CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS Uptown Corridor Improvement District Authority Meeting Minutes August 26, 2009 Annex of Wealthy Theatre / 1130 Wealthy Street SE

Transcription

1 CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS Uptown Corridor Improvement District Authority Meeting Minutes Annex of Wealthy Theatre / 1130 Wealthy Street SE Members Present: Guy Bazzani, Kristine Szurna Bersche, Rosalynn Bliss, Michael Dykhouse, Baird Hawkins, Joana Hively, Rick Powell, Amy Ruis, Tami VandenBerg Members Absent: None City Staff Present: Kara Wood, Alex Thomas, Jana Wallace Trudy Renney Legal Council: Guest Speakers: Stan Bakita Mark Lewis and Rebekka Kwast from Neighborhood Ventures Copies To: Eric DeLong 1. Call to Order Kara Wood Kara Wood called the meeting to order at 8:34 a.m. Introductions of individuals present were made. 2. Meeting Schedule Kara Wood 2009 meeting schedule presented. The meeting scheduled for September 2, 2009 was cancelled. Motion made by Guy Bazzani, supported by Rosalynn Bliss, to approve proposed meeting schedule with the exception of September 2, 2009 meeting being deleted. Motion carried. 3. Volunteer Chairperson Kara Wood Kara Wood will be the Volunteer Chairperson until the Board Officers are appointed. 4. Appointment of City Attorney as Legal Representation Kara Wood / Stan Bakita General discussion regarding the need for legal representation for the board, need for low cost options, and other Boards / Authorities legal representation practices. Discussion regarding appointment of Executive Director. Decision made to hold off on making appointment of Executive Director. Motion made by Baird Hawkins, supported by Guy Bazzani, to appoint the City Attorney as legal representative, with the understanding that if there is any

2 Page 2 of 6 potential conflict between the Board and the City Attorney, the Board will seek outside council. Motion carried. 5. Downtown Improvement District Liquor Licenses and Recommendation to City Commission Kara Wood Discussion about having the Board make a recommendation to the City Commission for the Uptown CID to become one of the Development Districts for the special liquor licenses, thus allowing applicants to be referred to the CID Board for approval or denial and subsequent recommendations to the Liquor Control Commission. Discussion of differences of DID Liquor Licenses and traditional liquor licenses. These special liquor licenses are less expensive, location based, tied to the business (expire if business closes), can t be considered a business asset, must look for available traditional liquor license at a reasonable cost before applying for a special liquor license. Guy B. stated that it would be good to have some input into who would be obtaining licenses. Tami V. asked about explaining to businesses that recently purchased a full license why others can now have a less expensive license. Guy B. stated that the special license is not an asset and it is not as valuable as a traditional license. Rosalynn B. stated that the CID would be the gate. Motion made by Guy Bazzani, supported by Michael Dykhouse, to recommend to the City Commission that the Uptown CID be established as a Development District or City Redevelopment Project under the Act for purposes of obtaining this special liquor license. Motion carried. 6. Overview of Corridor Improvement Legislation, Board Responsibilities Stan Bakita Discussed main points of the Act and the One Pager Plus included in the Agenda Packet. Provides for Tax Increment Financing vehicle Must be along an arterial street or within 500 feet of a main street under MDOT designation Board can be 5-9 members in size Independent Body Corporate Develop Development Plan for project area/district Proposing financing plan (TIF, Bonds, Special Assessments) Layering of incentives Reporting requirements financial, etc. Board Powers can own property (purchase property, receive, lease, etc.), all powers necessary to fulfill the purpose and function of the Act. (parks, green space, etc.) Question by Guy B. regarding Brownfield projects and the CID. Kara stated that the parcel would need to be removed from the CID for it to capture the local tax capture. However, there are other options such as layering of incentives that will be discussed in Agenda #8. Kara stated that there is a need to create a TIF plan.

3 Page 3 of 6 7. Establish Tax Increment Finance Plan Subcommittee Kara Wood Forming a TIF Plan -Subcommittee was recommended. Baird H., Kristine B., and Tami V. will make up the subcommittee. Subcommittee will look at whether or not there is a need to continue the current relationship with Neighborhood Ventures and Williams and Works. Kara and Jana will also support the subcommittee. Jana will provide tax increment revenue numbers from the Assessor by the end of the month. Baird H. discussed process for getting the finance plan approval. Rosalynn B. asked for a timeline to go before the City Commission by the next CID meeting. 8. Tax Abatement Programs within District Boundaries Kara Wood Kara W. discussed the City policy as it relates to tax abatements within district boundaries. Any tax abatement within CID boundaries would have to come to the CID Board for approval and recommendation to the City Commission. The reason for this is that a tax abatement would restrict CID revenues. Because of the restriction of revenues, the City Commission would require Board approval before they take any action on a project s tax abatement. Kara W. noted that there would probably be quite a few requests as there is a lot of development continuing in the district. Guy B. noted that there are still quite a few buildings that are vacant and considered obsolete and in order for them to be rehabilitated, there needs to be some sort of incentive to make the investment viable to the developers. Kara W. noted that an abatement or OPRA would be only for a specific project or parcel and not district wide. Guy B. stated that the main goal of the group was to improve the district and that he d hate to impede the improvement of the district in favor of capturing a small amount of increment. Tami V. asked if the approval of tax abatements and OPRA s would be on a case by case basis. Kara stated that all projects that would impact the revenue of the group would first have to come before the group for approval. Baird H. requested a copy of the DDA s policy to see what others are doing. 9. Main Street Four Point Approach Overview Mark Lewis, Neighborhood Ventures Handout provided. Uptown is at the Associate level of the program. provides information about the program, training, and benefits. Main Street is a National program, volunteer driven, consists of four points (committees) Organization Design Economic restructuring

