Gainesville City Commission agrees to sell RTS facility to The Knot, ratifies firefighter agreement, hears update on Downtown Ambassador program
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – During the morning portion of their December 5 meeting, the Gainesville City Commission agreed to sell the old RTS facility to The Knot Climbing Gym for $2.35 million, approved allocation of affordable housing funds, ratified a contract for firefighters, and heard an update on the Downtown Ambassador program.
Sale of the old RTS facility
The City received an unsolicited proposal in September 2022 for the redevelopment of the old RTS facility, which was vacated when RTS moved to a new administrative building. In August 2023, after a formal solicitation process, the Commission selected The Knot Climbing Gym’s proposal, and the company and the City have been working out the details since then.
The purchase price for the property was negotiated as $2.35 million for two parcels totaling 5.2 acres, with a one-year due diligence period and a 180-day financing requirement. The buyer must maintain the facility as a climbing gym/mixed-use facility for at least 10 years, or the property could revert to the City. City staff recommended using the proceeds from the sale to fund the construction of the eastside transfer station adjacent to the UF Health Clinic on SE Hawthorne Road.
City of Gainesville Chief Operating Officer Andrew Persons said the climbing gym expansion should start in 2027, followed by a skate park and multi-use venue. There is also a possibility of a wave pool at some point.
Commissioner Reina Saco made a motion to approve the contract, and Commissioner Casey Willits seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Allocation of affordable housing funds
During an affordable housing update, Senior Housing Strategist Corey Harris went through the City’s funding sources for affordable housing and the programs that are currently underway. Click here for the full presentation.
HOME ARP funds, for example, can be used to develop rental units for qualifying populations such as the homeless, those at risk of homelessness, or individuals fleeing domestic violence. The City has developed an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) plan that can be used by developers, and an example of a site plan is shown below.
Harris referred to a November 14 vote that asked staff to look at changing the focus of the City’s affordable housing budget allocation from owners to renters, and he provided some options, shown in the slide below (Option 1 was the original plan for the funds):
Harris said the pilot ADU program would redevelop five lots and build up to two additional ADUs on those lots, resulting in as many as 15 units of affordable housing. Harris said a lot of staff time has already gone into that program, but they need the money shown above to “get to the finish line.”
Harris said staff wanted to keep the ADU pilot program as part of Option 2, but Option 2 could also include assistance programs for renters. Harris said renter assistance programs would be “a heavy lift” for existing staff and would probably require additional staff. Because of that, Harris said staff recommended working with organizations that already provide those types of services if the Commission decided to select that option. However, staff recommended approval of Option 1 and a Notice of Funding Availability for developers to apply for funds to develop or rehabilitate rental housing.
Saco said, “I think, too often, we try to find a way to tackle every single problem, and a drop in every bucket doesn’t necessarily help many – or anyone, and we burn some of that money in consulting or [administration] fees… But if we do Option 1, we have two projects that… we know how to address, that we have experience addressing, and will have more immediate impact, rather than trying to invent wheels for Option 2… I’d much rather we move forward on things that we know how to do well.”
Commissioner Bryan Eastman made a motion to approve the staff recommendation for Option 1, and Commissioner Casey Willits seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Firefighter contract
Next, the Commission ratified a contract between the City of Gainesville and the International Association of Firefighters Local 2157 through September 30, 2027. The contract implements a 24/72 schedule for firefighters; it also reduces paid parental leave from 12 weeks to 6 weeks but allows more flexibility in taking the leave, allowing it to be taken within 12 months of the date of a birth or adoption. Wages will increase 1% in each of the three years of the agreement, with a commitment (a “reopener”) to come back during years two and three to discuss supplemental increases.Â
IAFF Local 2157 President Nick Gonzalez, whose term ends on December 31, challenged the City to “rise to the occasion” of providing salary increases in subsequent years and said the 42-hour work week was “a huge accomplishment, one of the biggest accomplishments that I’ve had in my career… Please look at this contract not as a failure but as an initial investment, a down payment, and then make good on those reopeners and continue to push in the future.”
Commissioner Ed Book made a motion to ratify the contract, and the motion passed unanimously.
Downtown Gainesville Ambassador Program
The Commission next heard an update on the Downtown Gainesville Ambassador Program. The program, which began on December 2, will focus on safety, interacting with homeless people, providing safety escorts, cleaning, hospitality, and relationships with businesses.Â
The program will have office space in the SW Garage and the Catalyst Building.
