e the crb to order roll call please chair cenni here Vice chair brickville here board member kovis board member Hawkins here board member mccristal board member Noble and board member Moser here okay can we stand for the pledge please I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all can I get a motion to approve the minutes so moved I got a second second second okay motion by Mr bre Bill second seconded by you've never seconded a motion have you seconded by Mr Hawkins all in favor I okay chair chair could we get an approval of the agenda please I skipped it again didn't I okay can I get a motion to approve the agenda so move can I get a second second I have a motion in a second all in favor I I okay can I get comments from the public on any uh non-agenda items seeing none comments by board members on any un uh unended items yes I would like to just bring up for consideration down the road a review again of our um our Urban zoning uh status and and and not status but I mean uh the what's in it and what's been done um you know i' I've said before I I know that um Mr mortell has U City manager mortell said there's not that much property left to develop so therefore for it's not a big deal well if you can build 60 units on a piece of property all of a sudden a $3 million building on that property becomes insignificant against aund million project and that's how we lose existing stock and gain you know large developments and so I I would like to bring that up for the crb let me just ask panel have we not just done a a code for a or downtown for East Stewart for the creek District it was just for the creek district and the East Stewart um but we do have the urban districts that we haven't updated um and I think is that what you ask like to bring that back urban districts zoning right um yeah I can ask we can work with the development department have any overlays no it's just the five urban districts okay okay thank you all right any other comments by board members see none okay panel as property assistance program thank you panel Gand sa C director for the record I just presented this to the east door historical advisory committee so I I feel like I'm repeating myself but uh we're proposing a new airs uh property assistance program to provide legal assistance to clear tital on properties and help families keep their homes and so what is airs property um it's a property that's passed down by inheritance from an owner to next toin or relatives without clear title um it's most common when an owner dies without leaving a will or a state planning and the property is transferred to multiple family members um sometimes this happens when the property owner chooses to leave the the land to multiple family members uh but does not complete the formal transfer process uh of the title and what this H what when what happens it causes to have a cloudy title which means that you can't show Clear Proof of ownership since each family owns a fraction of the property so why is clear uh title important it's it's important for uh getting bank loans federal grants um such as a cdbg housing rehab grant that was recently U offered through the CRA FMA Disaster Assistance Program home insurance obtaining building permits uh filing for hom set exemp exemption for uh property tax savings and why is this a problem um in the CRA because this causes to have dilapidated properties uh a lot of vacancies du due to absentee owners um the owners are unable to obtain loan or to upkeep the property and improve the property um because they're not able to get home insurance to provide coverage for repairs or rebuild homes in case of fire or damage caused by weather um they also have difficult receiving aid through government assistance programs uh they are vulnerable to losing property because of of unpaid property taxes and other penalties and this affects the overall Community Vitality uh why is this program worth addressing and why is Air's property worth addressing um because addressing this this issue will help to keep the home in the family and build generational wealth uh it keeps people in their homes uh preserving our existing housing stock uh because they can address the upkeep of the property uh by getting loans or grants uh increase access to equity uh Community preservation and Revitalize uh government tax base we did some research and I did reach out to uh Property Appraiser's office um and they provided a list of airs property within the CRA um this map here shows approximately 46 Parcels that are airs property in the CRA and of those 46 properties we have about 15 airs properties within the East Stewart neighborhood um so who would qualify for the program they would have to be located within the CRA it is a voluntary program so anybody that's interested would have to apply through the C for the program um the eligible applicant may be qu qualified to receive free legal assistance um to help them clear the title uh the program is intended to assist homeowners through probate process so the title is cleared and transferred to the rightful owner and this is uh specifically for uncontested matters only meaning meaning that if the homeowners don't have dispute as far as as for who is a rightful owner that's who would provide uh legal assistance to to help clear any title issues through the probate process uh it will not cover any litigation uh to um get you know find the rightful ownership or resolve any of that issue it's really just for probate process and based on the research um it the cost can vary um from case to case but we estimated about about, 1500 to 30 $3,000 per case and upon approval of this program by the crb and then uh the CRA we will go out to obtain uh proposals from qualified uh providers of legal services to assist Property Owners gain clear title uh the C will be responsible for uh managing the program and reviewing the applications um if we