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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-21-00-00 CITY OF LAKEVILLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES March 21, 2000 Members Present: Brantly, Detjen, Erickson, Matasosky, Pogatchnik, Schubert, Tushie, Vogel, and ex-officio Erickson. Members Absent: Emond and Miller. Staff Present: Rita Erpelding, Economic Development Coordinator; and Penny Brevig, Recording Secretary. 1. Call to Order. Chair Vogel called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. in the Administration Conference Room at Lakeville City Hall. 2. Approval of the February 22, 2000, Meeting Minutes. 00.10 MOTION Comms. Matasosky/Pogatchnik moved to approve the February 22, 2000, meeting minutes. Motion carried • unanimously. Due to the fact that Mr. Robert Erickson had another meeting to attend, the EDC unanimously agreed to take agenda items 6 and 7 out of order. 7. Other Business Mr. Erickson showed the EDC an elevation of the new weir located east of Heritage Commons that will be faced with stone to match the bridge. Mr. Erickson also showed EDC members examples of the new "Welcome° banners for the historic downtown, as well as the Heritage Commons Area. Since the existing banners are in need of replacement, the City worked with the Downtown Lakeville Business Association to develop a new design on a slightly wider banner. Mr. Erickson added that the banner design will remain the same in both areas, however the background color will be green in downtown and blue in Heritage Commons. Mr. Erickson stated that Walgreens has incorporated a gateway monument in their proposed development at Cedar Avenue and County Road 46. The EDC briefly reviewed the current plan, which shows a serpentine wall with the Lakeville logo in brick on the southwest corner of the intersection. Mr. Erickson . also noted that Walgreens agreed to match the Lakeville Liquor Store by utilizing similar brick, white columns, and roof system. Mr. Erickson added that other Lakeville Economic Development Commission March 21, 2000 Meeting Minutes Page 2 potential uses for the 20 acre site include a bank, day care facility, fast food restaurant, and "big box" retailer. Mr. Erickson stated that the City Council recently appointed Mr. Bob Johnson to the City Council. Mr. Johnson, a former City Council Member, was appointed to fill the vacancy resulting from Tom Ryan's resignation. Mr. Erickson added that Mr. Johnson will serve until the election this fall. Mr. Erickson noted that there will be four City Council positions, including Mayor, open in the upcoming election. Comms. Tushie, Pogatchnik, Matasosky, and Brantly all stated that Mr. Johnson's appointment is appropriate, especially because of his background and prior service on the City Council. Mr. Erickson stated that bids opened on March 21, 2000, for the Ipava Avenue project. The low bid came in at $2.6 million, which is below the engineers' estimate. Mr. Erickson noted that part of the agreement is that the construction is expected to be completed by the fourth week in August. The construction will include an off-road trail adjacent to the wetlands. Mr. Erickson highlighted the new City of Lakeville "A Citizen's Guide to the Comprehensive Plan" brochure which was sent to all property owners in Lakeville. Comm. Matasosky asked how EDC members will be able to identify changes in the new Zoning Ordinance. Mr. Erickson stated that a summary of the modifications will be included in the next EDC packet. • 6. EDC Composition Mr. Erickson stated that since there are no longer any EDC members on the Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the EDC is no longer in compliance with the composition section of its enabling resolution. Chair Vogel indicated that Mayor Zaun suggested that the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce could be added as an ex-officio member. Mr. Erickson stated that through discussions with Chamber President Hotzler and Executive Director Johnsen, it seemed that the Chamber of Commerce would be receptive to this modification. Comms. Detjen and Pogatchnik stated that the Executive Director seems a logical choice because it maintains continuity as board members change from year to year. MOTION 00.11 Comms. Matasosky/Pogatchnik moved that the Executive Director of the Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce be added as an ex-officio member of the EDC and that the EDC be required to have one member be a member of the Chamber of Commerce. Further, the EDC moved that staff forward the recommendation to the Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce for their review prior to the City Council's consideration. Motion carried unanimously. • Lakeville Economic Development Commission March 21, 2000 Meeting Minutes Page 3 3. Marketing Strategy a. Brochure (Template) Design Ms. Erpelding showed EDC members two examples of previous marketing pieces utilized by the City of Lakeville. Ms. Erpelding stated that although staff has kept up-to-date on