Downtown ad hoc hears input from neighbor
In a continued effort to gain revenue opportunities linked to issues relative to the downtown zoning district, Town officials are looking at different avenues and tools and asking different community representatives to offer input on how they could capture taxes during future projects.
Last Wednesday, Bonita Springs Assistant City Manager John Gucciardo dropped by Town Hall to speak to the Downtown Ad Hoc Committee about a downtown revitalization project happening in Bonita Springs. Instead of dealing with full aspects of CRAs, the neighboring city found tax increment financing (TIF) in its ongoing downtown project more attractive.
“If we tried to fashion something that made sense to the city of Bonita Springs but did not make sense to the County’s perspective, it wouldn’t really be an academic exercise or something we might pursue,” said Gucciardo., a resident of Fort Myers Beach. “We understand that from a County perspective that CRAs were not operating as efficiently as they might and would not be as beneficial county-wide. It’s juggling two different things – trying to pull out bed tax aspects of the CRA and put it into a package that would make sense from a town’s perspective and a county perspective.”
Town officials are hoping to capture more tax dollars within constrained revenue opportunities with downtown redevelopment, like the prospective private-public partnerships on the empty parcels at the foot of Matanzas Bridge. Other chances include the proposed Olde Seaport at the Nervous Nellies/Snug Harbor site, potential redevelopment at Matanzas on the Bay and continued redevelopment on Old San Carlos Boulevard.
“Instead of continuing to react to what is happening, why don’t we get in front of it or at least alongside of it so we can participate and perhaps direct what is happening,” said Beach Mayor Anita Cereceda.
Bonita Springs worked TIF financing into the project area on Old U.S. 41. That was accomplished by a slight raise in millage rate each year leading up to the start of the project.
“The timing was right for us,” Gucciardo said about capturing TIF during its base year of 2012. He explained the whole process regarding the Bonita Springs project and its timeline of four years that recently began.
The Beach is geographically smaller and has a more isolated improvement area.
“Unless you are considering making the entire island a TIF collection area, you probably have less flexibility in terms of collecting,” said Gucciardo. “There has to be some logical nexus between asking people to see their tax dollars go into an improvement that’s isolated from the perspective of the others (that are not in the improvement area).”
Parking facilities and other investment opportunities were discussed. Presenting plans to County officials so that they can see a long-term gain on the back end without risk is the difficult part.
Bonita Springs agreement with County involves an interlocal or what Gucciardo calls a variation of one.
Back when the Town of Fort Myers Beach was involved in the Times Square project to change the former asphalt road into pavers for a walking district, an entire island CRA was designated.
Questions were posed to Gucciardo after his presentation so that ad hoc committee members could get a better perspective on the Bonita Springs project and a feel for how to approach their mission. Those
Town officials appeared swayed to not lean toward a straight line CRA. That way, a ‘blight’ study would not be involved.
Revitalizing downtown Fort Myers Beach may require a raise in taxes, nonetheless.
“The idea is not to have basically a commercial strip wall (within) an actual, vibrant, sustainable living community,” said Gucciardo.
Former Town employee Jerry Murphy, now with the University of Florida Resilient Communities Initiative, was also involved in the conversation.
“I think the idea of capturing your tax increment is tremendously important,” he said. “You need to sort out the mechanics before you go forward with what it is you might want to do.”
Discussions with the Town’s former community development director centered on the prior CRA and its history. He also addressed special assessments as well as help from Florida League of Cities and UF land grant institute.
“That CRA was initiated prior to incorporation. It became problematic post-incorporation,” he said.
Whenever Town officials present findings to Council, traffic realignment will be involved in discussions. For now, Murphy believes a County interlocal for TIF opportunities is possible.
“I think you are in a position from a staff standpoint to have a good conversation with the County,” he said.
The Downtown District Ad Hoc Committee meets again at Town Hall today at 2 p.m.