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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDowntown Development Authority - Minutes - 04/03/2003DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY REGULAR DIRECTORS' MEETING, LARRY STROUD, CHAIR 229.9900 NO BILL BERTSCHY, COUNCIL LIAISON 484-8838 (*' ANNE GARRISON, STAFF LIAISON 484-2020 (W) MINUTES OF APRIL 3, 2003 REGULAR MEETING THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MET IN REGULAR SESSION AT 7:30 A.M. ON APRIL 3. 2003 IN THE MEETING ROOM AT HOME STATE BANK LOCATED AT 303 EAST MOUNTAIN AVENUE, FORT COLLINS, CO 80624. PRESENT THERE WERE PRESENT: LARRY STROUD, CHAIR Kim JORDAN, VICE CHAIR JASON MEADOR$, SECRETARYTREASURER BILL BERTSCHY MARY BRAYTON GREG BELCHER STEVE TAYLOR ABSENT: CAREY HEWITT STAFF: ROBERT STEINER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ANNE GARRISON LUCIA LILEY. COUNSEL GUESTS: JOHN FISCHBACH, ED STONER, MYRNE WATROUS, CAM MCNAIR, DEAN KLINGNER, ELLEN MARTIN CALL TO ORDER MR. STROUD CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 7:30 A.M. AND ROLL CALL WAS TAKEN, APPROVAL OF MINUTES MR, MEADORS MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF MARCH 6, 2003 THIS WAS SECONDED BY MS. JORDAN AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. MASON STREET AT THE MARCH 6, MEETING, MR. STROUD PROPOSED A RESOLUTION BE DRAFTED INCORPORATING CORRIDOR THE POINTS SET FORTH IN MR, STEINER's MEMO OF MARCH 3, 2003. RESOLUTION 2003-04 IS INCLUDED IN THE PACKETS FOR THE BOARDS REVIEW. MR, STEINER ADDED THAT HE AND DAVID SHORT HAD MET WITH KATHLEEN REAMS, TOM FRAZIER AND RANDY HENSLEY, AND HAD CONCEDED THE OPEN BALLAST, WITH RESERVATION. MR, TAYLOR IS NOT COMFORTABLE SEPARATING THE ISSUES, LE. THE FENCE FROM THE BALLAST. CONCERNING BALLAST, MR. BELCHER MENTONED HE HAD HEARD THAT RAILROAD INSPECTIONS CAN NOW BE DONE ELECTRONICALLY. MR. STEINER CONCLUDED IT MIGHT BE PRUDENT TO OBTAIN BACKGROUND ON HOW THEY ARE PERFORMED, BECAUSE IF THEY ARE ELECTRONIC, BALLAST NEED NOT BE AN ISSUE. THERE WAS SOME GENERAL DISCUSSION ABOUT LEFT HAND TURNS, 'U' TURNS AND TWO WAY VERSUS ONE WAY TRAFFIC, MR. FISCHBACH COMMENTED THAT NATIONWIDE, TWO-WAY TRAFFIC HAS SEEN PROVEN BETTER FOR BUSINESSES. AT THIS JUNCTURE, MR. BERT5CHY MOVED TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 2003-04 MINUS #9 S # 10, THIS WAS SECONDED BY MR. MEADOR$. DDA MINUTES PAGE 2 HOWEVER, AFTER FURTHER DISCUSSION, IT WAS PROPOSED THAT #9 BE ELIMINATED AND # 10 REWORDED. THIS WAS ACCEPTABLE TO BOTH MESSRS BERTSCHY AND MEADORS, AND THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ART IN PUBLIC PLACES CAM MCNAIR, CITY ENGINEER PROVIDED AN OVERVIEW OF PROJECTS PLANNED. HE SPOKE OF JEFFERSON STREET NORTH TO THE POUDRE RIVER, JEFFERSON AND RIVERSIDE, INCLUDING THE JEFFERSON AND MULBERRY INTERSECTION. IT 15 HOPED TO BEGIN CONSTRUCTION BY THE END OF JUNE, AND THIS IS TO BE IN CONJUNCTION WITH ART IN PUBLIC PLACES. AT THIS POINT IN TIME THE CITY WILL POST ALTERNATE ROUTES FOR TRUCKS, OR OFFER THE USE OF TIMBERLINE AND VINE. ALTHOUGH THE LATTER WAS NOT WELL RECEIVED, IT WAS EXPLAINEO THAT SOME TRUCKS NEED TO COME THROUGH TOWN IN ORDER TO MAKE DELIVERIES. ELLEN MARTIN STATED THAT THE PROJECT PROVIDES A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ARTISTIC ENTRYWAYS TO BE BUILT AS GATEWAYS TO THE CITY, MS. MARTIN SOUGHT INPUT FROM THE BOARD CONCERNING APPROPRIATE ART WORK, AND DISTRIBUTED SOME PHOTO IDEAS FROM OTHER CITIES, THE NEW METHOD IS TO SELECT AN ARTIST WHO IS PREPARED TO WORK WITH A TEAM TO PROVIDE A SUITABLE DESIGN. DDA WOULD BE A MAJOR PORTION OF THAT TEAM, AND WOULD HAVE A VOICE IN THE SELECTION OF THE ARTWORK, WHICH THE BOARD FELT STRONGLY SHOULD BE CHOSEN FOR ITS SIGNIFICANCE TO OUR CITY AND ITS HISTORY. MR. STEINER BELIEVES IT 15 PREMATURE TO DISCUSS FUNDING AT THIS POINT, BUT AS PART OF THE COMMITTEE, THERE WOULD BE AN EXPECTATION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE