The Pine Bluff Urban Renewal Agency (URA) held its monthly meeting Tuesday to discuss and provide action on a few items on its agenda.
The first two items on the agenda discussed the regular board minutes for their February meeting and the financial statement for December 2022 which were both approved without contest.
The Executive Director Chandra Griffin of URA introduced the next item that needed action on their agenda involving a development agreement in relation to housing to the commissioners. The agreement was a contract for lease to sale and development of multi-family housing units southside facing sixth street between Georgia and Convention Center Drive in Pine Bluff to Pines 1 Development, LLC.
Griffin explained that she wanted the contract approved by the commissioners with the precaution to change the language of one of the sections that breakdown the contract. The commissioners agreed to table the action until the language is updated and move forward with action in a special called meeting later this month.
The next action item on the agenda was for the 6th and Main St. Plaza project with Nabholz Construction Company to provide renovation of an existing warehouse, renovation of an existing bank building, micro markets, and construction materials for the project. The budget amounted to $6,713,416.00 and cannot exceed that total.
Griffin further elaborated on that with the commissioners.
That item was approved by the commissioners to move forward with that budget for the 6th and Main st. Plaza construction.
During Griffin’s executive report, she announced an update on the city council’s approval for URA to work outside of their designated URA area and she further explained where they are with that approval.
She also announced that the City Council approved a resolution in reference to a partnership between URA and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff art majors.
Griffin proposed that those students will be compensated with a stipend out of the $30,000 already budgeted for the partnership with UAPB. The commissioners approved the work to be completed and the students’ stipends without contest.
In reference to demolitions, Griffin stated that they are on schedule for the year including planning to complete the demolition of 2100 E Harding instead of renovating what is left of the property for the development of the Go-kart track. She added that a new design is underway for the Go-Kart Track to move forward with the project.
