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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-11-08 EDDA MINUTES• • • ENGLEWOOD DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY 333 WEST HAMPDEN AVENUE, SUITE 602 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING NOVEMBER 8, 2000 MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: GUESTS AND VISITORS: MINUTES Duemke, Finer, Gartner, Guinther, LaPorta, Oxman, Sanchez, Yurchick Ashenfelter, Kaufman Celva Steve Collins, Kells Waggoner Laurie Danemiller -Community Development Harold Stitt -Community Development I. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS AND VISITORS Chairman Sanchez welcomed the guests to the meeting . II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman Sanchez asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes of the September meeting. Clifford Weinberger pointed out that he had been in attendance at that meeting. With this correction, it was moved by Steve Finer, seconded by Jerry Gartner and passed unanimously to approve the minutes as presented. III. TREASURER'S REPORT A Treasurer's Report was not presented at the meeting. IV. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT A. Englewood Shuttle Laurie Danemiller (not an agenda item) Chairman Sanchez welcomed Laurie Danemiller to the meeting. Ms. Danemiller stated that she was attending the meeting in response to a request for a copy of the BRW Report that she had received from Harold Celva. She said that she felt that the board meeting presented a good opportunity to provide an update and solicit feedback. After distributing information packets on the first phase of the study, Ms. Danemiller reviewed for the board the three phases of the study, the objectives and the participants. She stated that while the project had • • • been delayed For 2~ weeks in order to get the results back From Swedish Hospital, that 1100 surveys had been distributed with 442 returned, oF which 202 were From the EDDA district, For a response rate oF 25%+. AFter providing a Further review oF additional data contained in the First section oF the report she went on dicsuss the second section and reported on the methodology used and the conclusions arrived at in this phases oF the study. She suggested that the survey results were very close to both national and RTD averages. Ms. Danemiller told the board that the next step was For the Four Funding participants to make the decision on whether or not to continue with the second and third phases oF the study. She stated that city staFF would recommend to city council going Forward with the additional phases. With the Final inFormation in hand decisions can be made on whether and how to Fund a potential shuttle. Director Celva reiterated to Ms. Danemiller the request From EDDA For establishing clear beneFits and possibly a beneFit ratio between the areas/entities who will be asked to Fund a shuttle. Chairman Sanchez related her concern that many oF the downtown businesses had not been included in the survey. Ms. Danemiller replied that the Englewood Chamber oF Commerce had volunteered to distribute and collect the surveys in the downtown area, and that while she was not satisFied with the results along the Broadway corridor, she was generally satisFied with the overall number oF responses within the EDDA district. Chairman thanked Ms. Danemiller For her presentation. 8. RFP's -Harold Stitt (not an agenda item) Harold Stitt told the board that he had come to the meeting to provide an update on the RFP's For the development oF the two sites in the downtown district. He said that as a result oF the comments received the RFP"s had been split into two processes, one For the General Iron Works site and a second For the Acoma and Elati properties. Each process to have two selection rounds, in the First, the qualiFications and concepts proposed by applicants will be reviewed by the selection team with three Finalists For each project selected. These Finalists will then be invited to make Full proposals. Stitt stated that the First phase would probably last through January and the second phase would then continue until March or April. AFter a brieF discussion Chairman Sanchez thanked Mr. Stitt For his presentation. C. 4 x 4 Meeting Chairman Sanchez reported that the meeting with Four members oF city council had gone well. She stated that both parties had agreed to work with their respective staFFs to ensure that they be less reactive and more proactive. When the other participants From EDDA were asked iF they had anything to add they declined. • • • D. Former Board Members Chairman Sanchez thanked Steve Collins and Kells Waggoner for attending the meeting and explained that they had been invited so that heir work and participation on the EDDA Board could be belatedly recognized. She presented each with a plaque and the thanks of the board. Sanchez added that a plaque thanking Art Scibelli for his commitment and integrity was being sent to Art. v. A. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Big Box Subsidies Director Celva told the bard that in response to a request he had asked Deborah Guinther to provide the board with information on potential city subsidies to Borders Books. Ms. Guinther stated that she had been made aware of the fact that city council was considering a subsidy to a formula retailer in order to locate that business in the City Center development. She stated that this raises the question of what are the city's priorities for development in city center and the rest of Englewood. She further added that the preservation of independent business is of critical importance. Ms. Guinther told the board that she wanted to make it clear that she did have a personal interest in this issue since she had been negotiating with the developer for relocating her business to the center. However, she added that an overriding concern was the use of tax dollars to support large businesses that can well afford to locate wherever they wish. When asked for his input on this issue Council Member Mike Yurchick said that he could not comment since this was executive session material that had unfortunately been leaked. Former City Council Member Kells Waggoner commented that a similar request regarding Borders Books had been around three months before he left office. In conclusion Ms. Guinther stated that she feared that this matter might not see the light of day until decisions had been made with litle or no opportunity for public knowledge or input. B. Englewood Shuttle Director Celva asked Steve Finer if his report on the shuttle process had been obviated by Ms. Danemiller's presentation. Finer replied that obviously a lot of discussion takes place behind closed city doors and suggested that perhaps EDDA was entitled to have some discussion behind closed doors as well . Laurie Danamiller asked if the meeting was not a public meeting. • • • Director Celva replied that it was . Danamiller stated that in the spirit of cooperation, that if issues need to be addressed she would like to participate. Finer stated his concerns over the process and suggested that it appears that decisions are being made outside of the shuttle committee which is merely being used as a rubber stamp and that the BRW analysis is very shallow. Also he stated, the fact that only 11 surveys were obtained from the South Broadway corridor creates a problem for future buy in from these same businesses who are more concerned about area vitality and the affects of a shuttle on retail use than about employee use of a shuttle. Finer said that it is wrong to ask EDDA to suggest other sampling methodology since BRW is the professional being paid to provide the required information. Finer asked Danemiller if she did not question the fact that only 11 surveys were returned from the retail area. Danemiller explained that while she did question this result for Broadway, that when the EDDA district was viewed in its' entirety with having 200+ responses from Bank One, Wells Fargo and First Data that this provided an adequate response rate for the EDDA district. Harold Celva pointed out that the responses Ms. Danemiller was referring to represented office users and ignored retail. Finer reminded Ms. Danemiller that the city would be looking to these retailers for participation in the funding of a future shuttle . Rosemary LaPorta asked Danemiller for information on such things as a timetable for implementation, stops routes etc. Danemiller discussed these items with the board. Danemiller told the board that further information from BRW on the Broadway/retail component of the district would be sought and suggested that she would also seek better economic data related to retail and a more detailed analysis of a redone South Broadway survey. Ms. Danemiller was asked if the BRW information would satisfy RTD for future funding. Danemiller replied that the RTD representative stated that the study numbers are consistent with their figures. The meeting was adjourned at 1:35 pm. ubmitted, Weinberger y