There were 1,761 applications for the various positions, and 14 people were hired; 11 of them are from Alachua County, nine are from the city of Gainesville, and seven are from the zip codes inside the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area. Nine were formerly homeless.
Mayor Harvey Ward said he loved the Ambassadors’ visibility and looks forward to having them “disappear into the woodwork, frankly, just being a part of what we do downtown.” Willits joked that they would not disappear in the bright vests.
HOME ARP: $1,968,639/15 = $131,242.6/unit (actually it’s only “as many as 15 units,” so the cost per unit might be greater). Not including staff time cost already expended on this. How might those taxpayer funds have been better used than to subsidize take-the-money-and-run developers for renovated properties that are bound to deteriorate in value as soon as they’re occupied by the intendeds?
Better use of taxpayers’ funds?
Put the progressive $0€i@li$t$ on a plane and fly them to a foreign country.
It would help with Ward’s vision of them disappearing…the Commissioners – not the ambassadors.
Why aren’t the ambassadors doing more to “move along” the panhandlers on University & Main? They’re still there and don’t appear to be concerned with anyone, an ambassador or law enforcement, telling them to move on. Maybe the City should have their gestapo move them, they do a good job of keeping them from around City Hall.
Attract the poor and homeless to Gangsville. Good idea. Decide how to spend up $2.3 million before it’s received, with zero thought of paying down debt with even $1. Good work. Add another brand new program and new employees on permanent payroll. Great! Totally ignore previous direction from the state legislature to prioritize paying off debt. No need to worry, you’ll be out of office when the hammer comes down. Just spend it up!
FYI: Cities such as Atlanta, LA, Nashville with large areas of downtown tourist walking might need street ambassadors. This city has no large areas that need explanation and ambassadors. Prediction: Within one year, one or more ambassadors will be caught selling drugs. These Obama/Biden radical liberal zealots need thrown out of office ASAP. We need cleansed of these misdirected failures!
Amen! They’re trying everything to replace the positive culture that built American cities, with some convoluted secular boondoggle instead. 👺👹💩🤡👿
What is a city chief operating officer? Is that a fancy title for assistant city manager? Weren’t they called something else after that?
The current City Manager fired all the Assistant City Managers at the direction of the current Mayor within her first couple of months in office with no explanation. Since she came in with no experience of managing a city, she needed those positions. So instead of owning up to the fact that she was given the job under the guise that she fire the three sitting ACMs, she decided to simply come up with new fancy names for those new positions and put do-people in those spots.
Another crew of 14 sanitation workers to pick up after the bums downtown and telling them to “move along”. Also make sure they know about the ‘free’ tax money the city gives away. Sad state of affairs, Mayor Ward. BTW, just how will ‘affordable housing’ help people fleeing domestic violence?
The bums are simply moving a few blocks west, near campus but outside the ambassadors’ walking distance line. Now midtown biz and UF have to deal with them— I bet students and parents will be happy with that 🙃🙃
🤡MG what next? Why do Dems create more problems, so they can add more programs?
ACLUSPLCDNC 👿💩👹👺
I predict the shysters who own The Knot will sell the land to the highest bidder just as soon as the clock strikes 10 years.
I’m thinking the City will buy it back for 10x the price.
Nothing says “safety first” like a safety escort from some homeless drug addict.
Will GRACE Marketplace be returning the tax dollars they stole for their fake “street team”, since this moronic program is supposed to be doing what the street team was paid to do?
Hope all the libs are happy. Their elected representatives are selling another part of the city to a foreign entity in spite of their objections to capitalism.
Shouldn’t be surprised given what they’re trying to do to the rest of the country.
I did see an Ambassador picking up trash near the old fire station on south main. BTW, the homeless have moved from the Jiffy store to the storefront next to the old fire station. Hanging clothes on the fence, etc
Hey commi Co.mision you allways
Know How Too Steal From Tax payers
And Fill Your Own. Pockets
You All Need To Be Ivestigated
Audited All Your Budgets (Raises)
We The People Want To Know
Where Our Money Goes You Thiefs.
You Make The County Very Unsafe
Do You Scum Bags Follow The Constitution don’t Think So!!!
People Should Be HeardDont
Work That Way Example Your
Red Chinese Commision Meeting
Waste Of Tme We Have No Rights
People Of Alachua Need To Stand Up
Not Stand Down
Enougb Said.