a é Department of Environmental Protection ‘Twin Towers Office Building 2600 Blair Stone Road David 8, Souhs Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400 Secretary February 2, 1999 Mr. John A. Kremski , Jr. Planning Director City of Fort Myers Planning Department P.O. Box 2217 Fort Myers, Florida 33902-2217 Subject: City of Fort Myers’ Targeted Brownfields Assessment Assistance Request Dear Mr. Kremski 1am pleased to inform you that the City of Fort Myers’ proposal for Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) assistance for the City’s wellfield property has been approved by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The TBA will be completed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Waste Cleanup and one of its Site Screening contractors during the calendar year 1999 under a Cooperative Agreement with the EPA. I will call you next week to discuss the schedule for the project. In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding the TBA assistance please call me at (850) 921-9997, Sincerely, of Vase KY MN, Hosefh K. McGarrity Environmental Specialis HII ip Bureau of Waste Cle ce: (Russell Eas ‘DEP-South District Roger Register, DEP Barbara Dick, EPA “Protect, Conserve and Manage Alrida’s Environment and Natural Reseurces Panted on recycled oper.: ® Department of e “ae Environmental Protection ‘Twin Towers Office Building Lawton Chiles 2600 Blair Stone Road Virginia B, Wetherall Governor Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400 Secretary January 7, 1999 Mr. John A. Kremski, Jr Planning Director Office of the Mayor City of Fort Myers P.O, Drawer 2217 Fort Myers, Florida 33902-2217 Subject: Targeted Brownfields Assessment Assistance Request Dear Mr. Kremski The Department has received your request for the Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) assistance. The City of Fort Myers’ proposal was one of four submitted by local ‘governments in response to our November 13, 1998 correspondence, The Department expects to complete its review of the four proposals and provide recommendations to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by mid January. Please note that the TBA proposals recommended by the Department for completion during the calendar year 1999 will require approval by the EPA. The Department anticipates approval of the recommended projects from the EPA by January 30, 1999, and will notify each applicant shortly thereafter. Proposals not selected for TBA assistance will be retained by the EPA for future consideration The City’s efforts in preparing the proposal are appreciated. If you have any questions, please contact me at (850) 921-9997 Sincerely, —— Lpansns Mf Cuchi fot. ZJoseph K. McGarity” Environmental Specialist IL Bureau of Waste Cleanup 7 VED ce: Barbara Dick, EPA RECEI Roger Register, DEP 9 Russell Eastenes,-DEP-South District JAN 11 88 DEP. - South District Protect, Conserve and Manage Florida’s Environment Resources” Prine an reed apesCity of Fort Myers ® 6 Planning Deparment Application for Assistance Florida Department of 2, come com BR ye ne cn ete om em iiwar Wi deknCemeCh wd eter ener E Targeted Brownfields Assessment ‘Submission Deadtine: December 21, 1998 RECEIVED _ JAN 22 1999 DEP. - South District3. Contact Person: John A. Kremski, Jr., Pla Department, P.O. Box 221 332-6604; E-Mail — jkre; 1g Director, City of Fort Myers Planning Fort Myers, FL 339802-2217. Tel. (941) 332-6781; FAX (941) cityftmyers.com Site/Project Location: The Wellfeld property is located in the City of Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida. Specifically, itis a 1,022 acre tract located between Colonial Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Site History and Current Status: Past and Current Uses: ‘The City of Fort Myers purchased the property in 1946. The proposed ‘wellfield redevelopment area consists of 1022 acres located at the southwest comer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (S.R. 82) and Ortiz Avenue, It extends south to Colonial Boulevard The property was acquired by the city in 1946, and has been historically used for various public purposes, including Sheriffs and Police gun ranges, municipal nursery, materials storage, public works center, golf courses, a minor league training facility, and municipal wellfield. Maps illustrating the site are shown on the following pages. ‘The City is currently installing wells into deeper aquifers for its municipal water supply, which will eliminate the need for the wellfield - the major use of this property. It is expected that the conversion will be complete by 2001 Reguitany sh ‘The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has the most extensive files regarding the Wellfield property. ‘This information dates from a violation inquiry dated April 17, 1991 regarding construction of roads and well head pads. The inquiry was upgraded into a Notice of Violation on April 29, 1991, estimating that three acres of wetlands had been impacted without appropriate permits. The city submitted a mitigation plan on December 12, 1991. SFWMD Permit #36-01140-S was issued on February 13, 1992, Several modifications (application numbers 940311-10 {3-24-93}, 940908-12 {9-28-94}) were made concerning the mitigation monitering schedules. A recent letter from the District to the City's consultants indicates that only two of the required mitigation areas — areas E and G — were successful, and the remaining mitigation requirements were to be met via utilization of the CREW off-site