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09-05-1996 4 LCAJ�tom. \Y c � a -. Now loaf CITY OF EDGEWATER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD REGULAR MEETING SEPTEMBER S, 1996 6:30 P.M. CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Fong called to order a regular meeting of the Economic Development Board at 6:32 p.m., Thursday, September 5, 1996, in the Conference Room of the Department of Community Development. ROLL CALL: Members present were Chairman Philip Fong, John Browning, Richard Jones, William Fair, Karl Gerwe and Gary Roberts. Also present were Mark P. Karet, Director of Community Development and Liz McBride, Board Coordinator. Randolph Churchill was recorded absent. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: There being no corrections or changes, Chairman Fong approved the minutes of August 1, 1996 as presented. CONTINUED BUSINESS: Chairman Fong said continued business would be tabled until the October meeting. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Community Development Department Chairman Fong said the current meeting would be devoted to familiarizing the Board with the functions of the Department of Community Development as they relate to helping businesses interested in relocating to the area or existing businesses contemplating expansion. The Chairman expressed the Board's appreciation to Mark P. Karet, Director of Community Development for his time in attending the meeting. Mr. Karet introduced himself to the Board and said his primary responsibility was overseeing the Land Development Regulations and assisting businesses and private individuals in developing their property. He said the Department of Community Development combines both a planning function and a permitting function. Now r► Economic Development Board Minutes - September 5, 1996 Page -2- Mr. Karet said the department also works closely with the Community Development Block Grant, a federal program which provides funding to the County, then ultimately to the City, in order to do projects in targeted areas. He said those areas are generally low to moderate income. Mr. Karet stated code enforcement was another aspect of the department, which zoning type of violations are enforced either through a complaint or through patrols. He said typical violations would be grass, weeds, junked vehicles, etc. Mr. Karet said the permitting process covers a wide range of approvals that can be obtained, from fences or changing openings in buildings (windows) to creating a new building. Chairman Fong asked if there was anything in writing which listed what required permits, so someone would not do the work and find out later a permit was needed. Mr. Karet said as a general rule, almost everything requires a permit. He said all new improvements valued in excess of $500 require a permit. He suggested contacting the building division to see if a permit is required. Mr. Fair asked if land use changes required state approval. Mr. Karet said it would depend on the size. He said generally anything under ten acres did not require state review, but is still sent to the state, and anything over ten acres would require a full -scale comprehensive plan amendment. Mr. Karet then explained the amendment process. Mr. Browning asked the status of the Hibiscus and Guava Drive zoning change. Mr. Karet said it had been sent to the state the end of July. He said in response, the DCA sent a letter indicating the City would receive their report around the second week of October. The City would then have an opportunity to respond to that report. Mr. Karet then continued explaining the permitting process. He said site plan approval is more complicated than some of the other permits that can be obtained. He said the topography, drainage, landscaping, and all the exterior aspects are looked at. Once these issues have been resolved and site plan approval is obtained, a construction plan approval can then be applied for, which is done through the building division. Mr. Karet then explained what the building division reviews. Mr. Karet said the permitting process generally takes two to three weeks for a commercial building, but could take one month for more complex plans. Mr. Jones asked how many trees could be removed on a residential lot without a permit. Mr. Karet said it would depend upon the size of the trees. He said tree removal permits are required for any tree larger than twelve inches in diameter. Continuing on the site plan process, Mr. Karet said site plans can be presented on any Friday. He said staff has five days to determine if the application is complete, but generally it is determined the day of submittal. Once it is determined the application is complete, staff has ten working days to review it, then discusses staff's comments with the applicant. The applicant then has 120 days to respond to stars comments. He said if they don't respond in the allotted time, the process must start over again. Mr. Karet stated once the applicant has met the criteria, staff then has ten working days to sign off Noir .00 Economic Development Board Minutes - September 5, 1996 • Page -3- Mr. Fair referred to the vacant lot east of the gas station on the right -hand side of SR 442, after exiting I -95. He said the area is constantly used for truck storage, and he didn't think the area was zoned for this use. Mr. Karet said he believed the area was zoned agriculture. Mr. Fair said the City's Beautification Committee had tried to address this issue in the past, and although the lot is in the county, asked if Code Enforcement couldn't do something about it. Mr. Karet said most of the trucks are associated with individuals who live or work in the City of Edgewater. He explained that the City's residential district does not permit tractor trailers, and that this issue had become very controversial. Discussion followed on the inspections of buildings after an occupational license application had been filed. Mr. Jones asked if building safety surveys were conducted. Mr. Karet say the fire department does a fire /safety inspection of businesses as time permits. Before a new business is granted an occupational license, the building must pass inspections. Concerning code enforcement, Mr. Jones questioned the Council's decision four or five years earlier about the patrol system. Mr. Karet said at that time there were two code enforcement officers and having only one officer now, limits the ability to be as