TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: Peter D. Lear, CPA, CGMA, City Manager
TITLE: Discussion and direction for the purchase of property for the Utilities Administration and Warehouse Facility
Recommended Action
Provide direction to move forward on the negotiation to purchase the first ranked property for the Utilities Administration and Warehouse Facility. If negotiations fail, recommend moving to negotiate with the second ranked property.
Background Information
Commission approved Agreement No. 2018-40 with Stantec Inc. on October 9, 2018 for site selection and design services for the Utilities Administration and Warehouse Facilities.
Utilities first meeting regarding the site selection with Stantec took place on December 7, 2018. During the meeting the consultant and staff discussed potential properties that met the required zoning criteria for the new building. Additional site characteristics were reviewed and discussed as to importance and priority. This discussion identified size of the property, FEMA flood zone X, wetlands, ease of access and proximity to school zones for field vehicles, distance from our highest concentration of customers, and the availability of water and sewer as the criteria identified as top priorities.
There was a follow up meeting with the consultant on December 21, 2018. Out of 107 previously identified properties, 95 had been eliminated based on not meeting the criteria identified by staff as high priority. The 12 remaining properties have been further evaluated for ranking and recommendation including zoning compatibility and wetland / endangered wildlife species assessment.
A review meeting was held with the City Manager, Utilities staff, and the consultant on January 30, 2019 to review the rankings of the remaining 12 properties. Properties 43 and 107 were identified as the top-ranking properties which meet all the criteria for the Utilities Administration and Warehouse Facilities and further research was conducted.
A meeting was held with the City Manager, Assistant City Manager and staff to further evaluate the top two parcels based on the criteria above. At the conclusion of the meeting, all parties agreed that parcel 107 was the best option that met all the necessary criteria as well as being able to serve the build out projections for the Utilities department.
Strategic Plan
Develop and promote City governance that fosters trust and utilizes departmental strengths and innovative philosophies to facilitate effective and efficient provisions of all City services.
Financial Impact
Funding for the purchase price of the land is available in project U18UAB.
Procurement
Vendor Information:
Stantec Inc. 5172 Station Way Sarasota, FL 34233
Attachments:
1. Stantec Site Selection Report
2. Report to the City Commission
Prepared by: Michelle Tipp
Department Director: Richard Newkirk