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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDowntown Development Authority - Minutes - 01/03/2002f Larry Stroud,; Chair 482-8066 (W) Chuck Wanner, Council Liaison 484-0810 (H) Anne Garrison, Staff Liaison 484-2020 (W) DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES OF JANUARY 3. 2002 REGULAR MEETING THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MET IN REGULAR SESSION AT 7:30 A.M. ON JANUARY 3, 2002 IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM AT HOME STATE BANK, 303 EAST MOUNTAIN AVENUE, FORT COLONS, CO 80524 PRESENT THERE WERE PRESENT: JASON MEADORS, SECRETARY/TREASURER GREG BELCHER RICK GOODALE MARY BRAYTON CAREY HEWITT STEVE TAYLOR STAFF JAY HARDY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ANNE GARRISON GUESTS DAVID SHORT, KELLY MOORE, JAY ROSE, DIANA ROYVAL CALL TO ORDER THE MEETING CAME TO ORDER AT 7.30 A.M. WITH MR. MEADORS PRESIDING, AND ROLL CALL WAS TAKEN. APPROVAL OF MR. HEWITT MOVED TO ADOPT THE MINUTES OF DECEMBER 6, 2001 AND MR, GOODALE MINUTES SECONDED THE MOTION WHICH CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. OAK STREET STORM PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED BY THE BOARD IN THE SUMMER OF 2001 , THIS PROJECT IS NOW WATER DRAINAGE UNDERWAY, AND THE PRESENTATION BY JAY ROSE TODAY, IS BOTH AN UPDATE AND A TIME UNE. RECAPPING FOR THE BOARD, MR. ROSE EXPLAINED THAT THIS WAS A DESIGN/BUILD PROCESS, AND ONE IN WHICH THE CONTRACTOR WAS INVOLVED AS A VITAL PART OF THE PROJECT FROM BEGINNING TO END. TUNNEUNG WILL BEGIN NEXT WEEK, WITH TRENCHES TO A DEPTH OF ABOUT TWENTY FEET. RETAINING PONDS WILL BE CONSTRUCTED TO HOLD THE WATER UNTIL IT CAN BE FILTERED INTO THE RIVER. INLET BANKS WILL BE SCATTERED THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN STREETS TO FUNNEL WATER OFF, AND TO PREVENT THE KIND OF FLOODING DOWNTOWN HAS EXPERIENCED IN THE PAST. THE LARGEST OF THESE BANKS WILL Be LOCATED ON MASON STREET. APPROXIMATELY ONE THIRD OF THE OAK/REMINGTON PARKING LOT WILL BE CLOSED WHILE THE TUNNEUNG IS IN PROCESS, LATER, UP TO HALF THE LOT WILL BE IN USE BY THE WORK CREWS. MUCH OF THE PERMIT PARKING WILL BECOME HOURLY TO ACCOMMODATE DDA MINUTES PAGE 2 SHOPPERS, AND PERMIT HOLDERS WILL BE TEMPORARILY MOVED TO PARKING STRUCTURES. PIPELINE CREWS WILL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW THE TUNNELING OPERATION SO AS TO CAUSE THE MINIMUM DISRUPTION IN ALL AREAS. BY EARLY MAY, WORK SHOULD BE COMPLETED, INCLUDING REPAVING. REALISTICALLY, MR. ROSE STATED, IT WILL BE NOISY, DISRUPTIVE AND THERE WILL, AT TIMES, BE LANE CLOSURES. HOWEVER, EVERY ATTEMPT WILL BE MADE TO MINIMIZE THE DISRUPTIONS, AND THE PROJECT IS SLATED FOR COMPLETION IN NOVEMBER 2002. WHEN THE WORK IS COMPLETE THE NEW SYSTEM WILL BE ABLE TO HANDLE 1,030 CFS. IT'S CURRENT CAPACITY IS 80 CFS. MR. ROSE ADDED THAT THIS SYSTEM WILL. ALSO BE ABLE TO HANDLE A 100 YEAR EVENT. MS. BRAYTON RAISED A CONCERN ABOUT PARKING. IS IT BETTER TO LEAVE PERMIT HOLDERS AT THE OAK/REMINGTON LOT AND ALLOW SHOPPERS TO USE THE STREETS? THERE IS ALWAYS A CONCERN THAT MOVING PERMIT HOLDERS MAY DRIVE THEM ONTO THE STREET RATHER THAN INTO THE PARKING STRUCTURE. MR. ROSE NOTED THAT HE WAS WORKING CLOSELY WITH PARKING SERVICES. IN CONCLUSION, A VIDEO WAS SHOWN DEPICTING HOW STREET' WILL LOOK WHILE THE WORK IS IN PROGRESS. DOWNTOWN NEWSPAPER IKELLY