ON THE PART OF DDA, MS. BRAYTON THEN MOVED TO SUPPORT THE PROJECT WITH DDA'S INPUT, AND A DOLLAR LEVEL TO BE DETERMINED AT ANOTHER TIME. THIS WAS SECONDED BY MR. MEADORS AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. MR. STROUD ASKED MS. JORDAN, MESSRS BELCHER AND BERTSCHY TO SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE. AND THIS WAS ACCEPTABLE TO THEM. PUBLIC RESTROOMS SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, MR. TAYLOR SUGGESTED THAT DDA PURSUE THE PURCHASE OF SCOOTERS, LOCATED IN THE PLAZA. IT 15 BELIEVED THIS BUILDINO COULD BETTER SERVE THE COMMUNITY AS A PUBLIC INFORMATION(RESTROOM FACILITY, THE OPERATION WOULD BE SUBLET TO, AND MANNED BY THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION AND THE CONVENTION AND VISITORS' BUREAU, AND WOULD IMMEDIATELY ALLEVIATE THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL PUBLIC FACILITIES. UP FRONT COSTS COULD BE ABOUT $ 1 60,000 WHICH INCLUDES THE PURCHASE OF THE BUILDING AT $ 100,000 WITH THE BALANCE BEING USED FOR THE CONVERSION. M5. JORDAN SUGGESTED KEEPING A VERY BASIC FOOTPRINT TO PROMOTE AS MUCH SPACE AS POSSIBLE, AND THE BOARD ALSO DISCUSSED POSSIBLE REMOVAL OF THE PATIOS TO FREE UP SPACE IN THE PLAZA. MR. BERTSCHY MOVED TO DIRECT THE CHAIR TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT TO PURCHASE THE SCOOTERS' BUSINESS; TO ENTER INTO A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH PROGRESSIVE OLD TOWN SQUARE PROPERTIES; TO SOLICIT CONSTRUCTION BIDS, AND TO ENTER INTO A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT; AND TO ENTER INTO SUBLEASE AGREEMENTS WITH DBA AND CVB. THE MOTION WAS SECONDED BY MR. MEADORS AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. SECURITY DISCUSSION THE BASIC CONCEPT BEHIND THIS DISCUSSION INVOLVES THE LEVEL OF SECURITY AND POLICE ENFORCEMENT OF LIQUOR LAWS PROVIDED IN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT. MR, GOODALE, WHO INITIATED THE DISCUSSION, WAS CONCERNED ABOUT BOTH THE NEED AND THE COST, AND HAD WANTED TO HAVE AN UNDER COVER PERSON IN DOWNTOWN TO POLICE THE LIQUOR LAWS, SUGGESTIONS HAVE BEEN THAT DDA PROVIDE FUNDING FOR HARDWARE, SUCH AS CAMERAS, LICENSE PLATE READERS, ETC. MR, STROUD OBSERVED THAT GETTING INTO LONG TERM FUNDING COULD PRESENT A PROBLEM, IN TMAT DDA MIGHT NOT ALWAYS HAVE FINANCE$ TO SUPPORT IT, MR, BERTSCHY NOTED THAT THE POLICE REPORT VAST IMPROVEMENTS, AND IN SUMMERTIME THE EFFECTS OF THE NEW ORDINANCES CAN BE BETTER EVALUATED. IN SUMMARY, MR. STROUD SUGGESTED DDA DEAL WITH SECURITY ISSUES ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS AS THEY OCCUR. UPDATES ' THE BOARD IS REFERRED TO CITY SALES TAX FIGURES INCLUDED IN THE PACKET. MR. STEINER STATED THAT THE RECENT SNOWSTORM WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT THESE FIGURES. • IN FUTURE, CITY STAFF WILL BRING DOWNTOWN STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATES TO DDA MEETINGS • MEETINGS HAVE BEEN CONVENED AND THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER COMPLEX IS COMING TOGETHER. PATIO LICENSE AGREEMENTS HAVE BEEN SENT OUT TO LICENSE HOLDERS, BUT HAVE NOT YET BEEN RETURNED. • THE SMOKER ON ZYDECO'5 PATIO IS LOCATED ON PRIVATE NOT PUBLIC PROPERTY, AND IS THEREFORE OUTSIDE THE JURISDICTION OF THE DDA. DDA MINUTES PAGE 3 MS. ULEY ADVISED THE BOARD THAT IT MAY WISH TO CONSIDER NOT EXTENDING THE OFFER OF A PATIO LICENSE AGREEMENT TO BUSINESSES WHOSE POLICIES ARE NOT IN KEEPING WITH THOSE OF DOA. MS. BRAYTON THEN MOVED THAT DDA AMEND THE PATIO LICENSE AGREEMENT TO INDICATE THAT PRIVATE OWNERSHIPS BE CONSISTENT WITH PUBLIC OWNERSHIP POLICIES. THIS WAS SECONDED BY MR. BELCHER AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. TEMPORARY SIGNAGE HAS BEEN PLACED IN THE OAK STREET PARKING LOT INDICATING THAT FREE PARKING 15 NOT AVAILABLE. THERE WILL BE A CHANGE IN THE AMOUNT OF DDA PARTICIPATION IN THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PROJECT. THE