CRA Advisory Board recommends project

With a 6-1 vote Jan. 26, the Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board approved a recommendation that the city proceed with downtown upgrades totaling $4,434,000.

During its meeting this week, the CRAAB endorsed the following projects, which had been recommended to it by the Downtown Improvement District:

• $1.9 million in upgrades the DID is willing to fund from Bayfront Avenue to Osprey Avenue and a Palm Avenue upgrade for which the DID is willing to contribute $10,000.

• $224,000 from the CRA for a Palm Avenue streetscape project.

• $1.3 million for a First Street streetscape project, from Pineapple Avenue to U.S. 41.

• $1 million for a roundabout at Main Street and Orange Avenue.

CRAAB member Paul Thorpe made the motion to approve the recommendations.

“A lot of work has been done on this and this is a good proposal,” Thorpe said.

CRAAB Chairman John Harshman agreed and urged the city to move forward with the roundabout on Main and Orange, even though the board’s motion put that project last on the list of priorities.

“I live with this intersection every day, and the only thing different about it since 1940 is the buildings that have popped up since then,” Harshman said. “The roundabout would be a beautiful addition.”

Bijou Café chef/owner Jean-Pierre Knaggs voiced delight after the CRAAB included the revitalization of First Street among the priorities.

“I am so glad you are finally going to do something about First Street,” Knaggs said. “It’s a gateway for pedestrians from the Ritz-Carlton, and it’s imperative the street gets renovated all the way to U.S. 41.”

Knaggs has been urging city officials since November to focus on First Street, which he says has become rundown near U.S. 41.

Last week, the DID went back to the drawing board with its consultants and came up with a scaled-back plan for downtown improvements, adding that it would pay 100% of the cost for Main Street upgrades in its district.

The proposal includes $1.9 million in DID dollars for all the improvements on Main Street up to Orange Avenue and roughly half of what has been planned from Orange Avenue to Osprey Avenue.

To cover those costs, the DID will have to pay off a bond, meaning property owners in the district will continue to pay a special assessment of 2 mills for the next 20 years. The DID sent out a letter last week to all its stakeholders, to request their input before its board makes a final decision on the proposal during the organization’s Feb. 7 meeting.

Among the projects remaining unfunded are upgrades totaling $1.3 million on the east side of Main Street, from Orange Avenue to Osprey Avenue, and improvements from Osprey Avenue to U.S. 301.