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Home My WebLink About2002 [10] Oct 1610-16-02 Page 1 of 3 CITY OF ST. JOSEPH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Meeting Minutes -Wednesday, October 16, 2002 Present: EDA Board Members Bruce Gohman, Larry Hosch, Bob Loso, Mike Deutz and Ross Rieke (4:17p .m) Absent: None Also present: Joanne Foust of Municipal Development Group and Gary Hawkins of Spring Green Lawn Service. Chair Gohman called the meeting of the St. Joseph EDA to order at 4:10 p.m. Agenda. Moved by Deutz, seconded by Loso to approve the agenda. The agenda was approved as presented 4:0. Minutes. Moved by Hosch seconded by Deutz to approve the minutes of the September 10, 2002 EDA meeting as presented. Minutes were approved 4:0. Moved by Loso seconded by Deutz to approve the minutes of the September 18, 2002 EDA meeting as presented. Minutes were approved 4:0. Accounts Payable. The EDA discussed accounts payable for the month of September, 2002 in the amount of $1,593.97 and year to date expenditures as they related to the annual budget. Moved by Loso, seconded by Hosch to approve September Accounts Payable. With all in favor, the accounts payable were approved 4:0. Spring Green Expansion Spring Green Lawn Service is proposing the addition of 2,325 square feet of office and warehouse space to their current facility on Lot 1, Block 5 in St. Joseph Business Park. EDA members discussed the proposed project as it relates to the Protective Covenants for the Business Park. Covenant requirements relating to exterior building facade and landscaping were found to be in compliance. It was the consensus of the EDA that the screening required for garage entrances did not apply as the doors are set back a significant distance from the road. It was the consensus of the EDA that since the parking lot is set back over thirty feet (30') from the front property line and therefore located behind the front yard setback it is not "adjacent" to either the Elm Streef or County Road 133 Right-of--Ways; there fore the six foot strip of landscaping with a minimum three foot drop in grade is not required. Mr. Hawkins indicated he will be storing grass clippings inside a concrete or brick storage bin, therefore there will no longer be any outdoor storage. Mr. Hawkins requested approval to use the same type of footing/foundation construction for the addition as he did for the original building. EDA members discussed the purpose of Section 3.05 of the covenants which state, "All construction of new facilities shall consist of pre-cast or cast tip up concrete walls, concrete block (painted or decorative), post frame/steel frame with a concrete block or poured 10-16-02 Page 2 of 3 concrete complete perimeter foundation with frost footings extending a minimum of eight inches (8") above the final grade, and stick built construction...". Mr. Hawkins indicated that it would cost an additional $6,000 to comply with the footing/foundation requirements. Upon review of the covenants, the EDA noted approval from 70% of the property owners, as measured by the square footage of the buildable lots contained within Buettner Business Park, would be needed to adopt an amendment to the covenants to allow alternative footing/foundation construction. Moved by Loso, seconded by Deutz to direct Municipal Development Group Inc. to prepare a proposed amendment to the Protective Covenants which would allow an exception to the footing/foundation requirements outlined in Section 3.05, for the proposed addition to the Spring Green building located on the west % of Lot 1, Block 5, Buettner Business Park, and to send it to owners within the Business Park for consideration. The amendment would not apply to other buildings constructed on Lot 1, Block 5 or any other lot within the Business Park. Motion approved 5:0. Tax Increment Financing Report Card and Business Assistance Policy Update. Foust recounted the history of the TIF report card and the Business Assistance Policy and noted a revised Report Card was included in EDA packets, as requested at the September meeting. EDA members reviewed the "Rating and Analysis" form for Tax Increment Financing requests and requested an amendment to Item #2: Jobs Created and Retained to read, "Jobs Created and/or Retained.", and removal of the itemized scoring for jobs created and jobs retained to be combined into one category, "jobs created and/or retained". The EDA also requested removal of item #8, which provided five points if there was a demonstrated need for commercial/industrial development within the City of St. Joseph. EDA members agreed that there could arguably always be a perceived need for additional commercial/industrial development. Comprehensive Plan Economic Development Chapter. Foust provided a detailed overview of the economic development chapter of the Comprehensive Plan, including portions of the document wherein recommendations for actions were included. EDA members requested the following additions or amendments: Historic Preservation and Downtown Commercial Redevelopment: EDA members recommended the Council appoint a committee to further research the image desired for the redevelopment of the downtown business area. Technology: The lack of high speed data lines north of County Road 75, particularly in the commercial and industrial areas was noted. Satellite is available in these areas. The EDA recommended the City work with telecommunication companies to extend DSL or a T-1 line to the area north of County Road 75, especially to business parks. Downtown Commercial Redevelopment: The EDA requested an additional recommendation that the City work with the Postal Service to extend hours and their carrier delivery service area. Downtown Commercial Redevelopment: The EDA requested that single-family housing be prohibited in the downtown business area. Highway Commercial Development: The EDA requested a policy statement relating to the development of a lighting plan from Interstate 94 and County Road 2's intersection which would be inviting for those traveling into the community. Commissioner Hosch excused himself from the EDA meeting at 6:30 p.m 2 10-16-02 Page 3 of 3 Highway Commercial Development: The EDA requested the addition of a recommendation that the Council work with Stearns County and encourage them to proceed with acquisition of County Road 2 and County Road 3 bypass right-of-way acquisition, to allow future land use planning in these areas. Industrial Development: The EDA requested an additional recommendation that the City work with the County to either lift weight restrictions on County Road 133 or improve it to 10-ton design standards. Industrial Development: The EDA requested an additional recommendation that the EDA should work with developers to create protective covenants which address building materials, landscaping and screening. Industrial Development: The EDA requested an additional recommendation that the city strive to increase its ratio of commercial/industrial tax base to residential tax base. Other minor changes to terminology were also suggested. Proposed changes will be incorporated prior to the Planning Commission's receipt of and review of the Economic Development Chapter. Marketing Materials Marketing materials for the EDA including the City's new web site and a compact disc will be discussed at the November EDA meeting. Project Updates. A report outlining communication with various contacts was included in the EDA's packet. A brief overview of several projects was provided. Board Member Announcements: Commissioner Deutz requested that the EDA Board review future industrial projects prior to their review by the Planning Commission in order to attempt to resolve unsettled issues. EDA members concurred that they would prefer a special meeting, if needed to fit time schedules, in order to address issues prior to Planning Commission and Council review. He also requested MDG provide potential solutions for unresolved issues. Next Meeting The next official meeting of the EDA is scheduled for November 20, 2002. Adjournment Moved by Deutz, seconded by Rieke to adjourn. All present voted in favor of adjournment. The EDA meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m. ~z~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~. 3