Providence Renaissance Neighborhood Project

Housing Action Team Meeting Report

Monday, May 12, 2003

Chairperson: A.C. Douglas                                                              Facilitator: Nancy Muller

Staff: John Baker, Debra Thomas, Charlene Burke; CNRP: Rosa Morgan

Attendees (Sign In Sheet):

Monica Lee                       Genevieve McDonald                                 Rob Rinehart

John Whftsel                      Leslie L. Harris                                          Svetozora Iakimova

Rick McCraw                   Nancy Muller                                               Cherie Bryant

Anthony Montalvo               John Baker                                                Debra Thomas

Sharon Durham               Joseph Combey                                          Tamara Lo-Ray

Alexia Jones

( This report is not intended to be minutes of the meeting capturing everything that was said.   The report captures the main issues discussed and agreements reached at the meeting.)

Opening

The session began with introductions.   Doug welcomed everyone and gave an overview of what we were hoping to achieve from the meeting.   John Baker introduced Nancy Muller from Florida Housing Finance Corporation as one of the volunteer facilitators who will be helping with the Providence Renaissance Project.   Nancy then went over how we would go through the agenda.

I. Housing Strategy

The participants were asked to review the Discussion Points document put together by staff, as well as the changes offered by Doug Douglas, to develop a housing strategy for the Providence neighborhood.   This strategy would guide the development of housing programs for the neighborhood and help to prioritize future actions.   The following factors were offered to develop a housing strategy:

1. Home Ownership;
2. Neighborhood Ownership;
3. Improving Existing Housing Stock; and
4. Infill Housing.

The following points were raised during the discussion on the housing strategy:

i) Crime – must be a part of the housing strategy – must address criminals who are living the neighborhood

--- landlord education on screening tenants

--- meet with landlords of the multi-family properties (focus group)

--- streetscape design

ii) Improving Existing Housing – fixing existing housing takes a priority over       building new houses.    

              --- includes code enforcement

              --- includes multi-family housing as well.

iii) Resident Landlords

iv) Homeownership – follows the rest of strategies – will naturally follow if other items are addressed, i.e., crime, improving existing housing stock and the establishment of the resident landlord program.

v) Infill Housing – this will follow if the other three component of the housing strategies are addressed.

In summary, participants felt that the neighborhood’s housing strategy should focus on crime, improving existing housing, and the establishment a resident landlord program.   These components of the housing strategy should be implemented first in tandem.

II. Existing Land Uses/Zoning Districts

John Baker made a short presentation on the existing land uses in Providence to the group.   Cherie Bryant of the Planning Department also made a presentation on the zoning districts in Providence and the uses permitted in these districts.   There are two zoning districts in Providence: Residential Preservation 1 (RP-1), which covers the area south of Levy to Hutchinson Avenue and Central Urban (CU), which covers the area north of Levy Avenue to Stuckey Street and all the commercial properties along Lake Bradford Road.   RP-1 allows only single family development while CU allows for a mixture of uses including residential with a maximum density of 45 du/ac.

Discussion on the existing zoning districts and how best to protect the area north of Levy from additional high density residential development was facilitated by Nancy Muller.   The following is a summary of the points raised in the discussion:

1. The need to study/review and determine how the neighborhood can be protected from new multi-family developments (i.e., apartment complexes) without making existing uses multi-family uses non-conforming
2. Research how to protect existing multi-family properties so the owners will be willing to re-invest in their properties.
3. The main concerns with the CU zoning districts are the types of uses permitted and the density/intensity of such uses. The following suggestions were put forward to address some of the concerns with the CU zoning districts:

   a) On Levy St.: rezone to Neighborhood Edge, a new zoning district being put in place by the City;

   b) PUD zoning for all or some parts of the neighborhood; and

   c)Staff study of the issues and provide the neighborhood with various options.

The group then appointed the following individuals to meet with staff and discuss the issues and bring back to the group recommendations to deal with issues: A.C. Douglas, Rob Rinehart, Sarah ? and Alexia Jones.   It was agreed that this group would meet after Dr. Ray Bye makes his presentation on University Park to the neighborhood association on Monday, May 19, 2003.

III. Homeownership

Participants were then asked to review the strategies proposed for homeownership by staff.   Following a brief discussion, they were asked to vote for the strategies in term of importance to them.   The results are reflected in the table below.   Staff was instructed to develop action items to implement these strategies.

Goal: To increase homeownership in Providence by ---- percent by --------.

IV. Closing Comments

The next meeting would focus on Neighborhood Ownership.