COUNTY DID NOT APPROVE A $560,000 INCREASE IN THE PROJECT VALUE. THEREFORE, DDA SUPPORT WILL BE APPROXIMATELY $ 16.000 AS A RESULT. ADJOURN THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS, THE MEETING ADJOURNED AT 9,00 A.M. MEADORS, SECRETARY DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY TO: DDA Board of rectors FROM: Chip Steiner DATE: April 29, 2003 RE: Downtown Strategic Plan Update This update will focus on downtown parking. It will define the issues and explain various methods being suggested to address those issues. Randy Hensley will do a short presentation to the Board, which will be followed by a question and answer/input session. The Downtown Strategic Plan should be completed sometime this summer. City, DBA, and DDA staff will be meeting with the consultants on May 5 to discuss their recommendations (we are to receive a 40-page document with those recommendations in advance of the meeting. After they have been refined I will request copies be made available to the Board and a time set aside to review them with Fort Collins staff and the consultants). 19 Old Town Square • Suite 230 DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY TO: DDA Board of Di rs FROM: Chip Steiner DATE: April 27, 2003 RE: First National Bank First National Bank is proposing to make significant changes to the faqade of its downtown building (only the bank, not the tower). A brief cover memorandum (from Doug Hintzman, VF Ripley Associates, project architect/designer), cost breakdown for proposed DDA funded improvements, elevations, and site plan are attached for Board review. Redevelopment of the fagade calls for stripping the decorative block screening from the building. Brick and stone will be used to cover the facade. Total project cost is estimated at $2 million although the Bank is planning to completely redevelop the interior in a year or two and should affect the level of taxable improvements. As the explanatory memo states, the applicant is only looking for the DDA's general willingness to participate in the project. As it is currently proposed, the DDA would fund about $200,000 in site improvements. However, 75 percent of this is on private land and would therefore require a public easement or outright dedication. Because this could affect future building expansion, the owner may choose to ask the DDA to take a fagade easement. Prior to returning to the DDA for a financial commitment staff has asked the applicant to meet with the County Assessor to verify as closely as possible the tax increment to be generated by the proposed improvements. Staff believes a Board endorsement is appropriate. Aside from the improved appearance for the building, First National Bank is one of the most significant private businesses downtown and it has been a long-time supporter of downtown projects (Tom Gleason served on the first DDA Board). 19 Old Town Square • Suite 230 • Fort Collins, Colorado 8Q44, +, te1{ $t�,.84;.2020,. •fax: 970.484.2069 DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY TO: DDA Board of Dir ors FROM: Chip Steiner DATE: April 27, 2003 RE: RiverFest Funding The DDA is being asked to purchase three more benches as its contribution to the annual Poudre RiverFest. The Authority has participated in this fashion in previous years. The benches are of sandstone and they will be installed along the Poudre River's bike and pedestrian path. Total cost to the DDA is $2,500. Funds are available in the capital projects line item of the Administrative budget. A letter from Bill Sears, President of Friends of the Poudre, is attached that provides more detail about the benches and the RiverFest event. 