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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-10-24 EDC Minutes CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION JANUARY 10, 2024 7:30 A.M. – ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Present: Chair Frank Cupery, Commissioners Jud Murchie, Rob Williams, Julie Gronquist, Sreya Subramanian, Bobby Bonine and Youth Commissioner Katherine Schneider Absent: Commissioner Ted Brausen Also Present: Council Liaison Emily Rousseau, Community Development Director Jessica Jagoe, and Senior Planner Elena Fransen 1. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Chair Cupery added an introduction of the new Commissioner. Commissioner Bonine introduced himself as a resident of Arden Hills who recently moved his finance business to Arden Hills. The agenda was unanimously approved. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. October 25, 2023 The minutes were unanimously approved. 3. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. 2024 Chair and Vice Chair Senior Planner Fransen stated the City Council had appointed Frank Cupery as Chair at the last Council meeting. Commissioners Schneider and Subramanian had indicated interest in the Vice- Chair position and confirmed their continued interest in the role. The Vice-Chair would act as Chair at the meetings when the Chair is unable to attend; they would need to be prepared to facilitate the meeting. A motion was made by Commissioner Gronquist and seconded by Commissioner Murchie to appoint Commissioners Schneider and Subramanian as Co-Vice-Chairs. Motion passed unanimously. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JANUARY 10, 2024 2 B. 2024 Meeting Frequency Chair Cupery reviewed the upcoming meeting dates. Additional meeting dates could be March 27 and May 22, or meeting monthly through 2024. After discussion, it was decided to have monthly meetings through June and re-evaluate dates at that time. Commissioner Murchie mentioned that meeting at the end of July could be difficult for people with summer plans. Commissioner Williams mentioned that meeting December 26 would also be a difficult date. A motion was made by Commissioner Gronquist and seconded by Commissioner Williams to add meetings on March 27 and May 22. Motion passed unanimously. C. Economic Development Commission Work Plan Chair Cupery explained that Staff was asking the EDC to discuss the creation of a work plan for the next several years. Staff had previously shared tasks that the City Council had identified for the EDC and should be incorporated into the work plan; Sign Code review, involvement with the Twin Cities North Chamber of Commerce Manufacturing Cohort and Twin Cities Gateway, and establishing action items based on Chapter 8 – Economic Development from the City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Senior Planner Fransen said other topics that had come up were newsletters, welcome packets for new businesses, links to businesses/Business directory on City website, engagement emails/Listserv and to conduct a survey of existing businesses. She asked what other tasks they would like to add to the list and how they’d like to prioritize them. Commissioner Williams asked if there was a charter for the EDC. Commissioner Bonine read the description of the EDC from the City website. Community Development Director Jagoe said expanding on that description as well as the Commission’s mission and goal could be part of their work plan items. Staff could distribute the Economic Development chapter of the Comprehensive Plan. That document is required to be updated every 10 years. They are about halfway through the cycle and she anticipates the planning process will start in approximately two years. Commissioner Williams said he wanted to make sure there was an end purpose; that Council and staff would use the work they do in some way. Council Liaison Rousseau said she would like to do strategic planning as a City Council and she wanted to have the Committees and Commissions have feedback into that process. She thought they might want to come up with a top three list. Senior Planner Fransen said they might want to have a “why” for doing an analysis of the existing businesses in the city or other items they identify. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JANUARY 10, 2024 3 Commissioner Williams thought a welcome packet was outside of the description of the Commission, although he liked the idea of doing one. He stated that he thinks it would be more helpful to learn what other businesses want to see from the City. Council Liaison Rousseau said she was frustrated with the area of the old Pace building, Arby’s and the unnamed grocery. She was hoping the Commission could identify ways to support that area with future development and opportunities. Commissioner Murchie said he would like to see pedestrian bridges between the sections of businesses. He wondered if they could work with Parks and Trails to see if there were ways to connect businesses. Commissioner Gronquist felt the first thing they should do is a survey of the businesses and she would be happy to take the initiative to write a survey and have the Commission review it. A survey would let businesses know the Commission existed, they were being listened to and give them an opportunity to voice what they would like. She asked