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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-09-08 ACE MINUTESALLIANCE FOR COMMERCE IN ENGLEWOOD September 8, 2005 I. CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the Alliance for Commerce in Englewood (ACE) was called to order at 11 :40 a.m. in the City Council Conference Room of the Englewood Civic Center, Chair Marga- ret McDermott presiding. Present: Absent: Staff: Guinther, Lonborg, Panetta, Vasilas, McDermott Verbeck, Alternate Wolosyn, Council Liaison Penning, Chamber of Commerce Liaison Woodward, Guest Cook, Schalk (both an unexcused absence) Simpson, Director of Community Development Hollingsworth, Business Development Coordinator II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES June 9, 2005 Chair McDermott called for consideration of the Minutes of June 9, 2005. It was moved and seconded that the Minutes of June 9, 2005 be approved as presented. The mo- tion carried. III. REAPPOINTMENT OF ACE MEMBERS Margaret McDermott Steve Schalk Mr. Hollingsworth stated that in early July, City Council reappointed Ms. Margaret McDermott and Mr. Steve Schalk to membership on the ACE. He gave Ms. McDermott a certificate of ap- pointment, and a pin to honor her service. Mr. Schalk's certificate and pin will be mailed to him. Mr. Hollingsworth also distributed mementos to members of ACE who were unable to attend the Board and Commission Evening hosted by Englewood City Council in August. IV. BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (BID) Chair McDermott asked for an up-date on the BID proposal. Mr. Hollingsworth stated that there have been several meetings of the merchants, and a sub-committee has been formed to promote creation of a Business Improvement District (BID). There have been at least two appearances by this group before the Englewood City Council, and a letter formally requesting City funding of a contract with Progressive Urban Management Associates (PUMA) was submitted to City Coun- cil at their meeting on September 6, 2005. PUMA will put together a proposal to facilitate the H:\GRO UP\BOARDS\ACE\Minutes\2005\ACE 09-08-05 .doc 1 - BID formation process . Estimated cost of the contract is $40 ,000 . Mr. Hollingsworth discussed various phases of the BID formation, noting the City can actively participate in mapping the sub- ject area, development of data base , etc .; the City may not , however, participate in or fund the election process . There appears to be a broad level of support from the merchants at this time. Ms. Lonborg entered the meeting and took a chair with the ACE membership. Mr. Vasilas stated that in his opinion there has been great support from the merchants. They are awaiting the determination of City Council regarding funding the contract with PUMA. He dis- tributed a copy of the letter subinitted to City Council at the September 6, 2005 meeting request- ing funding assistance. Mr. Vasilas stated the next step will be meeting with each merchant in the mapped area to explain the proposal , goals , and hoped-for benefits from formation of a BID. Mr. Vasilas stated that there has been no voiced opposition to the proposed BID from merchants at this time. He further stated that when talking to other merchants, a recurring concern that is voiced is that of improving safety ; other topics of concern are improved marketing, and beautifi- cation of the downtown shopping a,rea. Mr. Vasilas discussed the need for detailed information regarding funding of the BID, and how revenues will be used. This information will be vital when asking merchants and property owners to sign petitions. Mr. Verbeck commented that while no opposition has been "voiced" at this time, there are sev- eral merchants that have withheld their opinion. Ms. Guinther agreed that definitive financial information is needed when talking to merchants and property owners -will it increase their taxes, by how much , what will they get out of it - "how much bang for the buck" can a merchant expect. Mr. Woodward commented that the BID area on East Colfax Avenue experienced a 15 % drop in the crime rate after formation of the BID . Mr. Woodward then inquired whether merchants along Englewood Parkway between Broadway and CityCenter will be contacted regarding par- ticipation in the BID . Mr. Vasilas stated that there will be meetings with property owners and individual business owners . Mr. Woodward asked if Miller-Weingarten has a retail association. Mr. Verbeck stated Miller-Weingarten does not have a retail association, and there is still a lot of retail space to be leased . Brief discussion ensued. Chair McDermott stated that it appears things are moving forward, and expressed her appreciation for the hard work that Mr. Vasilas, Mr. Verbeck, and others are doing on this issue . Mr. Vasilas stated that it is his opinion that a BID, properly formed and managed, will be of benefit to everyone -City , property owner, merchant, and clientele . V. "DINING IN ENGLEWOOD" Chair McDermott commented on the new "Dining in Englewood" guide which was included in the packet. Mr. Hollingsworth stated that th i s has proven to be one of the most requested documents pro- duced by the City -the Chamber of Commerce, Englewood Public Library, the Fire Department H:\GRO UP\BOARDS\ACE\Minutes\2005\ACE 09-08-05 .doc 2 and other organizations have asked for multiple copies for reference or distribution. Mr. Hollingsworth stated that Ms. Penning, Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce, has