The Gilbert Family Foundation said Thursday it is making a $15 million investment to kick off the third phase of Detroit’s Strategic Neighborhood Fund.
The grant from the Gilbert Family Foundation is part of the organization’s 10-year, $500 million joint commitment with Rocket Community Fund announced in 2021.
“The Strategic Neighborhood Fund has a proven track record of deep, coordinated neighborhood investment that has resulted in notable decreases in poverty and residential vacancy in all 10 of their target neighborhoods,” Laura Grannemann, executive director of the Gilbert Family Foundation, said in a statement. “We are proud to build on this momentum and support inclusive economic growth for all Detroiters in partnership with the City of Detroit, Mayor Mike Duggan and Invest Detroit.”
The city and nonprofit Invest Detroit launched the Strategic Neighborhood Fund in 2016 to kick-start redevelopment in 10 neighborhoods across the city. Those neighborhoods are: Jefferson Chalmers, Warrendale/Cody-Rouge, Campau//Davison/Banglatown, East Warren/Cadieux, Grand River Northwest, Gratiot/Seven Mile, Russell Woods/Nardin Park, Islandview/Greater Villages, Southwest/Vernor and Livernois-McNichols.
During its first two phases the fund has raised $75 million, matched by $110 million in public sector funding, officials said. The program has leveraged more than $262 million in investments resulting in 78,000 square feet of new retail space; the creation of 12 streetscapes; dozens of new and rehabbed affordable and market rate housing units and five renovated parks, with six more parks under construction.
“On behalf of the residents of Detroit, I would like to thank Gilbert Family Foundation for this tremendous commitment to continue the important work that the SNF is doing in so many neighborhoods across the city,” Duggan said in a statement. “The SNF has already made an incredible impact, and it is my hope that others will join them by investing in SNF 3.0 and the ongoing revitalization of our neighborhoods.”
Dave Blaszkiewicz, president and CEO of Invest Detroit, said investments from organizations like the Gilbert Family Foundation have led to growth in neighborhoods including more jobs, small businesses, improved streetscapes and better recreational opportunities.
“There is more work to do, and this gift allows us to continue that momentum, leading to even more opportunity and equitable growth in Detroit,” he said. “We are truly thankful for their support, and their commitment to Detroit’s future.”
cwilliams@detroitnews.com
@CWilliams_DN
In 48 days, Myrtle Dillard of Fort Myers went from a ramshackle house to brand new home that meets her needs and will provide a safe place to sleep for her, her daughter and twin granddaughters.
“It’s beautiful, it’s gorgeous! A brand-new house,” said homeowner Myrtle Dillard. “That’s something I never had before and I’m just so grateful for it.
“I didn’t know I had this many people on my side, I really didn’t.”
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The nonprofit Lee BIA Builders Care, Stevens Construction and community partners razed the dilapidated 1927 structure Dillard lived in for 33 years and replaced it with everything new. They welcomed the Dillards home on Tuesday.
Dillard’s former home, a 958-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bathroom dwelling had fallen into disrepair. Her health concerns and the recent passing of her husband, Joseph, made the need for support critical. The home required extensive repairs and lacked accessibility features, posing serious safety risks for Dillard, who relies on wheelchair access.
“The blessing is indescribable,” said Randy Thibaut, board member and co-founder of Lee BIA Builders Care and CEO and founder of Retland Holdings. “It wasn’t our doing; God had his hand here to bring us all together for this to happen. The result is that this family, the children and the momma who were in great need are going to have a change in their lives forever.”
Stevens Construction rebuilt the family’s home at no cost, demolishing and rebuilding it in just 48 days at no cost.
The new home is 1,347 square feet with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Accessible doorways, bathroom and a wheelchair ramp ensure Myrtle Dillard can navigate her home comfortably.
Community partners and donors provided furniture, appliances, decor and household supplies. Harry Chapin Food Bank helped ensure the family’s kitchen cabinets and fridge were filled with food and essentials for their first night home.
“There’s over 48 companies, over 2,000 hours that went into the actual construction of this over the last 48 days, in addition to the several hundred hours of planning,” said Mark Stevens, president of Stevens Construction. “It’s a great example of what a community that’s dedicated and wants to give back can do and how quickly it can change lives.”
