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HRA staff outline Beyond Walls lot activation plan; board to manage pass-through of $30,000 grant and assets for summer activation
Summary
The HRA received details of a management and pass-through plan with Beyond Walls to activate several downtown lots this summer; the plan would use a $30,000 masking-and-mitigation grant to reimburse invoices, store assets in HRA custody if needed, and charge administrative fees for reservations.
HRA staff on April 16 described a pending management agreement and pass-through loan arrangement with Beyond Walls to activate lots at the Race and Main / Armory Yard area. The program will place public art and temporary amenities on HRA property and use a $30,000 grant from the city’s masking-and-mitigation fund to reimburse eligible vendor invoices rather than cutting a single payment to the partner.
Staff said Beyond Walls will bring two Connex boxes (one outfitted with tables and chairs and one built as a bar-like service unit) and a long sculptural bench known as the “Bend.” The organization will contract local maintenance (Tony Whitman was named as the contractor to maintain the sites) and will provide insurance coverage; staff said insurance will increase to $2,000,000 once the assets are on site.
The HRA discussed logistics for reservations and fee handling. Staff proposed routing rental fees and small revenues through the HRA rather than general city coffers so the HRA can track receipts, apply a modest administrative fee, and hold funds for future maintenance or replacement of assets. Staff said the $30,000 grant is reimbursable and that Beyond Walls is prepared to front costs and submit invoices for reimbursement; staff’s auditor and procurement director said the arrangement is feasible but procurement rules (vendor setup, invoices over $10,000) must be observed.
Operational details include porta-potty rental during activation, a planned June arrival of assets and a June 14 community ribbon-cutting event, and ongoing coordination with a proposed lot manager funded through Puerto Rican Cultural District programming. Staff said the HRA and city will prepare a use/management agreement that clarifies responsibilities, reservation procedures and how assets would be redeployed if a lot were later sold or developed. The board did not vote on funding at the meeting but asked staff to return with a draft agreement and administrative procedures.
Staff emphasized the assets would remain HRA property if the activation ends and could be moved to other sites; staff also noted that if rental fees flowed to the city parks department instead, it would require a separate revolving fund arrangement, which staff said would be more administratively complex than routing revenues through the HRA.
