City Commission Work Session Minutes - February 10, 2022

Present Mayor Phil Anderson; Commissioners Marty Sullivan, Sheila DeCiccio, Carolyn Cooper and Todd Weaver; City Manager Randy Knight; Division Director of OMB Peter Moore; City Clerk Rene Cranis.

1) Call to Order Mayor Anderson called the meeting to order at 1:03 p.m.

2) Discussion Item(s) a. Request for guidance on drafting a Letter of Interest (LOI) for the City-owned property at the Old Library Site located at 460 E New England Avenue.

Mayor Anderson reviewed key decisions that need to be made.

1. Selling the land. It was reported that Rollins College is not interested in purchasing the building. General consensus is to not sell the property and pursue a lease option.

Commissioner Weaver noted that there is a discrepancy in the appraised value of the land with and without the building.

2. Guideline – Parking Spaces. He stated that parking is limited which will restrict the types of uses but he is opposed a parking garage because of aesthetics. It was clarified that there are 110 spaces available for the property. Discussion was held on parking capacity and layout. Commissioner DeCiccio reported that she’s received comments from the public that a food court is not a desired use because of the limited parking.

3. Potential uses. Commissioner Weaver stated that if the number of micro-restaurants is limited, the use could conform to the parking restrictions. He suggested considering uses that are revenue neutral or profit generators such as short-term office space rental as an option on the 2nd or 3rd floor.

Commissioner Cooper spoke about the Oxford Exchange in Tampa that includes incubator-type coworker space, bookstore, and small retail. She read an email from John Rivers regarding his thoughts on the mixed-use potential for the space. She stated that she is opposed to selling the property and the feedback she has received is to retain ownership. She recalled that the commission wanted to maintain ownership of the building, to create something that gives respect to arts and culture and ensure the use is revenue neutral and allows a monetary anchor that does not exceed the capacity for surface-level parking.

Commissioner Sullivan agreed with Commissioner Cooper. He stated that the city should be prepared for the expense to prepare the building to become revenue-generating. He added that the use should be a community-useful operation such as entrepreneurial start-ups and public use for art.

Mayor Anderson said he is not as willing to invest in making the building tenant-ready. He stated that if the city is providing the monetary anchor, the tenant(s) would provide the financing and the city’s subsidy would be a low rent.

Commissioner Weaver noted that the city has allocated $300k for new roof and air conditioners for the building.

Mayor Anderson stated that there is a general consensus on the uses for the building and agreement for ancillary uses to support the incubator or entrepreneurial space. Discussion was held on options for incubator, start-up facilities, and lease options for the space. Mr. Moore suggested entering into a ground lease with provided the uses comply with parking requirements.

Commissioner Cooper suggested the commission ask for a non-profit partner perhaps to be in charge of leasing and maintenance for the building but she is not opposed to the city providing that service. In-depth discussion followed regarding profit- generating/revenue-neutral uses, preferred uses, funding for building maintenance, and parameters for an RFP.

Mr. Knight asked if the commission would accept a ground lease proposal for professional off space for the entire building with the existing parking. Commissioner Weaver stated that it would be a waste to make the first-floor office. Mayor Anderson stated that he would be willing to listen to that proposal. Commissioner Cooper stated that the objective was to do something for the residents that speaks to arts and culture. She expressed concern that an opportunity to do something new, edgy, and relevant on the property might be missed. Mayor Anderson suggested offering one floor of the building for off-market or below-market community benefit as part of the RFP.

The Commission reviewed Commissioner Cooper's Old Library Use Summary (attached). The following items were discussed and agreed upon by consensus: • Objective: Agreed to by consensus with the addition of the following verbiage,“that would also support the capital investment by the tenant. Preference will be given to proposals that reserve at least 1/3 of the space for these two uses.” Addition of Ancillary Services. Agreed by consensus. Addition of Peak parking demand needs to be accommodated by 110 parking spaces. • Items 4, 5. • Item 6 (respondents will need to address the development of parking expectations in their proposal.” Discussion followed on maintenance, funds allocated for roof and air conditioner replacement, parking, and whether to include the maintenance cost budgeted by the city in the RFP. • Items 7-10 • Item 11 - Mayor Anderson suggested leaving it open-ended. • Item 12 • Item 13 - Change to triple net lease (Existing building leased as is, renter covers maintenance for the duration of the lease.)

Mayor Anderson asked the Commission if they would consider a proposal with a bulk tenant on two of the floors as an option for the space. Commission Cooper feels the space should have something new and different. Commissioners DeCiccio and Weaver agreed the space should be used for something special that doesn’t exist in Winter Park yet.

Discussion followed on use and lease parameters for an RFP. Mr. Moore suggested the Commission consider an RFI outlining the preferred parameters for the property to allow for flexibility and a variety of proposals that would help the commission frame an RFP afterward.