about contact information for businesses in Arden Hills that is collected for business licensing. Senior Planner Fransen explained that the City does have some contact information for businesses though the contact might not be the most appropriate respondent to a business survey. She elaborated on what a survey could look like to be focused and support a particular initiative. Commissioner Gronquist said as a business owner she felt there was no communication from the City and she would like to see business website links on the online business list and it divided into categories. She mentioned residents not being able to see what businesses are located in the city on the City website. She would also like for there to be a way for business owners to connect to other businesspeople within Arden Hills other than through the Chamber of Commerce. Commissioner Murchie mentioned that some people use Facebook pages to ask questions about where to find things in Arden Hills. Commissioner Bonine said location was a big reason for him to move his business to Arden Hills. He wanted to understand the EDC’s purpose so they have a clear ask in a survey. He felt it would be helpful to understand what items the EDA and Council are looking for feedback on so they’re not spending time on something they’re not being asked to do. He wondered what authority they have on certain areas. He didn’t have knowledge on what things they have the ability to implement within the Commission versus having to go through the Council. An inventory list of businesses that shows how many businesses there are in Arden Hills, and what type of businesses they are would be helpful, and that could be the foundation of a network for consumers and businesses. Community Development Director Jagoe stated that Councilmember Rousseau asked the City Council to start discussing the tasks of the Economic Development Authority (EDA). She felt the role of the EDA might be more toward redevelopment; what areas do we have that are pocket vacant business storefronts and how can the City attract new businesses and possibly financially incentivize business development and redevelopment. That is a parallel process right now, along with the EDC goal setting. The EDA may be on the Council work session agenda in February. She thought the role the EDC had in the past was networking between existing businesses, including opportunities to promote and support them, while the EDA would work on redevelopment opportunities and how can the City attract and support financially. The EDC might put things on ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JANUARY 10, 2024 4 their goals and objectives for Staff and they will have to set priorities on those items based on availability of staff resources and Council direction. Council Liaison Rousseau felt if they put together something like a communications plan that should be shared with the Council. She would love to start a procedure where every first quarter the Committees and Commissions create their goals for the year and bring them to the Council. The EDA has previously talked about welcome to Arden Hills signs but that’s really all they’ve done recently. She would like to have the EDA membership expanded and have one person from the EDC and one from the Planning Commission join the EDA. Commissioner Murchie said it seemed like there was overlap with the two committees. He felt if they support the businesses that are here that will help to attract other businesses. Commissioner Williams thought a survey would help let them know what resources businesses want. Maybe they could piggyback with Shoreview or another city? He recalled that a welcome packet was made a few years ago that they gave to new businesses. Senior Planner Fransen summarized what she was hearing was they wanted communication with current businesses and a plan for future businesses saying here’s what’s available and learning what should be available, and being able to take that information back to the Council/EDA to see how the commission could support businesses in the future. She reviewed what was in Chapter 8 from the Comprehensive Plan which was about Economic Development. She also felt there was overlap with other committees and commissions. Commissioner Bonine wondered if it would it be possible to come up with a communications plan outline and have everyone take a topic; surveys, map, welcome kit, vendor directory etc. They could take it before the EDA and City Council before they spend a lot of time on it. He would be happy to put together an outline. Commissioner Subramanian thought having an event just for business owners to network might be a good idea. Council Liaison Rousseau mentioned that the PTRC had suggested having an open house with residents, they could consider having a meet and greet with businesses to get to know each other. Senior Planner Fransen said that could also be aligned with an opportunity to review and discuss results from a survey. She asked what kind of event the business owners in the room would show up for. Commissioner Gronquist said she would wonder if she showed up would anyone else. She thought it could be two different type of events, with just businesses or businesses with the community invited to make a connection. It would also depend on if the business was new or established, customer centric or not, and type of business. Chair Cupery asked if there would there be a way to wrap all of those things together? Commissioner Murchie thought there may be some sequential steps like first defining what the EDC is and letting people know they are there and what they’re doing. