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2005-01-04 SRA Special Meeting MinutesSRA Minutes January 4, 2005 Page 1 of 4 MINUTES OF THE BOARD MEETING OF THE SALEM REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY HELD ON JANUARY 4, 2005 A special meeting of the Salem Redevelopment Authority (SRA) Board was held in the third floor conference room at the City Hall Annex, 120 Washington Street, on Tue sday, January 4, 2005 at 6:00pm. Chairman Michael Brennan called the meeting to order and on roll call, the following members were present: Michael Brennan, Michael Connelly, Christine Sullivan, and Russell Vickers. Lynn Duncan, Executive Director of the SRA, Tania Hartford, Economic Development Planner, and Valerie Gingrich, Clerk, were also present. REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY PROJECTS 1. Old Salem Jail Mr. Brennan explained that they will be discussing the Jail reuse study process at this meeting and introduced Steve Cecil and Peter Smith. Mr. Cecil stated that they will be discussing steps, procedures and goals for the reuse study and they will go over dates for the nine-week process. He stated that they have started reviewing the existing conditions and market conditions. Mr. Smith stated that Salem has a very active market and a lot is going on especially with condominiums. Mr. Cecil stated that starting next week, they will begin to look at a series of reuse concepts. Mr. Cecil went over the series of meetings with the SRA and public meeting that will be held during the process. Mr. Cecil stated that the first meeting with the SRA will be to present what they learned from the building and the market. He stated that they will then hold a public meeting and present uses and get feedback. He continued stating that the third meeting will be held with the SRA to narrow down the concepts with the public comment. Mr. Cecil stated that they will do the Market Analysis and Financial Evaluation starting week four. He stated that a lot will depend on the structural analysis. He added that they will be looking at the barn and determine how structurally viable it is and what historic value it has. Mr. Cecil stated that they have contracted with Andrea Gillmore to do the historic preservation aspect and they will be meeting with the public and members of Historic Salem Inc. sometime soon. Mr. Cecil stated that the final meeting will be to report to the public what the SRA has found and why they are moving in that direction. He stated that at that point they will produce the report, drawings, etc. Mr. Cecil asked the public for good times to hold the preservation meeting and stated that it would most likely be next week. SRA Minutes January 4, 2005 Page 2 of 4 Stanley Smith, member of Historic Salem Inc., stated that one issue is access to the barn. Mr. Cecil stated that they will have to arrange access with the building inspector due to a serious concern about the structural integrity of the building. Mr. Cecil explained that part of the market study will include the possibility of shared use of land with the church next to the jail. He stated that this may happen, but it is normal to look at uses that are next to the site as possibilities. Mr. Brennan clarified that the SRA has no designs for the church property but it is normal for a developer to look at adjacent land. Mr. Cecil asked the SRA to think about how they want to handle potentially confidential information. Mr. Cecil explained that the board can disclose all information to the public, but they may not necessarily want to because with the disposition of land, they may not want the value of the land open to the public. He added that there will not be anything confidential in the next meeting. Mr. Smith stated that they won’t be doing an appraisal, but they will be discussing the value of land. He added that at this point, they cannot say how refined the information will be. Mr. Cecil asked the board to think about it. Mr. Cecil stated that the SRA should discuss what the goals of the project will be. He stated that it is not necessarily a highest bid thing and they need to shape the RFP so that they are clearly communicating what they want. He also asked them about timing. Mr. Brennan commented that as a citizen, the project has to be acceptable to the neighbors and the public. He stated that traffic is a great concern but this is a great opportunity for Salem. He added that revenue from the sale is important. Mr. Connelly agreed that this is a golden opportunity for Salem. He stated that they need to get to the bottom line quickly even though there is a lot to pull together. He commented that they will need a lot of input as they need to do it right the first time. Mr. Vickers spoke to timing, stating that they need to move aggressively to redevelop the site. He added that they need to find someone worthy of the historic icon. Ms. Sullivan stated that they need to get a fair price for the jail in order to make other things happen in the city. She stated that it is important to preserve the historic aspects because the city is historic. She commented that they should look to the project to advance the vitality of the downtown and they should be open to mixtures of uses to get a balance. Mr. Brennan asked the members of the public to comment on the project. Jim Treadwell commented that with the bypass project, they will get a little more land in the front of the jail. He stated that the elderly housing across the street depends on parking on the jail site. He commented that the jail is a significant structure and its context and fabric are super important. Mr. Treadwell asked if there is going to be federal monies involved. Mr. Cecil commented that a developer could use federal money to subsidize but they don’t want to be dependent on that. Mr. SRA Minutes January 4, 2005 Page 3 of 4 Treadwell asked if the section 106 process would be triggered. Mr. Cecil stated that they have not made a determination at this point. David Hart commented that the board should look at the long-term financial contribution rather than short term. He suggested some type of tax schedule. A member of the public asked what the board would not consider as a use for the site. Mr. Cecil stated that will be looking at things that would not be acceptable or feasible for the site. Mr. Cecil suggested that a gas station would not be acceptable. Mathew Erlich asked about the Bridge Street bypass project. Ms. Duncan stated that it is moving forward and the plans are available for review during business hours. Barbara Cleary stated that vitality is key. She commented that the jail is a link between the downtown and the residential neighborhood. She asked if it will be necessary to do a environmental review of the site. Mr. Cecil stated that they will discuss that next. Next Steps Mr. Cecil stated that there are no environmental reports and it is not necessary to do one, but it may be wise. He explained that the more information they have, the better decisions they will be able to make. He stated that the board should consider doing a Phase One 21E assessment, which would visually assess the site and look at site records. He estimated the cost at between $5,000 and $10,000. He stated that the reduction of risk could save time and money. Ms. Duncan stated that the staff will take another look to see whether a report has been done. Ms. Sullivan motioned to authorize Ms. Duncan to solicit proposals for doing a phase one 21E site assessment. Mr. Vickers seconded. Motion passed (4-0). Mr. Connelly suggested that a tour be arranged before the next meeting. Ms. Duncan stated that there are liability issues with giving a tour. Mr. Cecil added that it is not fit for public access and the most important public aspect is the exterior. Mr. Hart offered a video that he has of the jail. Mr. Vickers suggested that they start working on the Land Disposition Agreement (LDA). He stated that the LDA for the Old Police Station took a long time to complete. Ms. Hartford asked Mr. Vickers if he is referring to the project specific things, which are the reason the LDA took a long time to complete. Charlie Reardon suggested that SATV film the inside of the jail for the public. Ms. Duncan stated that she would look into it. Mr. Erlich asked about ADA requirements. Mr. Cecil stated that the project would trigger full compliance with ADA requirements. Ms. Sullivan suggested that they research options for long-term financial options as Mr. Hart suggested. She suggested three options; a payment schedule; upfront payment; and deferred taxes. Mr. Smith stated that they will look at those options and explained District Improvement Financing. SRA Minutes January 4, 2005 Page 4 of 4 Mr. Smith suggested that they look at whether the jail has a positive value or a negative value and then try to bridge the gap. He stated that it is good that they will be doing the environmental assessment. Mr. Treadwell suggested that at least a portion of the jail be used for tourism as an indication of what was once there. Adjournment There being no further business, Mr. Vickers motioned to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Connelly seconded. Motion passed (4-0). Meeting stands adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Valerie Gingrich Clerk