Great Game at the CMP.

I was lucky enough to attend the game last night and it lived up to the hype.  I was glad to see my former team come through with the victory.  I look forward to next Thursday, opening day for the Wahoos.

PNJ Article

Photo Gallery

Battle by the Bay: Catholic, Pace meet tonight

The #2 nationally ranked Catholic Crusaders will take on Pace tonight at the Wahoo's stadium downtown.  The game starts at 7.  Please come out and support local baseball at the Community Maritime Park.

http://www.pnj.com/article/20130328/SPORTS/303280007/Battle-by-Bay-Catholic-Pace-meet-tonight

Great article about Pensacola!

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2013/03/01/best-spring-break-value-travel-destinations-pensacola/

Pensacola Parking Syndrome

One of those reason the Y was rejected at the CMP was the perceived lack of parking.  I had a conversation recently with several people and they mentioned "Pensacola Parking Syndrome". Please see the quote below as well as the NYT article referencing Pensacola Parking Syndrome.

"Actually, there is a point at which a city can satisfy its parking needs. This situation can be found in many small, older American cities and is almost always the result of the same history: at mid-century,

with automobile ownership on the rise, a charming old downtown with a wonderful pedestrian realm finds itself in need of more parking spaces. It tears down a few historic buildings and replaces them with surface parking lots, making the downtown both easier to park in and less pleasant to walk through. As more people drive, it tears down a few more buildings, with the same result. Eventually, what remains of the old

downtown becomes unpleasant enough to undermine the desire to visit, and the demand for parking is easily satisfied by the supply. This phenomenon could be called the Pensacola Parking Syndrome, in honor of

one of its victims."

--Andres Duany, "Suburban Nation." North Point Press, (c)2000, p. 162

[footnote]


The concept was highlighted in a New York Times Article last year:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/arts/design/taking-parking-lots-seriously-as-public-spaces.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0


The Pensacola Parking Syndrome is a term of the trade used to describe a city that tears down its old buildings to create parking spaces to entice more people downtown, until people no longer want to go there
because it has become an empty lot. Cities should let the free market handle the construction of new parking spaces. People who buy or rent new homes can pay extra if they want someplace to park a car.
Municipalities can instead cap the maximum number of lots or the ratio of spaces to dwellings and offices.
Back in 1973 Boston instituted a successful parking freeze in concert with the Environmental Protection Agency, an approach that Los Angeles attempted to follow until Congress blocked the tactic, bouncing the ball over to city courts. Since then Cambridge, Mass., has set its own limit on parking spaces. More cities could now do the same. As for the perception that parking spots are hard to find, as if
everyplace were Midtown Manhattan, the reality is that a space may not be open precisely when and where a driver wants it. But the journal Transportation Science has shown that drivers who parked at the first
available spot and then walked to their destination on average saved considerable time (never mind savings in gasoline and anxiety) over those who cruised around until a "better" spot opened.



Unfortunately, this seems to be correct.  One of the Urban Redevelopment Advisory Committee's suggestions was to increase density downtown and bring in more people and businesses.  This should be the same idea we look at for the CMP.  We need to encourage developers and investors to build at the CMP.  One way we can do this is to work with the zoning code for the park to lessen the restriction on parking.  This would open the parcels to more structures and would bring more people to the park.

City Council OKs transit tax agreement

Please see Nate Monroe's article concerning the dedicated Gas Tax Funding for ECAT.  With the improvement in vehicle MPG and the price of oil on the rise, the gas tax is becoming a less than reliable source of funding for government.  I hope the county has a long term plan for funding.

Also, I will be talking with the County Commissioners about beginning to convert the bus fleet over to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).  CNG is cleaner and more cost effective.  This would be a perfect RESTORE Act project.

PNJ Article on ECAT

Disappointing news regarding Maritime Y

I just read that the Maritime Y will officially pull its offer to build a new facility at the Maritime Park.  Very disappointing. This comes on the heels of the City Council tonight discussing, for over two hours, trying to put together a committee to negotiate with the Council, CMPA, and the Y.  While I believe that Councilman Spencer's motion had good intentions, I knew the Y did not want to deal with yet another layer of bureaucracy.  I was hoping that the Y and the CMPA could get together but that seems not to be.  I planned on trying to have a conversation tonight about the process of leasing property at the CMP  but after a 4.5 hour meeting I did not have the energy to bring it up.  We do need to look at the process and the make up of the CMPA moving forward.  I am going to be reaching out, over the next few days, to see if there is anything I can do to breath life back into what I think is a very important economic development project.  One that will be a great benefit to Pensacola.

Community Maritime Park Leasing Process

The Maritime Y process exposed a large flaw in how our great city leases property at the Community Maritime Park.  I have come up with a simple process that I believe will make it easy for investors to work with the city.

I believe that the City Council should instruct the CMPA, as our agent, to draft a standard lease agreement including, but not limited to, term, rent, renewal option(s), parking requirement, building size, and total investment for each of the parcels located at the Community Maritime Park.  Once these drafts are complete, the CMPA will send a copy to the Mayor's office and a copy to the City Council for review and comment/approval.

After approval of the standard lease agreement by the Mayor and the City Council all interested parties will be instructed to negotiate with the Mayor.  These standard lease agreements will be the starting point for all interested parties to begin negotiations.  The CMPA will not be involved in the negotiation of leases.  The Mayor will have the responsibility to negotiate in good faith.  If the Mayor and the interested party can come to terms, the complete /final lease agreement will then be sent to the City Council for final approval. 