the statistics utilized in the marketing pieces, the City has not updated its overall marketing package or design for several years. Ms. Erpelding distributed examples of other cities' economic development marketing pieces. Ms. Erpelding stated that in reviewing the City's marketing pieces, staff was recommending that a consultant be hired to design a comprehensive template that could be utilized for the City's economic development marketing efforts. Although the template would be utilized for a number of pieces, the preliminary focus would be on the community profile and profiles of available sites and buildings. Ms. Erpelding added that staff would prefer that the consultant provide a template for staff to utilize so marketing pieces can be easily updated. Comm. Pogatchnik asked whether there was funding in the budget for a consultant. Ms. Erpelding stated that funding is available in the 2000 budget for updating marketing materials. Comm. Tushie suggested that the consultant be required to provide the template in electronic format so that the City can utilize it for new • pieces without having tp contract with the consultant again. Ms. Erpelding agreed stating that requiring the template in electronic format was staff's intention. Comm. Tushie added that the recommendation by Council Member Mulvihill that the downtown design guidelines be added into the marketing pieces should also be considered. b. RetaillBusiness Campus Marketing Plan Ms. Erpelding stated that since the EDC placed a priority on retail and business campus development in the strategic plan, developing a marketing strategy for those areas should be considered. Staff recommends that the EDC consider hiring a consultant to identify marketing strategies to attract retail and business campus development. Ms. Erpelding stated that staff would like direction from the EDC on whether to update the marketing materials prior to the development of a marketing strategy for retail and business campus. Ms. Erpelding noted that one reason behind staff recommending the development of a template was to provide an opportunity for marketing materials to be easily modified for either of the target areas. Chair Vogel stated that the design of the brochures should be based on the marketing plan. Comm. Tushie agreed stating that the brochure may be too generalized and ineffective if developed prior to the marketing strategy. Comm. • Tushie recommended that staff wait on the development of a template design Lakeville Economic Development Commission March 21, 2000 Meeting Minutes Page 4 until after marketing strategies have been identified for both retail and office parkibusiness campus. Comm. Brantly asked Ms. Erpelding how long she felt it would take to develop a recommendation. Ms. Erpelding thought it would take at a minimum between four to six months to identify marketing strategies and then another four to six months to design a marketing template. Comm. Brantly stated that although it may take over a year to update the marketing pieces, it would be better to wait until a marketing plan for retail and office park business campus is completed. Chair Vogel noted that he has become concerned regarding the number of tasks that the EDC and staff are working on at this time. Chair Vogel noted that staff may not have the time to begin work on the marketing plan because of the shortage of staff and the other items currently in process. Chair Vogel stated that the EDC may need to reevaluate its priorities and/or determine whether some of the subcommittees can function without staff assistance. Comm. Brantly asked Ms. Erpelding the status of the various subcommittees. Ms. Erpelding estimated that the South Creek Subcommittee will probably meet until June, the Corridor and Gateway Subcommittee for a few more months, and the Labor Force Subcommittee through September. Chair Vogel requested staff to reevaluate whether there is time to begin working • with a consultant on developing the marketing strategies. Ms. Erpelding stated that staff will look at how much time is available prior to the next EDC meeting. 6. Update on Strategic Work Plan Activities Corridor and Gateway Design. Study Chair Vogel stated that he attended a meeting with the Mayor, Mr. Erickson, Mr. Michaud, and Mr. Larson, Chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee. At that meeting, Chair Vogel learned that the Park Director is recommending that the City change its method of calculating park dedication fees for commercial and industrial developments. The current assessment is five percent of the Dakota County assessor's market value. Staff is recommending that one alternate method of calculation would be to base it on a percentage of the sale price. Since the sale price of a property will be higher than the assessed value, it is recommended that the percentage rate would be lower, perhaps two-and-a-half or three percent. Chair Vogel stated that he requested information regarding other cities' park dedication fees to ensure that the City is competitive. Although