Commissioner Weaver stated that he would like a tour of the building to understand its current condition. Mr. Knight will set up appointments for the commissioners to have individual tours and stated that as part of the RFP process, tours and inspections be set up for potential proposers.

Discussion continued parameters to include in the scope of work including financial contribution expectations, building improvement and maintenance needs, lease duration options, and the cost to have the building inspected and brought up to code. Mayor Anderson added that including the information in the scope will lead to better, qualified responses.

Commissioner Cooper said the recommendation from the Old Library Reuse Task Force was that the commission consider ways to build consensus to bring the public on board to prevent backlash. She suggested sharing decisions made during this meeting would be beneficial. Mayor Anderson agreed and stated that consideration will need to be made on how to best provide information to the public.

Commissioner Sullivan suggested that the parameters agreed upon be shared to the public (through the LOI or RFI). Agreed by consensus.

3) Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 2:33 p.m.

OBJECTIVE: Serve our residents by creating something new, exciting and something missing from current offerings in WP, that stays true to our vision: Allow a monetary anchor to attract our residents and guests and pay the bills. Allow affordability to new businesses/idea incubators to create an organic means of staying fresh and relevant.

Provide a public immersive platform for the arts.

CONCENSUS: 1. Public input overwhelmingly supported maintaining City ownership of site. (Task Force Report 9/19) 2. Commission consensus to maintain ownership of site. 3. Staff advised that use of site as a swing space for City Hall not needed. 4. Commission consensus was that while it was not necessary this building maximize financial return if used for a meaningful community purpose; cost neutrality is necessary. 5. Commission consensus that preference is to use the facility for a community purpose supporting our brand as a center for arts and culture. 6. Any proposed use must be compatible with proximity to residential. 7. Any proposed use must meet parking requirements. This may be achieved by control of space usage if approved to avoid necessity for structured parking. 8. Use of portions of the building as monetary anchors acceptable assuming parking requirements are met. 9. City has budgeted to replace existing roof and air conditioner. Other improvements would be responsibility of applicant and must be within code for Office. 10. Capitalize on the building’s greatest asset – its location. Proximity to Park Ave, Rollins and Alfond provides built in support for carefully chosen uses.

11. City prefers a non profit partner who will manage facility and collect rents from small businesses and small nonprofit cultural participants and manage the facility. 12. Residential use not preferred. 13. Discussion of development standards required for any major renovation or rebuild.

Task Force Report: (May-Sep 2019) 1. Overwhelming, most public comment relatedto maintaining some sort of city control over the site. Commission consensus. 2. City needed to decide whether the purpose of the site is to maximize financial return or utilize the site for a community purpose, would greatly simplify any ultimate choice of use. Commission consensus was that while it was not necessary this building be a revenue generator if it used for a meaningful community purpose. Cost neutrality was acceptable. 3. While the primary recommendation is studied, continuing efforts to formulate consensus through public outreach, are encouraged. To date, the city has not moved forward on this recommendation. 4. The Task Force primarily recommends study of the feasibility and options of relocating a majority of City Hall to the old library site, either temporarily or permanently. Staff advised that temporary use for City Hall was not needed.

5/24/21ws

After additional discussion, Mayor Anderson summarized consensus to retain property, use temporarily for city hall (not permanent), and explore the Exchange multi-use concept.

8/12/21ws

Mayor Anderson summarized that using the building is still an option geared toward arts, there are budget constraints that may require a sponsor, there is consideration of using the property as part of a trade and consideration of using the property of a park. Discussion continued on possible uses for the property and reaching out to the 5-6 institutions in the city to see if there is any interest in using the shell. Mayor Anderson stated that a Winter Park Center for the Arts would be an interesting option with a collaborative rotation of all the museums in Winter Park. He suggested bringing the topic back at a Commission meeting for further discussion before giving staff direction.

9/8/21rs

Motion made by Mayor Anderson to approve the Memorandum of Understanding with the conditions that the fees received are sufficient to keep the building well-ventilated and occupiable, the city has continued access, that a visual record of the premises is obtained beforehand and a commitment made to warrant and restore the premises to the existing condition as needed, and the 60-day termination clause is intact; seconded by Commissioner Sullivan.

$4000 per month, city pays utilities inside and out

10/14/21

Discussion returned to the parameters of the RFP, use and parking. Mayor Anderson suggested placing this on a future agenda to discuss how to gauge community acceptance and on how much money the city wants to invest in improvements before moving forward with an RFP. Approved by consensus.

View the original PDF at the City of Winter Park. (https://winterpark.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=winterpark_35d2d4b3-754b-4182-8a77-c976670d144d.pdf)

Posted to WinterParkSunshine.org on March 24, 2022.