04-23-25 EDC Agenda Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – FEBRUARY 26, 2025 5 was a way to indicate “This is Arden Hills” along Lexington, that would be great. If Shoreview wanted to do a similar thing on their side of Lexington, so be it. She agrees that stretch of road used to have a community feel. Commissioner Brausen said we have to grasp that Arden Hills is a small community. Instead of trying to be like Shoreview, we need to accept our small-town feel. Commissioner Poelzer asked if the Commissioner’s affiliation with the EDC is as a resident or as a business owner. Discussion ensued regarding where Commissioners’ businesses are located in town. Senior Planner Fransen provided the results from the survey. The collected results consisted of 21 respondents. The original 6 lists contained about thirty businesses each, for a total of 180 businesses attempting to be contacted. Senior Planner Fransen said there was an open-ended question that asked what resources or forms of support would help the business succeed. Some responses included knowing more about local resources, help publicizing brand/business awareness, better signage and keeping Lexington open. Senior Planner Fransen said businesses were asked where they get their city information. The Arden Hills Notes newsletter was referenced as a resource businesses use. Commissioner Daniels asked what kind of improvements businesses wanted in regards to signage. Commissioner Brausen said he was assigned a warehouse area. Some of their signage wasn’t controlled by the City. Chair Murchiesaid signage for the business, not the City. Commissioner Brausen confirmed. Senior Planner Fransen said many of those buildings are multi-tenant. She thought directional signage for truck traffic may be what those businesses were talking about. Commissioner Poelzer asked if there is a master list for all of the businesses in the city. Senior Planner Fransen said the City has a business license process. Businesses are asked to provide their contact information, along with current insurance. There are some gaps in participation. It doesn’t always give a local contact, if the business is a franchise or has headquarters elsewhere. Commissioner Poelzer asked if anyone has verified that all of the businesses receive our newsletter. Senior Planner Fransen thought that was tracked. The newsletters are mailed to addresses, based on County information. There are challenges with that in multi-tenant buildings.