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03-25-08Agenda for Mayport Corridor Workshop 3/25/08 Goals for Workshop 1) Agree on what the problem is 2) Agree on area boundary 3) Agree on immediate strategies: What to do Next Goal Statement Discussion Area Boundary Staff Recommendations on specific strategies/resources needed Presentation/Discussion of Specific Strategies - Code Enforcement - New Codes - Policing - Stakeholders Group - Encourage Organizations - ROWS - Public Relations - Recreation Commission Directions Adjourn CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP STAFF REPORT AGENDA ITEM: Possible strategies for the Mayport Corridor Project SUBMITTED BY: Jim Hanson, Cit City Dep ent Heads DATE: March 17, 2008 BACKGROUND: The City Commission made it cleaz that making improvements to the Mayport Corridor would be the main strategic focus for the upcoming year. The Commission also requested that a workshop be scheduled within one month after the strategic plan meetings to discuss possible strategies to pursue. This report provides a list of possible strategies, makes recommendations as to which to pursue first, proposes wording of a goal statement and touches upon the specific geographic area to be covered. This report is a result of two meetings of the city's senior staff. First for your review is a proposed goal statement. We recognized eazly on that this project could become so broad as to incorporate "all things to all people". Consequently, it is important to start with an agreement on what the goal is. The attached goal statement was intended to incorporate what we understood the city commission to say during the strategic planning meetings. It will be important to find out from the Commission if this properly states your desires for this project or if it should be amended. The second important issue to consider is the geographic area to be covered It was clearly the commission's intent that it would include both the commercial businesses fronting along Mayport Road and the adjacent residential neighborhoods. There was also a discussion of the need to include the areas along Mayport Road that are outside of Atlantic Beach's limits. The geographic boundary for the azea should include areas where there are high levels of crime, substandazd housing and other blighting conditions. However, if the geographic boundary becomes too large, then the effect will be that scarce manpower and other resources devoted to the project will become diluted and less effective. Efforts are currently underway by city staff to put available data in a map form that can be presented at the upcoming workshop. Even though the City Commission expressed strong support for providing the legislative tools and budget to vigorously attack the problems, it became apparent that there were more strategies that could be pursued than anyone could realistically hope to have the resources to accomplish. We cannot do everything at once. Consequently, it is important not only to present a list of possible strategies, but to make a reasonable determination of what can and will be done both in the short and long term. After considerable discussion among the Department Heads and other top staff, it was found that some of the strategies would have more immediate impact than others and some strategies seem to fit better together or compliment each other. The following chart is an outline of the staff's recommendations as to which strategies can and should be pursued immediately versus those that should be started in approximately six months after consideration of the upcoming budget. 'This chart also provides an estimate of the possible reallocation of staff members to these Mayport Corridor based strategies. Each of these strategies is described later in this report. Chart of Recommendations for Mayport Corridor Project Reallocation of New Resources Item Present Staff Needed Priority 1: Add Resources Now *Code Enforcement '/z person 1 person *New Codes (Rental Housing) None 1 person *Policing 1 officer 1 officer * Shareholders Group Mayor + some Staff time ? Priority 2: Add Resources in 6 Months *Encourage Organizations Minor staff time '/4 person? *Public ROWs '/z person 1 person *Public Relations Minor staff time ? *Recreation Programs 'h person %i person TOTAL 4 3/4 positions Please keep in mind when considering the reallocation of present staff that each of us already has a full load and this reallocation necessarily means a reduction of focus in other areas. For example, the addition of approximately one half a person's time to code enforcement in the Mayport Corridor may result in less time on code enforcement in other portions of the city. However, in this particular case, some available time is expected once the Building Department is fully staffed. Other pros and cons of reallocation can be discussed during the workshop. Strategies Code Enforcement; City staff (including the City of Jacksonville) can do a lot more to enforce existing regulations in the Mayport Corridor. These include not only general code enforcement efforts, but also enforcing the deadline for requiring the elimination of chain link fences (recently passed} requirements to either rehabilitate or demolish dilapidated buildings, several newly approved provisions related to the new property maintenance code, enforcement of zoning regulations for landscaping and other requirements from past actions of the city (landscaping was often required as a condition of several uses being approved, but often has not been maintained) and requirements imposed for some use-by-exceptions have not been fully met or continued. Adoation of New Codes; existing codes may not be sufficient to solve many of the blighted conditions in the Mayport Corridor. The city commission of Atlantic Beach as well as the Jacksonville City Council may need to consider the approval of several code provisions (and provide for related enforcement). Most importantly in Atlantic Beach this would include a rental inspection program either for the tazgeted area in the Mayport Corridor or city wide. An important component of this code may be directed at requiring owners of rental properties to take responsibility for crime prevention on their properties through such actions as better screening for perspective residents, better maintenance and proactively working to remove or evict residents causing problems. Enforcement of new rental provisions would require the addition of city staff, although the project may be self funded. Many other Florida cities that have rental inspection programs pay for the inspectors through inspection fees. The most immediate code amendments needed in the Jacksonville city limits aze to adopt similaz commercial zoning standazds to those implemented in Atlantic Beach several years ago. Policing; VVliile there has been a considerable emphasis on the Mayport Road Corridor for policing activities over several years, several added or increased efforts can be focused in the area. These may include bicycle patrols, tracking of crimes, victims and offenders, educating police officers of various city codes like property maintenance and dilapidated buildings so they can better coordinate with other city employees, more