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Home My WebLink About2014-10-09 ACE MINUTESe ALLIANCE FOR COMMERCE IN ENGLEWOOD COMMITTEE City Council Conference Room October 9, 2014 I. CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the Alliance for Commerce in Englewood Committee (ACE) was called to order at 11 :30 a.m. in th e City Council Conference Room of the Engl ewood Civic Center, Chair Whyte presiding. Present: Absent: Whyte, Farris, Miller, Michels, Vigliano, Weinberger Knoth (Excused) Also present: Colleen Mello, Englewood Chamber of Commerce Staff present: Alan White, Community Development Director Darren Hollingsworth , Economic Development Manager Public present: Louis Fowler, Englewood Resident e APPROVAL OF MINUTES September 11 , 2014 Chair Whyte stated that the Minutes of September 11 , 2014, were to be considered for approval. It was determined there was a quorum. Chair Whyte asked if there were any changes or adj'ustments to the minutes. There were none. Weinberger moved; Miller seconded: THE MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2014, BE APPROVED AS WRITIEN. The motion was unanimously ap proved. e II. ACE BUSINESS Chair Whyte asked Director White to update the group on the status of the Comprehensive Plan project. He explained that the last Comprehensive Plan was written in 2003 and with this update, it is anticipated that it will address the changes in demographics .· and desires of the community. There will be stakeholder meetings conducted by the consultants and members of the City boards, commissions and co mmittees will be invited to participate. Public meetings will also be held beginning November 12th. A website is being developed to gather feedback and provide updates on the progress of the project. Chair Whyte asked how ACE could participate. Direc tor White responded that they will have the opportunity to provide idea s for advancing business and industry in the City through the stakeholder and public meetings. There will also be the ability to provide comments or ideas via the project website. e Chair Whyte acknowledged that City Manager Keck was present prior to the meeting. e Neighborhood District Map Discussion Director White explained that the areas on the map that are identified with names that are the same that were identified to the consultants working on the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Hollingsworth explained that many of the areas are designated by th e parks or public investments in the areas. Director White commented that a few of the subdivisions are easily identifiable (Arapahoe Acres) and others do not have a strong iden t ity. Mr. Fowler commented that the names could be based on geographical features. He suggested that by identifying the areas, businesses and residents could adopt those names . Mr. Weinberger expressed that he feels the naming of the areas is a good idea. Mr. Miller expressed that having areas identified by names would be a marketing tool in that business could identify their areas easily. Dr. Farris suggested that perhaps a few of the areas could be combined to reduce the number of designated areas. Director White pointed out that the current industrial area is potentially going to be undergoing rezoning to allow some residential development. Chair Whyte recommended that the Committee submit the map to City Council for their opinion and to determine if they want the number of areas to be increased or reduced. Weinberger moved; Miller seconded: To forward the map as presented with the designated neighborhoods to City Council for review and feedback. The motion passed unanimously. Business Survey Chair Whyte stated that he would like to move the topic of conducting a business survey to a lower priority on the agenda. e ACE Roles and Goals Chair Whyte reviewed the Municipal Code definition of ACE. He asked for clarification of the directive ~egarding investing capital. Director White explained that as an advisory group, ACE can make recommendations regarding the City's investments in capital projects but it does not have any funds itself to spend . ACE 's role would be limited to providing recommendations. Chair Whyte would like to change the dynamics of the group given the past experience with not being able to achieve a quorum. He would 2 propose that the group be allowed to conduct meetings electronically. Staff will check with the City Attorney's office to investigate the options. Farris moved; . Weinberger seconded: To propose to City Council that ACE be allowed to conduct electronic meetings in order to more easily achieve a quorum. The motion passed unanimously. e It was the consensus of the Committee that feedback from City Council is necessary in order to work in conjunction with their goals. The group would like to have direction from City Council. e Chair White suggested that the Committee revisit the South Broadway improvement plan. Dr. Farris mentioned the lighting suggested by former Committee member Schalk and feels that it was a good proposal. Chair White would like to improve the interaction with City Counci I. e Dr. Farris suggested that the business survey be conducted after the Committee receives feedback on the neighborhood map. Weinberger moved; Miller seconded: To ask City Council what specific information they would like to receive from a business survey. The motion passed unanimously. e Discussion of the role of ACE and the structure of the Committee ensued. Mr. Miller asked if it is appropriate for ACE members to reach out to the business community. Mr. Hollingsworth replied that if the group wishes to conduct outreach they can institute a program and this could be discussed in more detail at an upcoming ACE meeting. Mr. Weinberger suggested that businesses could be polled through a survey , visitation or other similar activites to determine if they are aware of ACE. Mr. Fowler commented that sharing resources is important to the success of businesses. Ms. Vigliano commented that framing questions to address a diverse group can be difficult. It was suggested that there could be different surveys for different businesses. More discussion regarding a survey will be held at a subsequent meeting. Mr. Miller asked if the City has a policy of purchasing from local businesses. Staff will investigate whether or not such a policy exists. Ill. PUBLIC COMMENT Mr. Fowler complimented the Committee on their work. 3 IV. COMMENTS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE December 6th will be the Holiday Parade. The Holiday Party date is to be determined. The Breasts of Colorado event held at Civic Center was successfu l; the event raised approximately $15,000 for Sense of Security benefitting individuals undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Ms. Mello complimented Mr. Whyte on a successful meeting. STAFF COMMENTS Staff did not have any further comments. CITY COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilman Jefferson was not present at the meeting. lilJ ACE COMMENTS Dr. Farris ask~d about plans for a hotel in Englewood and whether the City is pursuing this. He would like to help facilitate the development of a hotel in the area. Mr. Miller informed the group about Well Fed, an organization that supplies food to school age children during the summer when they are not receiving regular meals at school. They accept food, personal items and cash. The project has been a success with Swedish Hospital employees. V. UPCOMING ACE BUSINESS a. The next meeting is scheduled for November 13, 2014. No further business was brought forth for consideration. 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