19 Old Town R i v e r F e s t RENDEZVOUS 633 Remington Street, Fort Collins, CO 80524 Phone: (970) 484-3678 Fax: (970) 224-1726 March 18, 2003 Past Sponsors Chip Steiner A -I Wildwater Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority 19 Old Town Square Avogadro's Fort Collins, CO 80524 A Wanderlust Adventures Re: Three benches for the Poudre River Corridor Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Dear Chip and the DDA Board, As you know, Friends of The Poudre and Trees, Water & People are CH Diagnostics g ,joining with Fort Collins Parks and Recreation, The Fort Collins Water Utility and CSU's Environmental Center to coordinate the Poudre RiverFest & Coopersm;d, Brewing Company Rendezvous to be held June 70' & 8'", 2003. We request that the Downtown Development Authority again be a major Downtown Development Authority sponsor with the commitment of $2,500, a portion of which would be used to buy and install three more sandstone benches along the bike path near the river. Downtown Business Association Tentative locations of these benches have been discussed with and preliminarily approved by the Parks and Recreation and Natural Resources Departments. The Fort Collins Food Co -Op balance of DDA funding will be used to defray costs of RiverFest 2003, help Friends of The Poudre and Trees, Water & People in our continuing efforts at Mountain Shop public awareness about water conservation while continuing to build RiverFest into a major destination event for Downtown Fort Collins. Mountain Whitewater Descents As a sponsor, DDA will have its name and logo on all publicity pieces including posters, flyers, radio ads and thousands of direct mail letters sent New Belgium Brewery by FOP and TWP prior to the event. RiverFest 2003 will once again be held behind The Northside Aztlan Ranch -Way Feed Center at 112 E. Willow adjacent to downtown Fort Collins. It will feature the Second Annual Run for the River 5K foot race,18 to 20 educational interactive Rapid Transit Rating displays coordinated by CSU's Environmental Learning Center, canoe and kayak races and family rafting (water level permitting), the Procession of the River Rocky Mountain Adventures Species, live music, good food and drink by several vendors, and Mountain Man Rendezvous encampments open both Saturday, June 7t" and Sunday June St". Walrus Ice Cream Should you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to call me. Wheeler Commercial Bill Sears, President Friends of The Poudre 224-1189 DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT ddoAUTHORITY TO: DDA Board of erectors FROM: Chip Steiner DATE: April 29, 200 RE: Sidewalk replacement on West Mountain Avenue The City is proposing to replace the sidewalk on the south side of the 100 block of West Mountain Avenue. It has had a design drawn up (attached) which has been presented but not necessarily agreed to by the adjacent property owners. The proposed design would cost around $18,246. This is $7,749 more than what a plain gray concrete walk would cost. My understanding is that the property owners and the City would split the cost of gray concrete. The DDA is being asked to fund the balance (i.e. $7,749). Staff has talked with Glenn Konen of the Architect's Studio about the proposal. While his firm supports a new sidewalk he is inclined toward a different design. Staff suggests the following: 1. Get a design proposal that is acceptable to all parties; 2. The DDA agrees to fund that portion of the project that exceeds the cost of a plain gray sidewalk up to one-third of the project's entire cost. If the total project cost exceeds 150% of a gray concrete walk, then all parties share equally (1/3 each). 19 Old Town DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT ddoAUTHORITY TO: FROM DATE: DDA Board of Directors Chip Steiner April 29, 2003 RE: Misc. Items ( d� 1. Natural Resources. Sarah Fox of the City's Natural Resources Department will inform the Board about the building energy audit program available to property owners. No advance documentation was provided. 