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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-23-24 EDC Agenda Packet Chair: • Frank Cupery Commissioners: • Rob Williams • Ted Brausen • Julie Gronquist • Jud Murchie • Bobby Bonine • Vincent Meyer Council Liaison: Councilmember Emily Rousseau Arden Hills Economic Development Commission Meeting October 23, 2024 1245 W. Highway 96 Arden Hills, MN 55112 651.792.7800 www.cityofardenhills.org City Vision A strong community that values our unique environment, our fiscal soundness, and our tradition as a desirable city in which to live, work, and play. Agenda Regular Economic Development Commission Convenes 7:30 AM Call to Order 1. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. July 31, 2024 3. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. December and January Meeting Schedule B. In-Person Business Visit Strategy Updates 4. COMMENTS AND REPORTS A. Report from Staff B. Report from the City Council C. Economic Development Commission Comments 5. ADJOURNMENT A quorum of the City Council may be present at this meeting. Meeting materials are available online at: http://www.cityofardenhills.org/agendacenter CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION JULY 31, 2024 7:30 A.M. – ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Present: Chair Frank Cupery, Commissioners Julie Gronquist, Bobby Bonine, Sreya Subramanian, and Rob Williams Absent: Commissioners Ted Brausen, Jud Murchie and Youth Commissioner Katherine Schneider Also Present: Community Development Director Jessica Jagoe and Senior Planner Elena Fransen, and Acting Council Liaison Tom Fabel 1. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA A motion was made by Commissioner Gronquist and seconded by Vice Chair Subramanian to approve the agenda. The agenda was approved unanimously. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. June 26, 2024 A motion was made by Commissioner Gronquist and seconded by Commissioner Bonine to approve the June 26, 2024 minutes. The minutes were approved unanimously. 3. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. In-Person Business Visit Strategy Updates Senior Planner Fransen provided background from the June meeting that the EDC identified in- person business visits as a first step to get the EDC going and to get connected with business owners and representatives within the city. Senior Planner Fransen outlined the EDC will review and discuss a visit handout, a strategy to divide the list of businesses by addresses, and review and discuss a drafted procedure document and drafted timeline that was put together in cooperation with the subcommittee. Senior Planner Fransen discussed the handouts provided to the commissioners. She shared that the list of questions approved at the previous meeting had been revised based on the June meeting discussion. She shared that staff met with the Senior Communications Coordinator to discuss the ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JULY 31, 2024 2 handout that was identified as a tool that could be left behind with a business representative for them to answer the survey questions that could not be collected in person. This handout will include a survey form, using Survey Monkey, for participants to access the questions via a QR code. The EDC is being asked to discuss the content and format, then suggest any revisions and next steps for finalizing the handout. Commissioner Bonine wondered if there are any initial thoughts on the image that will be on the handout. He thought there was a previous recommendation to use a photo of the EDC in action. Senior Planner Fransen noted that Senior Communications Coordinator Luke Cardona had attended a previous meeting of the EDC and there are photos available but she is open to it being a stock photo. Commissioner Williams suggested an aerial view of the city. Community Development Director Jagoe noted that if the EDC doesn’t have a strong opinion, they could leave it up to the Communications Department. Commissioner Bonine thought that was a good suggestion. Senior Planner Fransen noted if the EDC wanted to have a mock up printed by the August meeting, staff could work with the subcommittee for approval. Commissioner Williams thought a phone contact and the website to the QR code should be provided on the handout. Senior Planner Fransen said the handout is planned to be a half page. Council Liaison Fabel wondered if it would be useful for the EDC to know if the businesses were active in other business organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce or the Rotary. Senior Planner Fransen thought that could be a follow up question after this initial interaction if a business indicates interest in future engagement. Commissioner Williams shared appreciation for the subcommittee’s work on the documents. A motion was made by Commissioner Bonine and seconded by Commissioner Gronquist to allow the subcommittee to approve the handout once Communications Department finalizes a mock up and have it printed for the August meeting. The motion was approved unanimously. Senior Planner Fransen began the discussion on the drafted timeline document. She noted an error in dating one of the items that will be revised. The goal of this document is to establish milestones and outline next steps for the in-person visit process. She outlined the documents discussed at today’s meeting will be finalized for the August meeting with materials being distributed so commissioners can begin their in-person business visits. Senior Planner Fransen asked the commissioners to review the timeline. Commissioner Bonine thinks the timeline makes sense unless the work cannot be completed in the fall. Each commissioner will be tasked with contacting approximately 30 businesses in a two month period. He believes that should be enough time to reach out. Commissioner Williams stated businesses shouldn’t be skipped if they aren’t on the list. Senior Planner Fransen agreed. Commissioner Bonine noted that if one commissioner completes their list while another hasn’t, those addresses could be reallocated. Commissioner Bonine noted that each commissioner will have their own strategy for the visits. He plans to try calling the businesses before stopping in to avoid multiple attempts if no one is there. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JULY 31, 2024 3 Commissioner Williams wondered if the goal is to speak to the business owners, rather than employees. Commissioner Bonine pointed out that is why a pre-visit phone call could be helpful. Commissioner Gronquist agreed stating the proper contact name, email or phone number could be requested in that initial call. Commissioner Bonine pointed out that you could follow up with a phone call telling the owner that the flyer was dropped off and request they look at the information and complete the survey. Commissioner Gronquist stated that the timeline of September and October would be ideal but there is leeway if someone needed to extend into November. Commissioner Bonine agreed. Senior Planner Fransen highlighted some of the dates on the timeline, noting there were opportunities for informal meetings where staff time and quorum allow, to check in on how the process is going and for redistribution of the lists, if needed. Community Development Director Jagoe suggested commissioners come prepared with their calendars at the August meeting to discuss scheduling for future EDC meetings. Commissioner Bonine thought the August meeting would be collecting the kits to begin the in-person site visits. He didn’t think a September meeting is necessary as there won’t be any new business and commissioners’ time might be better spent completing the site visits. Chair Cupery agreed. Commissioner Williams asked if everyone is comfortable using personal email and wondered if there were any open meeting laws that would apply. Commissioner Bonine noted as long as a quorum is not reached it is fine. He reminded the group of the policy to not “reply all” to avoid any issues. Senior Planner Fransen offered that she could be CC-ed on email if the commissioners think that is helpful. Chair Cupery asked if there was a benefit to creating a general Gmail account that all commissioners had access to. Senior Planner Fransen cautioned each commissioner would have to open and read each email to know if it is a response from someone they contacted. Commissioner Bonine said he believes the majority of responses are going to be obtained through the in-person visits or the provided QR code. Commissioner Williams sought clarity if the commissioner making contact should leave a card even if they complete the question responses during the visit. Senior Planner Fransen said the plan is to have enough printed so each business could have one. Businesses could be directed to the website if they have additional information to share. There will also be business resources linked to the website. She noted staff will look into how we can track if a business responded so duplicate attempts aren’t required. This would also be an opportunity to reach back out to the business to thank them for completing the survey and ask if the business had anything they would like to discuss. A motion was made by Commissioner Gronquist and seconded by Commissioner Williams to accept the drafted timeline document. The motion was approved unanimously. Senior Planner Fransen began the discussion regarding the drafted business visit procedures. She highlighted dates, language and best practices included in the document. Commissioner Williams wondered if tracking who they spoke with would be important. Commissioner Gronquist noted there is no formal guidelines and that commissioners will probably discuss success rates at meetings and check ins but and they will establish their own best practices. Commissioner Bonine said the guideline to make three attempts, as he understands it, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JULY 31, 2024 4 is one physical attempt at the business with follow up being phone or email. Commissioner Subramanian asked if there is a PDF version of the handout that could be attached to a follow up email. Senior Planner Fransen thought that was an option. Commissioner Bonine suggested the website address could be linked in the email. Commissioner Gronquist said if the commissioners are notified when a business completes that’s when a follow up contact thanking them would be appropriate. Senior Planner Fransen agreed stating it’s important to gather the requested information but more important is making that connection with businesses. Chair Cupery asked if the commissioners are encouraged to complete the form on site at the time of the visit on a laptop or tablet. Commissioner Gronquist thought that commissioners will have their individual style. Senior Planner Fransen said the intent of having the printed questions is so the commissioner can complete it during the visit and then enter the data at the website later. Commissioner Bonine thought the survey will take 3-5 minutes and could take longer if the commissioner is trying to connect with technology. He thinks it might be more successful if the answers were jotted down and entered into the system later. Commissioner Williams agreed, adding that a screen can create a barrier that will result in less of a connection with the business representative. Commissioner