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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07 12 2018 BEC minutes 1 4646 Dakota Street SE Prior Lake, MN 55372 CITY OF PRIOR LAKE, MINNESOTA BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES – July 12, 2018 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:33 a.m. in the Wagon Bridge Conference Room at Prior Lake City Hall. Members present: Kim Prchal, Stephanie Carroll, Jeff Petschl, Kirt Briggs, Wade Larson, and Tommy Hesch. Staff present: Casey McCabe and Amanda Schwabe. 2. Approval of Meeting Minutes a. May 24, 2018 MOTION BY PETSCHL and SECOND BY CARROLL to approve the May 24, 2018 meeting minutes. Motion adopted 4-0-1. LARSON NOT PRESENT FOR VOTE; BRIGGS ABSTAINED. 3. Old Business a. Economic Development Website Update MCCABE shared that the EDA discussed the economic development website at their Monday, July 9th meeting. The EDA expressed the need for an economic development website sooner rather than later . Staff explained that monies will be requested as part of the 2019 budget to redo the entire City of Prior Lake website although the 2019 budget will not be reviewed and approved until later this year. E ven if approved, changes to the website may not happen until late 2019. Therefore, the EDA recommended moving forward with a stand-alone economic development website. PETSCHL questioned whether the cityofpriorlake.com domain could be used. MCCABE stated that the EDA did not discuss that item. Members agreed that the use of cityofpriorlake.com would be preferred. BRIGGS shared that the EDA recommended that when considering a vendor for the economic development website, consideration be given to individuals/companies who can complete the revision of the City of Prior Lake website due to integration and branding concerns. b. BEC Liaison Visit Update PRCHAL shared that she and Petschl completed liaison visits for approximately 85% of the businesses in the downtown area in early June. The purpose of the visit was to provide intersection improvement construction updates as well as information related to the upcoming Lakefront Days events. She stated that most people were very receptive to receiving the updated information and there was a limited amount of concerns shared related the pending road projects. PETSCHL stated that late morning on Friday worked well to connect with business owners as compared to previous visits which typically occurred earlier in the morning earlier on days earlier in the week. He shared that having information available to distribute was well received and people appreciated the proactive communication. CARROLL shared that she is in the process of coordinating another meeting with Deerfield Business Park businesses to discuss signage for that area. MCCABE reminded the members that one of the 2018 goals were to have the liaison visits completed in September. He requested members reach out to staff or other BEC members if they need assistance completing their visits. BRIGGS invited Hesch and Schwabe to attend liaison visits with him in the Southlake Village area soon. 4. New Business a. Joint EDA/BEC Meeting Follow-Up MCCABE thanked the BEC members for attending the joint BEC/EDA meeting on June 11th and requested feedback from the joint meeting. PRCHAL stated that the meeting was exceptional and that the time was well spent to better understand the EDA’s approach on businesses and how to utilize available EDA funds. CARROLL shared that this meeting was much more interactive than previous joint meetings. PETSCHL reaffirmed Prchal’s comments. HESCH stated that the EDA meeting was informative. 5. Other Business a. EDA Meeting Update MCCABE provided an overview of the July 9th EDA meeting. He shared that the EDA is working on a downtown property map which will show zoning districts, properties that are considered legal, non- conforming uses, as well as city owned properties. The map could be a tool for discussions with developers. MCCABE explained that Urban Halo is transitioning to an ice cream shop and they requested funds from the EDA to assist with electrical upgrades in this city owned building. The EDA offered to freeze rent for one year at the current rate pay up to 50% of the electrical upgrade costs up to $3,250. The lessee is agreeable to these terms and is requesting a lease greater than two years. Staff is continuing to work with this business owner to finalize a new lease. PRCHAL stated that she appreciates the City’s approach when working with owners of legal, non- conforming uses. The City has done an excellent job of informing legal, non-conforming businesses that when they are ready to transition to another business or location, the City would welcome the opportunity to work together to achieve that goal. BRIGGS recommended utilizing the future economic development website as a tool to assist business owners. MCCABE shared that the EDA discussed the petition for annexation of approximately 9.35 acres in Credit River Township. This request will be heard at the July 16th City Council meeting. As part of the annexation, the City is obtaining a permanent easement for right-of-way for a future intersection improvement project. The EDA recommended the City Council approve the annexation on a 3-0-2 vote with Briggs and Braid abstaining. b. Residential and Commercial Activity Update BEC members received a copy of the residential and commercial activity update as of June 30, 2018. c. Staff Update i. Hwy 13/CSAH 21 Streetscaping Update MCCABE shared with members the proposed streetscaping plan developed by Bolten & Menk dated 6/18/2018 and provided a brief overview of the streetscaping features. On August 6, 2018, the City Council will consider providing municipal consent for the proposed CH 21 Corridor Plan, including streetscaping, which would allow the project to continue to final design and the bid stage. ii. Communication Consultant Update SCHWABE shared that the City Council has selected Kirsten Gray of WSB to serve as a communication consultant for the Duluth/Hwy 13 intersection improvement. Project. Her role includes communicating in a variety of formats with existing businesses and property owners regarding project status updates. d. Member Ideas/Recommendations Members discussed parking in the downtown area during construction including time limits, signage, shuttle service, etc. CARROLL suggested the BEC develop parking strategy suggestions to be presented to the EDA. 6. Next Meeting Date. The next regular meeting of the BEC will be on Thursday, August 23, 2018 at 7:30 a.m. 7. Adjourn. MOTION BY HESCH and SECOND BY LARSON to adjourn the meeting. Motion adopted unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:01 a.m. Submitted by: Amanda Schwabe