4 Page 4 of 6 Promotion Benefits of the Main Street Program: Positive community image Attract new businesses Protecting and strengthening existing tax base Creating visually appealing and economically viable buildings Creating new jobs Bringing new residents Increasing investments Preserving historic architectural resources Providing services tailored to specific community needs Associate: 1 Year The Associate Level is the introduction to the Michigan Main Street Program, providing communities with basic, entry-level training available in a centralized location. communities are encouraged to bring as many volunteers as possible to take part in the trainings. This Associate Level lasts up to two years and must be successfully completed prior to applying for the Select level. Currently 22 Michigan Communities are a part of the Associate Level program. Services available to Associate Communities Orientation Webinar Main Street Basic Training Organization/Promotion 101 Training Economic Restructuring/Design 101 Training Main Street in Practice Attending the National Main Street conference and/or The Michigan Downtown Conference MMS Listserv MMS Board and/or Community Presentation (C) Commitment by Associate Communities Attendance at all Associate Level Trainings Attending the National Main Street conference and/or The Michigan Downtown Conference Submit Biannual Reports to MMS MMS Board and/or Community Presentation Must attend all training before applying for the Selected Level Baird H. noted that in preparation for the Uptown CID some of the subcommittees have gone on tours and have seen successful examples around the state of the Main Street Program at work. He also noted that the program is operated under the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MISHDA), and that MISHDA has money set aside for the program that being part of the program would give access to.

5 Page 5 of 6 Rebekka Kwast noted that a community/district can only be at the Associate level for two years, so if Uptown wants to continue in the program an application for the next level, Select Level, this year. Selected: 5 Years The Select Level provides communities with specialized training within their own community. Michigan Main Street staff, along with other professionals, work closely with Select level communities to train their board and committees, hire a full-time Main Street Manager, recruit volunteers and get the program up and running. In addition, at the Select Level, communities receive a market analysis and other select trainings designed to help revitalize their downtown or traditional neighborhood commercial district. Services available to Selected Communities (L = in Lansing, C = in Community) MMS Orientation (L) Base-line Assessment (C) Manager Selection Assistance (C) Board Training (C) Manager Training (L/C) Committee Training (C) Main Street Building Basics, including Green Principles (C) Design Services Work Plan Development Training (C) Volunteer Development Training (C) Market Study, including Downtown Housing & Population Recruitment Strategy (C) Resource Team (C) Year-end Evaluations (C) Accreditation with the National Main Street Center (NMSC) Accredited Technical Assistance Training (C) Retail Merchandise Training (C) Entrepreneurship Training (L) Real Estate Development Training (L) MMS Quarterly Trainings MMS Listserv National Main Street Conference Registration Resource Library Materials MMS Road Signs Commitment by Selected Communities Must have successfully completed services provided in Associate Level Employ a full-time Main Street Manager who will coordinate and facilitate the work of the program Establish and maintain an active Board of Directors and Committees using the Main Street 4-Point Approach Participate in all trainings and services provided by the MMS

6 Page 6 of 6 Fund the local Main Street program through both public and private partnerships at a level allowing for the full operation of the program Submit monthly reports to the MMS Submit annual reports to the MMS Maintain a membership with the NMSC network Meet accreditation standards set by NMSC by the fifth year Discussion about success of Wealthy Street s participation in the Main Street program. 10. Other Business - Kara Wood Stan B. noted that the Board is required under the Act to adopt Rules of Procedure, which he is working on. Currently he is basing them on the Planning Commission Bylaws that were adopted recently and modifying them for this board. He will try to have them available for the next agenda packet. They will need to be approved by the City Commission. 11. Public Comment A long time property owner expressed a concern that attention is paid to both the residential community and the business community. She said that she thinks there is often a tendency to pay attention to one or the other. She noted that frequently one or the other group is done, often at the expense of the other. She felt that the attention should not go from one community to the other, but that they should both be included at all stages. Another property owner from East Hills asked about rules for CID staff, if there would be a designated, paid staff person that would administer the program for the CID. Baird H. stated that he believed that it would be an appointed position. 12. For Next Meeting Kara Wood Kristine Szurna Bersche proposed that Uptown Marketing Subcommittee be put onto the agenda for the next meeting. They have been meeting for the past six months. Update on TIF Plan Subcommittee. 13. Adjournment Kara Wood Meeting was adjourned at 9:26 a.m. /trr