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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-17-2006 Minutes of the Economic Development Commission City of Mounds View Ramsey County, Minnesota Regular Meeting March 17, 2006 City of Mounds View, Council Chambers 2401 Highway 10, Mounds View, MN 55112 1. CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Torri Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:40 a.m. 2. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Greg Belting, Jackie Entsminger, Tom Field, Jerry Jaker, Torri Johnson Members Absent: Jason Helgemoe, Stan McDonald Staff Present: Economic Development Coordinator Aaron Backman Others Present: None 3. APPROVAL OF EDC MINUTES: Motion/Second: No Commission action was taken. Field asked if the City could have someone besides Backman take the minutes for the EDC, as that would be a better use of Backman’s time and lead to more timely minutes. Backman appreciated the suggestion. He noted that Park & Recreation Commission had asked for the same thing, however, had been turned down by the City Council. Currently only the City Council and the EDA have separate minute takers. 4. SPECIAL BUSINESS A. None. 5. EDC BUSINESS A. Discussion of Joint Meeting with City Council on March 20, 2006 and Special City Council Meeting regarding TIF Policy on March 29, 2006 (See Jim Ericson’s Report). Backman described two upcoming meetings pertaining to the EDC. First, on March 20th the City Council will be meeting with various commissions as an opportunity for them to ask questions. Second, on March 29th there will be a one-on-one meeting between the City Council and the EDC to discuss economic development policy, etc. Commissioners are encouraged to attend both. Belting asked if the second meeting was a follow-up to the meetings held last fall. Backman replied affirmatively and that it is intended to clarify policy and goals. For the following EDC meeting Backman will send members the Commission’s funding priorities that were prioritized last fall. Johnson indicated that she thinks it’s a good idea that the joint meeting is being held. 6. REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS, STAFF AND EDA LIAISON A. Report of Commissioners ~No Materials Attached EDC Minutes March 17, 2006 Page 2 B. Report of Staff: Backman asked to switch the agenda items to move up the Silverview Plaza Presentation by Jim Stimmler and Mike Gross from Kraus-Anderson Realty Co. since they were in the audience. 1. Silverview Plaza Presentation—Jim Stimmler & Mike Gross, Kraus-Anderson Realty Co.: Backman distributed a survey of residents that was conducted by Kraus-Anderson. He noted the top ten types of businesses desired were: restaurant, coffee shop/bakery, grocery store, dry cleaner, salon/barber, clothing store, ice cream parlor, dentist. Backman introduced Mr. Gross and Mr. Stimmler. Mr. Gross indicated that the survey letters (131) were sent to the townhomes located behind Silverview Plaza. He discussed current tenants in the strip mall. Laundry King is a new tenant. Silverview Chiropractic and Appearance Plus will be leaving. KA is negotiating a new lease with Calvin Academy, which was purchased by Nexus. Mr. Stimmler talked about the trends that the property is experiencing and potential future tenants. He sees the property moving away from straight retail to more service-type or destination businesses. Currently he is working with an anchor tenant for about 5,000 sq. ft. of space. It is a national chain that deals with tools and contractor supplies. KA has approached a number of restaurants with national chains, however, they do not find the site attractive due to access concerns. Non-chain restaurants are possible, but harder to find and often financially weaker. Field asked about recruiting more tenants that generate retail traffic for evenings and weekends. Stimmler indicated that the landlord would prefer to have retail businesses, however, they are finding that retail in not working well at this site. Therefore, KA is looking at alternative tenants to fill the vacancies. Backman commented that KA reps met with the City a couple weeks ago to discuss options—one is broadening the types of businesses eligible under the current zoning. Belting inquired if the landlord has considered undertaking a building facelift. Mr. Stimmler indicated that it has been a topic of discussion and they have considered new signage. The challenge is funding additional investment in a center that is not performing the best. The types of improvements undertaken are impacted by the types of tenants. Given time constraints, Johnson asked Backman if he wished to reprioritize the remaining agenda items. Backman suggested reversing the order for the remaining five items. 2. Environmental Processing Center—Merlin Brisbin, Star Environmental: Backman provided some background. Over the past 30 years the Metropolitan Council, and more specifically the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) division has operated up to twelve liquid waste disposal sites in the Twin Cities region. Permitted haulers discharge septage into the interceptor system without pretreatment. This has led to problems of sedimentation, corrosion, and reduced line capacity. The Met Council has had to clean out lines, a cost that is passed onto everyone. A recent study recommends that the private sector could develop an environmental processing facility that would separate solids from the liquid waste and one that would facilitate the closure of one or more liquid waste sites. MCES indicated that the new facility would need to be within 15 miles of existing waste sites. Backman commented that the Skyline Motel location is within the 15-mile radius of several MCES sites. One of the existing haulers, Merlin Brisbin, is interested in pursuing the processing facility in the City. He has hired an architectural/engineering firm (MFRA), lined up financing, and negotiated a purchase agreement with the existing owners of the Skyline. The Brisbins would invest about $5+ million into the project. On March 15, the principals went before the City’s Planning Commission seeking a conditional use permit for the project. The Commission recommended approval of the permit. Backman distributed the Heidi Heller’s report to the PC, described the facility’s processing steps, and indicated that he was not seeking action by the EDC at this time. Johnson cited this project as a good example of the private sector finding the right location for a project. Field indicated that he liked the design of the plant and redevelopment of this visible site. He was concerned about potential odors. Backman noted that there would be a Biofilter to remove odors. EDC Minutes March 17, 2006 Page 3 3. Signed Purchase Agreement between CHO Investments (Premium Stop Site) and M.V. EDA on March 13, 2006: The City of Mounds View has a signed purchased agreement with the owners of the Premium Stop site at the corner of Co. Highway 10 and H2. The purchase price is $625,000 which would be paid out of available TIF dollars. Per the agreement, the seller is responsible for all costs associated with Phase I and 2 environmental assessments, and for removing the tanks. 4. Hidden Hollow South Residential Project—Dan Saplis, Coldwell Banker/Burnet: This residential project, involving six custom-built homes, continues to move forward. One change by the principal, Dan Saplis, is that the new street was widened and the diameter of the cul-de-sac increased to conform to City specifications. Saplis has received five quotes for grading the site and will go before the City Council for final plat approval in April. 5. Update on SYSCO Minnesota Parking Expansion: The City and SYSCO have now executed two documents—the Development Agreement and the Land Exchange Agreement. Construction is expected to begin this spring. 6. Update on Medtronic CRM Corporate Campus: Backman distributed a statement of permit fees for the North Building and the Parking Ramp at the Medtronic Site, and the site plan for the Medtronic campus. The City Council approved the acceleration of Phase 2 of the Medtronic campus on February 27, 2006. Thus, Phase 1 and 2 are now part of the initial phase of construction. Three office buildings will be constructed and a parking ramp with five levels. Opus submitted shell building plans for the North Building in February and plans for the Central and South Buildings on March 8th. Earthmoving began shortly thereafter. The City contractor, Jay Brothers, moved the Clubhouse from the Medtronic site to Random Park on March 11th. Belting commented that he thought it was a great idea to reuse the Clubhouse for a park building. Backman noted that the Minnesota legislature approved the revised legislation appropriating money for County Road J Reconstruction—reference to the City was removed and references to Ramsey and Anoka Counties were added. This satisfied legal concerns. Clear Channel began removal of the first two billboard signs during mid-March. 7. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business before the Commission, Johnson adjourned the March 17th meeting of the Economic Development Commission at 8:58 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Aaron A. Backman Economic Development Coordinator