Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-04-15It EN HILLS CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 4,2015 8:00 AM CITY HALL -- 1245 WEST HIGHWAY 96 CALL MEETING TO ORDER Chair Steve Heikki la called the meeting to order at 8:05 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Steve Heikkila and Commissioners Dan Altstatt and Ed von Holtum. Also Present: Council Liaison Robert Woodburn; Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher; Associate Planner Matthew Bachler; Jonathan Weinhagen, Vice President, St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce; Planning Commission Chair Roberta Thompson; and Planning Commissioner Clayton Zimmerman. 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA It was the consensus of the Commission to accept the agenda as presented. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES It was the consensus of the Commission to accept the October 1, 2014 and the December 3, 2014 meeting minutes as presented. 3. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. Business Retention and Expansion Associate Planner Bachler indicated that on January 26, 2015 the Economic Development Authority voted to approve a Business Retention and Expansion Service Proposal submitted by the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce (SPACC). He noted that the EDC previously reviewed this proposal at their meeting on October 1, 2014, and recommended approval of the proposal. Associate Planner Bachler explained that Jonathan Weinhagen, Vice President of SPACC, was in attendance to discuss the preliminary analysis completed by the Chamber of the Arden Hills Business community and to present a baseline business survey to the EDC for comments. EDC Minutes March 4, 2015 Page 2 of 5 Jonathan Weinhagen discussed the timeline for implementing the BRE program. He noted that SPACC would be engaging with stakeholders and organizing volunteers throughout the spring. The majority of business visits are scheduled to be completed from June through August. He explained that an analysis of the survey results would be completed in the fall and a final report would be presented to the City in December. Mr. Weinhagen requested feedback on the number of volunteers that should be recruited to participate in the business visits and on which members of the community should be included in this process. Clayton Zimmerman recommended that the Mounds View School District and property management companies within the City be engaged. He suggested that members of the Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee may be interested in volunteering as well. Chair Heikkila questioned whether there was an ideal cross-section of community members that should be represented in the volunteer group. Mr. Weinhagen indicated that ideally 16 to 20 volunteers would be recruited and that two volunteers would participate in each visit. He recommended that banking professionals and City Councilmembers be included in the volunteer group. He added that visits will be scheduled strategically to ensure that appropriate volunteers are visiting particular businesses in the City. Mr. Weinhagen discussed the difficulty of building a comprehensive list of businesses in the City of Arden Hills. He requested that the EDC and volunteers review the business list provided by SPACC and note any companies that were either missing or that were no longer in the City. Roberta Thompson noted that some businesses may operate in Arden Hills but have an address in an adjacent city, for example the University of Northwestern. Chair Heikkila questioned whether the business list could also include data on the length of time a company has been operating in Arden Hills. Mr. Weinhagen stated that this data would be included in an updated version of the business list. Commissioner Von Holtum questioned how the BRE program will help the City identify opportunities where businesses are looking to expand. Mr. Weinhagen commented that one of the main goals of the program will be to build stronger relationships between the City and the business community so that when a company is looking to expand their first call will be to City staff. Mr. Weinhagen provided an overview of the business survey and noted that a similar survey is used by Greater MSP and Grow Minnesota. He commented that additional training will be provided to the volunteer group before the first business visits. He requested that the EDC and EDC Minutes March 4, 2015 Page 3 of 5 volunteers review the draft survey and provide comments on questions that could be added which would be specific to Arden Hills. Mr. Weinhagen reviewed the data on the business community from 2014. He noted that the program will prioritize visiting companies within projected high growth industry sectors. Landmark businesses that have been in the City for an extended period of time will also be prioritized for volunteer visits. Commissioner Von Holtum commented that there is a sizeable med-tech cluster of businesses in the City and that it will be important that these companies are visited as part of the program. Mr. Weinhagen noted that many of the smaller med-tech businesses are in