CivicJacksonville, FL › August 11, 2026

Community Redevelopment Agency Board - KingSoutel Crossing & Renew Arlington - Aug 11, 2026

Jacksonville, FL City Council August 11, 2026 13 minutes
▶ Watch original video Interactive viewer Search Jacksonville meetings

Transcript

Speaker0:01

Okay, all right, I call to order the King-Sutell Crossing CRA meeting and legislative services. Please announce if we have a quorum. We have a quorum. All right, thank you very much. First order of business is approval of the May 12, 2026 minutes. This vote does not require public comments. We will take this vote verbally unless there's any speakers who want to comment on the minutes on the queue. Move the minutes. We'll call for a motion. We have a motion and a second on the minutes. Seeing no speakers in the queue, we'll take the vote verbally. All in favor of the minutes indicate by saying aye. Aye. All against, say no. Minutes pass. All right, so the next agenda item is the consideration of relocation of $3.967,365 in funding to New Kings Road Capital Improvement Project. Before we take a motion, as long as you're okay with this, Ms. Stefopoulos, we'll hear from Ms. Nazarela. Good afternoon, and thank you, Karen Nazarela, OED staff. We are at the end of fiscal year. We are where remaining funding and unallocated authorized, plan authorized expenditures must be allocated to an existing program or project, or we need to create a new program or project. The Kings-Soutel Crossing Advisory Board voted unanimously to make the recommendation to you that we continue funding the new Kings Road Capital Improvements Project, which is a multi-phase, multi-year infrastructure project and an endeavor consisting of several projects, which includes relocating of some infrastructure, creation of new infrastructure at 295, new sidewalks, crosswalks, landscape medians, and many other projects involved over a 2.2-mile area from Sutel Drive to Trout River Boulevard. So, there is a remaining balance of $3,967,365. That would be added to the new Kings Road Capital Improvements Project if you approve it today. With that, I'm happy to address any questions. All right. I see no speakers in the queue. Let's see if there's any public comment. Have we received any cards? We have received none. We'll entertain a motion to consider, to reallocate that amount listed. We have a motion and a second on a motion to reallocate $3,967,365 in funding the New Kings Road Capital Improvements Project. See no speakers in the queue. We take the vote verbally. We take it by ballot. All right. Please open the ballot and record your vote. 13 yays, 0 nays. All right. By your vote, the motion passes. The next agenda item is the consideration of amending the King's Hotel Crossing Building Renovation Grant Program. Ms. Nasrella, if you'd please explain. Yes, sir. Thank you. This item is a policy consideration by you. On page 12 of your packages, you have a copy of the King's Hotel Crossing Building Improvement Grant Program guidelines. This program is an exterior grant improvement program with a dollar-for-dollar match by the city. Oh, okay. With the goal of eliminating blighted conditions within the CRA boundary. Tangible items such as security cameras are not an eligible expense. At the request of the King's Hotel Crossing Advisory Board, I have added their recommended language that would include the funding for security cameras. When combined with an eligible grant program project, we think this would be a preventative measure that would assist in reducing crime and blight in the area. Again, that's for your consideration. It is a policy decision, and I'm happy to address any questions. Thank you, ma'am. And do we have any public comment cards for this one? All right. Seeing none, before we entertain the motion. Actually, we'll entertain a motion on the resolution KSC CRA 2026-04 as described. We have a motion and a second. All right. We have two speakers in the queue. Ms. Pittman first, followed by Mr. Romero. Sorry? After the vote? Okay. All right. Then, Mr. Romero, would you like to speak on it before we vote? Through the chair. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ms. Nasralla, is this also afforded to the other CRA, and why is this necessary within the King's Hotel? Through the chair. This program is specific to King's Hotel Crossing. We don't have a similar program like it in Renew Arlington due to the mandatory compliance grant program. This came up. We got an application from an applicant, a property owner, in the King's Hotel Crossing area. And in the application, they had security cameras. And because we can't fund tangible items, we couldn't include it in their funding. They requested that you consider that because it's so important to the area, which is why I'm standing before you today. Okay. Seeing no other speakers in the queue before we take the motion. We have a motion and a second. Let's open the ballot and record your vote. 14 yays. Zero nays. All right. By your vote, the motion passes. Now, Ms. Pittman, you're recognized. To the chair and to Karen, thank you. You know we've been working on this for a long time. And to your colleagues, you know the corridors in District 10 is really important for the expansion in the area. But I would say Sutil is the most important in terms of economic development. And I'm really, really glad that you all passed this because it will allow us to continue to expand this area in terms of economic development and putting infrastructure as well in this community that is deserved and hasn't been done in a very long time. The board and Karen has done an awesome job in just keeping this project on track because it could have gone off track. And