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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/05/2021 EDAC Minutes CITY OF LINO LAKES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Schueller called the Economic Development Advisory Committee meeting to order at 8:01 A.M. on August 5, 2021. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mr. Cravero made a MOTION to approve the July 8, 2021 Meeting Minutes. Motion was supported by Mr. Vojtech, passing unanimously. III. DISCUSSION ITEMS A. 5-Year Strategic Plan Mr. Grochala, Community Development Director, presented the staff report. Staff provided the committee with a list of existing industries in the City and their Standard Industrial Classification. Discussion focused on reviewing the list of existing industries in the City, identifying additional industrial categories to attract, and determining what industrial areas to focus on. Mr. Jim Gromberg, WSB, identified a list of businesses to develop and implement a strong Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) program. Mr. Grochala commented the list has a good mix of businesses/industries that the EDAC has identified for targeting in future growth. He stated we need to identify which businesses to prioritize and what types of businesses to attract. He asked the committee if they had any comments regarding any of the numbers included in the memo. DATE : August 5, 2021 TIME STARTED : 8:01 A.M. TIME ENDED : 9:20 A.M. MEMBERS PRESENT : Jim Schueller, Andrew Cravero, Nathan Vojtech, Patrick Kohler, Thomas Colgan, Julie Jeffrey- Schwartz, Don Johnson MEMBERS ABSENT : Chad Wagner STAFF PRESENT : Michael Grochala, Jessica Eller Economic Development Advisory Committee August 5, 2021 Page 2 APPROVED MINUTES Mr. Colgan commented the sales volume for Bramstedt Surgical Inc. seemed high. Ms. Jeffrey-Schwartz commented, conversely, Distribution Alternatives sales volume seemed low. Mr. Gromberg stated these numbers are what they report. When looking at these numbers it is helpful to remember they may not be reporting everything. There are advantages to understating/overstating numbers. He asked the committee what businesses they would like to prioritize and identify what questions they would like to ask them. Mr. Colgan commented he is hearing from business owners that they are struggling to find employees. Mr. Gromberg agreed with Mr. Colgan businesses are going to have to adjust. We need to talk to businesses and ask what their needs are. Mr. Grochala asked, with more people working from home, does this change the types of businesses the City is trying to attract. Ms. Jeffrey-Schwartz commented, if more employees are working from home, most businesses are going to contract rather than expand. Business may be looking at needing less space. Mr. Grochala stated this changes the dynamic for commercial development. Mr. Gromberg stated economic development is difficult. There are many other factors to consider. Ms. Jeffery-Schwartz stated instead of a distribution corridor she would support a tech corridor along 35E. Mr. Cravero commented maybe the City becomes a place where people can easily work from home. The City should consider building out infrastructure that would support this. Mr. Grochala stated it is important to keep in mind how our property tax system is structured. With more people working at home, there are fewer people paying commercial real estate property taxes. We need to identify ways to expand and develop that industrial/commercial side to start evening out property tax imbalance. Mr. Gromberg commented industrial/commercial generates more property taxes for the City. He reiterated the importance of speaking with existing businesses and identify their needs. Economic Development Advisory Committee August 5, 2021 Page 3 APPROVED MINUTES Mr. Grochala commented regarding broadband infrastructure, the City has access to high speed fiber for people to tap into. Ms. Jeffrey-Schwartz commented it is important to have the infrastructure in place for people who are working from home. Mr. Gromberg commented part of the reason we are seeing the housing market explode is the ability to work from home. Ms. Jeffrey-Schwartz commented it will ultimately change the type of real estate in the City toward more mixed-use developments. Mr. Grochala commented, going forward, he would like to identify which businesses the committee would like to visit. Another goal is to identify strategies to successfully attract the targeted industries and to retain the existing businesses that are considering expansions. Mr. Grochala stated he would like to bring in a representative from the Anoka County CareerForce office to assist with the workforce needs of existing businesses. Another longer-term goal is the identification of properties that the City should identify for potential redevelopment in the future and updating and expanding the marketing materials for use in attracting new industries and businesses. B. Lake and Main Redevelopment Mr. Grochala, Community Development Director, presented the staff report. The EDAC received a presentation from Paul Tucci, Oppidan Investment Company, regarding potential redevelopment of the NE Quadrant of Lake and Main. EDAC requested additional discussion on the topic and background on the City’s plans for the area. Ms. Jeffrey-Schwartz stated there are too many units for that parcel. She stated higher density projects should be located closer to the interstates. She commented a commercial building would be a better use of this land and generate a larger tax base. Mr. Grochala commented a multi-family building will generate a larger tax base than commercial on this site. Mr. Colgan stated Oppidan is a credible developer and wants to make sure they would be held to a high standard. Mr. Cravero commented the builder is going to build the building and then sell the property. Mr. Grochala stated the City has made it clear, if there is higher density than what is currently allowed, they would require higher architectural standards. Economic Development Advisory Committee August 5, 2021 Page 4 APPROVED MINUTES Mr. Kohler commented he would like to see what the rent would be. Chair Schueller asked if there was a timetable the committee is working with. Mr. Grochala stated a concept plan can be expected within the next couple of months if the developers are still interested. Ms. Jeffrey-Schwartz asked, if the site would need to be rezoned, why would the City give them an added density bonus. Mr. Grochala stated the City would do that during the Planned Unit Development process. Ms. Jeffrey-Schwartz asked why the City would give them extra density beyond 15 units per acre. Mr. Grochala stated if the City wants this project to go forward they can negotiate with the developer in order to make the economics work. Mr. Gromberg commented PUD’s are used by cities to allow developers to provide developments that would not be possible under current zoning standards. The City can allow increased density, but then require additional amenities that go above and beyond what would normally be required. Ms. Jeffrey-Schwartz stated going above the 15 units per acre goes against the vision of the City. Mr. Grochala commented we have set a baseline and we must look at each project and evaluate it. C. Project Updates Mr. Grochala provided verbal updates to the committee on current City projects. IV. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Cravero made a MOTION to adjourn the meeting at 9:20 A.M. Motion was supported by Ms. Jeffrey-Schwartz, passing unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Jessica Eller, Community Development Intern