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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-02-16 ACE MINUTESALLIANCE FOR COMMERCE IN ENGLEWOOD February 16, 2006 I. CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the Alliance for Commerce in Englewood (ACE) was ca ll ed to order at 11 :45 a.m. in the City Council Conference Room of the Englewood Civic Center, Chair McDermott presiding. Present: Absent: McDermott, Sc halk, Vasilas, Verbeck, Guinther Mayor Wolosyn, Council Liaison Longborg, Panetta (excused absence) Also present: Jim Woodward, City Council Staff present: Darren Hollingsworth, Economic Development Coordinator Mark Graham, Senior Planner APPROVAL OF MINUTES January 12, 2006 Vice Chair Vasilas stated that the Minutes of January 12, 2006 were to be considered for approval. Vasilas moved: Guinther seconded: The Minutes of January ·12, 2006 be approved as written. The motion carried unanimously. BUSINESS AWARDS GALA Chair McDermott announced the ACE Committee was recognized for its work in Englewood . Chair McDermott was proud to accept the award on behalf of the ent ire Committee. Mr. Vasilas asked if everyone saw the picture in The Vi ll ager. Several members stated they had. Chair McDermott stated that Mr. Hollingsworth reminded her that January 13th of this year was the one year ann iversary that she and Mr. Vasilas we re nominated for Chair and Vice Chair. It is now time to elect the Chair and Vice Chair for 2006. Chair McDermott asked the Board if the wanted to take care of the business at this meeting or wait till March. Mr. Vasilas stated that since several members are absent he suggested the el ection be pushed back to the next meeting. Chair McDermott agreed. 1 II. ACE BUSINESS ACOMA REDEVELOPMENT UPDATE Mr. Graham announced that Mr. Verbeck received an award for Businessman of the Year. The Board congratulated Mr. Verbeck. Mr. Graham stated the Acoma project went before the Council in an executive, confidential session. As a result of that meeting, the feeling was there needed to be more time to discuss the project further and tentatively they settled on discussing it at the Economic Development Retreat to be held on February 25th. Mr. Graham stated the Urban Renewal Authority met on February 15th and was given a status update on the Acoma project. The EURA stated they would like to be more involved in the process since the majority of the property is owned by the EURA. They also stated they would like to weigh in on the decision to select the developer. At this time all the proposals will be taken back in order to give the EURA an opportunity to review. The next meeting of the EURA will be on March 5th and it is expected they will take a position at that time if a decision has not already been made through Council. Mr. Graham stated there are two proposals on the table, one from Landon and Centex that is a restaurant/retail commercial component with 89 residential units and the Englewood Lofts proposal is the 2 7,000 square foot six-screen cinema project coupled with 69 residential units wrapping a parking structure. He stated the community and downtown merchant's have two concerns: 1. that the parking be maintained and 2. that the City is aware of the need to maintain parking during the entire construction phase. Mr. Graham stated that several of the merchant's are asking for a lot of coordination and cooperation. Several have asked to weigh in more as the details and more defined architecture become available. The business community is very interested in the project. They have hopes, but also fears, as to how it will impact their businesses, especially during the construction phase and that they do not end up with any less parking. Chair McDermott asked Mr. Graham if there is a parking component in each proposal. Mr. Graham stated there is . He stated staff asked each developer to provide a minimum of 100 parking spaces. The Englewood Lofts proposal provides this, but the Centex proposal came up with an alternative strategy which was to count on-street parking and to provide 68 surface parking spaces. They offered to provide additional parking spaces, but they are costly ... $18,000 per space. By their count they would provide 180, by the City's count 110 in that scenario. Chair McDermott asked Mr. Graham if the residential component of the Englewood Lofts is a for-sale product. Mr. Graham confirmed it was. On average, both proposals have units of about 1100 square feet and sales prices are $200 to $220 per square foot. 2 Mr. Verbeck questioned whether the developers had a problem with holding off on a decision. Mr . Graham stated they, of course, wou ld like to move ahead as quickly as possible, but it was exp lained to them that the pub li c process is different and will take time. Ms . Guinther asked Mr. Graham which is the stronger project in the City's eyes. Mr. Graham stated there are strengths to both of the projects. There is on-going analysis and the hope is to be able to put more numbers in front of the Council in a few weeks that will help describe the differences in the two scenarios. Mayor Wolosyn wanted to know how much the City participates in this project to make it move forward because every redevelopment site cou ld potentia ll y need funding. Chair McDermott responded by saying "you want to know if you set a precedent, it is the appropriate one". She stated that was correct. Mr. Vasilas asked how many apartment units are planned. Mr. Graham stated Englewood Lofts planned 69 condos and Centex had 89 condos. Centex has a product that could be scaled up if there was an interest