Lake City CRA recommends council adopt new CRA plan emphasizing residential facade grants and preapproved building plans

The Lake City Community Redevelopment Agency voted to recommend that the City Council adopt a new CRA plan prepared by Inspire Placemaking Collective that broadens the agency’s focus and adds new programs for the community.

Mr. Thomason, who introduced the plan to the board, told members the draft before them was final and that staff had provided handouts. "It is a well written plan," he said, adding it expands the CRA’s reach from a single focus area to include the broader Sierra area and allows the agency to offer residential facade grant programs in addition to commercial incentives.

Thomason said the plan also proposes preapproved building plans "so that we can hand out to developers who wanna build in the city" to shorten the review process. He described other potential programs including sidewalk improvements and pocket parks.

Board members pressed for details about residential grant scope and funding. One board member asked whether the residential grants would cover interior work; Thomason said facade grants would cover exterior improvements only. Thomason noted that specific grant amounts would be set in the next budget cycle: "It could be $5,000, $10,000," he said, and the board will determine final amounts when it sets the budget.

After discussion a motion was made and seconded to recommend council adopt the plan. Miss Sykes called the roll; recorded affirmatives included Carter, Young, Jernigan, Harris and Chairman Walker. The CRA will forward its recommendation to the City Council for final action.

During public comment, a representative of the Great Lakes City CDC (identified in the meeting as Mr. McCallum) asked the CRA for gap financing to develop a vacant lot at 204 NE Escambia Street. The speaker said his nonprofit has committed about $100,000 to the project but still needs additional gap funding so the work can be completed "debt free" and to support elimination of blight. Board members and staff congratulated the project, advised the commenter to stay in contact with the city manager and staff, and noted that the small-scale developer program the CRA is recommending to council may help projects like this.

A separate budgeting discussion touched on playground equipment for the Sweetwater project, with cost estimates discussed in the meeting in the range of about $30,000 to $40,000; staff said that playground funding was not part of the facade-focused proposals but could be considered in future program iterations or budgets.

The CRA’s formal recommendation now goes to the City Council for consideration at its upcoming session.