Many thanks to Eleanor Johnson for taking the minutes of this meeting. At the conclusion of the minutes, you'll find a copy of the letter that Neil Richards read at the last meeting of the Mayor's Urban Redevelopment Advisory Committee.
BELMONT-DEVILLIERS
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 1, 2012
MEETING
TAKEN BY ELEANOR JOHNSON AND
TRANSCRIBED BY ANN HILL
The meeting was opened at 5:30 p.m. by President Dolores
Curry. Attending were: Dolores Curry, Rosemary Kirkland, Rose George, Vivian
Lamont, Rev. Carl Reeves, Alexa Canady-Davis, Dottie Dubuisson, Sheikh Yusuf, Diane
Mack, Rose McPherson, Neil Richards, Danny Lewis, Eleanor Johnson, Gloria
Horning, and Michael Conrad. Minutes were read and approved.
The Rev. Carl Reeves assured us that all officers are in
uniform and strongly on the lookout.
Dottie Dubuisson reported the Florida Neighborhood
Conference that she attended. She noted that Jessica Bell from the office of
sustainability has resigned and that Clark Merritt has been hired initially for
the office of sustainability but moved to the 7th floor, possibly to
John Asmar’s office. She asked if we could get someone to attend the
sustainability meeting on Thursday.
Ms. Dubuisson also said there are citizen volunteer
positions open on the Parks and Rec Board, International Relations, etc. Online
forms need to be filled out and submitted to council by Aug. 6. For paid
positions, please submit your resume to human resources and also register with
Landrum agency.
Ms. Dubuisson also said that because of the flooding at
Longhollow, the Belmont Arts Center will not be relocating in August, thanks to
an extension granted by the Rev. John Powell. Neil Richards continues to remove
his belongings from the parking lot at the Belmont Building. Four tenants
continue at the Belmont Bldg., but roof repair is a major concern before
additional use can be allowed. All proposals that fit the mission of the
building are being explored.
Florida is celebrating Viva Florida 500, a commemoration of
Florida's five centuries of diverse cultural history to be held throughout 2013.
Every ethnic neighborhood is encouraged to participate. Ms. Dubuisson and Ann
Hill continue to research the heritage and culture of Belmont-DeVilliers.
Ms. Dubuisson reported that The Palafox Market is in the top
5 in a national open market contest. She concluded her report with a listing of
meetings scheduled for the next two weeks.
Ms. Curry announced the Ella L. Jordan House benefit
scheduled for 6 pm on Aug. 25 at Washington High School and featuring Al
Martin. Tickets are $25 each. Since 1931 the house at 423 N. “C” St. has been
the headquarters of the Pensacola Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, an
organization founded by Ms. Jordan. The funds will be used to restore the
house, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ivan.
Diane Mack gave an update on the Pensacola Community
Initiatives Partnership (PCIP) grants, with about $50,000 available this fall.
Ms. Curry suggested we establish a cleanup project as part of our required
match for our grant.
Ms. Mack said she read the suggestions in the final report
of disparity study submitted to City Council, including aspirational goals,
procurement categories, etc. It was pretty much agreed that the $250,000 spent
on the report was a waste of time and money and that it did not show the real
issues the minority community is faced with.
Ms. Mack reminded everyone that early voting starts
Saturday, Aug. 4 and that sample ballots are available online and can be
printed. She passed out a sample ballot. One citizen mentioned that she makes
sure all her GED students get registered.
Michael Conrad from the Belmont Arts Center thanked everyone
for their support in the move to Longhollow. He said Rev. John Powell has been
generous in letting them extend their time at the Belmont Building. He has
hopes of establishing a satellite location in Belmont-DeVilliers.
Mr. Conrad said the art center will return to its original
name as the First City Arts Center and will announce this change in September.
He asks that we redirect patrons who come looking for the arts group to the new
center. He said that Rev. Powell has agreed not to let any other entities be
named the Belmont Arts Center.
Ms. Dubuisson noted that the library is almost completed and
should open on Oct. 30. The Molino branch should be finished two months ahead
of schedule.
Vivian Lamont said she will be performing at 2 pm on
Thursday at the East Gregory Street hall.
Dr. Alexa Canady-Davis said $2,598 remains in our treasury.
Neil Richards discussed the Belmont-DeVilliers Land Use Map,
RNC zoning which allows businesses on the first floor and residences above
them. He said he would like to make a strong push for continued acceptance of
the 2003-04 Belmont-DeVilliers plan.
Dr. Canady-Davis said we must demand and support that we
address the disparity issue and the previous plan for Belmont-DeVilliers. She
moved to have Mr. Richards be the go-to person in the fight and to voice
support for the plan that is in place. Rosemary Kirkland and Ms. Mack seconded
this, and the motion carried unanimously.
Eleanor Johnson read Rev. Powell’s thank you note on the
association’s contribution.
Ms. Curry adjourned the meeting at 6:39 pm.