and the numbers work. Mr. Vasilas asked if there is separate parking planned for those units. Mr. Graham stated there is a parking deck that is wrapped by the units that is for the residential component only. Mr. Vasilas stated he wanted to make sure the parking is planned for in the beginning as it is very hard to change afterwards. The streets are not wide enough to park on both sides. Mr. Woodward stated there is access on the west side to deliver to Marketplace. Mr. Vasilas stated the west side stores also have back door access. Mr. Schalk asked if the City participates in the parking process if they are go ing to try to recoup from the businesses in the area. Mr. Graham stated that is not on the table at this time . The proposal for selecting the developer and for the parking is asking the City to come up with that and the City has not yet identified the revenue streams for repaying for the parking. He stated that is a difficult and separate discussion that you cannot have right at the moment. Chair McDermott asked if there were any other questions or comments for Mr. Graham at this time. There were none. DOWNTOWN LITTLETON MERCHANT'S ASSOCIATION Mr. Hollingsworth stated there was a request for staff to take a look at the Downtown Merchant's Association in Littleton. They have had a variety of successful events over the past few months. The BID is moving forward to address a lot of the issu es Littleton has addressed, but in the meantime, staff contacted the City of Littleton and spoke to their staff members regarding the Littleton Merchant's Association as well as interview Ms. Ruth Graham, who is the business owner who has spearheaded a lot of the initiatives in Littl eton. The Littleton's Merchant's Association is much like the Englewood Merchant's Association, a small group of committed merchants that have expressed an interest in bettering their business environment. They have about 95 members in their group and they have a 3 voluntary fee of $150 per month to fund the budget. Those dollars go to fund a business publication, marketing materials, the have an on-line presence for the business district, and a variety of events. Very importantly, they have a very involved interaction with the City on a variety of projects. To succeed, that relationship with the City needs to continue. In the beginning they did not quite agree with the City on a variety of things, but they built on the common ground and they have a strong commitment to continue to work together. When it comes to doing the on-going things that a business district has asked for, that strong relationship has really paid off over the years. Mr. Hollingsworth continued with an update on some of the follow-up that was related to the Englewood BID. The Littleton Merchant's Association does not have nearly th e funds that the Englewood BID would bring to the table. Mr. Hollingsworth stated that Littleton also has a voluntary half-cent sales tax. Discussion ensued. Chair McDermott stated that is a huge commitment on the part of the retailers that support that. BID UPDATE Mr. Vasilas stated meetings were held on February 8 1 " and 91 " with Englewood merchants attending. He stated there was not a large participation of merchants for the second me et ing, due to the fact most attended the first meeting. A meeting is scheduled for 3:00 today to decide the BID boundary. To date there is no commitment from King Soopers or WalMart. Broadway has very strong support thanks to Jon Cook and the downtown Merchant's Association. A meeting will be held next month to get the petitions out. Mr. Hollingsworth stated it will go back to City Council on March 20 1 ". Notes will be distributed to the steering committee to be at that meeting. Mr. Hollingsworth stated the City is working internally to do a base level of bid services: i.e., what services the City provides within the BID boundary. What the merchants are proposing is going above and beyond where the City is from a marketing and Safety Services perspective. Mayor Wolosyn asked if anything will happen on Hampden. Mr. Vasilas stated there is only one business on Hampden that supports the BID, the Glass Bottom liquor store. There are numerous national businesses (Burger King, McDonalds) along Hampden . Mr. Verbeck stated he felt that chances are it will not even go to the level where those type of businesses would have any input or vote. Mr. Woodward stated the BID was planned as a linkage between Hampden and Broadway, not just beautify Broadway. He stated you need to look at the bigger picture. The BID was organized to make Englewood a better place to shop and to be. It was noted, merchants will hav e the ability within the Bl D to participate and con tribute on a voluntary basis. Chair McDermott requested clarification of the process. Mr. Hollingsworth stated it is petition, Council vote, th en public vote. The Steering Committee's and ACE's help will be needed during the petition drive, which will be a door to door drive. Mr. Woodward asked how you get the petition signed from an out of state property owner. Mr. Vasilas stated that both the business owner's signature counts and the property owner's signature counts. If the property owner's signature cannot be obtained, the business owner's signature will still 4 count. Discussion ensued regarding the various businesses that have been contacted to get a feeling of where they stand regarding the BID. King Soopers has not responded. The have another store in a BID area so are familiar w ith the concept. Mr. Woodward suggested ACE may be able to find out who to contact through the Colfax BID to deal directly with them. A lot of the larger property owners have not responded. The sales tax generator list was reviewed. 