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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-05-15 EDCCall To Order Approval Of The Agenda Minutes Approval Of Minutes 05 -06 -15 EDC MINUTES.PDF Unfinished And New Business 2015 State Of The City MEMO.PDF City Video Tour MEMO.PDF Business Retention And Expansion Program MEMO.PDF, ATTACHMENT.PDF Updates Rice Creek Commons/TCAAP Update MEMO.PDF Commission Members Council Liaison Staff Comments Adjourn ADJOURN A quorum of the City Council may be present at this meeting. Chair: Steve Heikkila  Commissioners: Dan Erickson  Michael Hands  Kyle Lassen David Radziej Ed von Holtum Vacant Vacant Vacant Council Liaison: Robert Woodburn Economic Development Commission August 5, 2015 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: 4.C. Documents: 5. 5.A. Documents: 5.B. 5.C. 5.D. 6. Call To OrderApproval Of The AgendaMinutesApproval Of Minutes05-06 -15 EDC MINUTES.PDFUnfinished And New Business2015 State Of The City MEMO.PDFCity Video Tour MEMO.PDFBusiness Retention And Expansion Program MEMO.PDF, ATTACHMENT.PDF Updates Rice Creek Commons/TCAAP Update MEMO.PDF Commission Members Council Liaison Staff Comments Adjourn ADJOURN A quorum of the City Council may be present at this meeting. Chair:Steve Heikkila Commissioners:Dan Erickson Michael Hands Kyle LassenDavid RadziejEd von HoltumVacantVacantVacantCouncil Liaison:Robert Woodburn Economic Development Commission August 5, 2015 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:4.C.Documents: 5. 5.A. Documents: 5.B. 5.C. 5.D. 6. CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MAY 6, 2015 8:00 AM CITY HALL -- 1245 WEST HIGHWAY 96 CALL MEETING TO ORDER Chair Steve Heikkila called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Steve Heikkila and Commissioners Dan Erickson, Michael Hands, and Ed von Holtum. Also Present: Council Liaison Robert Woodburn; City Administrator Patrick Klaers; 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 Jim Huninghake. 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 4, 2015 and the April 1, 2015 meeting minutes as presented. 3. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. Business Retention and Expansion Jonathan Weinhagen provided the Commissioners with a progress report on the Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) program. He then introduced the interview training that he would be providing for the business visits. Mr. Weinhagen provided an outline of the types of questions that would be included in the business interview survey. He stated that the survey should only be used as a “guiding instrument” and that the interviews should be comfortable and conversational. He noted that the EDC Minutes May 6, 2015 Page 2 of 5 BRE participants would be acting as representatives of the City, but that they should not try to resolve problems brought up during the interviews. Mr. Weinhagen noted that the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce (SPACC) would handle contacting and scheduling meetings with businesses, but that BRE participants would need to confirm the visits in advance. The goal is to have the schedule for interviews finalized by the end of May and to complete the visits in the months of June, July, and August. Mr. Weinhagen stated that participants should introduce themselves at the beginning of the interview and at the end thank the business for their time and investment in the City. He recommended that participants request a tour of the facilities as part of their visit. Mr. Weinhagen noted that SPACC would provide businesses with a follow-up questionnaire and that any issues identified during the interview would be forwarded to City staff. He added that each company would receive a final copy of the BRE program results later in the year. City Administrator Klaers asked how participants should respond to breaks in the conversation during interviews. Mr. Weinhagen commented that SPACC would be providing a one-page handout with sample questions to help facilitate conservation. Commissioner Erickson questioned if there was a minimum amount of time needed for an interview to be worthwhile. Mr. Weinhagen noted that a minimum of 30 minutes would be needed to go over the questions on the survey. He commented that he expected the interviews to take approximately one hour. Council Liaison Woodburn requested that SPACC provide the City Council with an update on the progress of the business interviews at a future work session meeting. Mr. Weinhagen commented that he would work with City staff to schedule a time to update the City Council on the BRE program. Jim Huninghake requested information on how the priority visit list was created. Mr. Weinhagen noted that priority visit list includes companies within projected high growth industry sectors, major employers in the City, and landmark businesses that have operated in the City for a long period of time. Community Development Director Hutmacher requested that Commissioners and participants provide staff with any additional businesses they know of with high growth potential. Roberta Thompson asked how participants should respond if the person being interviewed is not familiar with the City’s BRE efforts. EDC Minutes May 6, 2015 Page 