Issues and Analysis. All City payments would be “performance based”. This means that ALP East, LLC would not receive any payments from the City until after the project construction is complete; the existing building facades’ architectural elements have been restored and integrated into the project; and requisite occupancy of commercial, office and retail spaces has been met. Before any city payments are made, the incremental property tax revenue generation will be realized by the City. In other words, public dollars would follow private performance and investment. A Durham-Based Business Plan and Durham Workforce Development Plan would also be required for the project. These plans would stipulate that ALP East, LLC and/or its general contractor would make good faith efforts to engage Durham-based firms, including small and disadvantaged business enterprises (SDBE’s) in the construction work that is done relative to the project and that ALP East, LLC would engage the Durham Career Center System in efforts to hire temporary and permanent staff related to the project. In addition, relationships have been formed with North Carolina Central University, Durham Technical Community College and other entities in the area that provide hospitality and customer service training. Staff is proposing a $3,973,095.00 incentive to be paid over a 15 year period beginning after the buildings are completed No payments to ALP East, LLC would be made prior to completion and evidence that the project has included the restoration of specific architectural elements of the front and side facades of the historic adjacent buildings. Verification of the stated capital investment amounts would also take place prior to payments being made. Finally, in order to ensure that the new, anticipated jobs are maintained, the commercial, office and retails spaces would be required to maintain a minimum percentage occupancy and the hotel would be required to operate continuously to remain eligible for each annual payment made under the agreement. An interdepartmental team of City staff members have reviewed the developer’s development budgets for both the City Center Building and the rehabilitation of the Jack Tar property. Team members sought to evaluate and validate the reasonableness of certain elements of the project costs. More specifically, the team analyzed costs relative to the rehabilitation of the parking garage, the IRR (internal rate of return), and the construction costs associated with the City Center B...
Issues and Analysis. A Bench and Pilot Testing Study (“Study”) is necessary for the project. The Study will replicate the water treatment process on a small scale, allowing comparison of different treatment technologies. CDM staff, DWM staff, and HDR staff have explored many options for conducting the Study which must be conducted using water from Jordan Lake. Options included installing temporary facilities at the Chatham County WTF, installing temporary facilities at the Vista Point State Park, and using facilities at the Xxxx/Apex Water Treatment Facility (“CAWTF”). The most cost-effective option is to enter into an agreement with the Town of Xxxx to make use of facilities at the CAWTF for conducting the Study at a cost to the City of $8,000, plus an additional $1,000 for contingency, for a total cost of $9,000.
Issues and Analysis. Starting in April 2023, the Executive Fellow will develop relationships with critical project stakeholders, including the City Manager’s Office, the City Council, the Solid Waste Management Department, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), community organizations, the private sector, and members of the public. The Executive Fellow will gain an understanding of the needs and constraints of all stakeholders, while also reviewing and evaluating best practices and promising models from local governments that have developed Ecoparks (e.g., Kent County in Michigan and Prince William County in Virginia) and other equitable, asset-based approaches to waste management. Next, the Executive Fellow will compile and analyze quantitative and qualitative data from a number of sources to outline a design of an Ecopark that is well-suited for the City’s resources, goals, opportunities, and constraints. The Executive Fellow will work to secure feedback and buy-in from key stakeholders for the proposed system. Once approved, the Executive Fellow will then provide planning support to advance the build out of the Ecopark (e.g., implementation plan, funding plan, management framework, and community engagement strategy) that centers on accessibility and that can build a circular economy in the City. Finally, the Executive Fellow will support the development of communications necessary to advance initial implementation of the Ecopark. This could include a city-wide education campaign to demonstrate how the Ecopark will function and to build support for the new waste management solution. By April 2024, the Executive Fellow will have accomplished the following: ● Engage Stakeholders – Develop relationships with key stakeholders in the City, non- profits, and the private sector to understand the resources, constraints, partnership opportunities, potential threats, and gaps affecting this work; connect with the community to determine access and equity issues within the current system ● Explore and Analyze Models – Based on listening tour feedback, explore potential models for waste management that align with the City’s needs and its green and equitable infrastructure goals; conduct research and a literature review of approaches that cities nationally have successfully adopted, particularly the use of Ecoparks as a means of diverting materials from landfills and creating positive assets in the community ● Advance the Design and Implementation of an Ecopark – An...