MOORE OF THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, PROVIDED COLORED PHOTOS TO APPRISE THE BOXES BOARD OF THE CURRENT CONDITION OF NEWSPAPER VENDING BOXES IN FORT COLLINS. AND WHAT IS BEING DONE IN OTHER CITIES TO PROVIDE A MORE AESTHETIC LOOK FOR THEIR DOWNTOWNS. THE CITY HAS FIELDED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE CURRENT NEWS RACKS. THEIR UNCONTROLLED PLACEMENT, LACK OF MAINTENANCE, DAMAGE BY WIND STORMS AND VANDALISM, ALL LEFT UNATTENDED. ENCROACHMENT ON PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAYS, AND CONCERN FOR PUBLIC SAFETY HAVE ALSO BEEN ISSUES. MODULARS WERE A STRONG CONSIDERATION, BUT ONE PUBLICATION OBJECTED, CITING FREEDOM OF SPEECH ISSUES, AND LOSS OF IDENTITY. THE CITY OF BOULDER USES THE MODULAR SYSTEM, BUT AN EMENDED LEGAL BATTLE PRECEDED THAT DECISION. THE CITY FEELS THAT A GOOD WAY TO BEGIN THE PROCESS IS TO SET UP 'CORRALS' WHICH IS A WORKABLE ALTERNATIVE. IN THIS WAY THE COLOR AND SHAPE OF THE INDIVIDUAL BOXES CAN BE MAINTAINED, BUT THEY WILL BE CONSOLIDATED. THIS METHOD OF CONTAINMENT MAY ALSO HELP TO REPEL VANDALS, AND WHILE NO PUBLICATION WILL BE DENIED, PERMITS WILL BE REQUIRED AND THERE WILL BE SOME REGULATION. AT THIS TIME, APPROXIMATELY THREE QUARTERS OF THE CURRENT VENDORS DO NOT HAVE PERMITS. THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ISSUANCE WILL ALSO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ENFORCEMENT. NO FUNDING REQUESTS WERE MADE. THE CITY HAS AGREED TO PAY THE COST OF SET UP FOR FOUR CORRALS, AND WILL ADD ANOTHER ONE IF IT IS NEEDED. AT THIS JUNCTURE, MR. BELCHER MOVED THAT DDA SUPPORT THE CITY IN ITS EFFORT TO IMPROVE THE NEWS RACKS, AND PROVIDE A MORE AESTHETIC LOOK DOWNTOWN. MR. GOODALE SECONDED THE MOTION WHICH CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. MR. HARDY ADDED THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE DDA CONTINUE ITS INTEREST IN AND SUPPORT OF THIS PLAN, AND IF, AS A RESULT OF PUBLIC OUTREACH THINGS CHANGE, HE REQUESTS DDA BE NOTIFIED. DDA/DBA AGREEMENT MR. HARDY REFERRED TO THE BOARD PACKETS WHICH INCLUDE A MEMO OF EXPLANATION, RESOLUTION #2002-01 , AND A LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRCTORS. DOA MINUTES PAGE 3 RESOLUTION #2002-01 DIRECTS THE CHAIR OF THE DDA TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROVISION OF RECIPROCAL SERVICES, THE AGREEMENT IS UNCHANGED FROM THE DOCUMENT APPROVED BY THE BOARD IN 2001 , IN WHICH THE MARKETING OF DOWNTOWN WILL CONTINUE AT THE SAME LEVEL OR ABOVE. IN ADDITION, SHARED OFFICE SPACE AND THE SERVICES OF M5. GARRISON TO THE DBA WILL Be ONGOING, PROVIDED HER RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE DDA ARE NOT COMPROMISED. MR. GOODALE MOVED TO ADOPT RESOLUTION #2002-01 AS OUTLINED ABOVE., THIS WAS SECONDED BY MR. BEL.CHER AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. DDA LIAISONS IN LIGHT OF MS. LILLY'S ABSENCE, MR. MEADORS SUGGESTED THAT THIS ISSUE BE TABLED UNTIL NEXT MONTH. THE BOARD WAS IN AGREEMENT WITH THIS PROPOSAL, SALES TAX COLLECTION MR. HARDY REFERRED THE BOARD TO A NOVEMBER SALES TAX REPORT PREPARED BY MR. KRCMARIK. REMOVING THE NEWLY ANNEXED PROPERTY FROM THE EQUASION, AND COMPARING 2000 TO 2001 RETAIL ACTIVITY, THE RESULTS ARE VIRTUALLY FLAT, UP 0. 