Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002.09.10 MINUTES CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MINUTES SEPTEMBER 10, 2002 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a regular meeting of the Economic Development Authority was held at City Hall, 7516 80th Street South, Cottage Grove, Minnesota on the 10th day of September 2002. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:30 a.m. by EDA President Wolcott. ROLL CALL • Members Present: Jim Wolcott, EDA President Sandy Shiely, EDA Vice-President Glen Kleven, Authority Member Fred Luden, Authority Member Dick Pederson, Authority Member Gerry Weingartner, Authority Member Members Absent: Mike Wennen, Authority Member Others Present: Ryan Schroeder, City Administrator Michelle Wolfe, Assistant City Administrator Mathias Baden, South Washington County Bulletin Neil Belscamper, Recording Secretary APPROVAL OF MINUTES Authority Member Kleven moved to approve the August 13, 2002 EDA Minutes. EDA Vice-President Shiely seconded. Motion carried unanimously. PROJECT UPDATES Assistant City Administrator Wolfe said there were two new leads for restaurants. One of them was for a family restaurant, and the other was an inquiry from a national chain. She said there was no new information for the current active leads. She noted there had been • a groundbreaking ceremony at Applebee's last week, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Economic Development Authority- Minutes • September 10, 2002 Page 2 American AGCO yesterday. EDA President Wolcott thanked staff for their work on the events. GATEWAY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT UPDATE Assistant City Administrator Wolfe gave an update on the Gateway Development District Projects. She stated that the residential demolition project contract had been awarded, but now the houses would be moved rather than demolished. On August 28, the City Council had approved an amendment to the comprehensive plan and a zoning amendment. The Kohl's site plan, and the Hardwood Avenue plans and specifications, had also been approved. On September 4, the amended AUAR for the West Draw had been approved, and on October 2 the bid for the Hardwood Avenue project would be awarded. City Administrator Schroeder commented that the feasibility study for Hardwood Avenue had been approved a year ago, but that there had been some changes to the plan since then. He explained some of these changes, which included the two new commercial lots and the Bruhn property. The Kohl's entry had moved to Hardwood Court. He stated that traffic counts in the area were estimated at between 7,000/day and 9,000/day for the year 2020, and traffic issues had been addressed in the amended West Draw AUAR, which had just been approved by the City Council on September 4. He added that the Public 41) Safety Commission would be looking at the issue on September 17. EDA President Wolcott asked whether more lanes would be added for the Kohl's entrance. City Administrator Schroeder stated that there would be two lanes going in, and one going out, and access would be shared with U.S. Bank. EDA President Wolcott asked whether U.S. Bank would have to reconfigure their drive-through, and City Administrator Schroeder replied that any reconfiguration would be minimal. He added that they would be meeting with Burnett to discuss issues relating to their access as well. Authority Member Weingartner expressed concerns over having a single access to the Kohl's site. Authority Member Kleven asked whether the Public Safety Commission was comfortable with the plan. City Administrator Schroeder said the commission would be looking at the issue. He added that the front parking lot would be at grade with 80th Street, and that would allow additional emergency access if needed. Authority Member Kleven said he was concerned about cars stacking up back to 80th Street because there was no dedicated turn lane into the Kohl's site, and he felt there needed to be good lane markings and signage. City Administrator Schroeder said the lane setup would be very similar to the Cub/Target area. City Administrator said property acquisition has continued for the Kohl's/Hardwood Project. A strip of land would still need to be acquired from Burnett. Various land trades with U.S. Bank would have to take place, and the City was still working to acquire the McCann property. Appraisals for the condo tenants were ongoing, and he added that as long as the Woodward property was moving forward everything should proceed as planned. • Economic Development Authority- Minutes • September 10, 2002 Page 3 Assistant City Administrator Wolfe said the Frattalone property should be discussed. City Administrator Schroeder said that approximately 25 acres of land in that area was in a conservation easement and could not be developed, but that at some point the City should expect a development proposal for the Frattalone Property. GOLF TOURNAMENT UPDATE Assistant City Administrator Wolfe stated that the ending balance for the tournament was -$125.13, but that two registrations were still due and they would be close to breaking even. A copy of the 2003 flyer with the new registration fees had been included in the packet. EDA Vice President Shiely thanked staff for doing a wonderful job on the tournament, and EDA President Wolcott commented that the catering had been very good. Assistant City Administrator Wolfe noted that Management Analyst Scott Johnson had done the majority of the work, and that food had been catered by River Oaks. EDA Vice President Shiely asked whether a similar event had been considered for women only, adding that that was a large segment of the business community not participating in the regular EDA tournament. Assistant City Administrator Wolfe replied 1111 that such an event had been considered, possibly with a different format, such as a nine- hole event or something geared more towerd people who did not golf regularly. EDA President Wolcott asked whether there had been any response to the press release for the event. Assistant City Administrator Wolfe said she had not seen anything yet. She added that next year the event would be scheduled for August 19. SPECIAL EVENTS EDA Vice President Shielystated that there would be a 9/11 memorial program at Fire P 9 Station Number 2. It would be a 45-minute program running tom 8:45 to 9:30 a.m. BUDGET UPDATE Assistant City Administrator Wolfe said that at this point the preliminary 2003 EDA budget was the same as when it had been submitted. GROVE PLAZA POND Assistant City Administrator Wolfe said Public Works had done some site work in preparation for the landscaping. Fencing would be installed and bench pads constructed before the final landscaping takes place. EDA President Wolcott voiced concerns over the fence installation and said the contractor would have to be made aware of the pond- wall construction in order to avoid any damage. City Administrator Schroeder said the fencing contractor was aware of the pond's construction and there should not be any • issues related to the installation of the fence. Economic Development Authority- Minutes September 10, 2002 • Page 4 EDA BOARD VACANCIES Assistant City Administrator Wolfe said this item had been included on the agenda as a reminder of upcoming EDA term expirations and vacancies. PARK AND RIDE Assistant City Administrator Wolfe said plans were moving along. The City Council had directed staff to forward comments to MNDOT. The bid award for the project was scheduled for the end of December. Authority Member Kleven asked how many cars the facility would hold. Wolfe replied it would hold 500 cars. City Administrator Schroeder added that there was good ridership on the new express route to Minneapolis. CALENDAR Authority Member Pederson said there would be a business luncheon at the Chamber on September 18, and that Public Safety Director Mickelson would be addressing the Chamber the following month. He added that there would be a silver-plate dinner and boat ride at Treasure Island on October 6. MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS ITEMS • EDA President Wolcott stated that he would like to have the EDA break into subcommittees to discuss two different aspects of development in Cottage Grove— industrial and commercial. He said he would like to have Authority Members Luden and Wennen, and EDA Vice President Shiely sit on the industrial subcommittee; and Authority Members Pederson, Kleven, and Weingartner sit on the commercial subcommittee. Authority Members Luden and Pederson would head their respective subcommittees and EDA President Wolcott asked them to bring their ideas to the next EDA meeting. ADJOURN The EDA adjourned at 8:30 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Neil Belscamper Administrative Secretary •