Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 4F, Resignation of EDC Members ~ ~~HILLS Request for Council Action . Prepared By: Noah A. Simon Council Meeting Date: May 12, 2008 Resignation and Release of Two EDC Members Budgeted Amount: $0.00 Actual Amount: $0.00 Funding Source: Source Recommendation: Motion to accept the verbal resignalion of Dale Beane from the Economic Development Commission and to release Chris Ashbach from the Economic Development Commission per Section 220 Subdivision 9, Attendance at Meetings. Supporting Documents: 1. The EDC discussed this at their March 26th and April 30th meeting. The Approved March minutes and Draft April minutes are attached. CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION APRIL 30, 2008 7:30 AM CITY HALL --1245 WEST HIGHWAY 96 CALL MEETING TO ORDER Chair Yon Holtum called the meeting to order at 7:30 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Ed Yon Holtum; Asst. City Administrator Noah Simon; Nancy Kneeland; Jim Paulet; Rob Davidson; Mayor Harpstead. Absent: Chris Ashbach, Ed Werner, Dale Beane. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - FEBRUARY 26, 2008 The minutes from the March 26, 2008, meeting were approved as printed. OLD BUSINESS EDC Member Status: Asst. City Administrator Simon indicated Deal Beane has been contacted regarding his status on the EDC and wishes to be removed from the committee. Repeated attempts have been to contact Chris Ashbach to inquire on his status. To date, no reply has been received. Asst. City Administrator Simon will prepare a motion to remove Dale Bean and Chris Ashbach from the EDC. Asst. City Administrator Simon has contacted the President from Anchor Bank who has expressed interest in serving on the EDC. He has also been appointed to the B-2 Steering Committee. Asst. City Administrator Simon asked how the group wants to move forward with the interested applicant. Mayor Harpstead expressed he thought it was appropriate to move forward with appointing this applicant to the committee. Chair Yon Holtum will call this applicant and based on his recommendation will then move forward with appointing this applicant. Chair Von Holtum will contact Councilmember Holden to inform her on this possible appointrnent. Chair Von Holtum asked the groups opinion of the candidate interviewed at the last meeting. It was the groups opinion that they would like to suggest he serve on a different committee with the City rather than the EDC because of inexperience with the area. Noah noted we currently have 3 openings. He suggested looking athte B-2 Steering Committee for possible EDC candidates. EDC Minutes April 30, 2008 Page2of5 Mayor Harpstead noted that the next City newsletter will include a paragraph soliciting members for various committees including the EDC. Business Incentive Policy: Stacie Kvilvang could not attend this meeting and Assistant City Administrator Simon asked the group if this item could be postponed to the next meeting. He indicated feedback has been received from the Finance Planning and Analysis Committee (FPAC). He indicated he will forward the FP AC comments to the EDC members for their review. Assistant City Administrator Simon noted he has made numerous calls to New Brighton to request a copy of their business subsidy policy and has not receive anything information of substance to date. Mayor Harpstead indicated the feedback from the FPAC was the policy seemed to be dealing with two different items at once and that it wasn't real good dealing with either item. He noted the policy should have a statement of philosophy in addition to the requirements of state law. FP AC felt the policy was more confusing than helpful. Assistant City Administrator Simon reminded the group the policy is still in draft form. The policy has been written by Stacie Kvilvang and another individual who is a lawyer and noted he sent Ms. Kvilvang the FPAC comments to analyze and incorporate into the document. Nancy indicated she doesn't believe the policy to be anywhere near final. Rob expressed he thought what Ms. Kvilvang was trying to craft was a policy to provide the City with the rnost flexibility. Mayor Harpstead noted the FP AC acknowledged the City does have incentives for small businesses that it could start using. Chair Von Holtum inquired as if Ms. K vilvang will address FP AC with the concerns they raised. Assistant City Administrator Simon indicated she would be doing so at their next meeting. Gateway Signs: Assistant City Administrator Simon met with Mr. Derek Hames regarding the various draft designs of the Gateway Signs. He has also searched for the documentation from the past that indicated where the proposed sign locations have been set and could not find any documentation