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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-01-16 EDCCall To Order Approval Of The Agenda Minutes Approval Of Minutes 05 -04 -16 EDC MINUTES.PDF Unfinished And New Business State Of The City MEMO.PDF Business Retention And Expansion Program MEMO.PDF, ATTACHMENTS.PDF Updates Rice Creek Commons (TCAAP) Update Commission Members Council Liaison Staff Comments Adjourn ADJOURN A quorum of the City Council may be present at this meeting. Chair: Dan Erickson Commissioners: Ed Von Holtum Kyle Lassen  Liz Johnson David Radziej Vacant Vacant Vacant Vacant Council Liaison: Brenda Holden Economic Development Commission June 1, 2016 8:00 am to 9:30 am City Hall Address: 1245 W Highway 96 Arden Hills MN 55112 Phone: 651 -792 -7800 Website : www.cityofardenhills.org City Vision Arden Hills is a strong community that values its unique environmental setting, strong residential neighborhoods, vital business community, well -maintained infrastructure, fiscal soundness, and our long -standing tradition as a desirable City in which to live, work, and play. Agenda CALL TO ORDER 1. 2. 3. 3.A. Documents: 4. 4.A. Documents: 4.B. Documents: 5. 5.A. 5.B. 5.C. 5.D. 6. Call To OrderApproval Of The AgendaMinutesApproval Of Minutes05-04 -16 EDC MINUTES.PDFUnfinished And New BusinessState Of The CityMEMO.PDFBusiness Retention And Expansion ProgramMEMO.PDF, ATTACHMENTS.PDFUpdates Rice Creek Commons (TCAAP) Update Commission Members Council Liaison Staff Comments Adjourn ADJOURN A quorum of the City Council may be present at this meeting. Chair:Dan Erickson Commissioners:Ed Von HoltumKyle Lassen Liz JohnsonDavid RadziejVacantVacantVacantVacantCouncil Liaison:Brenda Holden Economic Development Commission June 1, 2016 8:00 am to 9:30 am City Hall Address:1245 W Highway 96 Arden Hills MN 55112 Phone:651 -792 -7800 Website : www.cityofardenhills.org City VisionArden Hills is a strong community that values its unique environmental setting, strong residential neighborhoods, vital business community, well -maintained infrastructure, fiscal soundness, and our long -standing tradition as a desirable City in which to live, work, and play. AgendaCALL TO ORDER1.2.3.3.A.Documents:4.4.A.Documents:4.B.Documents:5. 5.A. 5.B. 5.C. 5.D. 6. CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MAY 4, 2016 8:00 AM CITY HALL -- 1245 WEST HIGHWAY 96 CALL MEETING TO ORDER Chair Erickson called the meeting to order at 8:05 am ROLL CALL Present: Chair Dan Erickson and Commissioners Kyle Lassen and Liz Johnson Also Present: Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher; Senior Planner Matthew Bachler; and Council Liaison Brenda Holden 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 March 2, 2016 meeting minutes as presented. 3. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Senior Planner Bachler noted that the EDC reviewed the BRE Program Report from the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce (SPACC) at their meeting on March 2 and provided staff with recommendations on priority projects. Staff and SPACC drafted an implementation plan for three projects based on this feedback and presented the plan to the EDA at their meeting on March 28. The EDA supported the proposed projects and implementation plan. Senior Planner Bachler indicated the first priority project was to develop a system to maintain the City’s efforts to build relationships with businesses. He explained this would include identifying an objective for business visits each year, setting a goal for the number of businesses to visit, and completing a year-end report. EDC Minutes May 4, 2016 Page 2 of 4 Senior Planner Bachler noted that for 2016, staff recommended to the EDA that the City focus on visiting businesses in the Red Fox-Grey Fox Business District due to transportation issues, new businesses in the Red Fox Business Center, and recent business turnover in the area. He then provided further details on the next steps for this priority project. Commissioner Lassen asked how the City would use the information from the business visits. Senior Planner Bachler noted that feedback from businesses could help inform discussions around traffic issues along the Lexington Avenue corridor and future land use plans for this area of the City. Community Development Director Hutmacher noted that the Planning Commission’s 2016 work plan included looking specifically at the B-4 District and whether the current purpose and allowed uses in this district is consistent with the City’s long-term vision for the area. Commissioner Johnson commented on the importance of meeting with existing businesses in the area to understand what issues they face and how the City can help address any concerns. The Commission supported the staff recommendation to focus on the Red Fox-Grey Fox Business District and the proposed next steps for this project. Senior Planner Bachler explained that the second priority project was to convene a roundtable of commercial real estate brokers in Arden Hills in order to gather information on local market dynamics. He noted that SPACC expressed a willingness to