he reviewed Park dedication fees from some cities, Chair Vogel indicated that he was interested in seeing the park dedication fees assessed by surrounding communities, such as • Burnsville, Farmington, and Apple Valley. Lakeville Economic Development Commission March 21, 2000 Meeting Minutes Page 5 Chair Vogel stated that at the meeting it was suggested that potential funding for Corridor and Gateway improvements would be a portion of the park dedication fee. Since corridors and gateways typically are located along trails and at major intersections, the park department indicated an interest in the possibility. If this were to occur, many of the corridor and gateway improvements would then be maintained by the Park Department. In order to discuss the feasibility of this idea, it was recommended that a joint subcommittee of the EDC and Park and Recreation Committee be formed. This would allow the EDC to have an influence on the process of modifying park dedication fees and may result in funding opportunities for the development of corridor and gateway features. Chair Vogel reminded the EDC that prior to the establishment of the South Creek subcommittee it seemed that the EAC and EDC would not be able to reach consensus However, through cooperative effort a proactive management plan is now being developed. Comm. Matasosky expressed a number of concerns regarding this issue including that the City is not being forthright as to the reasons for the change. Comm. Matasosky stated that it seems that the modification is being proposed as if there will not be a net effect on property owners. However, Comm. Matasosky expects that the change is actually being proposed to increase funding. • Comm. Matasosky also expressed concern regarding how the market value will be determined, who will determine it, and how it will be applied. Comm. Matasosky suggested that depending on the method of determination, a property may be charged more in fees than it should. For example, if one calculates the market value of an unplatted piece based on platted property in the area, then the value may be inflated due to improvement costs of the platted property. Chair Vogel stated that the EDC could benefit by participating in the subcommittee. Chair Vogel recommended that he be a member since Park and Recreation Chair Larson is also a member. The subcommittee would then need another member from the EDC to participate. Comm. Brantly recommended that Comm. Tushie be appointed. Comm. Tushie stated that the subcommittee should review commercial/industrial park dedication fees from other communities. Comm. Pogatchnik agreed stating that the numbers need to be analyzed to ensure we are competitive and fair. Comm. Tushie questioned the Park and Recreation Committee's interest in forming a subcommittee. Comm. Detjen asked who would have control of the Park Dedication funds. Comms. Tushie and Brantly stated that the EDC may want to request that a portion be designated specifically for gateway and corridor improvements within • the Park and Recreation Department Development Budget. Lakeville Economic Development Commission March 21, 2000 Meeting Minutes Page 6 Comm. Matasosky stated that the EDC should definitely pursue a joint subcommittee, however he would recommend that guidelines on participation should be incorporated. Motion 00.12 Comms. Brantly/Matasosky moved that Comms. Tushie and Vogel form a joint subcommittee with members of the Park and Recreation Advisory Committee to consider modifying the City's park dedication fees and to identify strategies to integrate corridor and gateway features with emphasis on ensuring the City's competitiveness, minimizing negative impacts on businesses, and assessing the feasibility of funds being specifically dedicated to corridor and gateway improvements. Motion carried unanimously. Comm. Erickson added that one possible gateway improvement to consider would be the sign on County Road 50 as one enters Lakeville. Comm. Erickson noted that Farmington has a nice monument sign, while Lakeville has only a small metal sign. South Creek Trout Stream Comm. Matasosky stated that the neighborhood meeting with Airlake landowners • was held on March 7. The meeting went well and allowed the City to demonstrate to landowners that the City continues to be proactive. Comm. Matasosky added that the preliminary results of the Barr study indicate that the net effect of new management practices is likely to be minimal, with ponding requirements remaining similar to current practices. Landowners had no major concerns at the meeting and were interested in updates regarding the Cedar Avenue project. Comm. Pogatchnik added that landowners seemed appreciative of the direction that the City was taking. Comm. Matasosky stated that the meeting with agency representatives was that afternoon. Agency representatives seemed positive about the results and expressed their support for the direction the City was taking. Comm. Pogatchnik added that is it good to see that the Barr Engineering Study seems to be