Dozens of industry partners contributed to the Dillard project through donation of labor and materials, including: American Builders Supply; Barraco & Associates; BH Flooring Studio; Bolaños Truxton, P.A.; The City of Fort Myers; Clive Daniel Home; Collins DuPont; Cougar Companies; Crowther Roofing; Ferguson; Floorcrafters; Ford Drywall; Hanlon; Honc Destruction; John’s To Go; Juniper Landscaping; Lee Designs; Liberty Aluminum; Mo Better Garage; Montgomery Cabinetry; MSI; Plumbing Solutions; Preferred Materials; Priority Marketing; Raymond Building Supply; Service Contractors; Sherwin Williams; Southern Door; SunCoast Contractors Supply; SunMAC Stone Specialists; Southwest Waste Management; Taulman Pest Control; United Mechanical; Universal Engineering; Valtex; Wilson Lighting; and York Electric.
In the 1950s, Craig Milum’s dad came to Phoenix to take over a failing laundry business. He turned it around and built it up. Craig started working there in 1963 at age 13.
And he kept working there, including through his college years at ASU, where he met his wife Marilyn. In the late 1970s, Craig and Marilyn took over the business from Craig’s dad. And finally, in 2019, approaching his 70s and after more than 50 years of hard work in the business, Craig retired.
The laundry business sits on what is now very valuable land in the downtown core. Phoenix has zoned it for some of the tallest and densest uses in the city.
In fact, Phoenix wants this area to be a “dense, vibrant, urban mixed-use area that is a center for commerce and high-rise urban living.”
And given all the other private development in the area, including new complexes surrounding it, the land the laundry business sits on is a prime candidate for someone to buy and redevelop into more housing.
Phoenix halts the Milums’ retirement plans
Some 70 years after the family bought it, the property’s value now represents Craig and Marilyn’s nest egg for their retirement.
But Phoenix might wreck the Milums’ retirement plans and their property rights.
The shuttered laundry buildings are old and seriously deteriorating, with frequent break-ins by homeless people. So, for public safety and to speed up redevelopment, the Milums wanted to demolish them.
Phoenix said not so fast. Instead, city employees want to designate the building as historic.
But it is not like George Washington slept here. Instead, Phoenix wants the Milums to save the ceilings — a part of the structure that is only “historic” because its design was so structurally unsound that builders stopped using it decades ago.
Why spend millions on a building they’ll sell?
To do that, the Milums would have to spend millions to rehabilitate the buildings. Additionally, the designation would limit the future use of the property. If the property cannot be used for the dense mixed-use zoning that Phoenix says it otherwise wants, then the property is worth far less, and the Milum’s nest egg is far less certain.
Even assuming that “saving ceilings” is a legitimate use of government power, the Milums cannot be forced to shoulder the millions that Phoenix’s demands will cost. This is not a public health and safety action.
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A historic designation is not like a fire code or a sanitation law.
And nearly two decades ago, Arizona voters overwhelmingly adopted the Private Property Rights Protection Act. The law requires the government to reimburse owners when new regulations reduce existing rights to use, divide, sell or possess private property.
An example of suffocating land-use regulations
And this fight illustrates another problem with the city’s land-use regulations: They cause higher housing prices.
Arizona, and the Phoenix area in particular, is in the middle of a housing affordability crisis. This crisis, as the Legislature itself has recognized in the “Arizona Starter Home Act” bill that was passed but vetoed, “is caused in no small part due to highly restrictive regulations imposed by municipalities.”
These restrictive zoning regulations prevent the construction of new housing which would, because of supply and demand, have the effect of lowering housing prices. So not only will Phoenix’s designation cost the Milums millions, it will also prevent more housing development.
Phoenix’s Planning Commission voted against the designation earlier in April.
Now it is up to City Council. They should vote against it too.
Otherwise, Phoenix taxpayers will be on the hook for the harm to the Milums’ rights and retirement they spent a lifetime working toward.
In all fairness and justice, if the government thinks that protecting old ceilings is important and desirable, the cost of doing so must be borne by the public as a whole.
Phoenix cannot force the Milums to bear that cost alone.
Paul Avelar is the Arizona managing attorney with the Institute for Justice and Ari Bargil is a senior attorney with the institute. Reach them at pavelar@ij.org and abargil@ij.org.
HILLSDALE — Hillsdale’s leaders joined with representatives from Portage-based Allen Edwin Homes Monday for a groundbreaking ceremony on Hidden Meadows Drive where middle-income housing for the workforce will be built.
