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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 01-26-12 4646 Dakota Street SE Prior Lake, MN 55372 CITY OF PRIOR LAKE, MINNESOTA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES – JANUARY 26, 2012 1.Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 a.m. in the Wagon Bridge Room at City Hall. Members present: Troy Presler, Greg Schweich, Wade Larson, Thane Tande, and Bill Henry. Members absent: Bernie Carlson, Mary Viereck, Mike Myser, Terry Gutowski, Sandi Fleck, Adam Blahnik and Joe Passofaro. Staff: Dan Rogness and Casey McCabe. Others: None. 2.Approval of November 18, 2011 Meeting Minutes. With no quorum present, the EDAC was not able to approve the November 18, 2011 meeting minutes. 3.Old Business. Meet-N-Greet Event EDAC members discussed comments received at the October 27, 2011 Meet-N-Greet event. The comments were divided into four categories: City, Farmer’s Market, Signs and Parking, and Miscellaneous. Staff will divide comments received at the Meet-N-Greet event into short- and long-term goals and will present at the next EDAC meeting for review and discussion. City – EDAC members discusses Meet-N-Greet comments regarding City Hall operations/process and city staff. To address these comments, EDAC members discussed training options and procedures to provide for better communication up-front and throughout development projects. To better understand the extent of the complaints and to provide specific examples of where staff may be deficient, the committee suggested interviewing a panel of developers or business owners to find opportunities for the City of Prior Lake to be more “Business Friendly”. EDAC will discuss this issue on future agenda(s). Farmers Market – Staff provided an update to the Farmer’s Market project and noted that the Farmers’ Market location continues to be an ongoing issue with some Main Avenue businesses due to pedestrian traffic and parking demands. EDAC members discussed alternate locations; possibly Main Ave south of CR 21. Members suggested city staff contact Fire Department personnel to discuss their use of this location. Schweich: Asked if the City could provide additional parking to CARQUEST during Farmer’s Market; Schweich suggested obligating parking on both sides of Dakotah for CARQUEST customers only during Farmer’s Market event. EDAC members present at the meeting supported Schweich’s recommendation. 1 Tande: Asked if any permit or other fee is paid to the City for use of the public right-of-way for the Farmer’s Market. Staff will research if any fee is being collected and report back at the next meeting of the EDAC. The consensus of the committee was that the Farmer’s Market should remain in its current location in 2012 and alternate locations should be explored in the future following the completion of the Arcadia Avenue / CR 21 intersection improvements. Signs and Parking – EDAC members discussed downtown and Deerfield Industrial Park signage. Staff was directed to review Scott County signage requirements to determine if signage in Deerfield Industrial Park would be restricted by County. Miscellaneous Comments – EDAC members reviewed miscellaneous comments; these comments will be discussed at next EDAC meeting. Downtown Objectives Staff provided an update to the status and timing of the County Road 21 / Arcadia Avenue intersection improvement project. Staff provided a report on the 2004 Downtown Area Parking Study and recommended updating the parking study in the spring of 2012. Staff will discuss downtown parking at a future EDAC meeting(s). Members requested to view the proposed intersection plans for the Main Avenue SE / Hwy 13 intersection which will be available at the next EDAC meeting. Status of Deerfield BR & E Surveys EDAC members discussed the status of Business Retention and Expansion (BR &E) surveys in Deerfield Industrial Park, Waterfront Passage, and Welcome Avenue Industrial Park. Members reviewed list of completed BR & E surveys and businesses which have not been contacted for the survey; members were encouraged to complete the remaining BR & E surveys so the results can be compiled, analyzed and reported to the EDA. Members recommended including a question related to signage in the BR & E surveys. Staff will provide a copy of the current Business Expansion and Retention survey to EDAC members. Bylaws The EDAC operates under an established set of bylaws that are to be reviewed annually by the EDAC. Members reviewed the bylaws and discussed a few minor changes. Without a quorum present, EDAC members were not able to recommend the changes by a majority vote of its members. This item will be placed on the next meeting agenda for discussion. 4.New Business. Industrial Park Land Inventory Staff provided a summary of available and developed industrial property in Deerfield Industrial Park, Waterfront Passage, and Welcome Avenue industrial parks. Staff will provide full industrial property inventory to EDAC members. Evaluation of City Codes / Regulations EDAC members discussed comments received at Meet-N-Greet related to the City of Prior Lake becoming more “Business Friendly”. Members and staff discussed the amendment to Chapter 1306 related to fire suppression requirements as a recent success for the city to become more business friendly. Staff and members will review additional opportunities to become more business friendly through amendments or changes to the City Code at future meeting(s). 5.Other Business. EDA Updates Due to time constraints, the EDAC members deferred this discussion to the next meeting. Business Newsletter Due to time constraints, the EDAC members deferred this discussion to the next meeting. Economic Development Metrics Due to time constraints, the EDAC members deferred this discussion to the next meeting. 6.Next Meeting Date. The next EDAC meeting will be Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 7:30 a.m. 7.Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 9:05 a.m. Submitted by: Casey McCabe