find that the applicant applicant is qualified um we will U pass that application to the legal firm that's been selected to help uh the applicant and it will be at no cost to the homeowner um currently it's not in the budget so I am budgeting uh about $25,000 for the program in the next year's budget so you will see that in August um or September uh when I present the CRA budget you'll see a line item that says airs property assistance program um so today we're just looking for feedback on the proposed airs prop property assistance program and also recommendation to the CR to approve resolution number 09- 2024 C for the implementation of the airs assistance program uh do we have any questions Aaron you have any questions um I don't have any questions but I I mean I could share a comment uh my my family recently just had to go through with something like this we ended up spending around five grand to get a few properties uh pass down to the rightful people and you know I think this is a great idea I think this is a great program especially for longtime residents you know it's not everyone is as Savvy when it comes to legal matters especially people um like my father he was you know he was a laborer he worked on the bridge out there as a construction worker he was never you know he never had a full education so I think that this is a great uh recommendation for you know the people that kind of helped sustain this city build this community I think this is a good idea Mark yeah definitely um I think this is the best program we've done in the city in a long time you know for a long time we've had a problem with with some people getting wealthier and some people not and the wealth in this country is generated through land and copy the last no but I'm telling you this you know it's just joking I know I know you were but but I'll I take that into consideration but no we've um we've we have been we've generated wealth over the years by owning by owning real estate and East Stewart in general and others in particular have been left out of that whole process so when interest rates were 2% they couldn't borrow against their house because uh they couldn't get clear title when um when other people were were selling homes for big money they were not getting big money because they had to sell for cash because you couldn't get clean title and so and and we have not addressed this problem and now we have and panal I think this is fantastic and and I really uh think this is a situation that not only is it good but I think it will help generate long-term wealth and and a more balanced wealth in our community and that's I think that's a great thing and I I think this is a great program the only comment I would have is that when we're doing this it should result in a title insurance policy that gives clear title um you know we should have a situation so we don't do this and then lose track of that there needs to be a title insurance policy written so that that person that owns that property will have that title insurance and can show that they have clear title but otherwise that's I'm just going to make a ask our attorney a question since he would maybe know how much is the title insurance policy like for the record City attorney Lee bagot um I'm not a real estate attorney and I haven't had experience but I I you know have colleagues that have it it's based on the value of the property so kind of like your own insurance policy so um it could range depending on the property I I could even give you an estimate of like what $200,000 piece of property be like I've never practiced in that area I just want to you know there's only so much money to go around okay thank you Lee do you have any questions or comments um both um this this seems like a great program um sounds exciting I do have a question um I don't know if you've looked at other um communities that have done programs like this but do you know if gentrification becomes an issue of things like this are implemented I know that the city of Gainesville has this program and they've had a very success rate um actually this uh actually helps to uh you know uh avoid gentrification because they're able to keep the property and the owners are able to stay in the property or whoever their family memb is living in their property they're able to keep the property and maybe rented or whatever the case may be but they've had a great success rate okay thanks I have a couple of technical questions there's 46 Parcels do we if do do we how do we know who to use there's 46 Parcels now that you've come up with but I'm sure if you do some digging there'll be others in there how do we decide which ones deserve it I mean what happens to a person like me I don't want to pay I don't want to pay for probate so I come to the city and even though I can afford probate I mean how how do we determine who's entitled to a a policy like this yeah we're not U doing income limitation it's offered to everybody in the C just like our other programs we don't look at income limits um I don't think we can because it's in the SI they contribute to the Tiff Revenue so we have to make it available to everybody so people who live in the CRA some of us I don't live in the CRA but others do they don't they no longer have to hire a private attorney even though they can afford it and the city's going to pick it up if they don't have a will and it's becomes a state property yes they would qualify for the program I think this is a great program for people in E Stewart I think it's a great program for for people to try to keep their properties but I don't think it's a great program that should be for everyone regardless of how much they make or how much the their income is I mean that's to me that's a ripoff of the taxpayer even the taxpayer in the CRA so unless we can decide how we can limit it to the people that act actually needed we're going to be