Loading...
01-26-10 Annual Citizens RoundtableANNUAL CITIZEN'S ROUNDTABLE JANUARY 2G, 2010 The Annual Citizen's Roundtable Meeting of the City Commission of the City of Delray Beach, Florida, was called to order by Mayor Nelson S. McDuffie in the Crest Theatre at Old School Square at 7:00 p.m., on Tuesday, January 2b, 2010. Roll call showed: Present - Con~nissioner Gary Eliopoulos Commissioner Fred B. Fetzer Commissioner Adam Frankel Commissioner Angeleta E. Gray Mayor Nelson S. McDuffie Also present were - David T. Harden, City Manager Brian Shutt, City Attorney Chevelle D. Nubin, City Clerk Mayor McDuffie called the meeting to order and welcomed the public. He gave a brief overview regarding the meeting speakers and format. In addition, he shared some thoughts regarding the importance of the public's participation. ROUNDTABLE AGENDA 1. Land Use Issues and Trends - Com rehensive Plan Re ort -Paul Zacks Plannin and Zo~in~ Board Chairperson Paul Zacks, Chairperson, of the Planning and Zoning Board, introduced the board members that were present. He highlighted the City's successes over the past year and the Board's annual report; and stated the Planning and Zoning Board's main focus is to guide the physical development of the city in a manner that will preserve its unique quality of Itfe for present and future residents. The Comprehensive Plan serves as the City's long range planning document which contains policy guidelines for the control of growth and quality of life in the city. He stated the plan was created through the collective input of the citizens and contains the communities' priorities. The board reviews proposals for new developments to insure that they axe consistent with the City's goals and objectives; and also reviews updates to the Comprehensive Plan to make sure that it is beeping pace with the changes in the City. The city processed one comprehensive plan in 2x09; adopted by the City Commission in April and certified by the state in June. It included two privately initiated amendments focused on redevelopment. The fixst was a Regional Activities Center on the Office Depot headquarters site and the second was a Futuxe Land Use Map and text amendment for the Floranda Mobile Home Park and Executive Office Quarters site on South Federal Highway. Mr. Zacks stated this has been a dynamic and exciting year for the City and significant progress has been made towards achieving the goals and objectives outlined in Comprehensive Plan. He gave an overview of the projects that were accomplished; and those projects planned for 2010. 2. Communi Redevelo ment A enc Status Re ort -Howard Lewis CRA Cha' erson Howard Lewis, Chairperson of the Camtx~unity Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board, thanked the public for being in attendance. In addition, he recognized the members of the CRA Board and the CRA staff. Mr. Lewis stated 2009 was a challenging yet productive year for the CRA. With a budget of approximately $13.2 trillion, the CRA continued to carry out their projects and programs outlined in the Community Redevelopment Plan, the Downtown Master Plan and other area wide redevelopment plans. Economic development and transportation projects were major priorities as were redevelopment efforts along the Northwest/Southwest 5`h Avenue corridor. The CRA also made significant investments in residential neighboxhoods within their district, various programs under affordable housing and supported the Community Land Trust (CLT). He reviewed the major accomplishments of the Community Redevelopment Agency for 2009 and discussed the goals (projects) for 2010. He thanked the CRA staff. 3. State of the Ci Re ort ---David T. Harden Ci Mana er David T. Harden, City Manager, stated he wants to review the vision for Delray Beach for our future and give a summary of the progress made in 2009 and outline the financial challenge we face in 2011 looking forward. He stated citizens and the City Commissions have developed a vision for our future which focuses the efforts of the city government. Delray Beach is to be a charming village by the sea, with a world class beach, a vibrant downtown and diverse local economy, a community of quality neighboxhoods and schools, recreational and cultural opportunities abound, people embrace cultural diversity, and the city government provides exceptional city services. The Commission updated goals for 2014 and set targets for 2009-2010 as we move toward this vision. Priorities shift annually but our goals are unchanged. He listed the 2014 goals ist priority order. He informed the public that a significant step in economic development was made with the creattail of Economic Development Director position funded by the CRA and the city. He continued to present the efforts, projects and accomplishments speciftc to each goal in detail while simultaneously outlit~itig the results of the National Citizens' Survey in relation to each goal. He gave information regarding financial challenges for 2011. In addition, Mr. Harden encouraged everyone to read the Annual Report. He stated as we conttnue to strive for the vision set far our City, we again face a huge challenge in the form of a large drop in 2011 tax revenues. Our 2011 budget must be anchored in the new normal of diminished resources and limited prospects for future growth. 