on this. Assistant City Administrator Simon noted the cost of the draft sign designs is $20,000/each and inquired if the group wants to proceed with these draft designs and ask Council for money in the budget or if they would like to have Mr. Hames design a sign to fit the $10,000 budget. Rob expressed if the City is not going to do the signage right then they should do it at all and he was in favor of going to Council to ask for more money for these signs. Assistant City Administrator Simon noted the draft signs are 10' long and 20" deep, but he did not have the height measurement. Mayor Harpstead said he is in agreement that the City needs to do some things to dress up the community and make it a better outreach to others as they travel through. He indicated he has concerns with the signs the size of the Shoreview gateway signs. He suggested some possible locations that might be a good fit for gateway signs such as EDC Minutes April 30, 2008 Page 3 of5 off of 694 (near the Bethel University Campus); the southwest comer of the City (around the Cleveland Avenue area); going north on Snelling Avenue as you are leaving Roseville; on County Road E and Lexington Avenue. Nancy indicated even in regard to the B-2 are, there has always been confusion as to where Arden Hills and Shoreview boundaries are located. Mayor Harpstead requested to have Mr. Hames design what a $10,000 sign would appear like so the committee would have an idea. Assistant City Administrator Simon noted there would be a cost involved for Mr. Hames' time in designing more draft designs and wondered if the City wanted to spend for this item. The Mayor suggested different type of signs could be required depending on the area they are located, but thought they should all have a consistent look. Chair Yon Holtum proposed waiting for the B-2 Steering Committee to develop the B-2 plan and ask them to discuss signage as well. Assistant City Administrator Simon said he would like to go back to Mr. Hames with a set of parameters to base his designs off of and would wait for suggestions from the B-2 Steering Committee. Jim asked bout the status of the re painting the entire water tower with the Arden Hills logo identifier on it. Mayor Harpstead noted this item is being included under the 5-year CIP. Assistant City Administrator Simon indicated it sounds like the committee would like to table this item until the B-2 Steering Committee finishes it's work and he would then come to the EDC with their ideas on signage. After this, he would then go to Mr. Hames for design mock ups. Rob suggested the group work on pnontIzmg possible sign locations. Mayor Harpstead suggested figuring out site criteria would be a good first step. The Committee agreed to discuss sign site criteria next on the agenda. Assistant City Administrator Simon asked the committee if they would want to consider some type of signage or community identification on top of the actual roadway - such as painted or iniayed into the road. Mayor Harpstead an area such as where County Road D crosses the freeway could be a possible location for this type of City identification. The committee was in agreement to have Assistant City Administrator Simon develop ideas for community identifiers such as street painting, crosswalk painting, etc., and bring this to the next meeting. Welcome/lnformational Packet: Assistant City Administrator Simon requested this item be moved to the next meeting of the EDC. EDC Minutes April 30, 2008 Page 4 of5 Site Sign Criteria: Mayor Harpstead suggested the following site criteria be used when deciding on possible gateway sign locations: traffic volumes, available easements, attractive backdrop; and benefits and cost sharing of the immediate businesses. He noted the B-2 Steering Committee has a traffic consultant and asked that those consultants indicated their suggestion of where these signs should be placed. He also indicated that traffic volume data can be obtained from the Mn/DOT web site and asked that Assistant City Administrator Simon bring forth this data for the next meeting. The committee agreed to accept the site criteria that Mayor Harpstead suggested. NEW BUSINESS No new business items were discussed. OTHER BUSINESS: Nancy asked the group for an update to the business recognition idea. Assistant City Administrator Simon reiterated from the last meeting the group is suppose to alert staff whenever they know of a businesses accornplishment in the community or other noteworthy item. He would the take care of acknowledging the business from there. Jim asked about the status of the economic development section of the Comp Plan. Assistant City Administrator Sirnon indicated he has asked the group to send comments on the draft section and he would work