using $3,000 for say to someone who has $3,000 and that wouldn't be a problem I don't I you know unless we can somehow limit it to the people that actually need it I think this becomes a real handout oh I I think it might be fair to assume that if a person if you can afford a probate you might already most likely have a will made uh you know I mean I know you know death can come for anyone at any time but for a lot of people it's a planned planned out thing um especially if you already have the money so if if someone has a will they don't have to go through the probate it just gets passed down automatically uh and then I did have another question about whether or not it would be homes is it is this specifically designed for homes and for people that want to live in the area or say if you own a bunch of land in the CRA uh or your parent owned a bunch of land in the CRA are those people going to be able to take advantage of it how exactly does that fact as long as they own the property they don't have to live in in the um city um but they have ownership of the property a share of the ownership right so um in order to clear the title they would be involved in the process and so they can be transferred to the rightful owner whether the owner lives here or not it would be available since the property's in the CRA and um there's ownership name on the title it could be multiple owners so that's the problem they have multiple owners and not necessarily they have to live here okay you know I think part of the thing Tom is that um with the amount of money that we're providing I know what you're talking about you're looking at it from the wealth stpoint but I'm looking at it from the amount of money that we're providing and the maximums that we have there that's a pretty small estate I mean you're talking $3,000 is a pretty small state um and that's why I say it's important that we focus on the property um do you excuse let me just ask the question so do you have a cap of $3,000 per applicant that was based on my research um I'm I'm I'm only asking you because if that's the case then I would be much more likely to vote for this and to recommend to vote for it if there's a $3,000 cap we can put a cap but if we find that of these are costing us $4,000 I will have to bring it to the board and because I wouldn't want to stop the process just because it is costing a little more and I think that would be all right too but uh again Mark you have a point because if it's only going to cost about $3,000 then we know it's going to the people that really can't afford it right and so I would be okay with that I'm just very leery of of giving a free-for-all where anyone who has who doesn't feel like paying their fair share just besides okay well we have a program in the city and the city's not using in income verification or anything else it could be a half million dollar right no for piece of and that's why I mentioned to panol that I I think we need to focus on the in product being Title Insurance because not everything needs to be probated to probated to get the title cleared um the city may be able to step in in some of those cases and assist with the transfer and the cleaning of the tit and it may not have to go through the court system at all so all I'm saying is that I I I think that the focus and I agree with you Tom but the the focus here if it stays on real estate and clearing that title and allowing that that wealth to transfer the probate issue will become less of an issue because not everything needs to be probated well I I I'm not so sure I can as as right today approve this or votee for an approval but what I can do if it's all right with the rest of the board and we need to get this in the budget I think it should go in the budget at $225,000 I just think we need to flesh out who's going to be eligible how we do this but I I I think we should say for the CRA budget we will put $25,000 in and then we we can come back at our next meeting or even the meeting after that and flesh out how we're going to administer the program cuz we're always changing programs look at the burp we change it like once a year so I I I just feel it's a very important program I like the program I just don't want to give people a free ride so if we Max it $3,000 per property then would that help resolve the issue today as far as who's eligible I know the city manager or the city attorney um always has mentioned that the programs that the C CRA offers has to be eligible to everybody in the CRA cannot be limited is that true sir that's how he's always expressed it to me so no he's right here he's a City attorney a new City attorney now I've not had the opportunity to express that but I I guess it kind of depends um I I to say U income limitations we probably do something on that but my my concern is that could open up you know all kinds of problems can you can you run to the package for a second just stay for a minute Le you know to you know the application itself oh the application itself yeah can I just make a comment really quick on the income limit um I do not know how this stuff works really at all but I am just thinking about like in my own family going through this with um a grandparent who passed away and probate for her home um some family members did not have money to contribute and other family members did and so I wonder how like if we're talking about income limits you know how fair that is maybe there's somebody in Gainesville or Jacksonville who's you know makes a good income but they're they're a family member I I can't really read that but we asked some pretty we ask some questions I don't know why we can't ask a question about C simple can you afford to pay for probate because they they're putting that they're G to they're going to at the end they're going to say yes on it and it's an application for assistance and what happens if you don't tell a truth on