focus on the homeless problems, continuation of the enforcement on drugs and prostitution, increasing enforcement of traffic violations and noise and getting more of a presence from the Jacksonville Sherriff's Office in the areas outside of Atlantic Beach. Stakeholders Grouo; Mayor Meserve has volunteered to speazhead the creation and leadership of a group of individuals with different interests in improving the Mayport Corridor. Some of these may include the Navy, business owners (both in Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville), elected officials, police, churches, residents and others. Considerable thought should be put into the creation of such a group to maximize the effectiveness of accomplishing the Mayport Corridor goals. Encourage Organizations; Staff felt that the creation and growth of several types of organizations would empower and encourage individuals to participate in improving the area. Supporting organizations maybe a way to leverage city resources for more effectiveness. These may include homeowner or neighborhood associations, various business groups, churches, an association of rental properties owners and others. Public Right-of--Ways; Both the Cities of Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville can take numerous steps to improve the physical conditions of the azea by improving conditions in their right-of--ways. These may include better landscaping, cleaning out ditches, removing litter, installing sidewalks and so forth. Public Relations; Perception is often as important as reality. The perceptions of crime, safety, physical environment and sense of community should improve as the physical conditions improve and the crime rate declines. However, it will also be important to carry on a public relations/public information campaign. Per the recommendation from the city commission during strategic planning, we should strive to "under promise and over deliver". Recreation Programs; Many of the strategies previously listed can take a distinctly regulatory and negative tone. This could be tempered to some extent, and city efforts leveraged, by the additional component of positive community activities. For example, having a neighborhood bazbeque hosted by the city may help encourage people to come to a meeting to discuss creating a homeowner or neighborhood association. Having concerts at some of the community centers may encourage people taking more pride and ownership in their communities. Providing more league sports play in under-utilized pazks may provide healthy and important outlets for youthful energy. One more important component to achieving the Mayport Corridor goal, although not a strategy in itself, is measurement. Staff believes that a number of statistics should be gathered for the 2007 calendar yeaz so that they can be compared before and after the strategies are implemented. These would include information about the physical conditions in the area (camera survey), crime statistics, information on complaints and code violations. This work is ongoing and can be done with existing staff without any allocated additional resources. BUDGET: Because of the wide variety of possible strategies and specific steps within each, it is impossible to provide a complete budget analysis at this point. The City Commission should discuss which short and long term strategies are preferred and budget estimates can be prepared accordingly. RECOMMENDATION: The recommendation of the city's top staff is incorporated in the chart above. The city commission should determine which if any of these strategies should be pursued in both the short and long term timeframes and should provide budget and legislative support accordingly. ATTACHMENT: 1) Strategic Plan Goal Statement for Mayport Corridor Draft -March 11, 2008 Strategic Plan Goal Statement -The goal is to develop and begin implementation of an improvement plan for the Mayport Road corridor which includes not only the roadway and frontage parcels, but the neighborhoods in proximity to Mayport Road. Description of the problem -Some commercial redevelopment has occurred along the corridor frontage, and certain areas west of Mayport Road are solid and stable, and from their well maintained appearance continue to be good places to live where commitment to neighborhoods is obvious. In contrast, other areas particularly north of Levy Road are plagued by drugs, prostitution, gun and street crime, a visible homeless population, and arun-down and neglected appearance without any sense of community. Guiding Principals -Reinvestment in housing and neighborhoods is critical. This will not occur without a fundamental change in perception, and a higher quality of neighborhood serving retail, service and commercial activities will not come to the area unless customers are there to support such businesses. A stronger business environment also results in better employment opportunities. All are essential components to good communities. Strategies must bemulti-faceted to deal with not only the physical environment, but equally as important, a negative public perception of the area as being an unsafe or undesirable environment for business investment and for potential new residents. Strategies -There are three primary areas of strategic focus which are broadly addressed below. These are not numbered in priority, because these issues are inextricably related and dependent upon each other. Any plan must be successful in all three areas. • Public perception. This can only be changed by real improvements that are measurable with sustainable results. A plan is just a discussion point if the community does not benefit from real improvements in their quality of life. • Change the environment. This encompasses the built environment, public spaces and infrastructure, and the economic and social fabric, which now sustain an atmosphere where drugs, street crime, prostitution, poverty and homelessness, transient, substandard and poorly maintained housing feed a pattern of continuing deterioration and degradation. These activities and influences exist only in an environment where they are not rejected. And we must recognize that just removing the crime problems alone will not change the environment. Crime related issues are only one hole-in-the-bucket. • Inclusion and sense of community. Residents who feel disconnected and dispossessed from other people and their community don't care much about the environment around them. All of the resources and energy put towards this effort will be wasted without successfully engaging residents, street-by-street and house-by-house. Success with this will beself- perpetuating, and it will be critical to identify and involve neighborhood and business representatives, churches and community leaders outside of City Hall --and the City of Jacksonville. We must "market-and-sell" a vision that fosters commi~nent and involvement in the process. (Think stakeholders and consensus building....) Clearly, this will be along-term process requiring unwavering commitment and considerable resources. Initial efforts should focus on a specific project or activity with some quick high-impact visibility so that we engage the entire community in this project.