DIA plan could be finished by June

[thelakelander]

Unfortunately, my schedule doesn't allow me to sit in on all of their meetings but I'm highly interested in what they cook up. Especially, when it comes to the mobility/land use integration component.

By David Chapman, Staff Writer
The next several weeks will be like cramming for a test for members of the Downtown Investment Authority.

That's the analogy CEO Aundra Wallace used Wednesday when he talked about the needed steps to have a redevelopment plan ready to give City Council by the end of April.

The plan includes a Community Redevelopment Area update and a business development strategy, with the entire package needing council approval before the authority can truly be independent.

A group led by board member Melody Bishop has worked on the plan for months with the goal of presenting a plan the first quarter of this year.

full article: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=542287

[Noone]

2014-305 active legislation and will the River truly be Open for Business Downtown or just continue to pick the winners and losers? The total crushing of the Public Trust.

This new CRA/DIA in the USA will have total control over this new FEDERAL zone that hopes to be created from the Fuller Warren to the Mathews Bridge.

BID meeting today.
When is the next CRA meeting?
When is the Public meeting?

Visit Jacksonville!

[AuditoreEnterprise]

2014-305 active legislation and will the River truly be Open for Business Downtown or just continue to pick the winners and losers? The total crushing of the Public Trust.

This new CRA/DIA in the USA will have total control over this new FEDERAL zone that hopes to be created from the Fuller Warren to the Mathews Bridge.

BID meeting today.
When is the next CRA meeting?
When is the Public meeting?

Visit Jacksonville!

What bid meeting. I didn't see it on the agenda. Without getting off track can you tell me what the bid meeting is and time.

[Noone]

I see a Bus. Investment Strategy Plan committee meeting for 6/12/14 at 3 pm 1 st floor city hall. Checking emails. Thought there was one today. Thats why I wasn't specific. They want this to wrap up. I want to make the CRA meeting especially with the Waterfront. We are getting crushed.

[AuditoreEnterprise]

2014-305 active legislation and will the River truly be Open for Business Downtown or just continue to pick the winners and losers? The total crushing of the Public Trust.

This new CRA/DIA in the USA will have total control over this new FEDERAL zone that hopes to be created from the Fuller Warren to the Mathews Bridge.

BID meeting today.
When is the next CRA meeting?
When is the Public meeting?

Visit Jacksonville!

What bid meeting. I didn't see it on the agenda. Without getting off track can you tell me what the bid meeting is and time.

The DIA is in the process of turning itself into an independent authority, like the JEA or the Port Authority that is unanswerable to the public and able to raise its own tax revenue.  It will be a committee of nine people with 'authority' over the entire downtown area.

The BID is a business improvement district tax.  It taxes anyone within that area an additional tax that pays for the salaries and projects of the group created by the new Authority.

an associated term is TIF or Tax Incremental Financing.  Another similar method of taxing downtown at a higher rate than the rest of the city.

How a TIF works is that the original Downtown Development Authority (which presided over the destruction of 60% of the downtown) set a 'base rate' back in 1984.  This base rate is how much the property was taxed in 1984.  Any increase in property values means that a higher amount of taxes are generated by the property.

That additional money then goes into the Downtown Development Authority Fund.

Jacksonville is one of the only cities that did not actually become more valuable in the previous 30 years (again largely as a result of the downtown management policies of the previous iterations of the Development agency) and so not much has been collected from this 'TIF' fund.

Now however, after Peyton basically demolished the DDA there have been 10 years with no agency actively 'managing' the downtown and property values are going back up.  The plan is to convert those TIF increases into an independent budget for the new DIA.

Noone is 100% correct.

Are they going to do away with the dvi tax already in place? Or does this mean Property owners have to pay their salaries in addition to dia...

[Stephen]

I would love to go to some of those meetings but I actually have to work for a living so I cannot just drop everything and attend a meeting at 3 PM.

No Lumb     No Love     No LumbLove             Jacksonville needs to Aim High

[AuditoreEnterprise]

Here is a lineup of the people who would presently be on an independent authority:

Chair - Oliver Barakat, CBRE Brokerage Services

Vice Chair - James "Jim" Bailey, Jr., Bailey Publishing and Communications, Inc.

Secretary - Kamaria "Kay" Harper Williams, The Harper Gaines Law Firm, PLLC

Antonio "Tony" Allegretti, Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville

Melody S. Bishop, AIA, Akel, Logan, Shafer, PA

Robert Clements, EverBank

Craig Gibbs, Law Office of Craig Gibbs

Jack Meeks, Jack Meeks and Associates

Mike Saylor, Black Dog Planning, Inc.

I used to think the DIA was nothing more than a committee. Now what CM Jones told me makes sense... I had my meeting with him a few weeks ago and he told me that the DIA was going to have to present during my meeting tomorrow. I asked him when we met why did they have to be present as I am not asking the COJ for any funding on my project. He then informed me that the DIA oversees all projects downtown. I am beginning to wonder if that plan you mentioned hasn't already set sail.

On a further note as someone buying a few properties downtown, I most certainly will NOT stand back and pay DVI and the DIA for services that are not accessible to the regular person. I know vestcor is on some sort of fast track to approval on their grant applications through the DIA according to their commercial leasing agent. I think multi-million dollar companies with multiple high rise buildings and several millions of dollars in assets should be forced to use those assets as collateral and seek bank funding for their ventures. Not grants given through the DIA.

If the DIA takes the position you described I certainly hope that they at least sever the tax requirement to the DVI it simply causes a double taxation look. I don't know just my opinion on it.

[AuditoreEnterprise]

Also, anyone who is working for a Leasing / Real estate broker should not be allowed to serve on a board making decisions regarding funding and projects downtown... Seems like a conflict of interest if you ask me.

[AuditoreEnterprise]

Also, anyone who is working for a Leasing / Real estate broker should not be allowed to serve on a board making decisions regarding funding and projects downtown... Seems like a conflict of interest if you ask me.

welcome to a hearty percentage of the present DIA configuration.

Jack Meeks, Oliver Barakat,  and several others are development investors.

That's exactly what I was referring to hahaha

+1 amico mio!

[GreaseRags]

One of the comments up there ^^^ made mention of the 3:00 meeting times. I continue to find this frustrating being that I'm the only employee in the shop. Theres a lot of stuff going on with DIA that I feel like I should have a clear understanding of. Unfortunately, all I get is very biased (either way) recaps of information. Any advice other than kicking a customer out so I can run to a meeting?

[AuditoreEnterprise]

One of the comments up there ^^^ made mention of the 3:00 meeting times. I continue to find this frustrating being that I'm the only employee in the shop. Theres a lot of stuff going on with DIA that I feel like I should have a clear understanding of. Unfortunately, all I get is very biased (either way) recaps of information. Any advice other than kicking a customer out so I can run to a meeting?

That's a tough one if you want to see it first hand it may be hard. However they are required by law to keep minutes which are available to the public. I haven't browsed the web site for them, but I am sure they can get you a copy in the office should you ask them for one.

[edjax]

I see where the board signed off on the Plan last night per article in Daily Record. Also of note in the article were two votes on parking.  The new member on both said they should not be passed as they did not encourage people biking and walking to work.  Her suggestions needless to say feel on deaf ears and did not gain any traction.

[Bolles_Bull]

Just finsihed up DVIs meeting this morning at the Ed Ball building where Aundra Wallace spoke.

DIA plan is done and has been sent to the city.