Allen Edwin Homes first came to the city in the fall of 2023 with their plan to build three duplex-style residential units that will ultimately house six families with occupancy available in early 2025.
The project is the first in Hillsdale to take advantage of new state legislation which allows developers to seek payment in lieu of taxes agreements with municipalities in order to entice housing development.
The council approved a 10-percent PILOT payment over 15 years for Allen Edwin Homes’ project in Hillsdale, which came under scrutiny of Councilman Joshua Paladino when the council took up the issue on Nov. 20, 2023.
Paladino, who opposed the concept of the PILOT payments, ultimately voted no on the resolution to allow the project to proceed while the rest of the council voted aye.
“Hillsdale is experiencing a surge of energy as investment in the community continues to grow,” Brian Farkas, director of workforce housing for Allen Edwin Homes, said. “Allen Edwin Homes is thrilled to be part of this momentum by bringing more housing to Hillsdale.”
Previously, the PILOT incentive only applied to developments qualifying for low-income housing tax credits, which typically involve large apartment complexes. By contrast, this new tool can be applied to smaller apartment developments and single-family homes, city officials said.
The agreement with the city requires Allen Edwin to keep rents affordable to families earning up to 120% of the median household income for 15 years.
“We are excited to be working with Allen Edwin Homes to bring additional housing options to Hillsdale,” Hillsdale Mayor Adam Stockford said. “Housing is a need, not only in Hillsdale but across the entire state. This project builds on the recent growth we’ve been seeing as investors realize the opportunity our community has to offer.”
A state housing report published in 2022 found approximately 47% of the state’s housing units are more than 50 years old and that Michigan needs 190,000 more units to meet current housing needs. The report also found, as of 2019, about 26% of Michigan residents were considered “housing-cost burdened” because they spent more than 30 percent of their income on housing.
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“Preserving our aging housing stock and developing new units are both critically important to tackle our housing shortage and grow our local economy,” Hillsdale City Manager David Mackie said. “These new homes will help address the need for affordable housing for working class families, young professionals, or retiring residents who are looking to downsize. This project is a significant step forward.”
The developer has proposed for the second phase a mix of “for sale” and rental single-family homes on the remaining acreage in the Three Meadows Subdivision they currently have under exclusive option.
— Contact Reporter Corey Murray atcmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.
Coastal Georgia’s boom in new industries, coupled with its population increase, has forced local authorities to pause and take into account where the influx of newcomers holding these new gigs will lay their head at night. Chatham County alone, for example, has a housing deficit of 9,300-10,000 units, especially to support workforce housing for those making 60% to 120%. of area median income.
The Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) is teaming up with Georgia Tech for a Comprehensive Coastal Georgia Housing study, which was introduced during SEDA’s monthly meeting Tuesday. The research will take inventory of the housing stock in Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham and Effingham counties, as well as the city of Savannah to determine the best areas for housing growth.
What does a housing study do?
Each county and the City of Savannah will pay $20,000 for the study. A state grant worth $100,000 will go toward the project.
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Betsy McGriff of the Center for Economic Development Research at Georgia Tech said this kind of research is imperative to ensure communities are built to grow over time.
“We do this to make sure your infrastructure can handle the development you propose,” said McGriff. “What we are doing will be a community engaged process.”
Can laborers afford to live here?
There is one major issue looming regarding the housing boom that is expected to occur. Many of the homes in the area are out of reach financially.
“You look at wages and if there’s a mismatch between wages on the market and the cost of homes, that might be considered in terms of what you try to drive as far as construction,” said McGriff. “If the demographic shows a certain area has a one-person household, you may consider smaller homes. The government can issue a request for proposal and work with the development authority to drive the kind of development they want to public property [that they own]. The big piece is, time is money. The more you can streamline that process – you can drive down the cost of development.”
According to the real estate website Redfin, the average home prices in each county are:
- Bryan County: $430,000
- Bulloch County: $265,000
- Chatham County: $352,000
- Effingham County: $318,000
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, however, the average median household income across the four-county region is shy of $75,000, which means most households could not afford a home above $245,000 without being cost burdened.
Georgia Congressman Buddy Carter said during a previous interview that the state has been “addressing” the need for funding to go towards workforce housing.
“That’s extremely important,” said Carter. “Federal funds have been flowing through the state to address that. We are going to make sure they have what they need.”
Carter did not provide a dollar amount.