111. ACE FOLLOW-UP Mr. Hollingsworth stated a discussion was held severa l months ago regarding removing the sunset provision and there was a recommendation to City Counc il to remove it. A Council Communication Bid was drafted that was to be on the February 21 s i agenda, but that has since been changed because the sunset of ACE actually sunsets on a holiday, President's Day. At the City Council meeting on the 21 s i the Council wi ll take action on the sunset provision of ACE and at the same time they will be asked to reappoint al l ACE Board members. Mr. Hollingsworth stated the information in the ACE packet that was distributed for today's meeting was not accurate. It has been revised for Council consideration. Attracting Trader Joe's or another grocer to Eng lewood was discussed . Mayor Wolosyn stated she wi ll do some research into how Co lorado's liquor laws have an impa ct on Eng lewood businesses. Mr. Graham stated he and Mr. Hollingsworth met with David Fried and his exp lanation was that the marketing strategy of Trader Joe's is heavily dependent upon liquor sa les. In Colorado a chain store can only have liqu or at one location. Mr. Fried stated that if the Co lorado laws change this would be a market Trader Joe's would look at. Chair McDermott asked for clarification of what a Trader Joe's grocery store is. Mayor Wolosyn stated it is a concept that began in California some 25 years ago. It is a discount, gourmet type concept known for having a fabulous wine selection. They like a 7,000 to 10,000 square foot store and usually go into existing bu ildin gs. Mayor Wolosyn stated she thought it might be a fit for the Mountain Miser space. Mr. Woodward asked about Sunflower Market. Mr. Graham stated he proposed that to David Fried also. He stated he could put the City in touch with them, but probably they would be looking at an Albertson's store that has closed down as an easy way to get into the market. Albertsons does not have any Englewood stores. Mr. Vasilas asked for an update on the Denver Seminary property. He had heard the origina l developer sold to a different developer. That was confirmed. Mr. Vas il as als o had heard that the new developer was not interested in putting as much retail space in. Mayor Wolosyn stated the developer had to put in the 65,000 square feet, but he is doing a different configuration. Mr. Verbeck stated that Continuum's approach is to have several small pieces to allow for more room for small businesses. Mayor Wolosyn stated they should start signing leases by the end of summer 2006 with ground breaking to occur by year end. 5 Mr. Vasilas requested an update on Old Hampden and Broadway. Mr. Graham stated Alex Speros bought the building and it is the City's understanding he will be building a quick serve restaurant use at that location. Mr. Hollingsworth stated there are currently three storefronts there that will come down to support the new development. PROSPECT ACTIVITY REPORT Mr. Hollingsworth stated that the previous discussion regarding Trader Joe's fell into this category as well. The City is working with David Fried to upgrade a number of tenants in the Englewood Marketplace. Due to the high level of vacancy David Fried has indicated he may not continue as Broker. Mr. Simpson has contacted the owner of the property to see if there is redevelopment opportunity or change in ownership opportunity to continue to see an upgrade in quality of tenants. SALES TAX SALES AND USE TAX GENERATORS Mr. Hollingsworth generated the list at the request of ACE. This information will be provided to City Council at the Retreat on February 25 1 ". Mr. Hollingsworth gave a brief overview on Topic Discussions and Upcoming Events. After review, Chair McDermott suggested the Board place this back on the agenda in the future to get focused for 2006. IV. COMMENTS & EVENTS Chair McDermott stated there was a Chamber Board meeting earlier in the day to discuss planning for 2006. Kristin is now back from maternity leave. Katie has done a wonderful job in her absence. The next large event is the Student Recognition Lunch, which is in the planning stage. At this time the new recording secretary introduced herself. Mayor Wolosyn stated the cultural space on the second floor of the City Center Building has been named Hampden Hall and will open in March. The ACE committee will be receiving invitations and there will be free events all day. On March 18 1 " there will be a grand opening. The center cost approximately $450,000 to finish with Englewood Arts raising $83,000. That is a big contribution from a non-profit to the City. Chair McDermott stated the South Metro Chamber is asking for nominations for the Small Business of the Year. She asked for nominations either individually or if ACE has an interest in nominating someone. There were no nominations at this time. Mayor Wolosyn stated that historically the City has always come to the ACE committee for candidates. If you know of a good business, please submit their name . 6 Chair McDermott also informed the committee there were no applicants for the Alternate position for ACE. She asked for nominations for that position. None were provided at this time. No further business was brought forth for consideration. The meeting was adjourned at 1 p.m. Barbara Krecl ow, Recording Secretary 7 .. ' . UPCOMING ITEMS • Elect Chair and Vice Chair • Economic Development Reference Guide CD-Rom (If able to produce) • Upcoming ACE Action Items and Topic Discussions 8