with City Planner Lehnhoff to incorporate those comments into the section. Assistant City Administrator Simon indicated he would send out the draft section again to committee members for their comment. Comments need to be received as soon as possible as the Comp Plan is moving forward as the Council has reviewed most of the document already. Mayor Harpstead noted the importance of the Cornp Plan and noted it is used by the MetCouncil, neighboring cities, the community of individuals that live and work in the City, and for grant application purposes. UPDATE ON COUNCIL Mayor Harpstead updated the committee on the status of the City Administrator hiring process and noted it has been narrowed down to one candidate. He noted all candidates had significant experience and it was nice to see this caliber of applicants. The B-2 Steering Committee was formed and names are being added to this group. A number of public meetings will be scheduled in the future and he encourage the committees participation in these rneetings. EDC Minutes April 30, 2008 Page 5 of5 Land O'Lakes approached the City about a sidewalk between their properties on Lexington and requested the City's support. The Traverse Bus. Ctr. is working on moving forward with a groundbreaking date. He suggested the committee members drive down Round Lake Road to view all businesses in this area. TCAAP is moving forward with putting together the Master Development Agreement negotiating team. The access discussion is behind in schedule but is slowly moving forward. Financing of the project is in discussion. Density discussion ensued. Future EDC Meeting Dates: The Mayor noted having the meeting on a consistent basis is helpful for member attendance. The group discussed what schedule would work best and agreed on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 a.rn. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:01 a.m. Minutes approved by: Ed Von Holtum, Chair Noah A. Simon, Asst. City Administrator NEXT MEETING The next regular meeting ofthe EDC will be Wednesday, May 21 at 7:30 a.m. CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 26, 2008; 7:30 AM CITY HALL --1245 WEST HIGHWAY 96 CALL MEETING TO ORDER Chair Kunkel called the meeting to order at 7:36 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Kunkel Kunkel; Asst. City Administrator Noah Simon; Ed Von Holtum; Jim Paulet; City Planner James Lehnhoff; Rob Davidson; Councilmember Brenda Holden. Absent: Chris Ashbach, Ed Wemer, Dale Beane, Nancy Kneeland. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - FEBRUARY 26. 2008 The minutes from the February 26, 2008, meeting were approved as printed. OLD BUSINESS Follow-up/Status of Old City Hall and B2 RFP: Councilmember Holden recapped the Old City Hall Open House that was held Tuesday, March 25, 2008. She indicated about 40 people were in attendance. There were six "stations" set up to provide input on the future of the property. The data collected will be presented at a Council meeting next month. The RFP process will begin in June. Chair Kunkel asked if there was substantial agreement on any of the issues. Counciimember Holden noted one of the main issues of agreement was consensus was received to have no access to Harnline Avenue and have as much open space as possible on the property. Ed asked how will the property be sold if there access to Hamline Avenue is not allowed. City Planner Lehnhoff noted the Hamline Avenue access is definitely going to be a key part of the process. He noted there has to be enough flexibility in the RFP to allow for other uses. Senior housing has been brought forward at one time because traffic impact would be negligible; however, the access point to the facility would be very critical. Rob asked if the City has identified any goals for that land. City Planner Lehnhoff noted goals had been set at previous meetings. City Planner Lehnhoff made sure to point out that the "voting" that occurred at the open house last night was to gain ideas only and not meant to be a final answer to anything. Chair Kunkel inquired if there has been any official interest expressed in the property. City Planner Lehnhoff noted over the last 2-3 rnonths there have been inquiries on the property with a variety of ideas for use. City Planner Lehnhoff indicated the City received 4 proposals for the RFP for the B-2 study. He has reviewed them and is prepared to make a recommendation to City Council at the March 31, 2008 meeting. The estimated cost ($61,000) is more than the City had originally budgeted ($35,000) for this process; however, it will be able to be covered in the budget because of some extra money in other areas. He also noted the thing that is important to remember is for EDC Minutes March 26, 2008 Page 2 of 