2. Lifestyle Center. The City's Planning Department will update the Board on the Lifestyle Center being proposed for Harmony Road. No advance documentation was provided. 19 Old Town Square • Suite 230 • Fort Collins Color, OA. - 4 , I a t •fax: 970.4&4.2069 _.. _ .:Saes u.ersiv�i�, . .. DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY TO: DDA Board of Directors FROM: Chip Steiner DATE: April 29, 2003 RE: Updates 1. Board Vacancy. It doesn't look as if City Council will be making Board and Commission appointments until June. This means we will not have a replacement for Rick Goodale until July at the earliest. 2. Cortina (project at Howes and Canyon). This project is scheduled for Planning and Zoning Board consideration at its May 15 meeting. DDA Board members should feel welcome to attend. 3. Empire Hotel. First floor is 100 percent leased and undergoing renovation. Tenants are Hu -Hot (Mongolian food), Mugs Coffee, Pita Pit, Choice City Butcher, Eileen's Cookies, and Mole 33 (seller of vinyl records for you old timers in the audience). The project will come to the DDA once the owner finalizes plans for the upper floors. 4. In -Situ. It seems that In -Situ, the company wishing to build by the Poudre River has decided to purchase the old Matrix Building on Linden Street instead (located across the street from New Belgium Brewing. 5. Rhythms. Staff has a meeting next week with one of the owners of Rhythms (project on East Mountain that the DDA committed funds to over a year ago). The project will need to come back to the Board for reconsideration. 6. Berryhill Project. This housing project on the old Poudre Creamery site at the corner of Pine Street and Jefferson is through the design phase. It should be coming to the DDA in the next month or two. 7. Mason Street North. Project is 60 percent leased and should begin construction this summer. 8. Public Restrooms. Kermit Allard has been asked to give an update on a business appraisal he did of Scooter's two years ago. This is to verify that the price for the business is accurate. Discussions have begun with Progressive Old Town Square regarding the lease. DDA has proposed that the public restrooms not be included in the lease —that there is direct benefit to POTS and to all POTS tenants with the addition of these bathrooms and that the DDA is bearing the entire cost for the conversion. The DDA has also proposed that it enter into a five-year assignable lease with two automatic five-year renewals. A counter -proposal is anticipated. Mikal Torgerson has drawn a concept design (attached) and estimates improvement costs at $25,000. 9. Performing Arts/Civic Center. Tentatively named the Northern Colorado Cultural Center. In the process of finalizing an executive summary of vision, goals, process, potential funding. Will begin organizing an executive/oversight/governing committee in the next couple weeks. 19 Old Town Square 10. Mason Transportation Corridor. There is an open house scheduled on the Mason Transportation Corridor, Wednesday, May 7, 4 — 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Center. Topic of discussion in the 3% -mile bike and pedestrian corridor that will be funded with Building Community Choices funds. 11. International Making Cities Livable Conference. This conference occurs twice a year, once in Europe once in the U.S. The U.S. gathering was in Santa Fe a few weeks ago and was well attended given the fractious nature of international relations these days. IMCL focus is, naturally enough, on the elements that make cities attractive places to work, play, and live. This conference had speakers from all over the world including Jordan, Germany, Canada, Japan, Australia, Italy, England, and Chicago. Some of the session titles for this conference included "Urban Public Places, Civic Engagement and Democracy," "Culture, Place, and Architecture," "Respecting Regional and Local Character," "Designing Public Spaces," "What Public Space is All About," "Principles of Public