ex~ pressed interest in assuming responsibility for the Dining in Englewood guide. This responsibil- ity will include periodic up-dates, publication, and distribution of the guide. If the Chamber as- sumes responsibility for the guide, there is an opportunity for a broader scope of distribution , provision of more comprehensive information, and possibly including coupons in the guide . Ms. Lonborg asked that Swedish Medical Center be provided with copies of the document; SMC has a guest services packet they distribute to people from out of town who have family hospital- ized at Swedish; they may not be familiar with Englewood and are interested in locating a place to eat. Ms. Penning stated that it is the intent of the Chamber to update the dining guide every six months. Mr. Panetta suggested that future editions of the dining guide include a section on restaurants that provide catering services, or just caterers. He noted that many times businesses host meet- ings that need refreshments or meals brought in. Ms. Penning stated that this was a most wel- come suggestion and made note to include such information in the next edition. VI. PROJECT UP-DATES Mr. Hollingsworth and Mr. Simpson provided updates on various projects . • 59 Englewood businesses have applied for Enterprise Zone benefits in 2005, amounting to $239,000 in tax credits. • A grant has been received from the State of Colorado; this will provide funds to market the Enterprise Zone . • Staff is working with several business entities that have expressed interest in location in Englewood. • An art supply dealer (that cannot yet be named) will be locating in the former Guys and Dolls store on South Broadway. • The Catalyst Program has continued to assist businesses on the Broadway corridor, and is now working with businesses on the East Hampden A venue corridor. • Englewoodsites .com is up and running well; there have been many "hits" on the site , but no real "success story" to report at this time. • CityCenter Englewood will be featured at the next Brownfields Conference in November. • Mr. Simpson noted Mr. Hollingsworth 's efforts to encourage Broadway property owners to upgrade their properties. • Staff continues to work on a retail void analysis; it is anticipated that the study will be completed by December, 2005. • Staff is pursuing a concept of developing and scheduling a series of "business education workshops". • There is a lot of interest in "redevelopment" of some key sites in Englewood, and staff has been working closely with the property owners/business owners to encourage the re- development. • Burt Automotive is interested in redeveloping a large portion of their site; this will be a two-year, $11,000,000 project. H:\G ROUP\BOARDS\ACE\Minutes\2005\ACE 09-08-05 .doc 3 - • There is strong interest in the site formerly occupied by Bally's on East Hampden Ave- nue; the property owner is interested in a mixed-use development for the site. • The Masonic Temple property is also being redeveloped; retail/office on the lower level, with for-sale housing on upper floors. The area devoted to the Mason's use will be down-sized. • Englewood Housing Authority is looking into a possible rezoning on South Pennsylvania and U.S. 285 to allow construction of a senior housing building. • The entire area in the vicinity of the Medical Campus will be studied and reviewed. • The City is doing a property assessment with Littleton around the Centennial Shopping Center at South Federal Boulevard and West Belleview A venue . King Soopers, the pri- mary anchor, has signed another long-term lease for the site and wants to upgrade their store . • Redevelopment of the former Denver Seminary site at South University Boulevard and U.S. 285 is progressing; asbestos removal is occurring. Actual construction of new build- ings probably will not begin until next summer; in the mean time, there will be demoli - tion activities and infrastructure impro vements occurring on-site. • Coordination and cooperation with RTD continues regarding parking at the CityCenter site. The goal is to find an area to accommodate an additional 450 parking spaces in this area to accommodate light-rail riders. • In response to a question regarding the art "shuttle" ridership, Mr. Simpson stated that ridership has exceeded projections several times over; the shuttle is a three-year pilot program and is currently funded by the City, RTD, and DRCOG. The shuttle has just completed it's first year "run" and beginning the second year. If RTD assumes control of the shuttle at the completion of the pilot program, it is possible that a rider "fee" may be charged but that is undetermined at this time. Demographics of ridership was briefly noted -the number of "students" versus SMC patients and elderly. The change in rider- ship demographics during the day was briefly discussed. • The Acoma Street property (3400 block south) is being considered for redevelopment to restore this area to tax-generating retail use. Initial Requests for Proposal (RFPs) were unacceptable; there have been a number of inquiries over the last six to eight months re- garding development of the property. Mr. Simpson noted that in addition to encouraging retail usage of a portion of the property , off-street parking for Broadway merchants should also be retained. Entertainment venues are being considered for a portion of the site in addition to the retail/office and parking uses . • The General Iron Works site is still under consideration for redevelopment. Property