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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-25-23 EDC MinutesCITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION OCTOBER 25, 2023 7:30 A.M. – ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Present: Commissioners Julie Gronquist, Ted Brausen, Frank Cupery, Rob Williams (arrived after the start of the meeting), Katherine Schneider and Sreya Subramanian Absent: Commissioner Jud Murchie Also Present: Council Liaison Emily Rousseau, Community Development Director Jessica Jagoe, Senior Planner Elena Fransen and Twin Cities North Chamber of Commerce Manufacturing Cohort Representative John LeTourneau 1.APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA The agenda was unanimously approved. 2.APPROVAL OF MINUTES A.August 23, 2023 The minutes were unanimously approved. 3.PRESENTATIONS A.Twin Cities North Chamber of Commerce Manufacturing Cohort – John LeTourneau Mr. LeTourneau explained that Chambers of Commerce are known as voices and conduits to bring together businesses in the community. The Chamber identified that there is a high concentration of manufacturing businesses in Anoka and Ramsey counties. Manufactures have several things in common; workforce acquisition, incumbent training, and continuous improvement. The current effort is to engage with manufactures and have them drive the agenda. He expanded on the engagement activities taking place within local schools. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – OCTOBER 25, 2023 2 Council Liaison Rousseau wondered what the average income was in manufacturing. Mr. LeTourneau replied that in Anoka County there are approximately 255,000 jobs with 20% of those jobs being in manufacturing. The average wage across 11 segments of employment is about $55,000 annually. Manufacturing alone averages $89,000. Council Liaison Rousseau discussed the “thumb” property that is for sale in Arden Hills. One of the companies looking at the land is a medical device company that would create a headquarters with 800-1,200 jobs. She invited Mr. LeTourneau and the businesses from the manufacturing cohort to come to the TCAAP/Rice Creek Commons open house on November 1. Mr. LeTourneau said the Minnesota Forward Fund has about $400 million earmarked for business growth, which includes $2 million in the Drive for Five Initiative that focuses on five sectors of industry. The Twin Cities North Chamber Manufacturing Cohort is looking at applying for a Drive for Five grant which is due in December. The end goal would be to help place people in jobs. He would love for the EDC to be one of their grant partners providing a letter of support. He would also like the EDC members to attend one of their meetings. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if they had an idea of the retention needs for Arden Hills business. Mr. LeTourneau said that was unknown at this time, but he would like to have more access to that information and would be engaging with businesses in the area. 4. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. December Meeting in 2023, Commission Chair, and Packets Discussion Senior Planner Fransen asked if members could indicate their first preference for an alternative date for the December 27 meeting. Discussion ensued regarding meeting availability for December and January. Commissioner Williams motioned to move the meeting from December 27, 2023 to January 10, 2024, seconded by Commissioner Brausen. Motion passed unanimously. Senior Planner Fransen explained the Commission was currently operating without a Chair or Vice Chair. She asked for anyone interested in the roles to come forward in hopes of the City Council appointing them for the 2024 term in the New Year. Commissioner Cupery expressed interest in becoming Chair. Commissioner Schneider stated interest in the Vice Chair role. Senior Planner Fransen said packets have historically been posted online for Commissioners to access, so mailing the packets in advance was different than what had previously been done. She ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – OCTOBER 25, 2023 3 asked if everyone would like to continue receiving a physical packet, or would the online version be sufficient. After discussion, it was decided that a PDF would be shared in advance of the meeting, as well as published on the City website. B. Sign Code Review Update – Wall Signs Senior Planner Fransen stated that at the August 23 meeting of the Economic Development Commission, staff presented an overview of Chapter 12 – Sign Code of the City’s Code of Ordinances. Staff was asked to prepare information about recent requests for flexibility from the sign code regulations, and comparisons with other community’s sign codes. On September 25, staff shared the sign codes for the City of New Brighton and the City of Shoreview as points of comparison for the Arden Hills sign code. Staff has researched planning cases that have requested flexibility from the sign code. In the 16 cases, there were 13 requests for flexibility from wall signage requirements and the most common wall sign flexibility request was for an increase in square feet permitted. The 13 cases represent 11 applicants as one applicant had three separate cases with requests for wall signage flexibility. Senior Planner Fransen explained the average amounts of additional signage, adjusting for an outlier, was 2.15 times the permitted maximum square footage. With the outlier, the average is 3.71 times the permitted maximum square footage. The average amount of additional signage granted by the City Council was 1.96 times greater than the permitted square footage, without the outlier, and 2.7 times greater with the outlier. Most of the requests came from applicants with frontage on Lexington Avenue, County Road E and I35W, and there was a greater percentage of flexibility granted in those areas. Senior Planner Fransen gave a high-level overview of the sign districts most often represented, as well as comparisons between Shoreview and New Brighton. Commissioner Gronquist asked if there was a multiunit building, would each business have the same amount of wall space or was it total for the whole building, and how would they calculate the allowed amount because the number of tenants could change. Senior Planner Fransen replied that in Shoreview and New Brighton it would be for the total building. In Shoreview they have a master sign plan requirement for multitenant buildings. New Brighton establishes for the whole building, and it is apportioned based on the tenant’s space. Discussion ensued regarding variance requests and amount of space occupied. Senior Planner Fransen stated some items for discussion included: - How the total sign copy area for wall signs is calculated. - How wall sign regulations may vary across and within zoning districts. - How frontage factors into the application of wall sign regulations. Commissioner Cupery said it was confusing to have so many different zones. He felt it would be easier for business owners if it were based on the percentage of elevation, and by zoning district. He thought the code should be simpler and more universal. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – OCTOBER 25, 2023 4 Commissioner Brausen thought Arden Hills has a clear division between business and housing. Areas such as County Road E and Lexington South of 694 in Arden Hills are all businesses. Commissioner Gronquist liked having many districts and thought changing all of them would be more confusing. She liked that the other cities were relative to the size of the building and noted that Arden Hills didn’t take that into consideration. If a business needs signage on two sides of a building they have to split the amount between the signs without taking the size of the building into account. She thought the way a building is situated should be taken into account. Senior Planner Fransen said in the case of having more than one frontage, typically applicants would apply for whichever sign district they have greater flexibility in. Community Development Director Jagoe added that as an example, if there was property at the corner of Lexington and County Road E, they look at what was considered to be the lot front. City Code says the lot frontage with the wider width is the side. The property would still have one front lot line. Commissioner Williams felt 16 variances in 21 years didn’t seem like that much. He wondered if they had been clustered recently so this has become an issue. Senior Planner Fransen said the intent was the group would come from the perspective of businesses and how the sign code could be improved for the business and residential community. Council Liaison Rousseau said about ten percent of planning cases this year are sign code related. Commissioner Gronquist stated that there are likely businesses that decide not to apply for a sign code adjustment because of the time and hassle. Commissioner Brausen thought a percentage of the building facing the main roads would be easiest. Commissioner Gronquist felt if we base on size and there are different sized tenants it could look a little hodge-podgy on the building if tenants all have different size signs. She noted this could be an aesthetic issue in the long run. Commissioner Williams wondered if there were businesses on Lexington when the ordinance was created. A lot has likely changed since it was put in place. Commissioner Subramanian wondered how the sign districts were determined and how different locations were grouped together with the same sign requirements. Senior Planner Fransen commented on the location and development in the locations of the sign districts. Commissioner Williams offered that maybe some of the sign districts could be combined to be simpler and to address challenges when a property is on a corner lot with two frontages. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – OCTOBER 25, 2023 5 Commissioner Gronquist said it’s confusing when you look at it as a whole, but a business is only looking at what applies to them. If they change to zoning, she was concerned that people will apply for property rezoning in place of sign code variances. Senior Planner Fransen noted that Shoreview has the same regulations for businesses, office parks, and industrial uses, all based on a percentage of the elevation and the size of the building. While Shoreview has six sign districts, four of the districts have the same regulations. Senior Planner Fransen summarized that she was hearing simplicity was ideal, making it easy for a business to identify what would be available, and consistency. There was interest in percentage based on the elevation and based on the size of the building. Commissioner Williams asked if basing the signage area permitted on elevation might make it more confusing for businesses. Commissioner Cupery explained how building elevation and square footage are different. Elevation is like the face of the building from one perspective and the square footage is the area covered by the building. Discussion ensued regarding square footage, elevation, and potential PUDs. Commissioner Williams mentioned that square footage and elevations might be more confusing. He said that the building size could limit the permitted signage on a property that is large compared to a small building. Commissioner Gronquist noted that having a minimum standards total sign area could ensure that a smaller building is still permitted a decent total sign area if building elevation is used in the signage calculation. Commissioner Brausen mentioned how he has navigated the city code in the past as a business owner. Commissioner Williams discussed equity in sign process. He challenges for new immigrant businesses. He mentioned that the sign code should be understood by everyone and to consider translation services and support for individuals who need guidance. Commissioner Brausen stated he thinks percentage of the building, up to a certain size, is the way to go to make it fair to everybody. Commissioner Cupery agreed that fairness is important. Commissioner Brausen shared that with a PUD, that when you rent a spot, the size of the sign has already been determined by the landlord. Commissioner Gronquist agreed, and said signage usually has to be approved first by the landlord. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – OCTOBER 25, 2023 6 Senior Planner Fransen said they would continue dialogue around the sign code at future meetings. Next steps would be to consolidate the feedback and review the meeting minutes. Staff will draft a summary to share at a future meeting. They would talk about free standing signage next. Discussion ensued regarding how requests for sign flexibility are evaluated and reviewed. C. Economic Development Commission Work Plan Not discussed. 5. COMMENTS AND REPORTS A. Report from the City Council Council Liaison Rousseau said if they’d like to have more meetings during the first quarter of next year they could meet once a month. She stated the State of the City was moved to February 10. There will be an open house regarding Rice Creek Commons on November 1. Council Liaison Rousseau reported the City Council approved an ordinance creating a pathway for businesses that currently have liquor licenses or tobacco licenses to sell low potency cannabis products with a Conditional Use Permit, high potency is on a moratorium while the Office of Cannabis Management is being set up by the State. Council Liaison Rousseau said the Twin Cities Gateway Visitors Bureau issued a grant to the City that must be spent on marketing activities to draw in visitors from outside the city. This year’s grant was for $15,000 and was divided 50/50 between Ribfest and Bethel University’s homecoming. The Council met as the Economic Development Authority; she discussed with the EDA ideas for exploring opportunities for the Pace sight, Arby’s, Big O Tire, and the unnamed grocery store. She also told the EDA she would like to come up with a plan to encourage local and family businesses to move into Rice Creek Commons and would like for them to consider offsetting rent for those businesses. Council Liaison Rousseau stated the Council is trying to set up a retreat where they would discuss vision setting in the first quarter of next year, but if it doesn’t happen she will be requesting it be talked about at a work session. She would like to take any large projects that the Committees or Commission have and discuss resource allocation for them. B. Economic Development Commission Comments None. 6. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:02 a.m.