---
date: 2022-02-28
title: URA Meeting Agenda Packet
source: 2022-02/2022-02-28_URA Meeting_Agenda Packet.pdf
pages: 1
---

STOCKBRIDGE
URBAN
REDEVELOPMENT
AGENCY
AGENDA
BOARD MEETING (VIA ZOOM)
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2022 6:00 P.M.
Board Members Administration
Anthony S. Ford - Chair Frederick Gardiner - City Manager
Alphonso Thomas – Vice Chair Vanessa Holiday – Secretary
Elton Alexander - Board Member Quinton Washington – City Attorney
Yolanda Barber - Board Member Jeremy T. Berry – City Attorney
John Blount - Board Member
LaKeisha Gantt - Board Member

I. Zoom Meeting Information
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86888172720

II. Call to Order

III. Invocation

IV. Pledge of Allegiance

V. Roll Call

VI. Motion to adopt the Agenda

VII. Motion to approve the Minutes of March 22, 2021

1. Executive Session - Discuss or vote to authorize negotiations to purchase,
dispose of or lease property. O.C.G.A. 50-14-3(b)(1)(B)

Adjourn

4640 North Henry Blvd. Stockbridge, GA 30281 770-389-7900 www.cityofstockbridge.com
STOCKBRIDGE
URBAN
REDEVELOPMENT
AGENCY
MINUTES
BOARD MEETING (VIA ZOOM)
MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 4:00 P.M.
Board Members Administration
Anthony S. Ford - Chair Randy Knighton-City Manager
Alphonso Thomas - Vice-Chair Vanessa Holiday-Secretary
Elton Alexander - Board Member Quinton Washington-City Attorney
Yolanda Barber - Board Member Jeremy Berry-City Attorney
John Blount - Board Member
LaKeisha Gantt - Board Member
The meeting was called to order by Chair Ford.

Invocation by Chair Ford

Pledge of Allegiance in unison

Secretary, Vanessa Holiday was asked for a roll call of the board; all members were
present.

Board Member Alexander motioned to adopt the Agenda; second by Board Member
Gantt. The motion passed 5-0.

New Business
1. Authorizing the URA to Transfer Amphitheater Parcels to the Public
Facilities Authority
Presented by City Attorney Quinton Washington and Jeremy Berry

Former City Attorney, Michael Williams noted he had spoken with the city’s current City
Attorney this morning and was asked to brief the Board on today’s actions. Mr. Williams
noted that as the August 2020 Minutes reflect, the Board was briefed on some level and
today’s action would be a continuation of the URA (Urban Redevelopment Agency)
meeting of August 2020 where the parcels in question are titled in the name of the URA
and are in the Amphitheater footprint and need to be deeded over to the PFA (Public
Facilities Authority) for purposes of being leased back to the City. Mr. Williams noted the
engineers have finally prepared the drawings for the corner piece of property has that
been carved out and the quit claim deeds have been prepared to deed that property
over to the Public Facilities Authority, noting it is not his place to recommend approval,
but if it were, he would recommend approval.
Chair Ford asked for the maps to be viewed to show the property being discussed.
Board Member Barber asked why the URA was not used as a mechanism to bond the
Amphitheater in the same manner as was done for bonding the construction of City Hall
and asked that any of the attorneys on the call to please explain.

Mr. Williams noted this was discussed at the August 2020 meeting as well in terms of
the difference of powers between the URA and PFA, noting when the city went to the
General Assembly to create the PFA, one of the purposes was for the PFA to have
maximize flexibility to assist the city or any governmental agency with financing to
advance any public facility within the city’s jurisdiction with very few impediments; noting
the difference between that and the URA was created pursuant to State’s Urban
Redevelopment Law where in order to exercise redevelopment powers within a
specified area, as is done with the Downtown Development Authority, you are required
to designate an area and with the URA it has to be an area of blighted properties with
the area in need of redevelopment. Mr. Williams noted that is what the city did in 2005-
2006 for City Hall and you must also create an Urban Redevelopment Plan and specify
what you plan and intend to do for the specified area, which must be submitted to the
public for public comment as a prerequisite for exercising any powers within that
designated and pursuant to that plan, and once you have done all of that you can go
move forward with financing various projects.

Mr. Williams noted that in theory that could have been done for the Amphitheater
project, and as it relates to the Cultural Art Center, the city would have had to designate
that as a blighted area, adopt a Redevelopment Plan for that area, submit to the public
for public comment, likewise or the Police Department building with its future rehab. Mr.
Williams noted the hardest part would be for the trails, noting any area where the trails
will run will need to be designated as blighted areas, development a plan for those
areas and have a have a hearing with public comment, noting it is a cumbersome, but
not overly cumbersome process, as is why the City of Stockbridge at the time did what a
number of other cities were doing by going to the General Assembly and created the
Public Facilities Authorities with wider and more flexible powers.

Chair Ford thanked Mr. Williams for the detailed explanation and asked Board member
Barber her question was answered.

Board Member Barber noted she remained confused on why the URA was not the
mechanism used for the Amphitheater in the same manner as City Hall.

Vice-Chair Thomas noted the term blighted that was referenced by Mr. Williams and
asked how the term relates to development in these areas.

Mr. Williams noted blighted is a term used in the Code for urban redevelopment areas,
and it has changed, whereas it used to be slum areas, now the term is blighted areas,
but it is essentially the same thing that in order to exercise urban redevelopment
powers, you have to declare those areas as blighted.

Vice-Chair Thomas thanked Mr. Williams for the explanation, noting he needed an
understanding of how and when you can develop under those conditions in a particular
area using the term blighted.
Mr. Williams noted the term blighted can be in the eye of the beholder and in this case,
the City Council is the beholder, and to declare an area blighted, the area must equal
that and/or be in serious need of development. Mr. Williams noted in response to Board
Member Barber’s question regarding the use of the URA for the Amphitheater, the
answer would be yes, but as it relates to the Cultural Arts Center, you would have been
required to declare that area as blighted.

Attorney Washington presented the map and referenced Tract 1.
Mr. Williams noted Tract 1 is the tract the engineers needed to draw to part of the Quit
Claim Deed.

Attorney Washington referenced Tract 2, 3 and 4 on the map which are currently part of
the Amphitheater footprint and will be part of the Quit Claim Deed.

Board Member Barber asked if the new road is included.

Mr. Williams stated once the project is completed, the new road would need to be
dedicated and named and become a city road.

Board Member Alexander as why can’t this all be done now, and not have to come back
for another meeting.

Mr. Williams noted you can authorize that prospectively, however, the final boundary
survey and map has not been completed by combining the parcels into one tract and
the road as one parcel (combination of plats) to be approved by the Planning
Commission.

Board Member Alexander motioned to approve the transfer of Tracts 1, 2, 3 and 4 as it
related to the Amphitheater from the Urban Redevelopment Agency to the Public
Facilities Authority; second by Board member Gantt. The motion passed 5-0.

Vice-Chair Thomas asked if the term blighted is associated with an area if CDBG funds
could be used in that area.

Mr. Williams noted the final determination of the term blighted does not come from the
city noting other factors such as income, conditions of the area and other factors would
need to be determined.

Board Member Gantt motioned to adjourn; second by Board Member Blount. The
motion passed 5-0.

Respectfully submitted by:

Vanessa Holiday, URA Secretary Anthony S. Ford, Board Chair