While some counties allow the market to determine the price of homes, McGriff said there are ways to mitigate the cost. She said it is important to attract developments that “the CEO and the security guard can afford.”
McGriff said she grew up in a rural community and understands the hardships that come with change and said that community character will be considered as Georgia Tech conducts its research.
She added that because Georgia is a property rights state, owners, for the most part, have control over their land.
“You can’t shut the gate and tell people not to come. What you can do is drive development to the places where services are appropriate and preserve green spaces. We are cognizant of that but we also want to be welcoming of people that are investing in the community. You have to balance that out.”
The study is slated to be complete by October.
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.
GLASSBORO — Construction of townhomes could start as early as July on a patchwork of parcels the borough owns on and near South Academy Street, an area Glassboro has struggled to redevelop.
Late last year, the Borough Council agreed to sell the real estate for $1.45 million to Woods Glassboro Properties Development LLC. The council also named the company the official redeveloper for the properties, which include lots that are vacant because of past demolitions.
The company will build 38 duplex townhome buildings over two phases, for a total of 76 residential units. The plan was approved after a lengthy public hearing Tuesday night before the Planning Board.
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“The development is going to be set up as a condominium, with the owner of each individual unit owning their unit,” company attorney Matthew Madden told the board. “But otherwise, the property will be owned and managed by a homeowners association.”
The first phase involves 13 buildings, built on two sites, on the west side of South Academy Street. All buildings are to be three stories tall.
The second phase involves 24 buildings, for another 48 residential units, on the east side of Academy Street and partially off Warrick Avenue. A clubhouse is part of phase two.
Frank Cifelli and Sean Frankel, two of the principals in the company, testified at the hearing.
Cifelli said phase two construction is tentatively slated to start in January 2025. The company has done projects with this style of townhome in the Philadelphia area with good success, he said.
Cifelli said the price range will start around $350,000. “We expect it to be a pretty successful development,” he said.
The project reached this stage after a lot of discussions with borough officials. One critical point was the borough desire to keep townhomes turning into rental properties for the college student population.
Cifelli said sale agreements will have provisions to make it difficult for investors to buy and turn around to rent a unit.
Borough Administrator Edward Malandro supported that claim, saying the company is adapting language the borough’s redevelopment attorney provided.
“This is a product that mayor and council have gone after for quite some time,” Malandro, an ex-councilman, said. “Academy Street? Trying to redevelop that? Again, I’ve been involved for close to 25 years now. And it’s been a struggle to redevelop that section of town. We think we have a great partner.”
On Thursday, Malandro said a closing date is not set for selling the land.
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
Have a tip? Reach out atjsmith@thedailyjournal.com. Support local journalism with a subscription.
A financial cliff may await Florida condo owners at the end of the year, as new regulations may cause association maintenance fees to skyrocket. Condo owners can take matters into their own hands to avert being shoved off the edge — but the window of opportunity is rapidly closing.
Florida has been in a state of reckoning over the last two years, after the collapse of Surfside’s Champlain Towers in 2021 set off a slew of new regulations. In the aftermath, lawmakers realized that the condominium law that allows associations to defer critical maintenance and not hold reserves for future repairs and maintenance may lead to more tragedy.
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Structures built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s have been slowly deteriorating and have become more difficult and expensive to maintain. Roofs and other components of these older buildings, meant to last 20-30 years, have been pushed beyond their lifespan. Senate Bill 4D, enacted during the 2022 session, created new standards for condo buildings over three stories tall.
Under SB4D, condo developments over 30 years old — two-thirds of all condos in Florida — must undergo inspections and immediately address critical defects. SB4D also eliminates the ability of COAs to waive reserve contributions, instead requiring that they collect the annual cost needed to repair and replace certain elements by the end of their life span, as determined by a 10-year Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS).
The deadline to complete these inspections is Dec. 31, 2024. As inspection results come in, many condo associations and owners will realize the scale of the problem. Many associations may face repair costs in the millions. Even after allocating those costs among all unit owners, many owners in older buildings may not be able to afford the increased maintenance fees and special assessments to make immediate repairs.
Condo owners need to understand: they’re going to be on the hook. The state legislature is committing budget and resources to ensuring enforcement; avoidance will not be possible.
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Their monthly association fees will increase as the building works to replenish deficient reserves.