generating quality data that can be applied directly to the development of best management practices. Comm. Pogatchnik noted that a representative of the DNR admitted that the agencies can not protect the trout, but the landowners can. Ms. Erpelding added that agency representatives also seem to be supportive of the assumptions utilized in the Barr study. This support will be important during the agency review of the management plan. • ~ Lakeville Economic Development Commission March 21, 2000 Meeting Minutes Page 7 Labor Force Subcommittee Ms. Erpelding asked if there were any questions or comments regarding the packet materials enclosed. Comm. Tushie stated that he was surprised about the amount of temporary help utilized by companies in Lakeville. Comm. Schubert stated that the subcommittee discussed what the objectives of the survey are, the type of questions to include, and the best method of surveying companies. Ms. Erpelding added that the subcommittee recommended that a consultant be hired to assist with the writing of the questions, the administration of the survey, and the analysis of results. Ms. Erpelding stated that the subcommittee concluded that the primary focus of the survey was to obtain an understanding of the issues on which the EDC can have an impact. The results of the survey would primarily be utilized in determination and prioritization of possible action items. Chair Vogel emphasized that the EDC needs to focus on global strategies, rather than individual business assistance. Comm. Matasosky stated that the subcommittee concluded that the EDC needs to specifically identify the type of employees needed, including the positions, education levels, and skills. Comm. Matasosky stated that Chair Vogel recommended that the information regarding positions available could then be • utilized to inform residents in other cities as well as in Lakeville of employment opportunities. In addition, the information could be utilized to connect employees from plants closing in nearby communities with the job opportunities in Lakeville. Comm. Tushie suggested that the information could also be utilized to market careers in the schools. Comm. Tushie added that once the Census data is available, the EDC could utilize that in marketing employment opportunities. The EDC may consider calling individual households and letting them know about what types of jobs are available. Ms. Erpelding stated that staff is currently drafting a list of questions to include in the survey. The subcommittee will be reviewing the list and then proposals will be requested from potential consultants. 5. Staff Activities Report Design Guidelines Meeting Ms. Erpelding stated that Mr. Tushie of Tushie-Montgomery Associates, on behalf of the Downtown Lakeville Business Association, presented the Historic Fairfield District of Downtown Lakeville Design Guidelines to representatives of • the Historical Society, Planning Commission, and downtown businesses on ~ ~ Lakeville Economic Development Commission March 21, 2000 Meeting Minutes Page 8 March 9th. Comm. Tushie stated that the meeting went well with positive feedback from attendees. Comm. Tushie noted that Council Member Mulvihill recommended that the design standards be included in any new marketing materials and be considered for incorporation in the marketing videos. Downtown Lakeville Parking Study Ms. Erpelding stated that the City Council reviewed the preliminary report of the Downtown Lakeville Parking Study at their March 18th City Council Retreat. As part of the presentation, Barton-Aschman reviewed their proposed concept plan for the parallel parking dual stall layout for Holyoke Avenue. Ms. Erpelding stated that Barton-Aschman estimated that with tandem parking there is an overall gain of three spaces and the ease of movement is increased. Comm. Tushie asked whether the concept plan included staging areas for pedestrian walkways. Ms. Erpelding stated that the staging areas were not a part of the study. New Morning Windows Ms. Erpelding stated that New Morning Windows has agreed to repay the City of Lakeville and the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development (DYED) $16,406.25 with interest over the next two years beginning in July of 2000. • Aidake Businesses Ms. Erpelding handed out an updated Airlake Industrial Park map, which includes a list of the businesses with their address, phone number, and brief description. Ms. Erpelding noted that through the Workforce Telephone Survey staff was able to determine changes in business ownerships. Development Update Ms. Erpelding stated that in recent discussions with United States Postal Service (USPS), City staff has learned that due to funding cuts USPS is planning on keeping their carrier functions in the Lakeville Mall for the next 5 to 7 years. City Staff has expressed concem about parking and continues to work with USPS. 8. Adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Respectively submitted by: Attested to: Penny r , Recordi S cretary R.T. Brantly, Secretary •