organize the roundtable discussion. Staff would provide a summary report to the EDC and EDA. Commissioner Lassen questioned what the amount of commercial real estate volume was in Arden Hills on an annual basis in terms of leasing. Senior Planner Bachler stated that he did not have information on these figures. Community Development Director Hutmacher noted that a majority of the retail, office, and industrial properties in the City are leased by only a handful of brokerage companies. The Commission was supportive of proceeding with this priority project. Senior Planner Bachler explained that the final priority project was to explore the City’s role in workforce development. He noted that this would involve researching resources that are currently available through Ramsey County, the State, and other entities, and beginning to build relationships with local community colleges and Mounds View Public Schools. The Commission was supportive of proceeding with this priority project. B. State of the City Community Development Director Hutmacher explained that a State of the City event has been held in four of the previous five years. She noted that in the past two years, two events have been EDC Minutes May 4, 2016 Page 3 of 4 held: one that is targeted to local businesses and the other to residents. She added that attendance in 2015 was less than in previous years. Community Development Director Hutmacher reviewed the following options for a 2016 State of the City event and requested feedback from the Commissioners: • Hold the event as it has been for the last two years • Hold the event but change the presentation topics • Hold community meetings (day and evening events) to introduce the community to the TCAAP master developer and provide updates on development plans, but do not market the meetings as State of the City • Other options suggested by the EDC Commissioner Johnson commented on the difficulty of getting younger residents to attend the State of the City. A discussion ensued regarding how to make the State of the City event more appealing to younger residents. Community Development Director Hutmacher noted that different demographic groups have different expectations for the format of a meeting. Chair Erickson supported the idea of incorporating an introduction to the TCAAP Master Developer into the event. Council Liaison Holden questioned what types of information could be provided at the event that would be helpful for businesses. Chair Erickson noted that transportation issues were always relevant to businesses. He suggested that the City market the event as a networking opportunity and that a larger local company, such as Land O’Lakes, be asked to provide a keynote presentation. Community Development Director Hutmacher suggested that the City ask Land O’Lakes, Boston Scientific, the TCAAP Master Developer, and MNDOT to each provide a 15-minute presentation. Commissioner Lassen recommended that the event be filmed and the video made available online. A discussion ensued regarding where and when the business-focused State of the City event should be held. The Commission supported holding the event at Flaherty’s Arden Bowl and scheduling the event in September. 4. UPDATES A. Rice Creek Commons (TCAAP) Update EDC Minutes May 4, 2016 Page 4 of 4 Community Development Director Hutmacher noted that the Joint Development Authority selected Alatus, LLC as the TCAAP Master Developer at their meeting on May 2. She commented that Alatus was selected because of their emphasis on the town center component of the development and their ability to bring in a variety of quality housing types. B. Commission Members None. C. Council Liaison None. D. Staff Comments None. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:57 a.m. __________________________ __________________________ _ Dan Erickson, Chair Jill Hutmacher Community Development Director City of Arden Hills Economic Development Commission, June 1, 2016 Page 1 of 2 MEMORANDUM DATE: June 1, 2016 EDC Agenda Item 4.A TO: Economic Development Commission Chair and Commissioners FROM: Matthew Bachler, Senior Planner SUBJECT: State of the City The City Council discussed the 2016 State of the City events at their Work Session on May 16, 2016. The City Council supported the recommendation from the EDC that the business-focused event include short presentations by Land O’Lakes, Boston Scientific, the TCAAP Master Developer, and MnDOT, and that time be included for professional networking. Staff will be contacting the different presenters to schedule the event in September on one of the dates listed below. The event will be held at Flaherty’s Arden Bowl at 7:30 a.m. • Wednesday, September 14 • Thursday, September 22 • Wednesday, September 28 • Thursday, September 29 The resident-focused event will have an open house format and focus on the TCAAP redevelopment project and other items of interest within the City. Staff will work with the TCAAP Master Developer team on scheduling this event for an evening in August or September. The following advertising and promotion methods were used last year, and staff recommends a similar communication