Regular Meeting, August 12, 2015

Minutes

Regular Meeting, August 12, 2015

Ron Justice reported that the University Place Parking Garage may well be completed before target date. It will most likely open at the same time that the redesigned section of U. Ave. opens. Both the street project and the parking garage are moving to completion in coordination with the American Campus Communities new student complex.

Renters at U. Place will have access to the garage; it will also provide hourly parking and parking by permit. Parking will also be available for the commercial establishments in U. Place. building. Several new retail opportunities will be announced in the near term.

Dave Weaver, AECOM, reported on current status of the U. Ave. project at Beverly & 3rd Street. July 1 was the beginning date for the project. The projection was that U. Ave. would be back open for use in 45 days, or mid-August, from beginning date. That has now changed to 60 days for substantial completion, and 90 days for final completion--that is, October. The building at 2183 U. Ave. was to have been demolished by June 16 but did not happen until second week of July because of unanticipated asbestos abatement. All utilities are to go underground; meetings have been going on since January on that; all relocation was to be done vis a vis a master schedule for utilities to each move their own projects forward individually. Good plan but many delays in coordination of multiple projects; a major part of the utility work is now done so that Reclaim can now move forward with major production on U. Ave. itself, with possible end date of mid-September by working 24/7.

AECOM engineers hold weekly meetings with contractor (RECLAIM) to which public is invited. Meetings held in AECOM offices on Clay street in Jackson-Kelly building. Open time for public to meet with contractor is every Tuesday morning at 8:30 in the AECOM offices. 24 hour work time granted by city manager on condition that U. Ave. portion of project take top priority.

AECOM also beginning work on conceptual design for 3rd Street which will include several options. This project will begin when intersection work is finished on U. Ave. at Beverly and Third. This project slated to be ready for construction in spring 2016 and finished by August.

Suggestion that CNRC recognize Doug Shephard's home renovations on Third St. Lift him up for recognition, write him a check. His projects have inspired other property owners to do the same. Make him landlord of the year and give him a check or something. (Coordinate with Mayor and Jeff on this). Pointed out that he doesn't always feel connected with what's going on here, so perhaps we should.

Broader problem: property owners in Sunnyside (e.g., Biaforas) sense an anti-developer attitude on part of CNRC. Put a developers' group together to float ideas, address problems, give them a voice in the broader picture. Meet quarterly, perhaps, and have a representative as ex-officio on CNRC Board: Ryan Lynch, Jim Craig, Doug Shephard, ACC, Doug Warden, Biaforas, Joe Panico, Jandias,

Blue line parking goes into effect on September 1. Will force property owners to seek alternative parking space. [consider our initiative for parking on alleyways; get Arnold back on parking garage, or someone else. Panico?] Each property gets three stickers, period. No guest stickers. Monday thru Friday, 7 am to 7pm, restricted parking. Unrestricted other times.

Re: request of Parking Authority for garage in Sunnyside. Rejected in face of need for parking garage on lower High St. But no garage is in the works for there; no plans drawn up. Yet new County Commission Justice center about to open and where park? Arnold must be held accountable for lack of movement. Hotel Morgan renovation: where park? City meeting with Arnold and different types of developers, but P Authority hesitant on scope of that project. It could grow to the whole block. But the things that needs to happen next is for Arnold to get with stakeholders in that area to gauge proposed growth and demand, and to find developers with expertise for designing and building a garage in a downtown area. Have not yet done an RFP. Should not be a difficult task since this sort of thing is done everywhere in the country. Look for example at the events center in Columbus, Ohio. But Tom doesn't know that there is a time-frame for that garage!!! Tom doesn't know that there are things hinging on this parking garage??? (Mikorski)

Problem: here is an entity digging in its heels and slowing things down, without apparent good reason. How do we overcome that? We have to help him get the needle off zero.

Minutes: motion to approve Vitale; second Weese. Unanimous.

Election of Officers: Weese motion for officers remain as is; Mikorski second. Approval Unanimous.

Lynch Request for Archway Funding: cost of $37K. (24 materials; 13 construction). He brought this up with Mikorski earlier. Looking at it as coming down U. Ave. between Metro Towers and ACC project. If erected in busy area it would block pedestrian access. Jeff approved, until Ryan asked City to pay for it. Pointed out that still have proposed project for mini-park at corner Stewart and University by Bodner building. The design includes a sign that says welcome to Sunnyside right there, already funded. So we're all in agreement that we need a sign marking the Sunnyside area. Question is where and what kind of sign. If have archway inviting tennis shoes and who knows what up there on U. Ave. Idea at Bodner is that we follow through with type of signage identifying neighborhood boundaries.

Request to put the Bodner Courtyard proposal on September agenda.

Appointment to Board: three names on table--Jim Craig, Blue Sky Realty, Doug Shephard, Landlord/Developer, Ryan Hess with the Mills Group. Must have a developer on Board? Stakeholder? Landlord? Concerns expressed that if we appoint someone with a stake in the game, are we providing them with a competitive advantage/outcome for his own agenda. We want to give developer/landlord/stakeholder a bigger because a collective voice in what goes forward as a TIF Project. The stakeholder group meets with CNRC Director quarterly, as a group,to contemplate initiatives, projects, problems, issues, discusses these formally as a group, vote on a motion to move something to the CNRC Board agenda with a rep. of the group as ex officio or liaison to the Board to present and defend motion for the group rather than for himself.A rep from WVU and/or City might also sit with the group for informational and deliberative purposes. Motion by Weese, second by Vitale. to appoint Ryan Hess to full voting position on Board. Motion carried unanimously.