2 JANUARY 26, 201D He referenced a sentence from Chip and Dan. Heath's new book, SZVitch; Hoav to Change Things i~hera Change is Hard, "Big problems are rarely solved with big solutions. Instead they are solved by a sequence of small solutions, sometimes over weeks, sometimes over decades." He asked the public to help the city find more small solutions. Annual- Citizen's Roundtable & Infrastructure Public Hearin The Annual Citizen's Roundtable was held in the Old School Square Gymnasium. The participants were presented with four questions regarding the city. The responses are attached hereto and made an official part of the record. In addition, participants were presented with sheets asking for city infrastructure feedback. Mayor McDuffie adjourned the Roundtable at 9:33 p.m. City Clerk ATTE T: MAYOR The undersigned is the City Clerk of the City of Delray Seach, Florida, and the information provided herein is the Minutes of the Annual Citizen's Roundtable Meeting of the City Commission held an Tuesday, January 26, 2010, which Minutes were formally approved and adopted by the City Commission on February 16, 2010. City Clerk NOTE TO READER: If the Minutes you have received are not completed as indicated above, this means they are not the official Minutes of the City Commission. They will become the official Minutes only after review and approval, which may involve amendments, additions or deletions to the Minutes as set forth above. JANUARY 26, 2010 COMMUNITY CONVERSATION COMMENTS 1, Why do you .love living i.n Delray Beach? • Because of the community involvement, whether it is the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, City Boards, Civic Organizations, residents, or business owners everyone cares and continues to get involved to improve our city. • Well managed city, diversity, the beach and Downtown. • Living near a "real" main street and the beach is unencumbered by condos. • Has public transportation and if you live by or near the actual town, you can walk. It is relatively safe and beautiful. • Metropolitan lifestyle with personal appeal, citizen engagement, having a zeal historic downtown, race relations, study circles, and emphasis on the cultural arts. • The "Big City" atmosphere in a village. • Feeling of being a part of Delray, the scale of Delray ~- 60' maximum building height, and great public beach. • Vibrant Downtown District, arts, beach, inclusiveness and accessibility of the administration, city hall. • Peaceful atmosphere, arts, beaches, Christmas Tree Lighting, and Fourth of July celebration. • It is quaint and low key. • Night Life, Downtown, close, comfortable feel, proxitxaity to Ocean, diversity and safety. • Small town atmosphere, community, public transportation, diversity, cultural opportunity, place to live, worl~ and play, friendly. It is an actual town and beach. • Sense of community, open to walking, clean, a friendly, lively downtown, pride in Delray, friendly local government, diversity of people, architecture, landscaping, height restrictions (limiting high-rises), a long range plan for our community that guides. • Pineapple Grove, small town atmosphere, people are friendly, people care about our city, most are involved on some level, the city is clean ---- streets are clean in most neighborhoods and downtown is alive. • The open beach and gaod restaurants. I can walk from home to downtown. • East Delray is quaint and has unity. • I like the opportunity of volunteering and meeting so many diverse people. The Christmas Tree and First Night are the highlights. Art & Jazz is something to look forward to; and when you say "downtown" everyone knows it is Atlantic Avenue. • Quality of Life hard to find anywhere else. January 26, 2020 Annual Citizen's Roundtable 1 • The beach, walking city, intergenerational community, good public transportation, educational -library system, artist community and safety. • IJverythirig is close and you do not need a vehicle. It is clean, friendly, has a "homey" feel, and downtown area. • I moved here from New Jersey two {2} years ago and love the weather, the rich cultural diversity, the arts, the friendliness of the people, and the festivals. The town is cheerful and attractive looking. • It is not Boca: Delray has a downtown. I still feel that I am a citizen of Delray, small Hometown feeling. • Meetings like this where one can express ideas and see them to come to fruition. The beach, it's quaint, special events, a lot of parking now, active, culture, diversity and Pineapple Grove. • Beach, restaurants, events, walla to downtown, quaint and volunteer and get involved with the city. • Delray is quaint, palm trees, like paradise, events and beach. The parking makes it easier (prettier), meetings like this where you can go to meet people, the fact that things we talk about can actually get ox be done, resident involvement, aesthetics and sense of community, energy and leadership, Boston's, activities, gxeat visuals (voices can be heard), hometown feel, access, clean, public transportation, diverse population and cultural activities. • Warm, safe to walk, citizen government position, urban and downtown, rural areas, festivals, Jazz on the Avenue, Police on segways, response to citizen concerns. • Most of the time it is a warm climate, beach, safe -presence of police on segways, community concerns are addressed whether you like the answer or not, positive change -government created avenues/channels for people to get together to solve their problems, beach to country -diversified, urban to rural on Atlantic Avenue, festivals and fireworks on the 4~'. • Great combination of downtown and beach, concept and reality of All America City (Working on problems}. • Vibrant downtown, beach, size and scale, community events, resident paxticipation, personal history, variety of lifestyles, downtown and beach together, the