For millions of condo owners in Florida, the next year is going to be filled with painful choices. For many buildings, there is a silver lining – the land under their building is usually very valuable, so for most, the best chance of escaping the economic fallout will be to unite and sell the condo property to a bulk buyer rather than suffer under liens, credit hits and foreclosure.
Selling the units individually may not be an option for the majority of owners if their condos become distressed due to many owners being unable to pay their fees, as mortgage lenders are no longer willing to lend on condos in distressed buildings. The same factors that are pushing unit owners to sell will keep away buyers who can likely get property in a newer build for the same cost.
Developers, on the other hand, are likely willing to pay more for the valuable site. Of course, selling to a developer does require a fair amount of coordination. In order to get the best market value for owners, either an association needs to be united or owners need to organize to bring their property to market.
Association board members have the fiduciary duty to be proactive in bringing a proposal forward to owners, and raising the alarm about what’s to come if they believe that their condo building will not be financially viable in the future. If the value of the land that the condo complex sits on is greater than the value of the complex itself, associations need to alert owners: It is likely they’re past the point of no return.
Owners have options. They have the ability to shop for the best deal, and work out details that can be the difference between having a place to live next year and not.
But this window of opportunity won’t last forever. Once the structural studies are factored in, associations are looking at what’s likely to be a domino effect, as things like liens and foreclosures make it significantly more difficult to find a willing buyer.
Come Jan. 1, associations need to have a solution — which means that these boards need to start engaging legal counsel immediately to help understand the scope of their options, and what needs to be done in order to get owners the best deal.
SB4D is a vital update to Florida’s condominium regulations, and will undoubtedly help prevent tragedy. But the short-term impacts are going to be severe for owners.
Ignoring the problem or pushing this decision off will only worsen the outcome. Condo owners still have control over their fate but only if they act quickly.
Joseph Hernandez is a partner at the Miami law firm Bilzin Sumberg.
Time appears almost to have passed by the small 19th century chapel building and adjoining cemetery at 5902 Kingston Pike amid all the newer Bearden development.
But now the church might be passing time – and the busy street – by in return. Possible plans are in the works to move it to where it can be preserved even better.
A sign recently placed on the small white church building says, “This 1885 chapel for sale. Must relocate to your property/venue.” Listed is the phone number for the Cappiello real estate and property development firm, the building’s owner.
Efforts to reach Cappiello officials for more information were unsuccessful, but a 2018 Shopper News story quoted Tony Cappiello as saying he had recently bought the property. He said at the time that he had been approached in the fall of 2017 about purchasing the building by the Royal Chaplain Corps’ David Trempe, who was changing his ministry’s focus after being there for nearly 10 years.
Cappiello said he had done some remodeling work there after purchasing it and had already held special events there, with plans for more. He said the long-term plan was to rent it out to a nonprofit group, with preservation of the old church building the goal.
“I appreciate old buildings,” he said at the time. “Whenever I can, I try to save them. In this case I should be able to do that.”
The education and Sunday school wing added to the west side of the church building in later years was also leased out to at least one business for a period after his purchase.
Cappiello in 2018 also said he owned the Pelican’s SnoBalls building on the east side, a building that had formerly been a house, so it made sense to own both parcels of property next to each other on the busy street.
Whether any other plans are in the works for the site are not known. The church building dates to the 1880s and for several decades was the site of Bearden Christian Church. Not long before the Royal Chaplain Corps began using the facility, it had been the Korean Christian Church.
Although event weddings using such buildings as historic chapels have become popular in recent years, the Bearden building appeared limited in available parking on its immediate lot.
While the chapel building has been very noticeable to the numerous passengers in automobiles passing it daily, the small cemetery hidden behind it has been mostly inconspicuous. Likely the burial site of former church members, the small cemetery in the southwest corner of the lot has a couple dozen tombstones of people who died in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Among the last names on some of the markers are Abbey, Ventis, and Giezentanner.
Combined, both the cemetery and chapel seem to quietly tell a detailed story of Bearden history.
The church building and cemetery are among just a small number of local landmarks from the 19th century remaining in that part of Knoxville. Two others are the Knollwood mansion on Bearden Hill and the Lakeshore Park administration building that had formerly been part of the mental health institute there.
Those two have new uses, as does the former Marble City United Methodist Church of similar size and shape a couple of miles east on Sutherland Avenue. It was in recent years converted into an architect’s office and a coffee shop.
But the plans for the historic chapel on busy and modern Kingston Pike are still being sketched in the minds of potential users.
