CC 02/24/2021 Minutes (Pre-Planning Budget Workshop)

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CASSELBERRY CITY COMMISSION Minutes of February 24, 2021 — Pre -Budget Planning Workshop Page 7 of 9 The appraisers had different views on the level of intensity the property could support and so they calve to very different places as to appraised value. One appraised the property $1,050,000. The other $1,505,000. With the advice of a consultant it was decided to present an offer of $1,200,000. A letter of intent was presented in April 2020. It proposed to pay $500,000 at closing and $700,000 over time. It was not accepted by the seller. The State of Florida declared a state of health emergency. Stay at home orders were released. The country entered recession. Negotiations were suspended. - Should the City acquire Brightwater, the working plan was to improve the house and property and program it to be a passive park that would host weddings and other special events. - Until resources become available for the improvements, the City would "bank" the land and do what is needed to secure and preserve the house, so it doesn't fall further into disrepair. - There are many special event venues like this in Central Florida. The one that most illustrates the potential of the Brightwater property is Cypress Grove. Cypress Grove is part of the Orange County Parks System. - Cypress Grove is centered around a historic home on a lake. It is beautifully landscaped and programs most events outside. Mr. Newlon stated he was requesting guidance from the City Commission as to whether staff should reengage in negotiations to purchase the Brightwater Estate. Discussion: Discussion ensued regarding the feasibility of purchasing the property, which included: historic value of the property; the fact that opportunities to obtain additional parks property is rare; the fairness of the City's previous offer; whether the property and home would be an asset to the City; potential uses for the property, including an event center; potential cost of developing the home and property into an event center; other potential development should the property be developed by other than the City; preference that the property not be developed into single-family or multi -family housing; City's financial situation; and revenue potential. Commissioner Meadows was not in favor of developing the property into an event center, as he felt it was not a use that would most benefit the City's residents; however, he felt the offer the City had previously made was fair. He added that he felt it should be up to the owner to approach the City if there was an interest, but the City should not offer more than before. He also expressed concerns that an event center may lose money for the City rather- than provide a good cash flow. Mayor Henson also agreed that the offer made previously should stand, as he felt it was generous and it should be up to the owner to accept that offer or seek other options. Vice Mayor Busch and Commissioner Albritton also expressed that they felt it was worth pursuing as it could be a potential asset for the City but felt the offer should not be increased from what was previously offered. Commissioner Meadows added that purchase of the golf course had made more sense as many more residents were positively affected by that than would be by an event center. Commissioner Aramendia felt it was a unique opportunity for the community and felt that the inquiries he had heard about whether the City was going to purchase the property was a positive. He felt the historic benefit and the fact that the City does not currently have an event center were good incentives for the purchase, but he felt the City should do its due diligence to find out the cost of running an event center. Mr. Newlon stated that was his feeling also, that the owners were conflicted in what they wished to do with the property and wished to maintain some type of control over how the property was developed. He felt the City should communicate with them to let them know that the previous offer was still in place, and that if the City did purchase the property it would be with no strings attached.