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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-16-2015 Minutes of the Economic Development Commission City of Mounds View Ramsey County, Minnesota Regular Meeting January 16, 2015 City of Mounds View, Council Chambers 2401 County Road 10, Mounds View, MN 55112 1. CALL TO ORDER Acting Chair Jason Helgemoe called the meeting to order at approximately 7:30 a.m. 2. ROLL CALL Members Present: Chair Jason Helgemoe and Commissioners Jim Freichels, Gary Stevenson, Jessica Rieland, and Royal Dahlstrom. Members Absent: Commissioner Dan Larson and Laurie Shoop Staff Present: City Administrator, Jim Ericson Business Development Coordinator, Brian Beeman 3. APPROVAL OF JANUARY 16, 2015, AGENDA Motion/Second: Commissioner Stevenson moved and Commissioner Freichels seconded the approval of the January 16, 2015, EDC agenda. Motion Carried: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays 4. APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 17, 2014, EDC MINUTES Motion/Second: Commissioner Freichels moved and Commissioner Stevenson seconded the approval of the December 19, 2014 EDC minutes, as presented. Motion Carried: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays 5. EDC BUSINESS Administer Oath of Office Acting Chair Helgemoe called for the oaths of office. Business Development Coordinator Brian Beeman administered the oath of office for Commissioner Rieland and Dahlstrom. Elect Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson Coordinator Beeman informed the Commissioners of the bylaw requirements to elect a Chair and Vice-Chairperson for a one year term for the duration of 2015. Acting Chair Helgemoe asked if any Commissioners would be interested. Commissioner Stevenson asked to be recused since he is already serving as Chair on another city Board. Commissioner Freichels also declined from being considered. Acting Chair Helgemoe EDC Minutes January 16, 2015 Page 2 of 4 asked the new Commissioners if they would be interested. Commissioners Dahlstrom and Rieland also declined, stating this was their first meeting and uncertain as to the duties. Motion/Second: Commissioner Stevenson made a motion and Commissioner Freichels seconded the motion to elect Commissioner Helgemoe as the Chair for 2015. Motion Carried: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays Chair Helgemoe asked for Vice-Chairperson volunteers. Commissioner Freichels volunteered. Motion/Second: Commissioner Helgemoe made a motion and Commissioner Stevenson seconded the motion to elect Commissioner Freichels as the Vice-Chair for 2015. Motion Carried: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays 6. REPORTS OF STAFF Business Retention & Expansion and Project Updates Business Development Coordinator, Beeman provided the Commission with an update on the Crossroad Pointe redevelopment site. Coordinator Beeman has been in contact with over 30 developers and is in regular contact with developers showing interest in a possible medical, mixed-use, and assisted living facilities. Coordinator Beeman informed the Commission that Business Retention & Expansion visits have slowed this time of year due the holidays and unavailability of business owners. More visits are scheduled for the last part of January and into February. Coordinator Beeman's goal is to visit every business in the city the first year then set a regular schedule alternating business visits every other year. Beeman reported that he met with representatives from Walgreens, Snap Market, and State Farm Insurance the week of January 12, 2015. Beeman also met with Tire's N More co-owners stating that they have closed their business and moved their operations to the City of Fridley. They will be using their Mounds View building as a temporary warehouse for their other stores. Beeman said their building is actively for sale, listed at $550,000 and the owners are taking offers. Beeman reported that the Silverview Plaza is also for sale, listed at $3.8 million and marketed by Collier's International. Commissioner Stevenson asked if the building was owned by Kraus Anderson. Beeman confirmed that the Silverview Plaza was owned by Kraus Anderson. Beeman provided an update on the TCAAP site stating, the Arden Hill City Council will be holding a series of workshops in January to review the city code and comprehensive plan amendment for the site. They will be finalizing the Master Plan of the site sometime in February with MNDOT's final review expected April 2015. Infrastructure improvements will continue 2015-16 with interchanges at 1-35W and Hwy 96, 1-35 and County Road H, and 1-35W and County Road I with roundabouts being constructed on the TCAAP side of County Road I and H. A spine road will also be constructed through the TCAAP site from EDC Minutes January 16, 2015 Page 3 of 4 Hwy 96 at the south end of the site running to the north end of the site. Construction on the site will begin spring 2016 and completed fall 2016. Coordinator Beeman provided updates on a number of other projects: Construction of the new Biolife facility is about 20% complete and is on track to open July 2015. The concrete floor has been poured, and both exterior and interior walls have been installed. An open house is still expected July 