arts, diversity of citizens, freedom to talk about our issues. • The beach is the most significant feature -defining Delray. • It is a multicultural city and we are to open to work together. • Diversity, small town feel, and a town center. • Enjoy green areas (trees, planting, watering). • I do not currently live in Delray Beach; however I worked here fox many years at Digby Bridges Marsh Architects. I would consider moving here in the future if Delray Beach would designate a small portion of its beach as clothing optional, a family-oriented naturist beach. January 26, 2010 Annual Citizen's Roundtable 2 2. What can Delray Beach do today to be sustainable tomorrow? • Improve public transportation, continue to expand downtown shuttle routes, impxove frequencies, reward LEED buildings with development incentives, such as additional density bonus or increased heights, reward hybrid/electric cars and golf cart users by providing preferential parking in downtown; continue to promote offices and residential development in the downtown to enhance the pedestrian environment and we progressively become a pedestrian, urban sustainable environment. • Do not let the revenue go too lowI Our taxes are lowex today than they were ~ years ago so there is room to (carefiil} raise rates, we need a grocery store downtown, and we need to be sure to get diversity in our restaurants. Be careful to have low price eateries as well as the upscale. • Put more shade trees along Atlantic Avenue to encourage people to shop during the day. • Do something about the neighborhoods in the town that are not safe to walk and clean up the "hood". More investments to provide the people with more funds to fix up living conditions. • Develop a city nursery/tree farm, continue developing green space and pocket parks on unbuildable lots, hybrid city vehicles and use recycled materials for sidewalks instead of concrete. • No more high rises over two stories; 48 feet should be 4$ feet, preserve low rise characteristics, more rehabilitation of existing properties -less tearing down, more traffic calming in neighborhoods, use of more recyclable materials building more sidewalks, hiring of more locals and residents -keeping certain percentage of money in town. • No more high rises/rehab old buildings, nude beaches by George Bush Boulevard will result in increased tourists. • Make the city more bicycle friendly, strive fox the agricultural, sustainable, promote the use of community gardens. • Promote tourism and community participation and maintain green area. r Keep it clean always, keep it low key and keep everything simple. • Retail office building, affordable housing, bicycle friendly, nude beach, foxeign film theater, and discounts for local businesses. • New vision plan, bring in businesses with the Chamber, marketing for Delray, continue to support education and safety, beach bonfires, closer community review of expenses. January 26, 2010 Annual Citizen's Roundtable 3 • Keep taxes low for businesses so they can survive, marketing outside of region to get people to come to visit, stay in hotels and spend money, help businesses increase revenue, healthy things -sidewalks and streets for walliing and jogging, Go green - irrigation and light bulbs, services for the elderly, more parking on the beach, keep green spaces, invest in landscaping, do not plan so many ideas that you tax businesses out of business. • Affordability, bicycle friendly lanes - a master plan, community gardens, preserve height litr~it, invest in education. • Make the city more bicycle and running friendly. It is extremely dangerous for the participants. Side~vall~s in -front of restaurants have been narrowed too much and in some cases very difficult to use and dangerous. • Keep the city small, no high rise buildings downtown, stop so many downtown activities that close off the streets -- mast of them sell only cheap goods and souvenirs. • Bring a whole foods in east Delray, we need higher education -there is a great stigma and culture it creates, create aCo-op which. generates community awareness and bonding. • Bring in clean businesses such as biotech, electronics, or green technology. • Aggressively seep more clean business opportunities, greater employment and greater variety of retail downtown. • Tax base needs to be broadened, split Delray Beach -city and west Delray, bike riders need safe bike lanes, active green environment for building codes, street access - flight plans ovex Delray so we do not become a lane for the Boca airport, teenagers need to bike or walk to school not ride on buses, revamp employee compensation packages. • Open a public family clothing beach - a 4 million per year industry in tourism dollars to all businesses. • Greening of buildings, services for elderly, neighborhood improvement grants for landscaping. • Slow growth, maintain lower density, maintain 60' height limit, close off Atlantic Avenue. • IJmerging cinema, beautify streets and the people will come, keep it clean, continual renewal with good leadership, build relations with kids with increased children's and teen programs, music on the beach and be creative with activities. • Music on the beach -monthly concerts, attract younger people with something othex than bars and clubs, work with schools and children -after school programs, more workforce housing, city commissioners/quality candidates and city employees. January 26, 2010 Annual Citizen's Etoundtable ~, • Keep it clean and neat -- expand the clean and safe program, more workforce housing {people who work here and live here), do more for children (in and out of school), concert an the beach, beautify streets, beep goad leadership, create short and long term initiatives, local food, health is tied to the master plan -bike lanes, merchant cinema. • To get the best jobs you need the basics: education, math, science and reading; pollution control, use more solar power, utilize more recycling -businesses as well, diversity of employment, and local food production. • Emphasize the quality of the Oceanside environment by encouraging those interests which would reinforce and nurture cultivation of those resources. • Work to foster greater understanding and connections among the different ethnic groups instead of waiting fox a disaster like what happened in Haiti for people to really open their hearts to other groups. • Support and encourage community gaxdens and other sharing projects. Auxoxa's Voice, anon-profit organization based in Delray Beach, has begun "Sow Share" a community gardening and xesource sharing project. Support the efforts of Aurora's Voice (aurorasvoice.sowshaxe.org}. • If Delray Beach could follow the very successful and profitable example of Haulover Beach (a county beach) in Miami-Dade County, millions of new tourists' dollars could certainly find their way to Delray Beach. January 26, 2010 Annual Citizen's Roundtat,le ~ 3. What do you fear most about budget changes? • Increased taxes (net increase), decrease in services, need to attract businesses to Delray to improve the composition of our tax base and strengthen the city's financial picture. • It takes vision and money to keep Delray Beach a good place to Live. Do not let the money evaporate. • Home taxes are already high in Delray. I fear higher home taxes and I also fear higher utility taxes and costs. • Paying more attention to new projects instead of fixing up the greater areas that really need improving. • That our citizens and activists will fall into a state of paranoia which our leaders and officials will react to, leading to poor budget decisions based on short-sighted reasoning that will ultimately do more harm than good, move our city backwards, and leave us in poor position to take advantage of economic opportunities once the economy rebounds. • The communities that need the most will get the least or nothing, youth programs cut to go to no programs, higher taxes resulting in the poor paying more, no sidewalks, lighting, green spaces in neighborhoods, things needed the most in low- income areas will not be given. • Higher taxes/higher rents, etc. • The cut back in Police and Fire departments. • Unemployment - a big issue in our area. • Reduction in arts and parks. • Quality of Life, security/safety and loss of jobs. • Loss of jobs and losing businesses. • That we will forgo height restrictions and go for density, that mom and pap businesses will not be able to afford downtown and national chains will infiltrate the area and that we will cut back on safety farces. • Difficult choices will have to be made which may challenge our neighborhoods and pit them against each other. • Higher taxes and utilities bills. • I fear they will cut funding for downtown events, Art & Jazz and ~rh of July. • Loss of maintenance of parks and other public land and arts. • Loss of public safety, community feeling and height limits not enforced. • Lack of police protection. • Loss of municipal jobs. • Fear is there will not be enough. January 26, 2010 Annual Citizen's Roundtable 6 • We need to keep our police and fire departments and the library. We need to motivate city employees even when there are no raises forthcoming perhaps with "good job" days off. 1 fear the most losing forward progress in improving street by street and neighborhood by neighborhood. • Decline in services, police, fire, maintenance, water, parks, etc. Less quality employees, lay-offs, fear outsourcing police and fire. • Fear Palm Beach County Sheriff, stagnation, lass of identity, losing city employees (need), losing forward progress improving streets and neighborhoods, taxes being raised and maintenance of city lifestyle. • Job loss, foreclosure, loss of services, businesses closing and higher fees on citizens. Job loss, higher taxes/utility bills, and loss of services • That in focusing on the big items {police and ftre) we lose the little items than enrich the life we are trying to protect such as: arts, parks, museums, etc. • That public health and safety may be compromised, that nuisances and code violations will not be addressed, quality of life plans that were made may not be realized, that Delray may lose some of its civic spirit, kids, elderly and poor will he left to fend for themselves. • Lack of key diversification necessary to maintain fluidity and community flexibility. • Cuts to services to people who most need it. • Changes in height restrictions to try to increase tax revenues. • That across-the-board cuts would take place in Delray Beach that may be unnecessary. A world class family-oriented naturist European style (clothing optional} beach would bring millions in added revenue and render across-the-board cuts unnecessary. January 26, 2010 Annua! Citizen's Roundtable 7 4. What do you think citizens could contribute to save/preserve programs? • Vote. • Communicating with city -get over fear. • Change the conversation -exciting times, go back to basics and work to sustain the city. • More police department and other volunteers; the whole city needs volunteers. • Get schools involved with Community service hours {volunteer clearinghousej. • More volunteers an boards. January 26, 2010 Annual Citizen's Roundtable g