an application if we if we want to really get tough on it what if we limited it sorry I wanted to say what if instead we came up with a limit based on the value of the property cuz like you were saying earlier you know if the property is say a million doll valued property you know you've got to have the money to pay the taxes on that you're telling me you don't have $5,000 $110,000 for a probate or will so maybe we can find a limit on the value of the property that makes sense there to that would be good that's a good idea yeah the value of a property so $250,000 for the property I would prefer to look at some data and come back to that I don't I'm not sure um I I'll just say just from looking at Zillow today that there are homes in East Stewart um selling for 280 that are tiny so I think 250 might be a little so we put four I I don't have I just want to have something so that I I think you should focus on the cost of the title policy because that's going to be tied to the real estate but that process then then they don't have to people don't have to go because otherwise then we're going to have to ask people to go out and get an appraisal to determine what the property's worth before we they come back in well we we use theep property appraisal we can make it dep that's it that's the property appraiser and I'm fine with that we don't have to get an appraisal and I'm not so sure we want to spend money on title insurance I mean that's going to cost about ,000 so automatically you've just taken $1,000 out of their legal bill so I you know I I would have no problem if we said $400,000 I just want to make sure it goes to the people that actually can't not only afford probate but they've been fooling around especially in the Stewart for years and it's generations and we haven't had clear title and this way they get clear title but I just don't want to rip off everyone else and I we have 46 properties is pretty easy enough for me to figure out what the value of those properties are and and come up with a number um based on the maximum um you know value of the property that I find on that list if I find that the mo it's about 350 then I'll just use that number as a Max number that's that's and keep keep in mind for all that um that the attorneys if they do the title insurance they're going to get paid something I mean that's that's a lot of them that's you know they would make the money that's how they make the money on closing so I think there'll be a number of attorneys that within those price ranges we're talking about will be willing to do this work just to do the title insurance and so I just mentioned I think that's a real plus so it's 3,000 I mean this is the way I hear $3,000 per applicant or value of the property value of the property with whatever pel does that way it moves along right if I need to adjust it based on what I find can I adjust it and to the C okay I can say that the crb recommended 300 but based on what I found that's fine okay that's fine and if that's okay with the board then I'll look for a motion to recommend this to the uh C motion by Mark there a second we also have a maximum of $3,000 per property is okay second second by Aaron you want to you want to do a roll call Board member Hawkins uh yay I'm sorry yes board member bre Bill yes chair ceny yes and board member Moser yes okay thank you thank you you're doing the next one or Jordan Jordan if you wish to speak on this item if you fill out a green card and give it to the clerk please good afternoon crb board members Jordan pingston CRA program manager for the record C the community redevelopment agency's business Improvement grant program is an incentive program designed to encourage visible exterior improvements to the existing commercial properties and encourage private investment within the CRA the program provides a reimbursement Grant of up to $10,000 of public funds per property to match private funds to pay for the design and completion of property improvements funds are appropriated annually by the CRA the projects are evaluated B based on four categories including overall visual impact of the property and proposed improvements how the project relates to Urban Street and improves pedestrian walkability private investment to Grant request ratio and improvements that help to preserve the historic building the program aims to encourage shade over pedestrian walkways improve conditions for walking and pedestrian activities and we recently amended the program guidelines to encourage businesses to voluntarily upgrade Landscaping as part of the overall improvements the CRA does public Outreach to encourage the businesses to apply for the program Outreach efforts include an electronic newsletter to the city contact list Distributing Flyers to local businesses mailing postcards to business owners social media platforms such as Twitter Facebook and Instagram it is important to note that the applicants have been finding it increasingly difficult to meet the minimum application requirements for this program therefore staff extended the deadline twice this fiscal year to try to acquire more viable applications the CRA received a total of nine applications of those only four applications are eligible to be considered for funding for fiscal year 2024 none of the applications actually met the minimum Point requirements for funding however after working extensively with the applicant staff feels comfortable moving forward with each of the following applications to offer financial support in funding these business improvements um and with that the first applicant is the Dome Building located on 7 through 15 Southeast ool Oola Street um the applicant is requesting Grant assistance for repaving and restriping the parking lot the total estimated Improvement cost will be $ 24,829 the existing parking lot is cracking in multiple locations and the striping is almost non-existent