As residences have slowly become the majority of properties in the Downtown Improvement Board district, its board is facing pressure to justify its existence from property owners unhappy with the organization.
The DIB was created by the Florida Legislature in 1972 to address the “commercial blight” of downtown Pensacola. The law noted that at the time, the downtown area was “plagued with vacant and deteriorating buildings which are neglected and produce a depressing atmosphere.”
Fifty-two years later, downtown Pensacola is a very different place.
The boundaries of the DIB was viewed as a purely commercial center in 1972. Today, the district has 461 residential units, of which 409 are apartments. At least another 600 are in the planning stages with The Westmore development and The Heights at East Garden development.
Many of those residential units are on a single property, but even when viewed across all properties, the DIB has become a majority residential district.
In total, there are 558 individual properties in the DIB, according to data provided to the News Journal by the DIB. Of those, 223 properties have a commercial use, such as offices, restaurants, stores or hotels. At the same time, 243 properties are residential, either condominiums or apartments, and a handful of single-family homes. Of the remaining properties, 47 are parking lots, and 45 are owned by a government, religious or educational institution.
Dan Lindemann, owner of A&J Mug Shop on North Palafox Street, is one of those critics who suggested the DIB send a letter to property owners notifying them they are in the DIB. Lindemann said he believes many downtown property owners are unaware they’re in the DIB.
A&J Mug Shop owner Dan Lindemann, whose shop is on North Palafox Street in the DIB, believes many downtown property owners are unaware they’re in the DIB. He pushed the DIB to send a letter notifying property owners of the fact, which they did at the end of 2023.
“They don’t even know they’re being taxed for the DIB,” Lindemann said.
On a property tax bill or statement, the two mils in tax paid to the DIB is listed simply as “Downtown.” The flier sent out to DIB property owners points out this fact.
Lindemann said that if they understood the situation, they’d agree with him that the DIB had accomplished its original mission and needed to be wound down.
“They’ve (the DIB) achieved their mission,” Lindemann said. “Congratulations, you did a great job. Now let’s move it somewhere else like Belmont-DeVilliers.”
History of the DIB
The law that created the DIB required it to be approved by a referendum among property owners of the district. The law said the DIB acts as an independent corporate body and as an agency of the city. The DIB is unique as only property owners can vote in any referendum the DIB holds, such as changing its boundaries or raising the tax it levies.
The board is appointed by the mayor with City Council approval but otherwise acts independently from the city.
The law said the DIB should make plans and recommendations for the development of downtown and work to improve its attractiveness and property values, as well as acquire property to be used for public purposes downtown.
In its first decade, the DIB attempted to get a downtown mall that would cover three blocks along Palafox Street to compete with the suburban malls that were viewed as pulling away the retail business from downtown.
The plan fell apart, but other things the DIB accomplished were viewed as successes at the time, according to News Journal archives, such as a storefront façade improvement loan program for downtown businesses and using funds to build or expand downtown sidewalks. In the 1980s, the city created its CRA, and the mission of the DIB shifted to promoting downtown businesses and recruiting more businesses to downtown.
In 1986, property owners in the DIB voted to approve a tax increase from one mill to two mills that would be used for the promotion of the downtown district, according to News Journal archives.
The DIB was now responsible for promoting and marketing downtown, organizing festivals, and paying to put up holiday lights each year with the extra tax revenue.
For every mill of property tax, a property owner pays $1 in taxes for every $1,000 of value assessed on their property.
The second mill came with a stipulation that it had to be reaffirmed by DIB property owners every five years. DIB property owners approved it again in 1991 but rejected the tax in 1996. The failure was blamed on the confusing voting process, which allowed more votes to go to property owners with higher-valued land.
In 1997, the second mill was reinstated but then rejected again in 2002. In 2003, the law changed to give every property owner a single vote, and the tax was passed again without the requirement to renew every five years.
The vote in 2003 was the last time downtown property owners voted on any DIB measure. There was an attempt to expand the DIB’s boundaries in 2006 that would’ve required a vote by all property owners being included in the DIB, but that measure was killed by the City Council by one vote.
In 2008, the DIB’s mission was further expanded when the city gave it the responsibility of managing all downtown parking. The city took back parking in 2020 after the disastrous roll-out of a parking app in 2018, and legal questions arose over the DIB managing parking outside its 44-block boundary.
DIB’s role today
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said he feels the DIB still serves an important role in the city.