strategy this year: • News item on the City’s homepage and business news page • Regular promotion on City’s social media sites (Facebook and Twitter) • Advertisements in Shoreview-Arden Hills Bulletin (2) • Citywide postcard mailing • City newsletter announcements • Email invitation to businesses and stakeholder list • Postcard delivery to local businesses by EDC members • City Council meeting announcements • News item on the Cable Bulletin City of Arden Hills Economic Development Commission, June 1, 2016 Page 2 of 2 Chair Erickson has also recommended that the City consider using a reservation system for the business event through an online platform, such as Eventbrite. This would help create a stronger sense of commitment for attending the event and would have the benefit of sending out automatic reminders to those who have signed up. Staff will work on setting up this system in coordination with its advertising and promotion efforts. Discussion Questions: 1. Does the EDC support the staff recommendation for advertising and promotion? Does the EDC have additional suggestions? 2. What topics would the EDC recommended that staff request Land O’Lakes and Boston Scientific to present on? 3. Does the EDC have suggestions regarding the format of the event? City of Arden Hills Economic Development Commission, June 1, 2016 Page 1 of 1 MEMORANDUM DATE: June 1, 2016 EDC Agenda Item 4.B TO: Economic Development Commission Chair and Commissioners FROM: Matthew Bachler, Senior Planner SUBJECT: Business Retention and Expansion Program The EDC discussed its goals for ongoing business visits as part of the City’s broader Business Retention and Expansion efforts at their meeting on May 4, 2016. The EDC supported the staff recommendation that the City focus on the Red Fox-Grey Fox Business District in 2016. Staff has compiled a list of priority businesses that will be contacted to set up meetings over the upcoming months. The goal for this year is to visit between 6 and 8 of these companies. In compiling the list, staff prioritized non-retail businesses that were either not visited as part of the 2015 BRE Program or are new companies moving into the Red Fox Business Center. Additionally, staff has drafted a list of supplementary questions to be asked along with the general BRE survey questions. These questions focus on transportation issues, changes in the character of the business district, and why new companies have chosen to locate in the area. Staff has contacted the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce to coordinate the City’s business visits with the Chamber’s BRE efforts. Greater MSP will also be contacted to see if their staff has plans to visit any of the priority businesses in 2016. The EDC will be notified of scheduled visits and invited to participate when available. Discussion Questions 1. Does the EDC agree with the list of priority businesses compiled by staff? Are there any additional companies that the City should try to visit? 2. Does the EDC agree with the supplementary questions drafted by staff? Are there other types of questions that should be added? Attachments • Priority Business Visit List • BRE Survey Supplementary Questions Business Name Sector Business Notes Adobe Systems Manufacturing Publishers - Computer Software IntriCon Manufacturing Body-worn Devices Aspect LED Manufacturing LED Products CM Jarvis Professional & Business Services Furniture Leasing New Business - Red Fox Business Center Caerus Manufacturing Animal Casts, Splints, and Braces New Business - Red Fox Business Center Asdco/API Distribution Industrial and Construction Materials Apex Information Technologies Technology Medical Billing Adherent Laboratories Professional & Business Services Adhesive Laboratory and Consulting Oziama Company Inc Distribution Cargill Products Pace Industries Manufacturing Alumimum Die Casting Top Case Manufacturing Custom Cases New Business - Red Fox Business Center 2016 BRE Visits Priority List - Red Fox-Grey Fox District (05-26-16) 2016 BRE Visits – Supplementary Questions Red Fox-Grey Fox Business District (05-26-16) Transportation Questions 1. What types of transportation does your business use for shipping and receiving goods? 2. On average, how many in-bound/out-bound trips do you have per day? 3. Is there a typical route trucks use to get to and from the highway? 4. Have truck drivers experienced any delays due to traffic? If so, do these delays typically happen at certain times of the day? Have truck drivers been able to find alternative routes to avoid congested areas? General Questions 1. How has the character of the area changed over recent years? What are some of the signs of this change? How have changes impacted your business? 2. If you envision your business expanding within the next 5 years, do you see yourself growing within your existing facility or looking for space elsewhere? Red Fox Business Center Questions 1. Where was your business previously located? 2. What were some of the reasons you decided to relocate your business to this facility? 3. What has the preliminary feedback been from your employees on the new location?