mitigation bank. There are no conservation easements or deed restrictions associated with these successful mitigation areas. Environmental Condition: The public works center lists unspecified contamination reported at the site, according to a study by Environmental Data Research, Inc, (prepared in March, 1998). In addition, there is possible perceived contamination at the City nursery from the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Past and Present Developer Interest: Since the City has had the property in municipal use for cover 50 years, private development and redevelopment has not been solicited in the past. The: City has leased portions of the property, most notably the Calusa Nature Center, which has operated a nature center on 105 acres of the wellfield property for over 20 years. Also, leases have been made with the Lee County Sheriff's Office and the Police Benevolent Association foruse of portions of the property as a gun range, There have also been general expressions of interest in the expansion of the Eastwood Golf Course, which is one of the most successful and highly-ranked public golf courses in the southern United States. In the presently undeveloped area of Westwood, which is located adjacent to the Eastwood Golf Course/wellfield property, private developers have-assembled property for a planned unit development of single family homes. There is stong interest in developing this section of the City of Fort Myers, due to its excellent location near I-75 and close to the commercial center of the City. Additionally, at the southern boundary of the wellfield property along the north side of Colonial Boulevard, tremendous potential exists for commercial development and job-creating activities. Due to the recent completion of the Midpoint. Memorial Bridge, Colonial Boulevard now links the communities of Lehigh Acres, Fort Myers, and Cape Coral, thus offering excellent development opportunities on a heavily traveled arterial bisecting the City of Fort Myers. ‘The northem portion of the wellfield property is located along Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (MLK), near the 1-75 interchange. The Florida Department of Transportation is in the process of widening MLK, which will make the northern wellfield segments an ideal location for well-planned industria/warehousing development. Working in concert with the Lee County Office of Economic Development and the State, significant financial incentives can be offered to attract clean industry to this location, creating jobs for the minority residents of the Dunbar community as well as residents throughout the City of Fort Myers and Lee County. Past and Current Ownership Status: = 6 pf the wielGiald peo nants fo that ide aleondey indore fall puthiie oumerchin since the City has owned the property for the last 53 years. Project Period: The City has a multi-year planned effort for the redevelopment of the wellfield, An outline of major tasks is shown below: ‘Task Target Date(s) Conduct screening & site assessments 1998-99 Conduct market research to attract prospective developers 1999 Prepare comprehensive redevelopment plan 1999 Adoption of Plan, establishment of tax increment financing district 2000 Advertise for developers 2000 Economic development conveyances to developers for job creation purposes 2001 Plan implementation 2001 to 2006 Assurance of Future Redevelopment of the Site: a. Control of Ownership: The City intends to maintain ownership of large segments of the wellficld property. Some of the existing uses are expected to remain, particularly the Eastwood Golf Course, minor league training facility, the Calusa Nature Center, and the Public Works Yard. Upon completion of the redevelopment plan, the remaining parcels may be sold to private developers who will-thendevelop their portions in accordance with the plan and a more detailed development agreement, which will specify exactly what the developer may do with the property, It is the City’s intention to solicit development proposals which will include cleanup of any contaminated portions of the property. 1b. Roles of Other Key Stakeholders: In addition to the City itself, other key stakeholders in the redevelopment of the wellfield property include the Dunbar community nearby, the private developers of both Westwood and Myers Park, which will benefit from improvement to the wellfield property. It is also expected that Lee County will benefit from the economic revitalization of the wellfield property in terms of taxes generated and jobs.created, Both the EPA and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection can be considered stakeholders in the improvement of the environmental quality of the wellfield property as well. ¢. Community Involvement: The Wellfield property has been,a subject of public discussion for many years. In the last few years since the City determined that the wellfield will be closed, the City Council has discussed the project at several public meetings. During the budget hearings for the current fiscal year, the City Council approved funding in the amount of $125,000 to conduct a market study for redevelopment of the property. The market study will include data collection on population and economic trends, residential, ofice, commercial, and industrial construction and absorption data, Moment Y foe Ha uraltfield neamatie haced an the: data and analysis, The City is also in the process of creating a Wellfield Re-use Committee to provide guidance and feedback during the