Bonine stated when leaving the card, encouraging them to complete it within a couple of weeks might help generate early participation. Commissioner Williams asked if contact information should be forwarded to staff so they will have it in the event that they don’t complete the survey. He sees value in collecting that information. He wondered if commissioners should enter that information to the website, leaving other fields blank. Senior Planner Fransen thought entering blank documents just to collect contact information could interfere with interpreting the data. She agrees there is value there and how to maintain that information should be a topic for discussion. A motion was made by Commissioner Bonine and seconded by Commissioner Williams to accept the drafted business visit procedures document. The motion was approved unanimously. Senior Planner Fransen shared graphics outlining the six regions for businesses and noted how many addresses are in each region based on the county data. The information may not be up to date. Staff may have information on certain new businesses. Commissioner Williams believed the commissioners should identify new businesses that aren’t on the list. Senior Planner Fransen agreed. She noted the six regions vary from 38 businesses on the high end and 20 on the low end. There could be some reconfiguring or perhaps the commissioners should start with the larger regions and watch progression and then reevaluate and shift with staff helping, if needed. Commissioner Bonine thinks the regions make sense and if someone got done early they could help out in another region until the task is complete. Commissioner Williams wondered who should be targeted at the larger corporations. Commissioner Gronquist thought Human Resources would be a good option. Senior Planner Fransen offered the company website could help you determine who that person may be. Commissioner Williams asked if staff has established relationships with the corporations. Community Development Director Jagoe confirmed, in some cases, staff does have business relationships with those corporations and would be willing to reach out to those contacts to request who would be the best person for commissioners to contact so the commissioners are still making ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JULY 31, 2024 5 those connections. Commissioner Williams thought if the city already has a relationship with someone within the corporation, they are most likely going to be the one to complete the survey. Commissioner Bonine stated the point of this task is for commissioners to engage with the businesses. Community Development Director Jagoe offered that staff could make the time to join the commissioner for the in-person visit, if that is helpful. Senior Planner Fransen outlined the information that is captured from the county data. She stated additional columns can be added. She asked if the commissioners could think of any additional information that would be helpful. Commissioner Williams wondered if there would be any cross checking with permits. Senior Planner Fransen said the city does have contact information through the business licensing/registration process and that may be an option for follow up if no response is received. Commissioner Bonine stated he thought future discussions should include how to capture information from home businesses but he thought getting started with the information from the county and capturing as many as possible now, is important. Commissioner Williams wondered how would Presbyterian Homes or Bethel or Northwestern be contacted. Commissioner Bonine thought it would be best to wait until the lists are generated and ask questions at that time, rather than throwing out what-if scenarios for specific businesses right now. Community Development Director Jagoe sought clarity as she understood EDC members didn’t intend to visit Bethel or Northwestern. She thought the EDC was seeking to capture the commercial businesses. Commissioner Bonine thought the commission should begin with the commercial list, then try to capture the home businesses and the educational/health care facilities, possibly as part of a second phase, as the questions might be different. Senior Planner Fransen confirmed having a phase 2 is definitely an option. Commissioner Subramanian had a thought on the handout with the QR code. She thought it might be helpful to add language such as “complete the three-minute survey” as respondents may be more likely to complete it if they know it will only take a short time. Commissioners agreed. Commissioner Subramanian also thought the language could be clarified to make it clear that we want them to take the survey. She thought is seems like more of a suggestion, rather than directions to do so. Commissioner Bonine agreed that the language sounded casual but thought that could be left to the Communications Department to clarify. B. Gateway Signs Discussion Community Development Director Jagoe began the discussion by reminding the commissioners that City Council has talked about gateway signs. When the EDC started back up in 2023, it was mentioned that this would be a future discussion item. Budget for 2025 and the Capital Improvement Budget discussions are beginning and there is money allocated for gateway signs. She asked if there is interest in keeping this item on the workplan and drilling into the gateway signs immediately or should that be set aside for now. Community Development Director Jagoe noted the Capital Improvement Plan sets aside $270,000 in 2025 for a larger gateway sign at Highway 96 and Lexington Avenue location. This has been an ongoing discussion for several years. The council has identified seven sites but she wondered if there are other sites that should be looked at. This has evolved into a larger discussion in regards to branding, design and expense. Council is pushing it ahead and she wondered if the commissioners want to begin these discussions or if it should be earmarked for a later time. The EDC is being asked to clarify a more realistic vision, for budgetary purposes, if this is an item the EDC wants staff to keep allocating for. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JULY 31, 2024 6 Commissioner Bonine asked if this was taken up by the EDC at one point and the Commission’s input is wanted? Community Development Director Jagoe replied that this has been back and forth between the EDC and the Economic Development Authority (EDA). The members of the EDA thought there is value in having the EDC look at this in terms of it being a gateway to the city and support what the businesses might see as the main corridors. This could be part of a bigger discussion as an example if flags on the street lights would help establish the street frontage and support what the businesses feel might help establish their presence. Commissioner Bonine answered there are a lot of signs. He believes the item should wait. The point of the EDC is the better understand who the businesses are. He thinks it would be a poor use of funds until the EDC gets to know the business owners first. He suggested that may be a good follow up after the current task to reach out to the contacts and see if they would value a downtown feel with monument signs or the other options mentioned. He thinks it would be irresponsible to move forward until the businesses can weigh in. Commissioner Williams pointed out Rice Creek Commons has no businesses there now but that may be a location for consideration after it’s developed. Commissioner Bonine agreed. Discussion ensued regarding Shoreview’s signs and if it’s really necessary for Arden Hills to follow suit. Commissioner Gronquist agreed that it is a lot of signs to advertise the city. Community Development Director Jagoe summarized that she heard there is value in looking at this topic along with how to support the commercial corridors, however, there is no urgency for the city to move forward with a large gateway sign, at this time. Commissioner Williams pointed out that he has two gateway signs near his house in fully residential areas. Community Development Director Jagoe stated that gateway signs can serve a dual purpose to establish a presence when visitors enter the community and establish the commercial corridor. Commissioner Bonine said he believes more information is needed about the businesses in order to spend the money wisely. Community Development Director Jagoe summarized she heard this is an item that should remain on the work plan however for budgetary purposes, funds should not be held or prioritized for 2025. Council Liaison Tom Fabel thought this was a productive discussion and the topic should be brought back to the council. 4. COMMENTS AND REPORTS A. Staff Updates None B. City Council Updates ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JULY 31, 2024 7 City Council Liaison Fabel shared his appreciation for the outreach efforts the Commission is undertaking. He hopes they will take the opportunity to ask businesses what they think the city is doing well and where improvements can be made and then share them with City Council. City Council Liaison Fabel gave a brief update on the Rice Creek Commons area. He noted there is currently a $40 million funding gap that needs to be filled before anything can move forward. City Council Liaison Fabel shared that Community Development Director Jagoe has been appointed as Acting City Administrator in the absence of outgoing City Administrator Dave Perrault. C. Economic Development Commission Comments Commissioner Williams thanked Commissioner Subramanian for her service on the commission as the meeting was her last before leaving for college. ADJOURNMENT A motion to adjourn was made by Commissioner Subramanian and seconded by Commissioner Williams. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:07 a.m. Page 1 of 1 EDC AGENDA ITEM – 3A MEMORANDUM DATE: October 23, 2024 TO: Economic Development Commission Members FROM: Jessica Jagoe, Interim City Administrator SUBJECT: December EDC meeting date and potential January meeting Requested Action Staff is asking the Economic Development Commission to consider the date for the next EDC meeting. Background Next EDC meeting The next EDC meeting is currently scheduled for Thursday, December 26, 2024 due to the holiday on Wednesday, December 25, 2024. Commission members are asked to consider the cancelation of the December meeting and the additional scheduling of a January meeting. It is estimated that the Staff Liaison will be back in office following a planned leave as early as January 7, 2025. Commission members are asked to consider their availability for the month of January to determine a date when a quorum of members (currently 4) can be in attendance. The next regularly scheduled meeting date is February 26, 2025. Possible Wednesday meeting dates to discuss: • January 22 • January 29 The EDC may also consider other dates based on commission member availability. Attachment: None Page 1 of 1 EDC AGENDA ITEM – 3B MEMORANDUM DATE: October 23, 2024 TO: Economic Development Commission Chair and Commissioners FROM: Jessica Jagoe, Interim City Administrator SUBJECT: In-Person Business Visits Strategy Check-in Verbal updates will be provided by Commissioners at the meeting. Staff will provide a view of responses entered into the online Survey Monkey. Attachment: None Action Requested: None