in the early 2000s around 2005 or six but I don't remember the exact date I was looking for that um but it has been unused in that am amount of time a a good at least 15 getting probably close to 15 18 years that it's sat and nothing's happened and that's the difficulty from our standpoint is it has gone for a long time and very few Nibbles from investors even when it was at a very low price from the school board itself and the school board took on the effort of removing the as asbest that was was a question I had is so there's no asbest I couldn't guarantee it but I do know that yes sir that there was an there was an abatement at the time of the sale the original sale to the Orlando investor well as I told you all I'm a lesburg native so yes ma'am I went to my aunts two of my aunts graduated from high school there when it was went all the way up through high school before the high school that we still used was there they graduated from high school like in the early 20s so in anyway I went to through first first grade through sixth grade there and then I when I came back to Florida in 1968 I taught one year of kindergarten there and my daughter was there just for one year but uh I want I want to see that I wonder um they're going to be lots of bricks what are they going to do with all the bricks do they have any plans for the bricks in the past Mr Mansfield's been amable to doing what he can I think if you want to have an order that saves the Cornerstone and you know preserve as much as possible within reason I think that' probably be acceptable um I certainly think that maybe the Cornerstone is something you want to save especially on the south building we want to do something to commemorate but I I think I think that would be I think that's a reasonable request and maybe a lot of people in Leesburg that are still here went to the um went to that school and might want some a brick or two you know so are they aable to letting us come and get bricks yes absolutely okay and then we talk about the commemoration of the what it was later I guess and I think that's Pro that's memorialized in the existing PUD and so I think your recommendation to instruct the commission and the Planning and Zoning Board to still continue to carry over some type of commemoration of the facility in the next PUD is important we if I may we have some wording that we could take from the last proposed PUD and bring it for and in the last PUD I think requires that he two Memorial plaques on the east side of the south building and the memorial marker on the Southeast corner and put that in the playground area that's what we had okay all right and that's why I say you know some type of Memorial plaque and keeping the Cornerstone needs to be part of the new development well this will come back to us when they get the what they decide they're going to do with it no ma'am this is it this is a no strings attached demolition but I mean once it's gone and you start planning what's going to be next yes it won't come back to it won't come back to the historic board it will go the we believe that triggering the demolition makes the puds non-conforming because they have a demolition requirement in there therefore if he has a no strings attached PUD he's going to be required to come back and modify the puds so when he modifies the puds that's when we have the hook to say put commemoration in there so Dan you look like you have something else to say um no I'm just I'm just trying to remember the um issues on the code um what what the city manager is saying is that they would not need to come back to this the historic body the historic board because it's a PUD document that's what I'm saying and and a PUD does not come to this board however the question that I can see in the minds of my staff is do we have to bring the architecture for the new building back to the historic here's I think we've got a double catch in here okay I think everybody is now of the opinion to let Mr Mansfield demolish the buildings but he can't demolish the buildings because there's a strings attached demolition requirement in the existing PUD it states you can only knock down one building immediately and you have to build a portion of the approved PUD so he's got to build I think the the exist ing PUD is 54 6 62 units 63 63 units so he he can knock down the north building but he has to build I think eight apartment complex or eight town homes before he can knock down the north building so the City attorney said he can't knock down anything no strings attached unless the this board approves it so if you all approve a no strings attached demolition that's probably going to render our existing puds outdated which then means Mr Mansfield needs to come back in and bring a new plan of development on a Virgin Territory so that gives him a date now with the Planning and Zoning Board and the city commission so he can't he can't just he can't knock down the buildings and then turn it into a parking lot okay he's going to have to come if when he wants to develop the Pud and you you know that would probably be an ex a good claw to stick in your no strings attached demolition is that you require Mr Mansfield to update his PUD so if a motion is you agreed to demolition of both buildings save the cornerstones make an attempt to preserve the materials you can and and up dat your existing puds as a condition of the demolition that is something I think Mr mansfi would appreciate because that would allow him to immediately demolish the buildings and force him to come back to the city to get a new PUD you have all that down Dan I believe I do is he still eager to expand in lesburg yes so it's not like it would sit vacant for 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years again I'm not going to stand here before you and say you let them demolish it and it's going to come back in three years it's it is a big development though it's going to take time to right but it's it's I see progress and just sitting I it I think the the question that this board is grappling with is unfortunately a historic building that is blight and a prime area of development and the key to getting development started is to get these these buildings down and then if you state that he needs to come back and update his puds in the demolition order that forces him to go back to the Planning and Zoning Board and the city commission to update his puds which is the hook that's