3 of 5 Mr. Weinhagen stated that SPACC would provide the businesses with background information on the BRE program prior to the interview. Associate Planner Bachler questioned whether participants should divide up responsibilities for asking questions and taking notes during the interview. Mr. Weinhagen stated that it would be up to each individual team whether they wanted to split up the tasks of posing questions and taking notes. He recommended that participants build on natural connections between the interviewers and business. Roberta Thompson commented that it would be helpful if participants could provide businesses with a handout that provided staff contact information and addressed transportation issues, and the TCAAP redevelopment project. She added that the question in the survey on the City’s Revolving Loan Fund program should be posed as a general inquiry and that participants should not make any commitment of City funds. Chair Heikkila questioned how SPACC will ensure proprietary information on individual businesses is not included in the BRE program report. Mr. Weinhagen noted that all of the data collected from the interviews would be aggregated and that no individual business names would be mentioned. He added that it would be helpful to promote the State of the City event at interviews. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that it would be helpful if a date for the State of the City event could be included on the handout provided to businesses. She requested that the EDC make a recommendation on whether a State of the City event should be held again this year. She noted that a final date would be confirmed with the City Council. It was the consensus of the Commission that a State of the City event should be held in mid- September. Community Development Director Hutmacher noted that completed surveys should be sent to Mr. Weinhagen and that SPACC would follow-up directly with City staff regarding any issues that came up during the interview. Mr. Weinhagen commented that SPACC would be putting together the interview teams and contacting participants in the next few weeks about scheduling. 4. UPDATES A. Rice Creek Commons (TCAAP) Update Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that the Joint Development Authority adopted the Energy Integration Resiliency Framework (EIRF) on April 6, 2015. She noted that EDC Minutes May 6, 2015 Page 4 of 5 the JDA authorized staff to move forward with the implementation steps regarding a Solar PV site on the former Primer Tracer Area and a district geothermal energy system. Community Development Director Hutmacher commented that Kimley-Horn has completed the Fit Test for the TCAAP Redevelopment Code (TRC) and has presented the results to the City Council. She added that the City Council continues to discuss the TRC and that a deadline for preliminary approval has been set for May 26, 2015. Community Development Director Hutmacher noted that Solar PV was identified as a good economic use of the Primer Tracer Area land because of poor access and high levels of environmental contamination. Commissioner Erickson asked what the footprint of the Solar PV would be. Mr. Weinhagen stated that the facility would require approximately 40 acres of land, most of which would be taken up by the solar panels. Chair Heikkila commented that a Solar PV installation would significantly contribute to the marketability of the TCAAP redevelopment. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that it was impressive that the City Council and County Board were looking seriously at alternative energy options for the TCAAP site. She added that this is not the conventional approach taken with most development. B. Commission Members None. C. Council Liaison Council Liaison Woodburn provided an update on the City Council’s work on the TRC. He noted that the City Council discussed restrictions on warehousing uses on the TCAAP site at a recent Special Work Session meeting. D. Staff Comments None. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Commissioner von Holtum moved and Commissioner Hands seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion carried unanimously (4-0) Chair Steve Heikkila adjourned the meeting at 9:30 a.m. EDC Minutes May 6, 2015 Page 5 of 5 __________________________ __________________________ _ Steve Heikkila, Chair Jill Hutmacher Community Development Director City of Arden Hills Economic Development Commission August 5, 2015 Page 1 of 2 MEMORANDUM DATE: August 5, 2015 EDC Agenda Item 4.A TO: Economic Development Commission Chair and Commissioners FROM: Jill Hutmacher, Community Development Director SUBJECT: State of the City The City Council has scheduled 2015 State of the City events on the following two dates:  Tuesday, September 29, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall  Thursday, October 1, 7:30 a.m. at Flaherty’s Arden Bowl The following advertising and promotion methods were used last year, and staff recommends a similar communication strategy this year. Notices will include the dates of both events. In addition to the methods listed below, the State of the City events will also be promoted at the business interviews completed for the Business Retention and Expansion program.  