Editor’s Note: This week, we begin a four-part series about the city of St. Cloud Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). Over the next few weeks, we’ll explain what a CRA is, how it’s funded, what it does, what it can’t do and answer some common questions about the CRA.
A Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is a tool cities and counties can use to implement redevelopment activities within a designated area to eliminate slum and blight. Established by the Community Redevelopment Act of 1969, CRAs are dependent special districts in which any future increases in property values are set aside to support economic development projects within the district. They were established to strategically improve the economic sustainability of an area through various projects. Examples of CRA projects include: rehabilitation of substandard or dilapidated buildings; reinforcement of downtown land use with additional mixed use, housing, retail and cultural/civic uses; coordinated signage to capture consistent city messaging; and multimodal transportation access.
Under Florida law (Chapter 163, Part III), local governments can designate areas as Community Redevelopment Areas when certain conditions exist and create a comprehensive master plan to address the area’s conditions.
The city of St. Cloud CRA was established in 2005. CRA Board members include all five City Council members – Mayor Nathan Blackwell, Deputy Mayor Keith Trace, and Council Members Linette Matheny, Chuck Cooper, and Dave Askew – plus resident business owners Dwight Loeding and Joel Davis.
The St. Cloud CRA is divided into three districts: Downtown, Central and Gateway.
Downtown: Our vision for the historic downtown is to create a district that encourages economic vitality and growth with a unique mix of shopping, dining and entertainment experiences. We want to ensure that redevelopment complements the historic and architecturally significant buildings, and adds to a pedestrian-friendly, mixed use main street environment.
Gateway: As the Western entry point into St. Cloud and the center of major retail activities, the Gateway District serves as a portal signifying arrival to the city and establishes a unique sense of place with high quality architectural design and signature elements that distinguish the CRAs along the US 192 corridor.
Central: The vision for this district is to provide a welcoming passageway leading into the Downtown and Gateway districts, by creating a traditional urban district with smaller-scale businesses close together on smaller lots that enhance the overall image of the CRA.
Next week: CRA Finance: What is a TIF and how does that work? What kinds of projects can / can’t a CRA fund?