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EDC Minutes March 16, 2018 Page 3 of 5 areas that outside residents drive to like the Mounds View Boulevard businesses. While neighborhood commercial area are places like the old Snap Market business or smaller convenience stores where only the local residents are likely to go to. County Road I would be an example of neighborhood commercial buildings. They also reviewed economic development goals such as sustainability, transportation. Much of the focus has been along Mounds View Boulevard. There are areas that could be identified as nodes that could serve as a cluster of similar businesses or uses. Each of the Task Force Members participated in a Dotmocracy exercise where each members placed different colored dots on a list of goals and priorities and the group tabulated the results based on the most popular to least popular in the category of importance. Farmer volunteered to provide a presentation to the EDC at the April meeting. Update from Commissioner Muckala on New Business Categories to fill Vacant Space in Mounds View Commissioner Teresa Muckala provided an update on her efforts in assisting with the new 2018 EDC goal, “Monitor & Explore New Business Categories through Trade Groups like Medical Alley and Identify Available Spaces in Mounds View with the Intent to Fill Those Vacancies with New Companies”. The idea is to attract start-up companies to fill the vacant space in some of our industrial buildings and growing them. The Minnesota High-Tech organization may be another place to look to partner with. Eventually, a policy decision will need to be made on what if any the property owners versus the City should be doing to fill these spaces. Beeman said there are some opportunities in the flex space with some of the existing buildings. One thing to think about is are we growing businesses out of Mounds View or is it important to fill these spaces and encourage jobs or focusing on specific trades? Breske asked about vacancy rates. Beeman said there are some lease vacancies available but little to none of the buildings are for sale. Beeman said this can create an issue with the lack of corporate citizenship. While business owners who own their own buildings are likely to participate in the Festival in the Park, make donations, and participate on local boards and commissions, the business owners who lease are less likely to participate locally and they are more likely to see Mounds View as the place where they commute to go to work and not much more. 7. REPORTS OF STAFF Crossroad Pointe Redevelopment Project Coordinator, Beeman provided the Commission with an update on the Crossroad Pointe redevelopment site stating that at a recent City Council meeting, the Council passes an ordinance amendment that did not include language to allow the discharge of firearms in an approved firing range. Therefore, the gun range portion of the project will not be developed. Since then City staff met with INH Properties to better understand their intention for the development. INH prefers to do all apartments and if a mixed-use component is considered, INH prefers to sell that piece to the commercial owner or have the City retain that portion and the City would recruit a commercial business to that site. INH claims that if they construct all apartments on the site they could potentially be in the ground this year but if it is a mixed-use concept and/or TIF is requested then it may be delayed to 2019. INH is proposing to build approximately 140 units give or take