a significant growth stage and that these are exactly the types of companies that need to be engaged. Commissioner Von Holtum questioned how the volunteer visits will be coordinated and the expected duration of each visit. Mr. Weinhagen expected that the visits would be a maximum of 60 minutes in length. He noted that SPACC will be coordinating all of the business visits and that an online platform will be created to help organize the volunteers. Mr. Zimmerman asked if there was a certain management level at the businesses that would be targeted. Mr. Weinhagen commented that SPACC would be targeting senior level managers that have a broad understanding of the operations and projections of the company. Chair Heikkila requested information on the expected timeline for recruiting volunteers and beginning the business visits. Mr. Weinhagen commented that SPACC expects to have a refined survey and business inventory list for the April EDC meeting. He added that the volunteer group should be finalized by the end of April so that a training session could be held at the May EDC meeting for the business visits. B. Gateway Signs Community Development Director Hutmacher provided background information on the history and location of the City's existing gateway signs. She noted that the EDA has requested feedback from the EDC on the design and location of future gateway signs from a business perspective. Commissioner Von Holtum commented that the proposed sign location at Highway 96 and I- 35W should be prioritized, especially considering the future redevelopment of the TCAAP site. EDC Minutes March 4, 2015 Page 4 of 5 Commissioner Altstatt noted that the two existing gateway signs along County Road D have been very beneficial for the community. Chair Heikkila stated that the proposed gateway sign locations that are on the City's boundaries should be prioritized. He recommended that the EDA explore whether a gateway sign could be placed along Snelling Avenue closer to the southern boundary of the City. He added that the existing signs have a very professional design and have helped to brand the City. It was the consensus of the Commission that the proposed sign location at Highway 96 and I- 35W should be prioritized, and that the City should evaluate whether an appropriate location on Snelling Avenue near the southern boundary of the City can be found for an additional sign. C. Newsletter Assignments Community Development Director Hutmacher explained that in 2014 the Commissioners contributed several business-focused articles to the Arden Hills Notes. She noted that the Communications Committee has requested that the EDC submit similar articles in 2015. Chair Heikkila reviewed the list of potential newsletter topics for 2015 and requested that the Commissioners volunteer to write an article. He stated that he would write the article on the Road Lake/Highway 96 Bridge Improvements. Commissioner von Holtum volunteered to write the article on the County Road E/Snelling Avenue Bridge Improvements project. Commissioner Altstatt commented that he would tentatively volunteer to do the article on the Business Retention and Expansion Program. Chair Heikkila stated that since two Commissioners were not in attendance at the meeting, he would be assigning the City Video Tour article to Commissioner Radziej. 4. UPDATES A. TCAAP Update Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that the City Council reviewed the TCAAP Redevelopment Code (TRC) at a special Work Session on February 24, 2015. The City Council made final changes to the document and authorized staff to move forward with the "Fit Test"proposed by Ramsey County. Community Development Director Hutmacher explained that the fit test would look at what could be built based on current market demands and the requirements of the draft TRC. She noted a second component of the fit test would analyze what could be built that would meet the City Council's vision for the site, but that would need additional flexibility from the TRC. EDC Minutes March 4, 2015 Page 5 of 5 Community Development Director Hutmacher noted that initial findings from the fit test are scheduled to be presented to the Council on March 30, 2015. Commissioner Altstatt questioned how the TCAAP redevelopment plans have changed over the course of the last year. Community Development Director Hutmacher noted that the Spine Road had been realigned to create larger retail and office development parcels along the west side of the road adjacent to Highway 10 and I-35W. She added that greater definition on residential uses and density had been also been added to the TRC. Commissioner von Holtum questioned whether any transit projects would be developed in conjunction with the TCAAP redevelopment. Community Development Director Hutmacher discussed the potential extension of the Snelling Avenue Bus Rapid Transit"A Line"to the TCAAP site. She noted that Metro Transit is currently evaluating alternative routes for this service extension. B. Commission Members None. C. Council Liaison None. D. Staff Comments None. ADJOURNMENT S e Heikkila adjourned the meeting at 9:45 a.m. Steve Heikkila, Chair Jill tmacher Co munity Development Director