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JANUARY 10, 2024 5 Commissioner Gronquist felt that was why a survey could really help because they could start with an explanation of who they are and what they do and why these questions are being asked. Commissioner Murchie suggested they think through how they want to define this based on what’s already in the plan and that could help frame up the actions they want to take, like a survey. He thought they should make it very clear what they do, possibly in the form of a mission statement. Commissioner Williams said maybe they could try to write what they envision what it could be in three years’ time. Such as: they have monthly meetings with business owners in Arden Hills, they have consumers come in every quarter for a business showcase, and they have a welcome packet. So, they decide the things they want to do each year, which feed into the three-year plan. All of that could be run by the Council. Commissioner Williams asked if there was a mechanism for a business to communicate with the EDC. Commissioner Gronquist said the meeting was public, they could come to it. Community Development Director Jagoe said the City doesn’t have anything set up for people to communicate directly with committees and commissions. They would email the Community Development department’s email, the general city email or a staff person directly. Commissioner Murchie thought if they could identify their strategy of where they’re trying to go by the end of the year and get it approved by the Council they could start executing the items under the strategy. He thought what Commissioner Williams was saying made a lot of sense. Commissioner Bonine agreed that before they jump into putting something on the website or a survey they need to understand who they are, and the goal is to facilitate positive interaction with the business community. He thought an inventory of businesses was a good idea before they make a strategic plan; to get an understanding of who is the business community, how is it organized, and who are the people so they know who their audience is. He felt the best interaction was when someone physically come out to visit, rather than a website list that he doesn’t know exists. Commissioner Murchie thought they could go to businesses to introduce the Commission. Commissioner Williams said there was once a very involved survey and they would go out two by two to interview businesses and fill out the survey. He did go to a few businesses and they appreciated having a connection to the City. He gave examples of issues that were solved for some of those businesses because of the interviews. He thought a vendor list would be helpful to give them. Commissioner Bonine liked the idea of having a map of businesses they could share. Council Liaison Rousseau said when the City Council is invited to ribbon cuttings they’d like to share that with the Commission so they can attend. Discussion ensued regarding the Twin Cities North Chamber and Business Council. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JANUARY 10, 2024 6 Commissioner Bonine wasn’t sure that trying to recreate things the Chamber already has was productive, but following what they do to connect with businesses would be helpful. Senior Planner Fransen noted that John LeTourneau from the Business Cohort had come in to speak with the Commission. She thought they could make a map of businesses on Google maps. Commissioner Bonine described the map someone had created in his neighborhood. He asked if staff would have resources to put the businesses list into a map format. Community Development Director Jagoe shared that there is not a GIS mapping tech on staff so there is not a designated resource at this time. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if staff can ask how many Arden Hills businesses are part of the Chamber and if there are any cost barriers. Commissioner Bonine said he’s been pleasantly surprised at the different events the Chamber hosts and the information they share. Commissioner Murchie felt that was a good example of someone who came to him and said we have some tools we want you to be aware of. Was there a corollary that they as the EDC could do? He thought the welcome packet could be sent as an email and most people would click and be done, but if someone came in to talk there would be a face to connect with. Commissioner Bonine thought they should call out the highlights of what the EDA and EDC are working on, maybe what’s on the City Council’s mind and formulate that into a reason to stop out to tell businesses what is happening. All the information the Chamber shared was public but having someone come by personally to tell them how it would impact them felt like they were a priority, even though it was only a two-minute visit. Senior Planner Fransen summarized the comments from the Commissioners. She said the outline from Commissioner Bonine would be helpful to share in advance of the next meeting, Commissioner Gronquist could start drafting survey questions. Chair Cupery stated he heard items of interest were a