5 everyone to manage their expectations and realize this will not resolve every issue in the B-2 district. A steering committee will be formed in regard to this topic. The whole process will start in April and hopefully completed by the end of September. James noted once the process starts, he will ask the group for assistance in getting the word out about any public meetings. Welcome/Congratulatory Packet Information: Asst. City Administrator Simon noted from his inquiries of surrounding communities, he found other communities do not have a welcome or congratulatory packet either. He said he did talk to both chambers of commerce (St. Paul and Minneapolis) and they sent him an example of a general packet that they send out. Asst. City Administrator Simon said the City would develop a welcome letter, some brochures, etc. He reminded the group that Nancy had expressed the idea of the sending some type of packet to award individuals within the community. He also indicated if he learns of other good ideas, he will incorporate them into the packet. Chair Kunkel asked if Asst. City Administrator Simon is considering a "cascading sheets" type of information. Noah confirmed that one side of the packet folder will be Arden Hills information on cascading sheets. The other half of the brochure would be some type of brochures and handouts. Asst. City Administrator Simon stated he will need another couple weeks to get the packet developed. Rob asked how Noah will know who to send the welcome packets to. Asst. City Administrator Simon indicated he will be asking the EDC as well as City staff to alert him. Counciimember asked about the congratulatory certificate and what it would be like. Noah indicated the first step would be to send the welcome packet so that in the event some day a congratulatory certificate is sent, the individual will know who is sending the information. Business Incentive Policy Information Requested by the EDC: Noah indicated that Stacie Kvilvang was unable to attend today's meeting. He indicated he has been calling surrounding cities to find examples of their policies. He said he will send out any other community information to the EDC for review. Asst. City Administrator Simon indicated the EDC could set the job growth and wage rate number today; or the group can review the last draft of the policy and discuss it at the next meeting. Counciimember Holden asked that the City of New Brighton's business incentive policy be checked included in the information sent to the group. Asst. City Administrator Simon said he would email any other city business incentive plans he receives and suggested this item be brought back to the next EDC meeting with a final review of the policy. . NEW BUSINESS Meet with EDC Applicant Daniel Reiff: Asst. City Administrator Simon informed the group that the applicant is very eager to be part of the EDC. He also indicated there could be the potential for 2 more vacancies on the EDC due to Chris Ashbach and Dale Bean's absences. According to the bylaws, members missing 3 EDC Minutes March 26, 2008 Page 3 of 5 meetings, or 1/3 of the meetings, is grounds for dismissal. Rob said he would call Dale Bean to inquire as to his interest in continuing with the group. Jim said he would contact Chris about his status as well. Asst. City Administrator Simon indicated the bylaws also state the EDC should be made up of at least three (3) Arden Hills residents and one (1) individual engaged in the real estate profession. It was noted the group currently satisfies this representation. Brenda related that Anchor Bank has expressed interest in serving on the EDC. Asst. City Administrator Simon asked Councilmember Holden to inform Anchor Bank to submit an application. Jim expressed he thought a retail representative would be great to have on the EDC. Rob noted that maybe the group should open up the avenue for others in addition to the individual being interviewed today. Noah said he could draft up a letter to Chris and Dale and noted they would be advertising for their vacancies. Rob said he would be happy to check with Frattalone's to inquire on their interest. Councilmember Holden indicated small medical businesses might be another good candidate for the EDC. Asst. City Administrator Simon noted he will follow-up by advertising for the vacancies and hope to have them filled in the next 1-2 months. The group then preceded to interview potential EDC member Daniel Reiff, Arden Hills Resident. Mr. Reiff indicated he is currently employed as a commercial business litigation attorney. He has lived in Arden Hills for a year and a half and he came here because he feels it is geographically convenient to both St. Paul and Minneapolis. He thinks it's a nice community with fairly good