Issues and Analysis. The bridge will be replaced with a culvert. The culvert will accommodate two 11-foot vehicle lanes, two 4-foot bicycle lanes, guardrails, and 5-foot sidewalks behind the guardrails on both sides. There will be handrails on the side of the sidewalks next to the creek. The sidewalks will connect to the existing sidewalks on the northeast, northwest, and southwest approaches. On the southeast approach the sidewalk will end at the driveway to the Church of the Abiding Savior. Since the bridge is being replaced with a culvert, NCDOT staff has said that the NCDOT Bridge Policy does not apply. The NCDOT Bridge Policy says that when a sidewalk is justified, sidewalks will be provided on bridges at no cost to the municipality. Instead, NCDOT staff has said that the NCDOT Pedestrian Policy Guidelines apply which requires that NCDOT and the City share the costs of installing sidewalks 50 percent each. Existing sidewalk is to be replaced at no cost to the municipality. The estimated cost of the new sidewalk is $12,860 and the handrail is $11,000. Under the Pedestrian Policy Guidelines, the municipality would be required to contribute half of the total, or $11,930. For simplicity, NCDOT has asked that the City pay for the full cost of the handrail only, or $11,000. In addition, as routinely required with NCDOT projects, the municipality also must agree to maintain the sidewalk and handrail.
Issues and Analysis. This agreement represents a non-traditional use of City Dedicated Housing Funds, and reflects an effort by the City and community partners to develop new tools to address the challenges facing neighborhoods like Lakewood where rising property values impact the continued availability of affordable residential options. By providing funding in return for a requirement to develop affordable housing in the future, the City is helping to ensure affordable housing development opportunities in a neighborhood that is experiencing rapid economic growth. It is important to note that the City’s current funding commitment is intended to secure property for future affordable housing development. The actual development of affordable units is expected to require additional subsidy, at least some of which may need to come from the City. The City has been clear in its communication with SE that the current LOI does not represent a commitment of future City funds for the construction of the affordable units. If additional City funding is required in the future, SE would need to apply for funding through CDD’s regular application processes.
Issues and Analysis. The City of Durham has had no formal study of the Equal Business Opportunity Program since its inception in 2003. While it is a best practice for a program study to be performed every three to five years, the City’s program was last studied ten years ago and is due to be studied. Funding has been a challenge to conducting a study in the past. This arrangement for a joint Disparity Study by both the City and County offers a cost-effective means to evaluate the programs of both entities.
Issues and Analysis. The original scope of the Durham County Human Services Facility project included milling a portion of the existing asphalt, building new curb and gutter, installing a 2.5-inch asphalt overlay on sections of Queen Street and Xxxxxxx Street, utility patch work on Main Street, and milling and overlay of Xxxxxxx Street. During construction, City staff determined that the existing pavement sections of Queen and Xxxxxxx Streets, including the sub-grade and the asphalt layers, were inadequate and did not meet City standards. The repairs required to bring these sections of Queen and Xxxxxxx Street to City standards require more than the 2.5-inch asphalt overlay proposed in the approved construction drawings for the County project. It was also determined that the Main Street utility patching would not be adequate to fully address this section of Main Street and a full 2.5” mill and overlay is necessary instead. Xxxxxxx Street has remained in good condition throughout the County’s construction project and it has been determined that a 1.5” mill and overlay is adequate for this street as opposed to the approved 2.5” mill and overlay. Public Works produced a cost estimate (based upon current contractor costs) for cost to the City if the City contracted to make the needed repairs to Queen Street, Xxxxxxx Streets, and Main Streets. This estimate is $149,228.00. If instead the City enters into this agreement with the County and the County’s contractor performs the work the improvements can be made and the City’s cost to have these improvements made will be up to $83,000.00, for a cost savings to the City of $66,228.00. The additional street repair work would include the entire section of Queen Street, approximately half of Xxxxxxx Street, and a mill and overlay of one lane of Main Street adjacent to the Durham County project.
Issues and Analysis. The Durham SRTS programs will use a variety of education and enforcement strategies that help make routes safer for children to walk and bicycle to school, and encouragement strategies to entice more children to walk and bike, as follows:
Issues and Analysis. The proposed agreement with the Durham Symphony aligns with the City Council’s commitment to supporting and expanding arts and cultural programming in Durham. Durham Symphony has experienced challenges retaining and recruiting talent in light of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation. In FY24, the City of Durham’s proposed contract funding will allow the Durham Symphony to expand the number of services per season from 18 during the 2023 season to 28 services during the 2024 season. With a single service defined as one rehearsal (2.5 hours) and one performance (1 to 3 hours), adding 10 additional services during the 2024 season, will offer musicians more opportunities to perform and earn more compensation.
Issues and Analysis. The opportunity to improve the facility’s amenities and further the development of the adjacent property will be a benefit to the City. The opportunity to add the women’s restrooms and President’s Club amenities in conjunction with the proposed private development have been evaluated and both financially and functionally a wise addition to the DPAC facility. Additionally, the expansion of restrooms and the president’s club will help the facility keep pace with competition, increase sales, open new revenue streams and add and retain clients and corporate sponsors.