survey, improve the business directory, welcome and connect businesses to the community, a business open house event, establish a mission and objective for the EDC, and establish connection of EDC with business community. Community Development Director Jagoe asked if items being worked on for the February meeting could be given to staff by the end of January so they could be part of the agenda packet. Commissioner Gronquist added she would also like to see a business highlighted in each issue of the monthly resident newsletter, and to let businesses know they can have ribbon cuttings. She mentioned that this has also been an avenue to promote existing businesses if representatives reach out to City staff working on the newsletter. A motion was made by Commissioner Gronquist and seconded by Chair Cupery to request City Council add a business highlight in each edition of the Arden Hills Notes newsletter. Community Development Director Jagoe noted that she anticipates there will be a question of how the Commission will decide which business is featured. If they get 100 requests, how will ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JANUARY 10, 2024 7 staff pick which ones are featured? She wondered if they should think about it more and discuss again at the February meeting. Decisions about space available in the newsletter go through the Communications Coordinator. Commissioner Williams said that is assuming they are sending out mass communications asking people to submit requests to be in the newsletter, which is different than the Communications Coordinator selecting businesses to highlight. Community Development Director Jagoe said that was correct and that was why she would like direction from EDC and confirmation from the Council before they put the Communications Coordinator in the position of picking a business. It could become why did staff pick X business and not Z. She said if they discuss at the February meeting it will give staff time to talk with the Communications Coordinator to see what space may be available. Commissioner Bonine asked if it would be possible to have the Communications Coordinator at a future meeting to discuss the newsletter. Commissioner Murchie added they still need to define who they are and maybe they should start with that. Some of the things they’ve talked about fall under a communications plan, others are outreach strategies. He felt that before they bring other people in or go out and meet people they should frame up the broad buckets. Community Development Director Jagoe said staff could help get the survey ready to be presented in February. At that meeting they could also discuss the Comp Plan chapter, and discuss the newsletter space again. They could also get a business list circulated in the meantime. Commissioner Gronquist withdrew her motion. D. Sign Code Review Update Senior Planner Fransen indicated that at the previous meeting they discussed wall signage, and the plan is to also discuss freestanding signs. They will focus less on flexibility of the past and focus more on reviewing the code and make recommendations. She will bring it to the February meeting for discussion. 4. COMMENTS AND REPORTS A. Report from the City Council Council Liaison Rousseau thanked Commissioner Cupery for chairing his first meeting and welcomed Commissioner Bonine to the EDC. Council Liaison Rousseau reported the Rice Creek Commons term sheet with a density of 1,960 was approved by the City Council. Some flex-office was changed to residential. The current estimate is that change will reduce traffic by about 3%. The next real step will be the Master Development Plan. A big box store had submitted a bid for Outlot A but they were second choice for the location; the County will be voting on the sale to a company proposing a corporate campus that is estimating between 800-1200 jobs. A big box retailer is still interested in moving into one of the other commercial areas but she wasn’t sure how the conversations would go with them ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JANUARY 10, 2024 8 regarding net-zero. The developer said Whole Foods was also interested in going into the area. It sounds like it will be 2027 before buildings go up. Council Liaison Rousseau said State of the City is on February 10 at 10:00 at City Hall. Postcards will be sent to businesses and it will be in the newsletter. Council Liaison Rousseau noted they have openings on the Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee, two positions available on the EDC, and 1-2 openings on the Planning Commission. B. Economic Development Commission Comments Community Development Director Jagoe said there were six responses to the County’s request for development on the thumb parcel (Outlot A). The County Board authorized in a closed session to move forward with the JDA preferred developer and it should go to the Board for approval on January 16. The purchaser will be made public once the packet is published. Council Liaison Rousseau mentioned there is also a 62-acre piece referred to as Primer-Tracer that needs clean up. A developer did come in to talk to the Council about warehousing space. That company has done clean up on other properties. It is a challenging piece of property due to no existing water lines and an easement for access. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:04 a.m.