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Meeting date/time:
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7/21/2016
9:00 AM
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Minutes status:
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Final
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Meeting location:
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Room 303, 3rd Floor, City Hall
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| | 1. | | Call to Order.
Minutes note: Meeting called to order at 9:14 a.m. | | | |
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Not available
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| | 2. | | Roll Call. | | | |
Roll call
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Not available
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| | 3. | | Review and Approval of the Previous Meeting Minutes from April 13, 2016.
Minutes note: Mr. Crump moved approval, seconded by Ms. Manuel, of the meeting minutes from April 13, 2016. There were no objections from those members present. | | | |
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| | 4. | | Bronzeville RFPs, Listings, and Projects
Minutes note: -Garfield School Redevelopment Project Update
Individuals appearing:
Melissa Goins, Maures Development Group, LLC
Brad Pruitt, America’s Black Holocaust Museum
Ms. Goins gave a presentation update on the Historical Garfield School Campus Redevelopment project relative to development team, “The Griot” new construction, site plan, development description and costs, and timeline.
J. Jeffers & Company is a new development team partner replacing Common Bond. The new partner is local. Its principal, Josh Jeffers, has a passion for historic school redevelopments and has an extensive broad portfolio of other developments. Greenfire has been chosen as the construction company. Remaining on the team are Engberg Anderson Architects and America’s Black Holocaust Museum.
“The Griot” will be home to the museum. Architects have been working on the aesthetics of the building regarding color and material. Darker colored brick and gray color is preferable. The proposed orange color will be removed. Natural wood will be incorporated on the first floor as a subtle symbolism to slave ships. Detailed plan development (DPD) submission for the building is due July 29th. Aesthetics of the building will be finalized for the DPD submission.
For the site plan, the school footprint remains the same at the southeast with 30 residential units. North of the school is the new building with 41 residential units and 8,000 square feet of commercial space. A one-story building will a usable rooftop deck will be created next to “The Griot” to complete the commercial space. There is a new parking configuration to the back of both buildings on the west side consisting of 15 stalls for the Milwaukee Urban League, 57 residential stalls for the new construction, and 33 residential stalls for the historic school building. No longer proposed is a playground. The parking lot will be repaved, and the fencing will be removed. To address traffic concerns access to the parking lots will be reduced to two entrances on 5th Street and speed bumps may be installed on 5th or 4th Street. The original eight parcels on the sites are being reduced to two. Much of the hard concrete on the site will be replaced with greenspace to soften the campus. The third floor gym space will remain in its entirety as an amenity space to be used privately and publicly. Public access control to the gym space is a challenge and will be evaluated.
The total development cost is about $15.9 million for both the school ($7.5 million) and “The Griot” ($8.4 million). Total development unit count is 71 with 41 units for “The Griot” and 30 for the school. All units ranged between 1 to 3 bedrooms.
Concerning timeline, the current task of importance is the City TIF submission due at the end of July 2016. Public entitlement process and hearings to formalize site control, acquisition, DPD zoning, and City financing will occur via a City Plan Commission meeting on August 15, 2016, Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee meeting on September 13, 2016, and Common Council meeting on September 20, 2016. Anticipated closing for the school portion is October 2016 with construction anticipated by November 1, 2016 and opening by the end of May 2017. The goal was to have the new building have the same closing and construction timeline of that of the school; however, the new building construction is now anticipated for April 1, 2017 due to still acquiring grantors. The construction finish for the new building is anticipated for early 2018. Another important part of the timeline is to form an artist support group with involvement from the advisory committee to advice on landscaping, exterior and interior art, and cultural sensitivity.
Ms. Phyllis Wolford, present in the audience, inquired about community input and rent.
Mr. Hollmon commented. Those in the audience should refrain from the committee meeting proceedings unless directed otherwise. Members from the public can obtain contact information and further information from any principal outside of the meeting proceedings. There have been substantial community input and meetings, including the advisory committee, on the Garfield school campus redevelopment. Despite outreach efforts not everyone will become involved, and questions do not come up until at the end of the process. Members Montgomery Baker and Perceptions can assist with the artist support group.
Ms. Manuel said that there will be a Bronzeville update community meeting tonight that will include an update on the Garfield school campus redevelopment at the BMO Harris Bank building on Center Street.
Ms. Goins replied. Community meetings on the development have been through the Halyard Park Association for about two years. The project is the result of 20 years of discussion of a Bronzeville district. Rentals range from $500 to just under $1000. There are some market rate units.
Mr. Pruitt gave a presentation update on America’s Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM) portion of the development relative to the museum’s infrastructure, national efforts, virtual museum, and development progress.
Concerning the museum’s infrastructure, there will be a new executive director and fund development coordinator soon. The executive director’s tasks are to continue organizational development, advisory committee governance, organizational infrastructure and finance, and long term strategic planning.