“As someone that was part of the DIB and paid the millage as a business owner, I think there’s value in having some representation for that investment in the city,” Reeves said. “And when you’re a city and a county, it’s hard to have a hyper-focus on an area that, economically speaking, generates a lot for us − not just in property tax.”
Reeves said in the city’s most recent survey of residents, 68% viewed the downtown area as a crucial driver of the local economy.
“It’s not just folks that live downtown or work downtown who understand the value of downtown,” Reeves said. “So for the DIB members that are paying taxes, and to have that representation, I think that that does create value.”
Lindemann doesn’t believe people are aware of the DIB, and it should do more to communicate with property owners about how it spends their tax dollars.
“It’s another layer of our city (government) that we don’t need,” Lindemann said. “Again, that’s just me. I don’t understand why we have all this stuff, and I may be totally wrong.”
Downtown businessman Ed Carson served on the DIB in the 2000s, but agrees with Lindemann it outlived its purpose.
“If I’m going to spend two mils, I’d rather see it spent on stormwater treatment or some other thing,” Carson said. “I know it’s a totally different funding bucket. But I just don’t see a real need for a DIB anymore.”
DIB Executive Director Walker Wilson said there’s no question the original goal of not having a vacant downtown has been achieved, but the DIB still has a role to play in improving the city.
“The main thing that we see ourselves here to do is to make sure that downtown is clean and safe and that we can help promote these businesses to be as successful as they can,” Walker said. “And I think we do a good job with that. I certainly think there is a role for the DIB still in this community.”
Walker said he’s heard the criticism from Lindemann, and it was those comments that motivated the DIB to send out mailers to property owners on what the DIB is doing today.
The mailer also asked downtown business owners to take a survey on their opinions of the DIB. So far, Wilson said no property owner has responded to the survey.
Beautification, sanitation, enhanced police presence, park upkeep, downtown marketing, economic development, four full-time “DIB cleaning ambassadors,” the Palafox Market, downtown holiday lights, branded signage, and soon the purchase of public security cameras are all listed as things the DIB is doing today.
Along with the marketing activities the DIB does for downtown businesses, every day DIB staff are doing things like picking up trash and removing graffiti downtown that the city would otherwise be paying for, Walker said.
Walker said almost every major American city has an organization like the DIB. While some are privately funded and some only tax commercial properties, the DIB is needed in a downtown business area.
“I think the services that we provide and that the DIB taxpayers provide are certainly needed because if it goes away, I don’t know who’s going to pick up those services,” Walker said.
WELLS, Maine — A developer has revised his plans to build new homes on wooded land at 502 Post Road.
Arnie J. Martel, of AJM Construction, said he is now hoping to build 165 single-family townhouses on 121 acres.
In his original application, Martel said he sought to build more than 100 new homes and as many as 40 new townhouses on 44 acres at the site. Martel withdrew that application, which the Wells Planning Board was set to receive on March 4.
Martel confirmed he submitted a new application, which corrects or clarifies some of the details in the original and slightly reconfigures the layout.
“We just made non-substantial changes,” Martel said.
In an email, town engineer Michael Livingston confirmed that the Planning Board is scheduled to receive the new subdivision pre-application at its next meeting on March 18. Livingston also said the board will likely schedule a site visit at the property.
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Erik Poulin of Jones & Beach Engineers of New Hampshire is the project manager for the site and is representing Martel.
Martel said he is buying 114 of the 120 acres from Richard Jorgensen, who owns an antique shop at the location. He said he is purchasing the final six acres from The Morrison Center. The properties fall within the town’s general business, 75-foot shoreland overlay, and rural districts.
Martel said he is proposing the construction of three buildings with six townhouses each, with the remaining 147 townhouses as standalone structures. The lone townhouses will be approximately 1,600 square feet, he added.Martel said the new community would be “private and self-contained.”
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Residents have discussed Martel’s development plans on social media. On the “Wells, Maine” Facebook page, one post generated a lengthy discussion in which people expressed concerns regarding zoning, taxes, traffic, housing, quality of life, the potential impact on schools, the rate of development in the community, and other topics.
Martel said his project is not likely to impact or overwhelm local schools, as, in his experience, the people who buy townhouses don’t typically have young children. Families with children tend to seek out larger living spaces, he said.
“Usually, there aren’t a lot of kids in townhouse subdivisions,” Martel said. “People are looking for simpler living.”