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EDA Minutes 01-12-2011EDA Minutes 1/12/11 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (EDA) MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, January 12, 2011- 6:00 p.m. Commissioners Present: President Bill Demeules, Treasurer Bill Tapper, Bill Fair and Council Member Tom Perrault Commissioners Absent: Council Member Brian Stumpf, Tracy Hinz Staff: Executive Director Megan Barnett - Livgard, Finance Director Tom Kelly, City Administrator Jeff O'Neill Other: John Chadwick 1. Call to Order President Demeules called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. 2. Approve Meeting Minutes BILL TAPPER MOVED TO APPROVE THE DECEMBER 15, 2010 EDA MINUTES. BILL FAIR SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED 4 -0. 3. Consideration of additional agenda items a) Consideration of withdrawing from the Wright County Economic Development Partnership 4. Approval of EDA Invoices BILL TAPPER MOVED TO APPROVE THE DECEMBER INVOICES. TOM PERRAULT SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED 4 -0. 5. Consideration of a Request by J. Edwin Chadwick asking the EDA to purchase 13.6 acres of residentially zoned property located adiacent to the Monticello Business Center Staff received a letter from John Chadwick asking the EDA if there is any interest in purchasing property he owns located immediately adjacent to the Monticello Business Center. The subject property is 13.6 acres in size and currently guided residential. Mr. Chadwick is asking $250,000 for the subject property. It is his opinion the parcel is desirable to 1 EDA Minutes 1/12/11 the City due to its contiguous location to the Monticello Business Center. He suggested that a road could be connected from 901h Street to Dalton Way and that the property would add to the net useable area to the adjacent wetland parcel. He requested the EDA purchase the property at full asking price or he would be willing to work terms to include a $50,000 down payment and financing on the balance over 5 years at a 5.5% interest rate. Staff recommended the EDA decline to purchase the 13.6 acre parcel for the following reasons: • The EDA owns approximately 50 acres of vacant industrial land and has ample small lot parcels to offer potential industrial users. Staff would recommend utilizing purchasing dollars for larger contiguous pieces in order to accommodate larger users. • Neighboring residents may be uneasy with the City processing a Comprehensive Plan Amendment and rezoning the property from R -1 to I -1. • While the City may have interest in connecting a road through the subject property, it is reasonable to believe this can be achieved through the platting process whether the City or a private developer owns the parcel. • In light of the Embracing Downtown study, staff anticipates the EDA may desire to utilize purchasing dollars towards potential redevelopment/revitalization in downtown in the next few years. • Purchase price is $250,000. The 2011 land value according to the County is $191,400. • Purchasing dollars are limited and should be put towards key parcels that will have a greater impact on potential development or redevelopment. John Chadwick of 4477 Manitou Road in Excelsior provided some background related to the property and spoke further about his request. There were numerous questions about the amount of buildable land involved and the appropriate zoning classification for the subject property. City Administrator Jeff O'Neill pointed out that the property is a transitional area and that the zoning could have gone either way. Staff noted that John Chadwick had requested that it be guided residential. It was also noted that there is a power line easement on the property. There was discussion about whether or not purchase of this property would provide reasonable value and flexibility for the future for the EDA. The cost of taxes and the cost of holding the parcel at this time were also discussed briefly. The EDA determined that it required more information to make a decision. They considered authorizing a contract for an appraisal and an engineering report. Jeff O'Neill noted that it might be useful to first review the previous analysis of this site. BILL FAIR MOVED TO TABLE ACTION FOR FURTHER RESEARCH AND DISCUSSION. BILL TAPPER SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED 4 -0. 6. Consideration of items added to the agenda a) Consideration of Withdrawing from the Wright County Economic Development Partnership EDA Minutes 1/12/11 Megan Barnett - Livgard noted City participation in the Partnership has added little value to the City's network or resources for the past two years and that it no longer seems to have clear focus and leadership. Staff believes the organization should have some regional marketing responsibility and initiate projects that add economic value to the County at large. The Partnership has been more focused on helping individual businesses. Membership has been declining, and participation in events has declined. The Partnership's current Executive Director, Noel Labine, will soon be leaving the organization. It seems appropriate to step back and allow the organization to decide how it would like to function and who they plan to serve. Staff recommended that the City choose not to renew its membership fee of $2,715 for the year 2011 and to reevaluate the value of participation in the Partnership in 2012. There was limited discussion on the value of participating in the Partnership. BILL FAIR MOVED THAT THE EDA WITHDRAW FROM THE WRIGHT COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP FOR 2011 AND REVIEW THE DECISION IN 2012. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY TOM PERRAULT. MOTION CARRIED 4 -0. 7. Marketing Update Megan Barnett- Livgard stated that the EDA has a good proactive marketing plan in place for this year. She noted that she'd met with Michelle Hertwig from Majirs Advertising Design. a. Conferences Staff asked for input about attending conferences as a marketing strategy and suggested that the EDA revisit the issue next month at the year -end review. There was some discussion about the payback value of attending conferences. Bill Tapper recommended that the EDA defer to staff judgment about the value of conferences. Staff suggested partnering with Positively MN at conferences to incur considerably less cost. In addition, it was noted that the EDA could use a better banner to display during conferences. b. Website Staff suggested that it would be most useful to have a laptop to use to showcase the EDA website. EDA Minutes 1/12/11 C. Concierge Team Staff noted that having a concierge team would build a strong proactive reputation within the local business community and that this would lead to a reputation beyond Monticello. Staff also indicated that all of the concierge pictures are back. 8. Director Report Staff recommended attendance at the BR &E Community Commencement scheduled during the upcoming Chamber lunch as well as the upcoming Embracing Downtown meeting. The IEDC adopted a resolution asking City Council to set a goal of adopting the Transportation Plan in 2011 and moving forward key transportation projects such as Fallon Avenue and a second river crossing study. 9. Adiournment BILL TAPPER MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 6:58 PM. TOM PERRAULT SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED 4 -0. Recorder: Kerry T. Burn: Approved: February 9, 2011 Att