Overall, ABHM has been working nationally, in addition to locally and regionally, to fortify its position long term with the acquisition of resources. Some of the museum’s financial supporters are reemerging. The museum team has participated in national conferences on African Americans and museums in general. ABHM was the only museum with a virtual museum at the last conference it was a part of. Further resources are being realized for the virtual museum, which is in its fourth year of existence. Opportunities will also be gained once there is a physical museum space.
The virtual museum’s progress has been modest every year. The virtual museum has about now 750,000 visitors a year from over 200 countries as opposed to 100,000 visitors in its first year. National press is beginning to remember the museum, which is resulting in funding and resources.
Member Montgomery Baker joined the committee at 9:45 p.m.
ABHM has executed a letter of intent with the development team. A team of curators and artists will be assembled to construct the infrastructure of the inside of the physical space. The entire footprint of the first floor is 8000 square feet. The goal is to have permeable spaces with different partitions. The primary space concepts are a traditional museum, community space, café, and gallery. Areas can be closed off for events.
Mr. Crump questioned future phases and tax credits.
Ms. Goins replied and made further comments. There are no subsequent phases planned for the site, including the parking lots. There will be ceremonies recognizing the museum and those who have made contributions, including Dr. Cameron, and public engagement activities during the overall deconstruction and construction process of the campus site. New market tax credits were not received, but will be looked at for the commercial space. WHEDA allocation (competitive housing credit) was received for the new construction. The noncompetitive tax credit will finance the school building redevelopment beyond the City’s contribution. Federal and state historic tax credits will generate $2 million dollars to go towards the school building costs. The museum is a reemerging new business with an old spirit. She can return to the committee to speak on the smaller details of the project, including emerging business participation and workforce hiring.
Mr. Hollmon said that Ms. Goins should return to give an update prior to the end of the year.
-Artist Housing Cluster Development
Ms. Goins gave an update on a Bronzeville artist housing cluster development. The development will assist in stabilizing the block north of North Avenue with the rehabilitation of a cluster of ten foreclosed, City-owned, and private buildings as live-work spaces for artists and other creative entrepreneurs to own. Some partners and initial interested buyers include Sara Daleiden of MKE LAX, Vedale and Darren Hill of Jazale’s Art Studio, Mikal Floyd-Pruitt of I Am Milwaukee, and Fonde Bridges of Health Words. Current efforts are putting bids together and selecting contractors to do the rehabilitation on the first set of properties, which is anticipated for September or October 2016. Properties have been selected. The concept of the artist housing is broad to be inclusive of anyone with a craft. A code of conduct and understanding among the artist housing occupants should be established.
Ms. Manuel said that the property on the demolition list has been removed from that list.
Some of the initial cluster of properties approved for the project by Ald. Milele Coggs and the Department of City Development are located in the northeast corner of 4th Street and Meinecke Avenue. The properties will create from 4 to 6 units. The current interested buyers will occupy these initial units for their families and art practices. These initial properties include duplexes and multifamily properties that can incorporate practice and live-work spaces. There will be indoor and outdoor activation of these properties, and occupants will be able to significantly create their spaces.
Mr. Crump said that zoning for these properties should be investigated to determine what kind of live-work spaces are possible. Galleries can be possible for some of the properties, which will attract many buyers to those properties.
Ms. Montgomery Baker said that she is interested to be a buyer.
Mr. Hollmon said that Ms. Goins should return to give an update prior to the end of the year.
-King’s Fresh Market Update
Individuals appearing:
Matt Haessley, Department of City Development
Amy Turim, Department of City Development
Mr. Haessley gave an update. The food market is at 2730 N. Martin L. King Jr. Drive. Financing from the Milwaukee Economic Development Corporation has been awarded for the food market project. The majority of Department of Neighborhood Services violation orders have been completed to be in compliance with the buyer policy for the City. Closing and property transfer should be transferred by August 19, 2016 to Mr. and Mrs. Martin.
Mr. Hollmon commented. The update is good news and is an example that real estate transactions may not always progress timely due to their complexity. Another update should be given to the committee on the food market prior to the end of the year.
-2368 N. Martin L. King Jr. Dr.
Ms. Turim said that four proposals were received for this property listing RFP. The asking price for the property is $50,000. A summary of the proposals has been given to the committee to review in open session for committee input before proceeding any further in reviewing the proposals. Some proposals are incomplete. Three proposals are for restaurants with one of these proposals also for a condo. The last one is for an event space with community kitchen. Her team can provide recommendations to the committee.
The first proposal is for an upscale restaurant with 125 seats, but the number of seats may have been oriented towards a different location that the buyer was interested in. This proposal was the only one to include an elevation rendering. The purchase offer price is $7500. The renovation budget is a realistic $1.3 million using a combination of equity borrowing and grants. JCP Construction will be the contractor.
The second proposal is for an event space to serve a wide variety of uses such as workshops, community space, meetings and cultural events. Proposed is $145,000 in renovation. There is inconsistency on whether the purchase offer price is $1 or $15,000. Revenue for this proposed venue would come from affordable rental of the space and kitchen.
