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EDC Minutes February 15,2008 Not App P-'ro Vpp S Page 2 • U of M Extension Office. Ms. Steinmetz explained that since Silver View Plaza is half vacant, the analysis may help explain why a retail use is no longer pertinent there and/or throughout the City as a whole. She added that the analysis also compares the City of Mounds View with Ramsey County. Bruce Schwartau from the U of M explained that he is here today in place of Liz Templin, who is the designated representative from his office that covers the Mounds View area. Mr. Schwartau stated that the main purpose of his presentation is to explain to the EDC how to read and use the analysis. Mr. Schwartau stated that the information used to complete the analysis was generated from the MN Dept. of Revenue's 2006 sales tax data, Census Bureau data and data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The analysis includes Mounds View's gross sales data beginning in 1990. He commented that Mounds View's gross sales have not changed that much over time. He did caution the EDC that the analysis is deceiving because the State does not differentiate sales tax data into categories unless there are four of the same type of business within a community(such as four apparel stores). If there are less than four of the same type of business, they get categorized into a "Miscellaneous" category. Commissioner Meehlhause asked if automobile dealerships were included in any of the categories. Mr. Schwartau answered that autos are not included because they fall into a separate category, which is why the Saturn dealership is not included. The "Vehicles & Parts" category includes ATVs, motocycles, auto parts, etc. Mr. Schwartau discussed Mounds View's"pull factor"and he commented that it is probably • not a secret to the EDC that most Mounds View residents do not shop in Mounds View. The "Food, Groceries" category had a decline in the 1990s and every other category has remained fairly level. Mr. Schwartau then talked about expectations of gross sales for Mounds View, taking into account Mounds View's income levels, amount of residents and the geographical size of Mounds View. He explained that Mounds View could expect$7.6 million of taxable"Food, Groceries" sales but that $3 million is currently being sold. He said those numbers are somewhat of the equivalent of 7,000 people shopping for groceries elsewhere. Another example he gave was that Mounds View could expect $2.5 million in sales for "Repair, Maintenance". The "Repair, Maintenance" category refers to businesses that return equipment such as cars, lawn mowers, small engines, computers, appliances, etc. to working order. In Mounds View, $1.6 million worth of"Repair, Maintenance" services are being provided. That is the equivalent of 4,000 people receiving repair and maintenance services elsewhere. Commissioner Meehlhause asked if there's a difference between Mounds View, which is part of a large, metro area and Alexandria (as an example)because Alexandria is somewhat self-sustaining. Mr. Schwartau said tourist centers typically have high "pull factors" so Commissioner Meehlhause is correct that Mounds View shouldn't be compared to a tourist center. Mr. Schwartau mentioned that he will discuss Blaine in comparison to Mounds View, per staffs request, as a local "pull factor"comparison. The purpose is to see what types of items people are purchasing in this area. Apparel, leisure goods and electronics seem to be strong sellers in Blaine. •