Bradenton inches forward with CRA and economic development transition

BRADENTON -- In its first workshop since assuming control of the city's three community redevelopment agencies, the Bradenton City Council this week inched forward with the transition, focusing mostly on the creation of a new economic development department.

The goal is to create the department and hire an economic development director who will work closely with the CRAs and the Bradenton Area Economic Development Council. For now, city clerk Carl Callahan is acting as the economic development director as the city moves slowly with an organizational plan. A department head hire won't likely happen until a direction is better established.

"The state statues gives us a wide berth for entities that want to do an economic development department," said Callahan. "It says if we are trying to attract businesses and jobs, we can spend taxpayer money for that and virtually do whatever you want to do to make that happen. But there are more things we are going to have to do to have an economic development department as far as the people and responsibilities. The person the council deems responsible will have the freedom to go out and pursue those options."

City officials spent several tumultuous months over the summer in public meetings after announcing its intention to take control of the CRAs.

Little has been said on the council's role as the CRA board for the Bradenton CRA, Central CRA and 14th Street West CRA, other than the goal of adding two members to the council's CRA role and asking the existing CCRA to remain as an advisory board. Technically, the CCRA board no longer exists as it has, but it has a scheduled meeting Jan. 28. The council has yet to name the CCRA board as an advisory board and has yet to create a new CCRA board as itself and two additional members.

Earlier this week, council members would only say that it needed to be done soon.

The only thing that remains clear is that the Bradenton Downtown Development Authority, which had also acted as the Bradenton and 14th Street West CRAs will continue to exist as the DDA board with the council providing an undetermined amount of funding into its next budget to focus on downtown. The DDA will also act as an advisory board for the two CRAs.

The council did discuss the implementation of CRA incentives that most CRAs use to attract businesses. Callahan said Manatee County's incentives were a good place to start. They include expedited permitting, assistance with impact fees and tax increment funding rebates.

"However, there is no reason why we can't be unique," said Callahan. "We don't have to follow a cookie-cutter approach. The more you can tailor your incentives, the more successful you will be and these are the things we need to formalize as soon as possible."

Callahan said not every business wants to relocate within a CRA, which is why the economic development department is important to be able to provide incentives citywide.

Ward 3 Councilman Patrick Roff agreed, but said the city shouldn't "give away the store. We should start every conversation with a suitor that the city has invested tens of millions of dollars creating a sense of place where we are the most desirable place to live. You want to come here because this is the place to be."

Planning and Community Development Director Tim Polk said he receives calls daily, but most are "tire kickers."

Callahan said downtown Bradenton is a desirable place with a lot of interest, "but no one has taken us up on our downtown."

Mayor Wayne Poston said the city continues to be "at a competitive disadvantage because the state has not provided enough economic incentive dollars into it the way other states have."

The state dissolved its enterprise zone funds and while it implemented state tax credits to complement federal tax credits, the programs are highly competitive and offer little guarantees.

Mark Young, Herald urban affairs reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7041 or follow him on Twitter@urbanmark2014.

This story was originally published January 8, 2016 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Bradenton inches forward with CRA and economic development transition ."