Belmont-DeVilliers Neighborhood Association
Brian Hooper, Chairman
Mayor’s Urban Redevelopment Advisory Committee
Office of the Mayor
180 Governmental Center
P.O. Box 12910
Pensacola, FL 32521
8/2/2012
Dear Mr. Hooper,
At our August 1, 2012, meeting, the Belmont-DeVilliers Neighborhood Association authorized Neil Richards as our representative to the Mayor’s Urban Redevelopment Advisory Committee. We request that you allow Mr. Richards to speak on our behalf at the meeting scheduled for Friday, Aug. 3. What he plans to do is reassert the Belmont-DeVilliers full support of the 2003-04 Belmont-DeVilliers Land Use Plan that is posted on the city’s website at http://www.cityofpensacola.com/sites/cityofpensacola.com /files/Belmont-DeVilliers%20Land%20Use%20Plan%202004.pdf
At our meeting, we wholeheartedly endorsed the R-NC zoning, the Concept B Multiple Centers – Mixed Use Priority, and the establishment of a Belmont-DeVilliers Community Center within the 501(c)3 Belmont Building at the corner of Belmont and DeVilliers streets. The following will more fully explain these concepts:
On Page 27 of this document, under the Land Use Concept Highlights, it defines what we view as a triangle that serves as the anchor points of the neighborhood, including the Main Library, the Pensacola State College building on Garden and the Belmont Building on the northeast corner of Belmont and DeVilliers streets. The section states in part:
The proposed Land Use concepts denote key principles for the redevelopment of the Belmont/ DeVilliers neighborhood. The following key principles directed the development of these concepts.
· Neighborhoods are considered the basic unit in city and urban planning. In order to create a
sustainable neighborhood, a healthy balance of appropriate residential, nonresidential,
activity centers and institutional uses is critical.
· Neighborhood Cultural Center (N-CC) is defined as a neighborhood serving a mixed-use
district by providing a pedestrian scale environment reflecting the rich culture and heritage of the Belmont/DeVilliers community. This district is located in the historic heart of the
community, i.e. at the intersection of Belmont and DeVilliers Streets. Additional or
secondary centers may be considered at the Pensacola Junior College and the public
library.
We are very pleased with the progress we have made on this plan. The Main Library will be state-of-the-art and a focal point for the whole city. PSC and the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce have partnered to establish the Gulf Coast Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, a business incubator program at the corner of Garden and DeVilliers streets.
The neighborhood would now like to turn its focus on creating a vibrant Neighborhood Community Center housed in Truth for Youth’s Belmont Building. As you know, Belmont-DeVilliers is one of the few established neighborhoods in this city that does not have a Parks and Recreation-run community center. We do not need a $300 million building to bring our center into being. It already exists. All we need at present is to stabilize the building we have, which would begin with a new roof.
Regarding the balance mentioned in the key principles in the 2003-04 document, we would like to point out a concept known as “Multiple Centers – Mixed Use Priority” that was presented to the city planners by Herbert-Halback, Inc. (HHI) and approved by our neighborhood after a number of well-attended public workshops and neighborhood discussions.
On Page 31, there is an illustration of this concept (Concept B) that was adopted by the neighborhood in 2003-04 and unanimously re-adopted last night at our meeting:
On Page 32, the document confirms our stated preference for Concept B:
Based on the feedback received at the 2nd Public Workshop, Concept B, (Multiple Centers-Mixed Use Priority) was the preferred concept. Modifications were made to Concept B based on the feedback received at the public workshop and are reflected in the Proposed Future Land Use Map, the prime objective of this project.
Participants at the 2nd Public Workshop generally agreed with the idea of developing 3 new land use designations unique to the Belmont/DeVilliers neighborhood as a tool to redevelop the neighborhood.
Pivotal to implementing Concept B is what is referred to in this document as R-NC zoning. On page 11, there is a definition of the Residential-Neighborhood Commercial zoning in Belmont-DeVilliers at that time:
R-NC Residential Neighborhood Commercial (Predominant zoning in the neighborhood). Everything in R-2 plus the following, with no outside storage or work permitted except as provided herein:
· Residential design manufactured homes
· Manufactured home parks
· Retail food and drug store (including liquor package store)
· Personal service shops
· Clothing and fabric stores
· Home furnishings, hardware and appliance stores
· Specialty shops
· Banks
· Bakeries, whose products are sold at retail and only on the premises
· Pawn shops and secondhand stores
· Floral shops
· Health clubs, spas, and exercise centers
· Martial arts studios
· Laundromats and dry cleaners using combustible or flammable liquids of solvents with a flash point of one hundred ninety (190) degrees Fahrenheit or greater
· Laundry and dry cleaning pick-up stations
· Outdoor sales of trees, shrubs, plants and related landscaping materials as an accessory to indoor retail sales uses permitted by this paragraph, provided that the area is enclosed
within a fence attached to the rear or side of the main building, and provided that the outdoor area does not exceed twenty (20) percent of the total area of the main building
· Restaurants
· Studios
· Mortuary and funeral parlors
· Appliance repair shops
· Gasoline and service stations with up to three (3) wreckers. Minor repair work not involving major motor or drive train repairs, straightening of body parts, painting, welding or other major mechanical and body work involving noise, glare, fumes, or smoke is permitted within a building
We thank you for listening to us and urge you to include this information in your final report.
Cordially,
Dolores Curry, President
Belmont-DeVilliers Neighborhood Association