aggressive as in the past. He said that the City is doing patrols again. Mr. Karet asked the Board for their concerns in regard to economic development and the Department of Community Development. Mr. Jones asked about the sign ordinance. Mr. Karet informed the Board the new draft sign ordinance had two meetings at the LDRA level. He said the City had sent a copy of the draft ordinance to all the active sign contractors within the City and only four showed up at the LDRA meeting. He said those four did go over the ordinance very carefully and had good comments. Banner signage was then discussed. Chairman Fong asked if the permitting process was similar between commercial, new businesses and businesses expanding. Mr. Karet said the process was fairly similar. The Chairman asked if residential was the same. Mr. Karet said the process was stream -lined if someone were putting up a one or two -story home, which would all be handled through the building division. Chairman Fong asked how long the review process would be. Mr. Karet said the goal is five working days, but would depend on how many applications were submitted on a given day. He said the department is understaffed, that it has one plans reviewer, a building official, and one combination inspector who reviews plans. Chairman Fong inquired about inspection times. Mr. Karet said if one were to call the office by 9:00 a.m., they would get an inspection that morning, and if they call by 1:00 p.m., they would get an inspection that afternoon. Chairman Fong asked about impact fees. Mr. Karet said the City has water and sewer impact fees, which are a set price for a single - family home ($1,000 for water, $1,425 for sewer), and recreation impact fees, which would depend on the number of rooms in a house. The water and sewer impact fees for commercial would depend on the number of fixtures. He said commercial/industrial pays no recreation fees. Mr. Karet said there are also water and sewer connection fees ($305 for setting the meter). Compared to surrounding cities, Mr. Karet believed Edgewater was low on water impact fees and high on sewer fees. Economic Development Board Minutes - September 5, 1996 Page -4- Mr. Jones asked if a log was kept of new business applications. Mr. Karet answered yes, a monthly report is provided to the City Manger of what businesses come in and all permits applied for. Mr. Jones asked if a copy could be provided to the EDB. Mr. Karet said yes. Discussion continued on impact fees and when they must be paid. County road improvement, gas tax, and stormwater management were discussed. Mr. Karet said, over the years the City had become more strict in its standards and felt it would not be an impediment to economic development. He felt the most important thing was the quality of the City, the environment. Mr. Karet said the City was beginning to clean -up US 1 and some of the derelict buildings, and that the next step would be to redevelop the US 1 corridor. He felt the appearance of the City was the number one obstacle to economic development. Mr. Fair asked if the City had an inventory of vacant commercial and industrial lands with their corresponding utility service. Mr. Karet answered no, the City did not currently have the resources to develop such a listing. Mr. Gerwe mentioned the Chamber was working on the development of this information. Development of this information was further discussed. Mr. Jones asked for an update of the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) project. Mr. Karet said FIND had been negotiating with the Grand Central Railroad, a subsidiarily of FEC. He said FIND wanted to purchase 90 acres of the property, which Grand Central considered the best portion of the land, and therefore, felt it would leave over 100 acres of land unsuitable for use. v - Chairman Fong asked Mr. Karet to walk the Board through the department's different service stations. Mr. Karet then obliged, explaining function at each station. Mr. Karet commented on the convenience of the department being housed in one location. Chairman Fong, on behalf of the Board, thanked Mr. Karet for his time in briefing the Board on the Community Development Department. CHAIRMAN AND BOARD MEMBERS REPORTS: 1. Chamber Economic Development Task Force Update Mr. Gerwe informed the Board that at the last Task Force meeting, the Community Assessment (inventory of New Smyrna Beach done by an intern) was reviewed. Mr. Gerwe thought Mr. Karet would be asked to do the same for Edgewater, but realized he didn't have the luxury of an intern. He said they (Chamber) were trying to develop an inventory of Southeast Volusia that could be handed to potential prospects. He said Tom Alcorn chairs a committee who will develop a resource guide of vacant commercial properties. Mr. Gerwe said he would request a copy of the report for the Board's review. He also informed the Task Force of the upcoming EDB brochure. Mr. Gerwe reported the Chamber's retreat would be coming up in October for anyone interested in attending. Chairman Fong said he attended last year's retreat and felt the time spend was productive, and encouraged the Board's participation. I .wr Economic Development Board Minutes - September 5, 1996 Page -5- 2. Edgewater Business Association (EBA) Update Mr. Jones stated he was unable to attend the last meeting, but thought the EBA wanted to ask Mr. Karet to speak to its members about code enforcement. Mr. Karet said he had not been contacted. Mr. Karet did say he would be meeting with John Moore, president of the association, and Nancy Davis, an officer, to discuss parking problems. Mr. Browning reported Coronado Paint would like the EDB to formally request a donation for $1,000 from them for the EDB's brochure. He asked that the letter be addressed to Bob Keesecker. Mr. Jones said he would like to see a billboard type sign at theher-n- border of Florida, attracting businesses to Edgewater. He said he would like the Board to think about this, and to discuss the possibility at a future meeting. Mr. Jones also said he would like a sign at I -95's exit 83 saying, exit Edgewater, and also quality "Welcome to Edgewater" signs at the City's north, south and west borders. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Board, a motion was made and approved to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Minutes respectfully submitted by: Elizabeth J. McBride, Board Coordinator Economic Development Board c: \edb\minutes1090596.reg