The link below is a blank standard lease for Parcel 8 for reference.  The attached lease should be used only as a starting point for the CMAP to draft the standard lease agreements. It would be up to the CMPA to fill in the blanks, with the items discussed above, so that any interested party could have a reasonable idea of what the CMPA expects prior to beginning negotiations with the Mayor.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzmQ50iNn46FZm9PWWRKeS13ZkE/edit?usp=sharing

Great email from a very concerned citizen.

I could not have said it better myself.

I have keep their identity confidential.

I attended the CMPA meeting yesterday to support the advancement of the City Council’s directive for that board to work out the details of a sublease with the YMCA on parcel 8 at the Community Maritime Park.  The result was not only disappointing, but a disaster for this project, and for future development at the Community Maritime Park.  As someone who has been in the commercial real estate business for some 38 years, I can affirm that neither I nor any responsible developer I’ve ever known would tolerate such a convoluted process involving individuals who may be well intentioned but whose experience in the commercial real estate development process is nonexistent.  Now a perfectly viable project for the Maritime Park is on life support. There will always be those who don’t agree with any decision made by the City Council…that is the burden of leadership.  The fact that appears to be overlooked in this deal is this site 8 was originally approved for a Maritime Museum, which UWF officials affirmed last night would cost $30 million to build and $4 million annually to operate.  In the original deal the Museum was to pay $1 per year in rent and no real estate taxes.  The YMCA deal anticipates paying rent of some $120,000 per year plus another $12,000+ toward Common Area Expenses, with escalations every 5 years.  The YMCA also has something the Museum did not have, and that is operational funds to support this new facility. Reasoning deductively, the highest and best use of site 8 is a world class YMCA.  Highest and best use is an appraisal term defined as the reasonably probable and legal use of property, that is physically possible, appropriately supported, and financially feasible, and that results in the highest value.  The YMCA is proposing to pay rent based on an appraised value of $27 per square foot, something unheard of in today’s soft real estate market.  Hotel developers have indicated no interest in this site.  There are currently two office projects announced for downtown—the Studer building in the Maritime Park and the First Navy Bank building at the corner of Palafox & Main Street.  Preliminary pIans for both projects are said to include office space for lease.  Given historic absorption rates for downtown office space, this will preclude another office development downtown for the foreseeable future.  Retail development is not feasible as it tends to follow, not lead, population growth. Are we prepared to absorb losses for the foreseeable future as we wait for some mystical better deal for the Maritime Park?  Are we not concerned about recent reports of the poor quality of health in our community and lack of job growth, both issues that this project would impact positively?  I’ve always been taught that leadership is figuring out how we can, not why we can’t.  Please give your thoughtful, timely consideration to rescuing this deal—as someone once said “Failure is not an option”.

Response to Mayor Hayward's email

Mayor Hayward sent an email earlier this week asking the City Council to step forward on the YMCA issue.  Please see my response below.

Mr. Mayor; I appreciate all the work you have done to try and work with the YMCA. As I read Mr. Williams statement, I have to agree, the process is certainly broken.  Right now the city needs leaders and not finger pointers.  Instead of trying to place blame, I plan on leading the City Council to get it fixed. The leasing process for all city property, including the CMP, should be done by the Mayor and the Council. I plan on communicating that to my fellow Councilmembers at the next Council meeting. Hopefully, when we work the process out, we can reopen negotiations with the Y and show other future investors that if you want to invest in Pensacola, we are ready. 

Andy Terhaar
Pensacola City Councilman District 3
850-393-6014
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Tablet

Ashton Hayward <mayorhayward@cityofpensacola.com> wrote:

Ladies and Gentlemen of the City Council,

Last night, the CMPA voted to disregard your vote recommending the YMCA lease be approved in concept for Parcel 8 at the Community Maritime Park. As your agent, it is important that the CMPA take direction from you, their client. I encourage the Council to take whatever action is necessary to reaffirm your prior decision on the YMCA lease and move the project forward without delay. 

Ashton J. Hayward III

Mayor, City of Pensacola

222 West Main Street

Pensacola FL 32502

850-435-1626 Office

850-435-1611 Fax

www.cityofpensacola.com

 

Notice: Florida has a very broad public records law. Most written communications to or from state and local officials regarding government business are public records available to the public and media upon request. Your email communications may be subject to public disclosure.

City Council and CMPA prove more government is not the answer.

Government should be simple.  The Mayor negotiates a lease, the lease is sent to the City Council, the lease is approved or not. Simple.  The city council was presented a lease last Committee of the Whole.  Instead of discussing the merits of that lease we decided to punt and send it to the CMPA for discussion.   Now it looks like the Y and the City are back at square one.  Is it just me or does it seem like we are moving in reverse?  I had issues with the lease as presented to me prior to our COW meeting.  I called the Y officials, voiced my concerns, and they were agreeable to my proposed changes.  When I arrived at the meeting I assumed that all my colleagues had done the same and I was ready to discuss the lease and vote.  I knew that we were all not going to agree. I also know that there are some council members who do not want anything to do with a Y at the maritime park.  Vote No and let's move to the next item.  I know there are council members who felt ambushed by the lease and were offended.  Vote No and let's move to the next item. I know there are council members who disagreed with the process. Vote No and let's move on to the next item. The Y and the Mayor have the resposiilbity to bring a lease in front of us. It is the job of the city council to approve or not approve of that lease. It is up to the council members to make sure they have the proper information to make a fair and accurate decision. I have not always been given everything, so I actively sought the answers I needed. This City Council needs to stop passing the buck and stand up for what they believe in.....just like Fred Gunther did.