Space Design," "Place making: Developing Town Centers," "Are Public Places Essential for Creating Community?," "The DNA of a Healthy City," "Improving Urban Spaces," "Urban Design Strategies," "A Spatio-Temporal Model for Design in Architecture and Urbanism (italics added)," "Visual Image and Concept of Place," "The Good City for Children," "The Importance of Community Festivals." Things I took away from the conference with relevance to Fort Collins: • Thematically, good public spaces are democratic spaces. Within reason, they should be open to everyone. This is a characteristic that separates public spaces from private spaces that mimic public spaces. Private spaces are controlled and can be very undemocratic (inside of a mall). Although the conference to bring it up, the public space is much more spontaneous and exuberant, less controlled, less systematized. • What makes a city livable is that it is "lived in." It isn't sanitized. Again I think this distinction applies to original downtowns and, for example, lifestyle centers. • The best public spaces are at pedestrian crossing points where jobs, markets, entertainment are all surrounded by residential development. The "commons" is surrounded by homes, government, religious institutions, educational institutions, and commercial activity. Lifestyle centers usually only have the commercial component. • Environmental movement has done serious damage to communities by forbidding building materials, by requiring energy performance (such as requiring buildings to be oriented for solar gain before any other consideration), by restricting spontaneity, by ignoring/dismissing human ecology. Charles Bohl, a developer of lifestyle centers said: "In today's world it would be absolutely impossible to build Charleston, South Carolina." • Scale is important. Can't overwhelm the pedestrian • According to the speaker on "DNA of a City" zoning destroyed our cities by isolating uses. Intermingling uses is the only way to maintain the dynamism of a community. • Don't privatize public spaces. • We need to assume a modicum of responsibility for each other (this concept comes from author Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of American Cities) ---- the importance of this concept is to make cities safe for children. With two working parents it is even more important to keep jobs and homes close to each other. • Just as we provide handicap bathrooms we need to remember to lower potties for kids. Need to lower crosswalk buttons too. • Community events/festivals should, at least sometimes, focus on the community, not the visitor/consumer. This was an interesting discussion and suggested that some events should engage the community in a celebration of itself. Basil, Switzerland holds an annual event where any "clique" (anything from two people up to large neighborhoods) build floats or some kind of parade entry around a theme of their own choosing. Themes are serious, sardonic, ironic, moral, political, historical, environmental, satirical but all, in some way, focus on the community itself. In addition to the parade, there is sidewalk entertainment, food and beverage service and a group of jesters who circulate in the crowd teasing people and whispering earthy gossip into the ears of residents. It sounds fun! The Basil parade is held after dark —all the lights in the downtown are turned off and the floats in the parade are lit from inside with lanterns. • The human -nature relationship: streams (i.e. waterways) should unite, not divide people. Humans should be allowed to interact with riverways. Riverways should be clean, safe, sustainable, but still, at least in urban areas, human -oriented. The speaker called this an "environmental ethic." I have copies of all the papers presented for those sessions I attended (basically that list at the beginning of this update item), if Board members want to read further. 9 0 0 0 a