planning process. Membership is anticipated to include: «The Chairman of the Economic Development Advisory Board(or designee) ‘© The Chairman of the Planning Board (or designee) © The Chairman of the Beautification Committee (or designee) * Two appointees with demonstrated skill and knowledge of large scale. Real Estate Development © Two appointees with demonstrated knowledge and familiarity with the surrounding community @. Cleanup funding sources: Although the market study will identify the primary funding sources, we expect the main source to be the private developers themselves. In addition, the City imtends to leverage dollars by applying for a Brownfields Economic Development Initiative grant once the developers are fed to the project, Future funding is anticipated to include tax increment financing also.e. Redevelopment Plans: ‘As stated earlier, the redevelopment planning process is just beginning for this project. The City intends to create a redevelopment district pursuant to Chapter 163, FS. The plan will include the establishment of a tax increment financing district. Below is the redevelopment process the City intends to follow: ‘Task 1: Task 2: ‘Lask 3: Task 4: ‘Wellfield Reuse Committee provide leadership and build consensus for reuse program provide expertise and local market knowledge to process Master Planning sot e eee e ec eee Existing Site Conditions Controlled Aerial Photography & Base Map Hydrology Phase I Environmental Audit Wildlife Soils Wetlands Title Existing Permits Utilities, Access and Transportation Surrounding Jand uses Conduct market research and markeling acuvities 10 aitract prospective property uses Forecast of demand by land use category (retail, residential, office & industrial) Evaluation of existing and plénned supply by land us¢ category Establishment of target market(s) Calculation of absorption rates, market penetration (capture) and price levels by land use category Identify property which is surplus to the City's needs that will be made available for reuse Prepare a comprehensive redevelopment plan and other essential reuse-related planning documents A statement of Goals and Objectives and an identification of needs An assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the regional economy and housing markets in which the reuse will occur Site analysis considering access and visibility, aesthetics, regulatory constraints, utilities A marketing strategy for attracting private sector tenants A determination of infrastructure requirements and how they are to be financed ‘A consensus and articulation of community goals, both short- and longer- term, particularly as they relate to housing, job creation and economic activity+ Anidentification of proposed land uses supportive of the community's goals and any specifically identified uses along with the intended conveyance method for achieving the reuse * An implementation strategy, including an identification of the organization needed to carry out the plan, phasing, proposed sources and uses of funiis, and conceptual permitting/rezoning Disposal Method Decision Making Retention for municipal use (recreation, public works, transportation, utilities) ‘Negotiated sales to public bodies for public purposes at the property's fair market value, with negotiable payment terms ©. Advertised public sales to private parties, with or without development compulsions * Economic development conveyances for job creation purposes, which may be at a discounted price or at fair market value, with negotiable payment terms © Parcel by Parcel Implementation f. Commitments in Place: ‘As noted earlier, the City has committed $125,000 in the FY 99 budget for preparatory studies related to the marketability of the property, In addition, continuing commitments from the leaseholders remain in place. + peneiuis: a. How site revitalization will spur further beneficial activity in nearby locations: Revitalization of the site will benefit the historically disadvantaged community of Dunbar to the largest extent. Creation of jobs in this area will be a significant boost to Dunbar, which-has the highest unemployment rate in the City of Fort Myers. It will additionally benefit proposed private development projects to the south, most notably two proposed developments in the Westwood area (one residential, one is mixed use-commercial and residential). It will also benefit the Myers Park redevelopment area to the south. 4, How site redevelopment will benefit the community: The entire City of Fort Myers will be benefited by the redevelopment of the Wellfield property. Jobs will be created, new residential and commiercial development will occur, and physical improvements will be made to the highly visible portions of the property which need revitalization. Environmental cleanup will also occur where needed, thus protecting the City from additional contamination. ¢. Whether a direct health/environmental threat will be mitigated: Although there have been no assessments conducted which show a direct health threat due to the environmental condition of the wellfield property, the possiblity indeed exists. The transfer of the wellfield to the deep acquifer water provision will eliminate a possible health threat due to contaminated drinking water.HARedeveopmentPan\WelllAEPA brownfield asexament ran application doeHARedevelopment PlanstWelieé'Scope of Series - Preliminary Development Stutydoce TOTAL PROPERTY=1022 aA¢ Eastwood Golf & Country Club 387 ACH/~ Lee County Nature Cente: 107 AC+/- | | |