property values. He also expressed he thinks Arden Hills has a number of strong businesses in the community with a solid economy separate from being a bedroom commnnity. He noted he likes all the green space he can see. Mr. Reiff also indicated he believes the TCAAP property will be physically appealing once it is cleaned up. The applicant then gave a review of commercial law business and gave an example of a case he is currently working going to court over today. From an economic development perspective, he disagreed with traffic issue concerns that were raised frorn the recent Walgeens perspective developrnent. Mr. Reiff also noted he believes a lot of groups tend to be comprised of individuals of a more mature stature and would like to bring a younger voice to a group. Asst. City Administrator Simon noted the Planning Commission vacancy was related to Mr. Reiff but he specifically expressed interest in the EDC committee. The interview was completed and the applicant left the meeting. Councilmember Holden then expressed it would be nice to have a younger member in the EDC mix. Ed expressed he thought the applicant was not real familiar with the City but thought he seemed very bright. Rob suggested he be put in the mix of other alternatives and who will be the best choice. Asst. City Administrator Simon said he agrees with some of the comments and suggested the group give some weight to the fact that the applicant took initiative and came forward after seeing the posting for the vacancy. Ed noted he thought there is a certain benefit to having a member who is a lawyer who has studied contract law. Chair Kunkel noted losing Chris who is a younger member is disappointing. Jim said he likes the idea of putting him in the rnix with any others that apply and see what happens. Chair Kunkel confirmed that the group wants to add him to the EDC Minutes March 26, 2008 Page 4 of 5 mix of the three vacancies. He said if we were dealing with just one vacancy, then he would like to see him on the group. Other Business: Asst. City Administrator Simon reported he was hoping to have met with the Derek Hames on the Gateway Sign topic but this has not occurred yet. He hopes to do so by the next EDC meeting. Asst. City Administrator Simon passed out a brochure he received from the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce for the groups review. Councilmember Holden suggested looking for Gateway Sign information in previous Council packets, as well as talking to David Sand (former chair of the Planning Commission). Jim noted in his review of the most recent draft of the comprehensive plan, there is very little in the economic development section - only a goal statement. He thought all the other areas covered extensively but not this area. Councilmember Holden noted she believes City Planner Lehnhoff is waiting for input from the group on this topic and he will then include that information. Asst. City Administrator Sirnon asked the EDC members to ernail any comments to City Planner Lehnhoff or himself to be included. Jim asked that the Mooney Plan be included. Jim suggested this topic be on the next EDC agenda for discussion. Chair Kunkel indicated he likes like system of sending out emails to find the best appropriate meeting dates fore everyone and would like to continue in this fashion. UPDATE ON COUNCIL Councilmember Holden summarized recent City Council actions: the City received the Safe Routes to School grant and will be developing a sidewalk at Valentine Hills School; the sign ordinance revision has been approved and will be note in the City newsletter - a mass mailing of this revised ordinance will be sent out to businesses as well; City Administrator candidates are currently be interviewed; The PDA was amended to be extended by one year; The Super 8 Motel's request to cease the motel/hotel tax has been approved; Earnest money was returned on the old City Hall property; Visioning is still occurring on the 10/96 intersection; The Traverse Business Center preliminary plan has been approved by Planning Commission; Northwestern has come forward with parking lot plans; The Holiday Inn reuse project will be on the March 31 City Council agenda for approval. Jim asked Rob about the long-range plan for the Holiday Inn site. Rob noted he has a limited contract with the City and it requires a 3 year termination requirement on the temporary use. He indicated it is his long range goal to tear down the building and redevelop the property. EDC Minutes March 26, 2008 Page 5 of5 ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:08 a.m. Minutes approved by: Chair Bruce Kunkel, Chair Noah A. Simon, Asst. City Administrator NEXT MEETING The next regular meeting ofthe EDC will be determined at a later date.