Ms. Haessley commented. The building is small and may be a concern for the proposed event space if there is high occupancy due to events held. The four proposals were the only proposals submitted by the RFP due date. Two proposals do not meet the criteria.
Ms. Turim said that the building is 4800 total square feet and the building lot is 4500 total square feet with no parking.
Ald. Milele Coggs, 6th aldermanic district, appeared and made comments. The advisory committee should review these proposals similar to the review of the historic Garfield school campus redevelopment proposals. The proposers should appear in front of the committee to address questions and concerns, that which was raised today. A multi-event space may work well in this building. Possible parking may be available across the street with Pete’s Fruit Market’s parking lot. The total proposal package information should be reviewed by the committee, which may be the next step and require a closed session.
Ms. Manuel concurred and said that the timing was too short to properly notice for a closed session for today’s meeting to review the proposals in depth.
Ald. Coggs said that going forward for consistency, in addition to DCD presenting RFPs to the advisory committee prior to the RFPs going out, the proposers should appear and present on their proposals when DCD brings the proposals to the advisory committee to review and to prevent bias.
Ms. Turim concurred and said that there are two top recommendations that her office wants to share with the committee.
Mr. Hollmon commented. Unless timing is an issue, the committee’s review should be a two-step process. There should be a future meeting with a closed session to review all the proposals in depth in the interest of fairness. The incomplete proposals could be attractive. Additional information could be requested from and constructive feedback can be given to those with incomplete proposals to assist them in realizing their proposed projects, especially if their proposals are the best ones for the long term interest of the district. A subsequent meeting should occur to hear from either all proposers or the top proposers based on viability and/or completeness.
Ald. Coggs said that the committee can choose to hold one further meeting to review the top proposals or two meetings to review all proposals and request additional information on the incomplete proposals.
Mr. Haessley said that there is no timing with DCD but possibly with the interested buyers; however, there should be due process on review.
Mr. Verdin said that perhaps the committee should have only one more meeting to hear from the top two proposers, who meet the criteria, and review their proposals in the interest of time.
Ms. Montgomery Baker concurred with Mr. Hollmon and said that there may be interested buyers with great ideas but lack the capacity.
Mr. Verdin left the committee at 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Crump said that capacity of the building should be known prior to reviewing the proposals in depth.
Ms. Turim added that proposals are refined, oftentimes, as the process continues, especially to comply with the building and its space. In addition to the first proposal for a restaurant with 125 seats, the third proposal with condos may also present a capacity issue.
Ms. Montgomery Baker moved to review all four proposals to narrow down the proposals, invite the top proposers to appear and present before the advisory committee, and then make recommendations to DCD. Mr. Crump seconded. There was no objection. Excused was member Verdin and Perceptions. Absent was member Garrison.
Mr. Hollmon said that the next meeting to review the four proposals should be either Wednesday, August 17th or Thursday August 18th based on a majority of members attending.
Ms. Montgomery Baker inquired about obtaining proposal information in advance.
Mr. Lee said that proprietary information should be ideally conveyed to members in closed session or offline outside of committee meetings. Information sent via City email may be subject to open records laws.
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| | 5. | | Bronzeville Week Update.
Minutes note: Ms. Montgomery Baker gave an update. Bronzeville Week is from August 6 to 13, 2016. The calendar for the event is set. Some activities include an art festival on the first day, art walk on the last day, historical look-back discussion about safety in Milwaukee, business summit, African diaspora panel, paint and sip, performance arts, and church worship. There is need for more volunteers, sponsorship, in-kind donations, and networking. The business summit is focused on creative entrepreneurs and exploring other trades like barbers, tattoo artists, beauticians, graphic artists, and car painters. The summit will also entail investment topics like home ownership, small business development, and business relocation.
Ms. Manuel announced a Summer of Peace Citywide Youth Rally on July 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free to the public at several locations. More information can be found on the internet online at https://summerofpeaceus.wordpress.com.
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| | 6. | | Old Business.
Minutes note: There was no old business. | | | |
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| | 7. | | New Business.
Minutes note: There was no new business. | | | |
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| | 8. | | Agenda Items for the Next Meeting.
Minutes note: The next meeting will primary focus on reviewing the proposals received for the property listing at 2368 N. Martin L. King Jr. Drive. | | | |
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| | 9. | | Set Next Meeting Date and Time.
Minutes note: Wednesday, August 17 or Thursday, August 18, 2016 at 9 a.m. based on a majority of members attending. | | | |
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| | 10. | | Adjournment.
Minutes note: Prior to adjournment, Ms. Montgomery Baker inquired about public input during meeting deliberations.
Mr. Hollmon replied that public attendance is welcomed. With perhaps a few exceptions, meeting discussion should be restricted to the committee and invited guests as protocol.
Mr. Lee added that the committee has the discretion to open its meeting deliberations to the public at any juncture.
Meeting adjourned at 10:46 a.m.
Chris Lee, Staff Assistant | | | |
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