News item on the City’s homepage and business news page  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 The City Council will be asked to provide direction on presentation topics at a future work session meeting. Potential discussion topics include: 1. Rice Creek Commons Update 2. 2015/2016 Transportation Projects 3. Current Development Projects 4. Business Retention and Expansion Program 5. City Video Tour 6. Arden Hills Foundation In 2014, the format for the morning event at Flaherty’s Arden Bowl was as follows: City of Arden Hills Economic Development Commission August 5, 2015 Page 2 of 2 7:30 am Registration, breakfast, and networking 7:45 am Mayoral welcome and City Council presentations 8:40 am Q&A 9:00 am Event adjourns The evening event at City Hall followed a similar format with registration beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the program concluding at approximately 8:00 p.m. Discussion Questions: 1. Does the EDC support the staff recommendation for advertising and promotion? Does the EDC have additional suggestions? 2. What presentation topics are recommended by the EDC? 3. Does the EDC have suggestions regarding the format of the events? City of Arden Hills Economic Development Commission August 5, 2015 Page 1 of 1 MEMORANDUM DATE: August 5, 2015 EDC Agenda Item 4.B TO: Economic Development Commission Chair and Commissioners FROM: Matthew Bachler, Associate Planner SUBJECT: City Video Tour Update Background CTV has completed production work on the City video tour. The video will be shown at the EDC meeting on August 5, 2015. The current length of the video is approximately four minutes. In drafting the outline for the video, the EDC had recommended that testimonials from two businesses be included. Incorporating testimonials would likely increase the video length to at least five minutes and in the past the EDC has discussed keeping the video relatively short. Since some footage in the video is time-sensitive, staff would recommend that the City Council review and approve the video in its current form and that it be added to the main page on the City’s website. Testimonials from businesses could be added at a later date and a separate video that includes these testimonials could be posted on the Economic Development page of the City’s website. Discussion Questions: 1. Is the EDC supportive of the video in its current form? Should any text, footage, or graphics be cut or added? 2. Should staff continue to work with CTV on adding business testimonials to the video even though this would increase its length? 3. Does the EDC support adding the current version of the video to the main page on the City’s website? City of Arden Hills Economic Development Commission August 5, 2015 Page 1 of 1 MEMORANDUM DATE: August 5, 2015 EDC Agenda Item 4.C TO: Economic Development Commission Chair and Commissioners FROM: Matthew Bachler, Associate Planner SUBJECT: Business Retention and Expansion Program Background Jonathan Weinhagen, Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, has provided staff with a memo with an update on the status of the Business Retention and Expansion program. A copy of the memo from Jonathan Weinhagen is attached for your information. Attachments  Jonathan Weinhagen Memo, dated July 30, 2015 MEMO To: Jill Hutmacher From: Jonathan Weinhagen CC: Matthew Bachler Date: July 30, 2015 Re: Business Retention & Expansion Program Update I am writing to provide an update on the Business Retention & Expansion effort that is ongoing for the City of Arden Hills. Our work plan anticipated the majority of visits would take place throughout the summer with analysis beginning in September. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we now anticipate visits will be completed by the end of September with analysis to follow. This will not impact the original work plan schedule and the final report will be delivered on time. We currently have dates coordinated with 30 percent of the organizations identified and will be confirming these visits with participants in the coming days. We projected a 20 percent decline rate for the entire project and are currently sitting at about 10 percent, well within our original projection. We expect to have roughly 50 percent of the total visits completed by the end of August. If appropriate, we would be happy to present a brief update to the City Council at that time. If I recall, there had been some interest from the Council in hearing some preliminary feedback as the visits progress. If you have any questions please contact me by phone at (651) 265-2770. Sincerely, Jonathan Weinhagen Page 1 of 1 DATE: August 5, 2015 EDC Agenda Item 5.A TO: Economic Development Commission Chair and Commissioners FROM: Jill Hutmacher, Community Development Director SUBJECT: Rice Creek Commons (TCAAP) Update The City Council approved the TCAAP Redevelopment Code and the Comprehensive Plan Amendment on Monday, July 13, 2015. The Comprehensive Plan Amendment has been submitted to adjacent municipalities and affected jurisdictions for the 60-day review process. Following the affected jurisdiction review, the Metropolitan Council will have an additional 60 days to review and comment on the document. MEMORANDUM