2015. It is a $6 million investment. Snap Market, formerly known as Sam's, is open for business. The owner is working to get new signs installed and choose a garbage hauler as well as adding more inventory. State Farm Insurance Company has moved next to Subway in the Edgewood Plaza and is open for business. The new owner, Jessica Thompson, would like to get involved in the community and has already shown interest in volunteering for the Festival in the Park activities. There is still a vacancy between State Farm and Tom Frazen Collectibles. Beeman is working with the property owners to fill the space. Apple Tree Dental opened June 2014. They still need to complete the build-out on the second floor for their corporate offices in the next year or so. Bel Rae Senior Residential Facility is about 40% complete and is still on schedule to be completed April 2015. They have seven tenants signed up. Finally, Pat's Muffler Shop located at 2848 County Road 10 closed and the city has been receiving interest from car dealerships. Beeman reported that the city code currently doesn't allow those types of uses for lots less than two acres. The building is actively listed for sale at $350,000. Beeman reported that he met with Marie Malrick, Program Administrator, at the Housing Resource Center in Shoreview to learn about a variety of housing loan programs available to Mounds View residents and owners. There are home loans available for general home improvements, code enforcement, demolition, and emergency deferred loans, such as a structural roof or immediate electrical safety issue, as well as other programs. Anyone interested is encouraged to call Ms. Malrick at 651.486.7401. Chair Helgemoe asked the Commissioners if anyone had questions. Commissioner Dahlstrom asked if Biolife will keep their old space. Coordinator Beeman responded stating that Biolife is leasing their current space and the building owner is actively marketing the site in an attempt to attract a new business. Commissioner Stevenson asked if the Bel Rae Senior Living facility has announced when they will have an open house. Being pre-occupied with the construction piece and hearing no word from Bel Rae on an open house date, Coordinator Beeman will update the Commission at the February 20, 2015 meeting. Commissioner Freichels asked if the bridge work for the TCAAP site for 1-35W & Hwy 96 will be completed this year and 1-35W & H will be completed next year. Coordinator Beeman confirmed that both statements are correct and elaborated on the other infrastructure projects relating to the bridgework for 2015-16. Freichels stated that the traffic at the intersection near the Mermaid Entertainment Center was a concern. EDC Minutes January 16, 2015 Page 4 of 4 Commissioner Stevenson noted that plans are in the works to add some lanes on County Hwy 10 to alleviate the traffic issues. 7. REPORTS OF COMMISSIONERS Hearing no further questions, Chair Helgemoe asked for reports from Commissioners by first, having each Commissioner introduce themselves. Jessica Rieland introduced herself as the Regional Marketing Rep. for Baxter Health, a parent company of Biolife Plasma Services. Jim Freichels reported that he is the owner of Dell Comm Communication Services in Mounds View. Jason Helgemoe works for Western Bank in Mounds View as a Commercial Lender. Gary Stevenson is a retired sales rep. Royal Dahlstrom owns a catering company called Chef Royal. Chair Helgemoe thanked the Commissioners for serving. Commissioner Freichels reported on the Mounds View Business Council meeting held January 7, 2015 which had a speaker from the U.S. Postal Service. The U.S. Postal Service is changing its business strategy to make up for lost revenue mandated by Congress by experimenting with the delivery of groceries. They also had a record year for the volume of parcels delivered partly from more customers ordering from Amazon.com and other on-line companies. The Post Office is also becoming more user friendly by offering the purchase of stamps and other services from mobile phones. An interesting note is that if a letter carrier gets bitten by a dog, the U.S.P.S. will not deliver mail to that address, forcing the customer to get a post office box or other means of delivery. They are also moving toward cluster boxes in about five years to save on costs. Benjamin Franklin was the first Post Master General. Other famous employees of the U.S.P.S were Abe Lincoln, Walt Disney, Rock Hudson. Mail was first delivered by the Pony Express with other methods through the years such as air, rail, dog sleds, and even mules in the Grand Canyon. Chair Helgemoe asked if it is known where the cluster boxes will be installed. Commissioner Freichels mentioned that the speaker didn't specify. Helgemoe informed the new Commissioners that the Mounds View Business Council meetings are held at the Community Center every first Wednesday of each month with a variety of speakers such as, MNDOT, the Chief of Police, Fire Dept., Ramsey County Commissioner, Environmental Engineer, Excel Energy, among others. 8. NEXT REGULAR EDC MEETING — February 20, 2015 9. ADJOURN There being no further business, the January 16, 2015, meeting adjourned at 8:01 a.m. Respectfully submitted, 9Y& --- Brian Beeman Business Development Coordinator