the proposed resurfacing will include leveling Base Rock a concrete por restriping and a few curb stops oh I'm sorry new curb stops um the proposed improvements qualify for funding under our program guidelines the improvements will have Visual and Urban Street and economic impact the property is in the old Historic downtown district and is a high priority area for this program the property is adjacent to the old downtown undergrounding Improvement project and is a contributing historic building to the historic downtown district designation that the CRA is pursuing staff recommends approval with the following conditions the applicant shall install landscape screening on the the east side of the parking lot exit and the applicant shall install screening to cover the air conditioning units on the south side of the building facing the Colorado Inn it is also important to note that there is a new mural going on that adjacent wall too um the next applicant is the kitty Academy located on 400 Southwest 7th Street the applicant is requesting Grant assistance for improvements to enhance the curb appeal and meet new code requirements by adding a monument sign the total estimated Improvement cost will be $199,000 $1 19,259 there is currently no signage in front of the building the applicant is proposing installation of a new custom double-sided stucco Monument sign with illuminated LED light boxes the sign finish makes the monument impervious to rot termiz and moisture for maximum durability the sign will be cemented into the ground with galvanized Ste pipes it is important to note that the applicant is also making significant land landscape improvements to the property as you can see the landscape plan consists of new palm tree shrub sod Mulch and flowers the improvements began in March and are expected to be completed by the end of June and the total expected Improvement cost for landscaping is $ 51,4 um and then the proposed improvements qualif ify for funding under our program guidelines the approvement will have Visual and economic impact the property is a high priority area for this program and the monument sign is part of a larger landscape project that will improve the exterior of the building and serve as a catalyst for redevelopment activity in the neighborhood staff recommends approval the next application is Thorns Mortuary located at 420 Southeast Martin Luther King Boulevard the applicant is requesting Grant assistance to enhance curb appeal and create a tranquil Sanctuary area with entryway railings decking landscaping restriping and a carport the total estimated Improvement cost will be $22,300 the existing property could use a facelift to make the entrance more inviting and comfortable there is currently no seating for visitors or screening to block the exposed utilities or trash cans proposed Landscaping will include flower beds to the entrance of the property surrounding the parking lot and facing MLK Boulevard Flowers and Greenery include evergreen shrubs purple impatients and purple Salvia Hedges will be added to screen the exposed trash cans and air conditioning units with um privet shrubs additional flowers and Landscaping will enclose the new raised Deck with benches for guest to have a tranquil space to relax outside the current steps to the building will have railings added to ensure safety of visitors and a carport will be placed on the property to cover the mortuary's business vehicles from the floor to Sun it is important to note that the applicant's property is adjacent to the MLK complete Street complete Street project this project includes elements that will create shared use pass for both pedestrians and bik bicyclists on street parking bike racks high visibility crosswalks a midblock plaza area street lights and Landscaping a have included a snippet of the improvements proposed on MLK in front of the property um these proposed improvements qualify for funding under our program guidelines the improvements will have a visual Urban Street and economic impact the property is in a high traffic visible area with a high priority area for this program and as mentioned the property is adjacent to the MLK complete Street project and will serve as a catalyst for redevelopment on the corridor and staff recommend approval the last application is wholesale mol and mo located at 12 1,295 Southeast cff Road Dixie cut off road the applicant is requesting Grant assistance to improve curb appeal functionality of their property and to install a new fence the total Improvement cost is $14,500 the existing fence is 360 ft and most of the fence borders the Dixie cut off road the fen is in disrepair and improvements are needed the proposed fence will include a 6-ft privacy fence with new board onboard galvanized post and 8 ft on the center which will ensure a more stable and longer lasting fence the improvements will have a visual and economic impact the property is located within the Grant's priority area with the fence AB budding along Dixie Highway the applicant has already completed Landscaping in front of the building as you saw and the build and the property does not have sidewalks so no shade trees would be recommended along that road staff recommends approval and now staff is seeking the board recommendation and a motion to be made with this for the suggested funding amount and conditions for each application okay um this is this year or or next year's this year's you have that kind of money it's only well these are matches so it's up to $10,000 so as you see yeah I understand but we have 38 what is it 38,000 36,000 36880 we have 50 we still have that same money yes we yeah we never this is the first time we've brought these applications forward because we extended the deadline twice okay so we still have it from last year from October yeah Year's budget okay okay anyone have questions for staff no do we have any public comment I