2010-1216 Regular City Commission Meeting

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Summary Minutes: Regular City Commission Meeting December 16,2010 City of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida property to finance this project. However, the Developer can use the Leasehold Interest to secure a loan, and the City will have the right to approve a lender with respect to the Leasehold. Development Agreement: The Development Agreement outlines a development schedule, and requires the Developer to complete the project no later than December 1,2013. Also the Agreement requires that the Developer show the City that it has the financial capacity to build the Aquatic Center. Design/Build Agreement: This Agreement outlines the cost of the public aspect of the project. City Manager Conner reported that the City Consultants and staff sat down with Joe Milton and his representatives and went through the financial aspects of this project, and it is believed that the price is in line with the City's expectation. We have the opportunity for staff to go in there for a 30%, 50%, and 90% review on the Design Plans. City Attorney Ottinot noted that with the approval of these documents, it will provide staff with clear perimeters to negotiate with the Developer. Public Speakers: Bob Welsh; Gerry Goodman Commissioner Scholl noted that we had all discussed this at length at the December 14,2010 Agenda Review Workshop and that he is opposed to this. One of the things he challenged the Developer on was, and it is not that he doesn't agree with the grand vision, but we are light on details which has bothered him from the very beginning. He doesn't feel the City should lease a piece of property to an enterprise that we are not sure whether it makes economic sense or not, and that he doesn't like to approve something when we don't have a clear funding source. He had raised very specific objections in the last Commission Meeting, and none of those objections were answered. He also felt that the legal documents here need work and he just wanted to be clear that the documents presented here tonight would come back to the Commission for final approval, and City Attorney Ottinot said yes. Commissioner Gatto concurred with Commissioner Scholl. Commissioner Brezin and Vice Mayor Thaler both favored going forward with this project. Vice Mayor Thaler noted that the new Traffic Impact Analysis Report shows a minimal change in our traffic pattern with the overall project that would be there. Mayor Edelcup said that this has been an ongoing project from the time the City's Comprehensive Plan was passed in 2000, to have something like this facility to be at the Gateway to our City. Throughout the years since we have had our Consultant Jack Luft update those reports and basically concur that the type of development we are talking about tonight is the type of development that the Comprehensive Plan originally forecasted and that it was still a valid reasoning given the change in the demographics of our City today, and the growth of our City at the south end. It has always been in our Plan to have parks throughout our City so we would have neighboring parks within walking distance from no matter where you lived. This is not only a residential community but also a tourist community, some million tourists every year come to the City and stay in our hotels, and currently they don't have any activity to keep them in Sunny Isles Beach and so this gives us the opportunity to develop a retail/commercial center for not only our residents but for the tourists that there is a destination here. We have built a whole new school system here in Northeast Dade and more particularly in Sunny Isles Beach, and both our K-9 and our High School that services our area have indicated that they are strongly in support ofthis type of center because they offer marine biology type classes and they are looking forward to this facility to provide further 7