so, again, thank you all so very much for supporting this legislation. All right. Thank you, Ms. Pittman. Seeing no other speakers, Ms. Nazarela, do we have any new business? The only new business I would add is that on July 31st, we sent out our annual King's Hotel Crossing CRA schedules. They went to you and to your ECAs. It should bring you up to speed on all of our projects and the program, their existing funding, past funding, status, what have you. You can use it as your guide. I just wanted to make you aware that it did come out on July 31st. Thank you very much. Do we have any old business? Not from staff. All right. And finally, any further public comment? We do, and we can recognize someone in public comment who's raised their hand without filling out a public comment. Yes, sir. You're recognized. Three minutes, please. Yes. Thank you, Council President, and thank you for allowing me to speak during this time. I'll just name an address, please. My name is Ernest Smith, 400 East Bay Street, and I sit on the King's Hotel CRA Advisory Board. As the vice chair, I just want to let you all know that in order to get into this meeting, security has to let you through the second checkpoint. However, they're not set up at an adequate amount of time for anybody that wants to attend these meetings to get in before you start. So I just want to let, again, the King's Hotel Advisory Board and also the Arlington Renew Advisory Board know that security has not set up in adequate enough time to allow people to get in to provide public comment on whatever items may come before this advisory board. I just had a hard time trying to get in. I got in while Karen was wrapping up the last action item, but I just want you to be aware of that because there may be other people that want to come out in the future to get in to publicly comment on each action item. So that's all I wanted to say. I didn't have any public comment per se for any action item, but I just wanted to let you know that situation that's going on. All right. Thank you, sir. And with that, Ms. Nazarelle, any other public commenters that you've seen? No one else, Legislative Services? All right. No, sir. Any final comment from our colleagues? Anyone? All right. Then the KSC CRA meeting is adjourned. It's 4-0-9, and I want to call to order the Renew Arlington CRA meeting. Legislative Services, do we have a quorum? We have a quorum. All right. First order of business is approved of the May 12, 2026 minutes. They don't require a public comment. We'll entertain a motion on the minutes. We have a motion and a second on the minutes. No speakers in the queue. We'll take the vote verbally. All in favor indicate by saying aye. Aye. All again, say no. Minutes pass. Next item on the agenda is a consideration of the allocation of $2,515,397.66 in funding to the Mandatory Compliance Grant Program. Ms. Nazarelle, please explain. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The package you have in front of you is slightly different from the package that went out Wednesday night. The Council Auditor's Office advised us to include investment earnings increasing the previous balance by just a little over $118,000. Again, at year end, remaining funding in an allocated plan authorized expenditures must be assigned to a program or a project. We are obligated to continue to fund the Mandatory Compliance Grant Program until all projects are completed, which I estimate to be in probably the next two years, I hope. There is a remaining balance of $2,515,397. That would be added to the Mandatory Compliance Grant Program with your approval today. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you, ma'am. Do we have any comment cards? We have none. That was Resolution RACRA 2026-05. We'll entertain a motion to pass that. We have a motion and a second to pass it. No speakers in the queue. Let's open the ballot and record your vote. 14 yays, 0 nays. By your vote, the motion passes. We move next to the next agenda item, which is consideration of amending the Mandatory Compliance Grant Program guidelines. That's Resolution RACRA 2026-06. Ms. Nazrella. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We have included in your packages the Mandatory Compliance Policy and guidelines. On page 17, you will find a red line recommendation to the policy. We are recommending clarifying language in the policy for property owners within the CRA boundary who are also general contractors and desiring to do the work on their properties using this grant program. The Office of General Counsel has recommended the edited language to expressly state that all work be procured and performed by independent third parties. The purpose of the change is to close loopholes and protect the integrity of the program. Thank you for your consideration. All right. Thank you. Do we have any public comments on this one? We have none. All right. We'll entertain a motion to approve Resolution RACRA 2026-06. We have a motion and a second. Seeing no speakers in the queue, let's open the ballot and record your vote. 14 yays, zero nays. By your vote, 2026-06 passes. Ms. Nazrella, any new business? Just like King Soutel, you have your Renew Arlington CRA schedule for the year. Also, in your packages, you have the quarterly mandatory compliance grant program status report. It gets updated a couple of times a week, so if you ever want detail on that at any time, please let me know. Happy to send it out. All right. Thank you. Any old business? No, sir. All right. And finally, any other public comments? Nope. Eric, nothing? Okay. Any final comments from my colleagues? All right. Then the Renew Arlington CRA meeting is adjourned, and we'll see you guys back at 5 o'clock.