do not does anybody wish to speak okay I will entain a motion or discussion from the board I move that we approve all four uh grant program applicants okay for the amount of 36,000 a total yes that's good enough right one motion Lee okay I mean if we're all in agreement I'll second for purposes of discussion okay we'll second for purpose of discussion by Mark okay discuss well I think this your comments from the last discussion I want to add I want to put on this one because some of these properties I mean I I think we're just throwing money at them does we've got costs up there but does that truly increase value because if it increases value then that helps us in the CRA right but if all we're doing is spending money that's just spending money and so I've had a problem with this program for a while because a lot of times there's not enough money to do anything and and also people were going to do it anyway and we're just subsidizing the cost so I know that that's not our purview right here but I want to make that comment because I have a problem not necessarily with these applicants but with the program itself if if it's not increasing value you know Mark for the last I don't know we've had the burp program I think for about 10 years and I've been against it every for the whole 10 years however it is part everyone meets the criteria and our job is to make sure they meet that criteria and if we have the money in the budget our job is to really approve it because we don't get a saying whether this program continues you do on a CRA as do I but the other five members of the CRA want this program so this program is there and so I you know it's silly to keep discussing something that the other Commissioners want well if it increases curve appeal it increases value it might not increase or that value might not show up on the property appraisive site for a few years but it definitely increases the value in terms of you know if someone wants to go and sell this so you know I think that go just to speak to your point no and I and I I agree with you I mean that's what I'm say the chair friend oh sorry I was just gonna also add that um I'm maybe not um as interested in the value increase but um in user comfort so if you know a patron in the city feels more comfortable going by one of these businesses they're more likely to shop here to uh spend time here and so that's what's important to me okay more no I was just saying I I agree with what you're saying Ain and if it does increase value I don't I don't have a problem with that I mean I think that's the type cra's goal should be to increase value on properties within the CRA that's a good thing for us because because it's money coming into our Coffer I won't use the term I used last time because Tom got mad at me but um but anyway it does bring money into the Coffer and in fact if that were the case I would say spend more money because if we're putting money in that's going to double the value of of something and and that's going to come to us in value increase within the CRA then that's a good thing but but when we're you know but when we're not or we're we're just funding costs I have a problem with it but but as Tom said you know that's not that's not my decision and it's not our decision so I just wanted to discuss it so there is something that I'd be happy to email the board on we do have calculations of Improvement costs that have been made over the years of the program so um there's definitely benefit to this um most of the applicants actually max out the match and go above and beyond the match so I'd be happy to share that with you that yeah the the values assessed in this spreadsheet be I mean yeah that would be good especially to my colleague to and we do have some applicants um present in the room if just so you know that they're here welcome to speak but they're getting their money is from what I see so okay you want to speak sure come on up Helen excuse me Mango Avenue I moved here in 1973 and this time was a dump Ghost Town whatever you want to call it why' you move here huh why'd you move here transferred for the phone company joke I said anywhere from ver Beach to Jupiter and the phone company sent us here and I'm so happy they did I I the kids will tell you I'm dying here whether you like it or not I'm not moving uh but I've seen the Improvement especially on the corner of Colorado and aola with that young man well kid to me did on that mural and that you know you I see people all the time parking and pulling in that parking lot taking pictures and then like Martin Luther King I'm always saying more trees more beautify beautification is beautiful it's to the eye when people drive down our streets instead of seeing a broken down a driveway in that and they see it all fixed and the flowers and trees and we love flowers and trees it's well worth the investment maybe we can say it's improving their property but I forget which one of you said it when improves their property it raise their taxes and then that helps the city thank you thank you and that young man over there I was with his mother the other day and I can't believe she's your mother she looks great okay do we have anything else go ahead uh Oola the one on Oola street that one's also getting another mural right we approved that for another we did right yes that's that's I don't remember the name of it but it's um the flashback mural and that's kind of why we also recommended the screening there because we don't want to have this beautiful mural and then you see air conditioning right okay anything else anybody else you want to take the roll call please Vice chair bre Bill uh yay board member Moser yes chair cenny yes and board member Hopkins yes does anyone want to have anything else for this board do you have anything else for us boards we not okay seeing none motion to adjourn Mo adjourn we are adjourned happy 4th of July