06-08-05 Council Workshop Minutes

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL JUNE 8, 2005 o Redevelopment is a very slow process. Rice Street and Little Canada Road has taken over 10 years and many examples of time frames involving 20 years in other metro cities exist. o Being prepared for opportunities may make redevelopment more feasible in terms of costs and ease of acquisition. o Assembling parcels over time, when available versus forced acquisition is typically less expensive. The City Administrator noted that he has put together maps and spreadsheets identifying possible sites in no particular order to consider for redevelopment. He noted that not all sites are feasible, and in some cases additional study will be needed to evaluate the redevelopment potenCial of an area. At this point in Che meeting, the Administrator began a review of each area for discussion. The Adminish•ator reviewed Area #1 which involves properties along Rice Street just south of the Tacheny Office Park. The Administrator described each property and its current use. He mentioned that 2968 Rice Street is currently for sale, and the owner of 2962 Rice Street may be interested in selling. The Administrator suggested obtaining an appraisal of 2968 and 2962 Rice Street, as well as having Ehlers Associates look at the area for the possibility of creating a TIF District. The Administrator noted that the use of eminent domain and the resulting relocation costs may drive acquisition costs too high. The Council reviewed the properties including 100 South Owasso Blvd. Their consensus was that the City Administrator should make inquiries of the various property owners to determine if there is any interest in selling. They agreed that Ehlers should review the feasibility of creating a TIF District in this area. The next area reviewed was #2A and #2B located on the south side of Little Canada Road just east of the railroad tracks. The Administrator reviewed the properties in question as well as their use. He noted that Gordie Howe has been interested in developing townhomes in this area. The Administrator pointed out that area #2B includes the Poolside property as well as three residential homes along Jackson Street. The Council reviewed these properties with some discussion relaCive to whether the property should be redeveloped as commercial or residential. LaValle stated that there is not much demand for commercial sites at this time. The Administrator pointed out that the property is shallow, therefore, more challenging to develop as commercial.