1 % OVER LAST DECEMBER. IF THE ANNEXATION IS INCLUDED, THE FIGURES RISE ABRUPTLY TO 49%. IN A CONVERSATION WITH MR. MCCLELLAND OF ACE HARDWARE SOME TIME AGO, MR. HARDY SPECIFICALLY ASKED HIM TO BE A CHECK POINT OF WALMART'S IMPACT ON DOWNTOWN. MR. MCCLELLAND SHARED THAT HISTORICALLY, ACE HARDWARE STORES USUALLY ANTICIPATE A 20% HIT WHICH SCALES BACK TO 5%, AND WITHIN FIVE YEARS THEY EXPERIENCE A TOTAL RECOVERY BECAUSE OF THEIR SERVICE FACTOR. IN MORE RECENT CONVERSATION, MR, MCCLELLAND SHARED THAT HE HAD MET AND EXCEEDED HIS CHRISTMAS EXPECTATIONS, A LOOK AT HOW THE DDA DISTRICT COMPARED SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE CITY IN NOVEMBER SHOWED DDA UP 0. 1 %, WITHOUT WALMART, THE CITY 15 NEGATIVE AND DDA DISTRICT IS POSITIVE, DECEMBER SALES TAX FIGURES WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE END OF JANUARY, AND MR. GOODALE EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN LEARNING WHAT HAPPENED TO RETAIL DURING THAT TIMEFRAME, AND IF THERE IS A TREND, IT MIGHT BE ADVISABLE TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION. MR. HARDY WILL MAKE THE REPORT AVAILABLE AT THE FEBRUARY MEETING. OTHER BUSINESS ■ STEELE'S SITE REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT - AT A RECENT PUBLIC MEETING, THE DESIGN WAS WELL RECEIVED BUT THE SIZE WAS CONSIDERED TOO GREAT A MASS FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD. PARKING WAS A CONCERN; MOST RESIDENTS WOULD REQUIRE UP TO TWO SPACES, AND IT WAS GENERALLY FELT MORE ANALYSIS WAS NEEDED. MR. GOODALE, WHO ATTENDED THE PUBLIC MEETING, BELIEVES DDA SHOULD ACT AS A FACILITATOR TO BRING THE TWO OPPOSING GROUPS TOGETHER IN SMALL MEETINGS. MR. HARDY WILL ATTEMPT TO COORDINATE THIS EFFORT AND RETURN TO THE BOARD WITH A SUMMARY. MESSRS. BELCHER AND GOODALE OFFERED THEIR ASSISTANCE, AND MR. GOODALE RECOMMENDED WE ENCOURAGE MR. VELDMAN TO UTILIZE MR, HENDEE'S EXPERTISE DURING THE MEETINGS. ■ 185 NORTH COLLEGE AVENUE - THE PROPERTY OWNER HAS COMPLETED THE AWNINGS ON THIS BUILDING IN A TIMELY MANNER, BUT THE SIGNAGE HAS NOT YET BEEN ADDRESSED BY THE BUSINESS OWNER. STAFF HAS MADE SEVERAL CALLS TO MR.. ANDERSON, SO IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO REQUEST THAT COUNSEL SEND A FORMAL LETTER. AT THIS JUNCTURE, M5. BRAYTON MOVED THAT A LETTER BE SENT TO THE PROPERTY OWNER REQUIRING A RESPONSE WITHIN TEN DAYS. MR. GOODALE SECONDED THE MOTION WHICH CARRIED WITH MR. MEADORS OPPOSED, ■ LARIMER COUNTY COURTHOUSE - A MEETING WAS HELD ON WEDNESDAY JANUARY 2, 2002 WITH MS. BRAYTON, AND MESSRS. GOODALE AND HARDY IN ATTENDANCE, THE DDA MINUTES PAGE 4 PURPOSE WAS TO GO OVER THE PROJECT AND DISCUSS ANY RELATED ISSUES. IT WAS A POSITIVE DISCUSSION, AND THOSE ATTENDING WERE LEFT WITH A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF WHY CERTAIN DECISIONS HAD BEEN MADE. MR. GOODALE NOTED THAT BOTH THE CITY AND COUNTY WERE EXTREMELY PROFESSIONAL IN THEIR HANDLING OF THE ISSUES, AND THAT CHANGES ARE MORE COSMETIC THAN SUBSTANTIVE. ESSENTIALLY THE COUNTY SEES MASON STREET AS A VEHICULAR THOROUGHFARE, WHILE THE CITY VIEWS IT MORE AS A NEIGHBORHOOD PROPERTY. MR. HARDY NOTED THAT THE DESIGN MUST STAND AS PROPOSED, IT WILL BE DDA'S ROLE TO HELP MAKE IT LOOK AS GOOD AS POSSIBLE, THROUGH MINOR ADJUSTMENTS. Ms. BRAYTON ADDED THAT DDA FOUGHT HARD TO KEEP THE COUNTY DOWNTOWN, AND IT IS IMPORTANT THAT IT SUPPORT THE PROJECT. ADJOURN THERE BEING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, THE MEETING ADJOURNED AT 9:50 A.M. JASON MEADORS, SECRETARY