Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
October 22, 2015 12:45 p.m.
Former Mayor-Commissioner Arlene Filkoff returned to speak before the Fernandina Beach City Commission (FBCC) at their October 20, 2015 Regular Meeting as the recently elected chair of the city’s CRA Advisory Board (CRAAB).
Filkoff updated the FBCC on the work of that committee.
Filkoff said that the CRAAB members have decided to take a new look at the overall plan for the CRA. She reported that following several months of information gathering and analysis the CRAAB has decided to focus on concentrating all the available information in one document to promote a better understanding of the CRA by potential developers and citizens alike. The CRAAB will deliver that document to the FBCC in 2-3 months, along with recommendations on how to make the CRA successful. While this is being done, Filkoff said that the CRAAB has also been working on some changes to the point system that exists for development projects in the CRA. “Those changes do not require Comprehensive Plan changes,” she said, “but we have run them past the PAB [Planning Advisory Board] and the HDC [Historic District Council].”
She reported that CRAAB member Dan McCranie would be making a formal presentation to the PAB, and reminded commissioners that the FBCC would make the final decision. She said that it was the committee’s hope that a revision in the point system might make upland waterfront development a more attractive prospect for mixed use development in the CRA.
Filkoff asked commissioners about the FBCC’s consideration of a CRAAB recommendation brought to a previous meeting that the city conduct a broad cost benefit analysis over a short term period to look at the feasibility and viability of implementing ATM proposals made years ago to move the city marina north of its current location. She expressed a sense of urgency over this matter, since the city is currently negotiating over the possible purchase of the property in question.
She said that CRAAB member Lynn Williams, a FIND [Florida Inland Navigation District] Commissioner, said that the city has a grant matched by FIND on the horizon. CRAAB expressed the hope that the city could use $20K of that grant to conduct the assessment prior to finalizing the purchase of the property to make sure that the ATM findings were still valid so many years later.
Commissioner Tim Poynter told Filkoff that the city has already made an offer on the property, commonly known as the Vuturo Property. Filkoff said that if the FBCC has already made an offer, perhaps the study could be done as part of the city’s due diligence before finalizing the purchase. She said that there have been changes to the area since the original report and that the CRAAB felt it was in the city’s best interest to make sure that they would be able to utilize the purchased land as intended today.
City Attorney Tammi Bach reminded commissioners that “there are already irons in the fire” with respect to the property purchase and that she would be presenting them with a confidential document incorporating the CRAAB recommended study.
Mayor Ed Boner emphasized that he wanted to lock in the contract first and add the study as a contingency. Bach acknowledged that she would do this and that the study would not be funded from ad valorem taxes, but from FIND money.
Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.