Composition of Stakeholders Group: Jim Craig, Doug Shephard, Doug Warden, Biaforas, Ryan Lynch, Dave Kelly

Request from WVU: With great respect for John Martys and his organization and what they do, we would like for the CNRC Board to take the lead in helping us, WVU, to talk with John to see if he would put that property he owns up Falling Run back into the control of either WVU or Sunnyside Up or whatever to develop it. John sent out an RFP on the property and got no takers and it took them four months to do it. We've been very patient with John, we've suggested TIFs, we've suggested…and for whatever reason send an RFP out and only get the WV Housing Development Fund, something's wrong there. We want to be a partner but at the end of the day in order for them to develop anything they have to have our cooperation at WVU and you're going to hear that from John. What we would like to do is collectively go to their board and ask that property be placed in the hands of WVU or WVU & Sunnyside Up. Narvel: transfer the property back to this Board, it doesn't have to come to me, just get a developer in here and get the thing done. Request that Reed and Narvel go to their meeting. Reed: and if it comes back to us we would become the developer of that property?

Verbatim on WVU Req: (Justice) "The other point before these folks come in here, quickly, and we say this with a great deal of respect for John Martys & his organization and what they do, but we would like for Sunnyside up to help us, WVU, talk to John to see if he would put that property back into the control of either WVU or Sunnyside Up or whatever. They sent an RFP out and they got no takers and it took them four months to do it. Four years ago they spent a lot of money and held a two day charette and nothing is happening on it. And in the mean time you pick the newspaper up today and you see that right outside the city they're debating a 40 acre up-scale neighborhood and (the 20 acre site) is sitting there, the most prime land in the city, not happening, and we've been very patient with him, we've suggested TIFs, we've suggested . . . and for whatever reason, send an RFP out and only get the WV Housing Development Fund, something's wrong there, and we don't want to play [hardball] with him, we want to be a partner, but at the end of the day in order for them to develop anything they're going to have to have our cooperation and you're going to hear that from John that, well, if we only had WVU, well they've had our cooperation and to send an RFP out and get nothing". (Narvel) "We are actually a part of the group that has been involved. We have been at the table and have gotten with John hundreds of times . . ." (Justice) "What we'd like to do is ask that, collectively, to go to their Board and ask that that propertybe placed back over into the hands of WVU or WVU and Sunnyside Up". (Vitale) "Who does that Ron"? "I'd like for Sunnyside Up to go, I mean, they're going to say that WVU wants it just to make a profit off it, but that's not the case . . ." (Narvel) "We gave them the property with the understanding that they were going to build affordable housing. Twenty years ago.I'm more than happy to have them transfer it back to this Board, that's fine, it doesn't have to come back to me". (Justice) "But put us back in charge of getting developers in here to get the thing built. I mean we've seen everything from 185 units of mixed use to recreation". . . (Reed) "Still with the goal of affordable housing. Make it happen?". (Narvel) "Yeah, affordable housing in the smart sense of $275 to $300 thousand". (Reed) "For the young professional"? [several talking at once] (?) "But will they come" (?) "for low income" (?) "section 8". (Justice) "In this sense it's not within the boundaries of Sunnyside Up" (?) "It's not a very attractive area". (Vitale) "So do we want Frank to go ahead and . . ." (Justice) "Frank's on their Board so that may be a conflict for him to . . ."

(Yours Truly) "Since it is the Fairmont-Morgantown Housing Authority it meets alternately in Fairmont & Morgantown. I'll talk with John about this". (Justice) "And ask that maybe Reed and Narvel go together and ask that that property be transferred back to us". (Reed) "And if it comes back to us our plan would be to"? (Narvel) "Be the Developer". (Justice) "And with the understanding that if there is a profit no one has a problem of sharing revenues even with the Housing Authority, but the bottom line is that they can't get off left center to get it done". (Reed) "Probably just reduce the price of the house". (Narvel) "Or roll it into an adjacent development. There is that area adjacent to the (20 acres) in the city that doesn't exactly look like Deliverance but some parts of it pretty darn close". (Mikorski) "Wasn't part of this supposed to be veteran's homes"? (Scafella) "No, it was supposed to be affordable housing in the HUD sense. Not exactly section 8 but . . . " (Justice) "And again we gave John Martys' group that property, and so by giving it back . . . " (Scafella) "When you say 'we', how did that happen"? (Narvel) "We transferred the property with the understanding that they would develop affordable housing". (Scafella) "Twenty years ago?" (Reed) "How did WVU own it"? (Narvel) "It was part of the farm property". (Vitale) "Was there an MOU when that happened that they would do that"? (Narvel) "That's what it would be used for". (Justice) "One thing that you're going to hear from (Martys) is that we've never put the ROW over". (Narvel) "That was part of his responsibility but there is a ROW there(1:25:02)