owners Winslow and Barton Brothers have teamed up to study development of the 17+ acre site. They have expressed an interest in doing a residential/transit development. RTD is interested in building another light-rail station at Bates A venue . • Redevelopment of the Northeast corner of Broadway/Belleview south of Vectra Bank has been discussed. Mr. Panetta asked if there could be maps or "visuals" of the various redevelopment sites avail- able for the next ACE meeting. Use of the visual aids will be of assistance to the membership in study and understanding the proposed projects. Mr. Simpson stated that maps will be prepared and available for the next meeting. Mr. Panetta asked about the K-Mart site on South Broadway and West Belleview Avenue; will this site be redeveloped. Mr. Simpson stated that redevelopment of this site is on "hold", and H:\GROUP\BOARDS\ACE\M inutes\2005\ACE 09-08-05 .doc -4 noted that K-Mart/Sears Roebuck are still trying to work out facets of the consolidation. He stated that K-Mart has the property under lease for another 12 years, and the existing property owner isn't interested in selling. The opinion was expressed that the K-Mart site is a "very good site", but it could be put to better use if occupied by a Target Store or a Super-Target Store . The Oxford Station site was briefly discussed. Interest has been expressed in further residential development around the light-rail station. Ms . McDermott noted that residential use in close proximity to railroad tracks is desirable by some people, and further commented that a project she had worked on in Arvada had residential properties near railroad tracks -those properties sold faster than others at a greater distance from the rail lines . Mr. Vasilas asked about redevelopment of the Sheridan property (Englewood golf course). Ms. Wolosyn and Mr. Woodward discussed negotiations with Miller-Weingarten regarding acquisi- tion of the front nine-holes of the golf course, and relocation and development of nine holes on property that is not over an old land-fill. Ultimately, the City will end up with a cash settlement on the front nine-holes, an 18 hole course in a better location, a two-year guarantee on revenues lost during the relocation/reconstruction , and a no-competition agreement for the tenants of the Sheridan Development with the Englewood CityCenter development. Chair McDermott commented that there is a lot going on, and thanked staff members for the up- dates . VII. COMMENTS AND EVENTS A. Chamber of Commerce Ms. Penning stated that the Chamber is excited to be participating in the BID discussions and organizing/hosting discussion meetings. The Chamber h as just launched its new web site. She also reminded members of the "Hickenlooper Event" scheduled for September 20 in the Com- munity Room of the Englewood Civic Center. B . ACE Members Ms. Lonborg reported briefly on activities celebrating the lOOth anniversary of Swedish Medical Center. Most of the events were scheduled in the Spring, and not in the Summer months. Ms. Lonborg reported that a recent Shots for Tots clinic was conducted at the CityCenter, and was very successful, with the largest attendance yet for any of the clinics. Ms. Lonborg briefly discussed raising funds to make the Shorts for Tots clinics a long-term program. Chair McDer- mott suggested that if ACE membership is notified prior to the dates of the clinics , perhaps some of the membership could volunteer to assist on those dates -signing people up, etc . Mr. Vasilas provided an up-date on the car-show and sidewalk sale event held by the downtown merchants . He stated that the car show was very successful ; two parking lots were full of cars and people viewing the vehicles . People expressed interest in coming back for another such event. He stated that the cost of the event was about $3,500, and additional funds are still needed to satisfy this cost. He stated that many merchants would like to see this become a yearly event. H:\GRO UP\BOARDS\ACE\Minutes\2 005 \ACE 09 -0 8-05.doc 5 - .. - Mr. Vasilas stated that he wants to see the Business Visitation program start up again . Chair McDermott noted that she will be unavailable to help out on this project until after December; her business is involved in a major undertaking in Lakewood, and she is at that office most of the time . Mr. Simpson commented that he and Mr. Hollingsworth have considered modification of the visitation program. It was asked that the proposed modifications be on the October agenda. C. Staff Comments Mr. Hollingsworth reminded the membership of a Merchant's Training seminar scheduled for September 13 at 7 :30 a.m. in the Community Room of the Civic Center. Mr. Vasilas recom- mended that as many ACE members as possible attend this seminar. Chair McDermott asked how this seminar was being promoted. Mr. Hollingsworth stated that notification was included in the Business letter that is faxed to all registered businesses in Englewood Also , the South Metro Chamber of Commerce has been actively promoting this se- ries of seminars; this particular seminar is being hosted by Englewood. There being no further business brought before the Commission, the meeting was declared ad- journed at 1:05 P.M. ; ... j / Gertrude G . Welty, Recording Secretary Action Item: • Approved Minutes of June 9, 2005 Agenda Item: • Maps indicating sites of redevelopment projects/considerations. • Proposed modification of the Business Visitation program. 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