won't allow him just to put up a parking lot yeah it's very unfortunate that they let him sit this long when it comes to this but at this point your hands and TI so what do you do too far gone you you lucky to have somebody that wants to take it and do something with the way I look at it Mike maybe you could tell us something about a timeline proposed yeah I mean what they think they'll do we can get that he's sort he's from sorry it took me a while to get up there my Rugby knee is screaming so uh uh Mike Ranken LPG I'm the managing member and owner of LPG a little bit of history about me that some of you may or may not know 2014 this gentleman gave me the opportunity to come to leeburg from Missoura so that's what found me here and one of my first projects was Lee School Dan you remember we worked on that for the AL so so fond memories there but to today's task is really what was your project for Le School uh Alf there was the original zoning from when it was a school to become the assisted living assisted living fac I'm sorry uh what we're really needing is the understanding that we can get these buildings down quickly um there's several reasons for that one is that we really didn't talk about it is the banks are more inclined to get involved with Mr Manfield with both buildings down rather than a two-step process that's really what's driving this but you've got 20 other houses around Le School you've got six on hearnen you've you got four on Perkins you've got 10 on line which is one is multif family so you got there's 20 reasons right there to see these buildings come down uh it'll help their property values as well and you're you know again if we can get these buildings down we'll get M Mr Mansfield across the Finish Line this time on this project I live in this town my name's going to be tied to this thing and I'll drag him across the Finish Line if that's what it takes to get this thing done this time thank you okay anybody have any questions The Madam chair the motion would be that um the motion would be to bring the buildings down update the Pud save the Cornerstone and plaques for the playground or some area on the property so there there's a commemorative and conserve materials such as bricks which can be reused or given away given away within with as as possible wherever possible that's we'd have to put that wording in there that would be the motion and I can see the bricks perhaps we can talk about it later but something to be fundraising for some something or people's names on them put somewhere sell them dollar pie something something like that there's possibilities there that we could discuss later but that wouldn't come to this board that would go through the Planning and Zoning then because once we make this decision we're this this board is out of all of those discussions yes yeah okay you've heard the motion yeah I well I can't make the motion somebody else has to make it you're G to move the motion you're make a motion to do on what he said is there a second I second okay any other discussion all in favor raise your hand okay we all voted Madam chair on behalf of Mr Mansfield thank you very much well we're telling we're sorry he didn't come we he's down in Texas for uh City commission training he's a commissioner he's a commissioner in okwa oh so um I was going to say something about that I better what I was going to say um our next regularly scheduled meeting is end of March at the end of March be the last Wednesday in March um as as needed um right now we do not have anything um in the meantime we will be looking for places to place the award for the re our rede renovation award which goes out every month we've used was it two or three places on 9th Street it was some nice work that went on on 9th Street and we'll we'll be out and about in our daily duties and inspections and things and so we're looking for those types of opportunities there is one that we're thinking about on line is it l yeah it's down line Street um and if you have any suggestions and we're open to suggestions if you see anything in the district we'd love to hear from it um that's all the business that staff has Madam chairman the one on line street is near uh 12th Street there yes ma'am um I don't have anything in mind right now but you all ride around lebur cuz you don't live in lebur what we old lebur so ride around and look around at all the places and we there's no stipulation that it has to be in the historic district is there we usually do that I think I think that we could take it outside the historic district if it's a historic structure if it's over 50 years old I don't think that we would have a an issue with the code on that we will check that and if it is we'll get back with you we'll send you an email inside City Limits outside City Limits inside City Limits only and but I'll I will double check in Chapter 30 which is the historic preservation chapter and make sure that we're following that but I believe we could do it outside the district if it'ss a worthy restoration of of of a historic property and to qualify as historic it must be at least 50 years old as of the date so um what's that we're in 2024 1974 is it so well my house is older than that but I don't think it's very historic uh they probably some in Palmer Park you know of any Al occasionally there will be um some nice things going on in palur recently there's been a couple items on Ninth Street that have been on the on the early part is just as you're getting into palur on the left there's a a house I think it had burned down or something or there was a fire and they did a nice job there um but we do want to if we can please it's on Ninth as you cross over Dixie and then you go before you get to the pelmore park sign there was a a home on the left there that's fairly recent and there's a very large oak tree either in that house or the next one in in that yard I forget the numbers probably about 600 700 on 9th Street um we do want to try to restrict the renovation award to properties that are 50 years and older um if we can and there we might be able to do well in Palmore park because there are occasionally um some some houses in there they get redone that look really they're really well done right so you all look around anything else to come before us today okay is there a motion to adjourn okay we have a second I second okay all in favor say hi hi okay thank you all for being here thank you [Music] and