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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-01-13 EDDA MINUTES• • • ENGLEWOOD DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY 333 WEST HAMPDEN AVENUE, SUITE 602 BOARD OF DIRECTORS JANUARY 13, 1999 MINUTES MEMBERS PRESENT: Kientz, Collins, Waggoner, Finer, LaPorta, Sanchez, Oxman, Weinberger MEMBERS ABSENT: Kaufman, Duemke, Powell STAFF PRESENT: Celva, Doyle GUESTS/VISITORS: Bob Simpson, Manager of Neighborhood I. and Business Development; Art Scibelli, Neighborhood and Business Development; Eddie Bishop, (Developer) Providence Group Real Estate Development; Patrick Nook, (Architect) Patrick W. Nook & Company INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS AND VISITORS Chairman Kientz welcomed Bob Simpson, Manager of Neighborhood and Business Development; Art Scibelli, Neighborhood and Business Development; Eddie Bishop, (Developer) Providence Group Real Estate Development and Patrick Nook, (Architect) Patrick W. Nook & Company to the Board meeting. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The meeting was called to order at 4:30 p.m. Chairman Kientz asked if there were any additions or corrections to the November or December Board meeting minutes. One correction to the December minutes was noted and made. There being no other corrections, a motion was made by Clifford Weinberger, seconded by Kells Waggoner and passed unanimously approving the minutes as presented. III. TREASURER'S REPORT Gary Oxman asked if there were any additions or corrections to the September, October or November, 1998 Treasurer and Revenues and Expenditure reports. There being none, a motion was made by Steve Collins, seconded by Connie Sanchez and passed unanimously approving the reports as presented. • • • IV. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT v. Chairman Kientz had nothing to report. DIRECTOR'S REPORT 3384 south Broadway -Eddie Bishop, Developer Director Celva introduced Eddie Bishop, a developer out of Colorado Springs and Patrick Nook, an architect who just completed the architectural design for the Dress For Less Shop on Broadway. Eddie Bishop thanked the Director Celva and the Board for allowing Mr. Nook and himself to address the meeting. Bishop told the Board that he had obtained the vacant developed lot occupied at one time by the Eagles building between the Catholic Book store and the South Broadway Tropicals, 3384 South Broadway last July and that his development project would be a mixed use building of about 2700 square feet of retail on the main ·level with three loft type apartments up above and would. be supported because of the proximity of the hospital and the development at Cinderella City. The parking has created a problem because with the mixed use building the City's requirements are nine parking spaces and under his proposal only about five spaces are available. Bishop added, that his proposal was turned down by the Board of Adjustments for a variance with a vote of three to two with seven members out of nine on the Board. He added, that there was no verbalized support from any of the staff. Bishop related that he brought Patrick Nook into the project because he believes in his design work and would like to continue with the development and that he has been working with Harold Stitt regarding some different directions that he might be able to pursue. He had no further information available at this time, but would be keeping his options open. He added, that unfortunately some information that became available after his presentation to the Board of Adjustments was that the previously occupied site took up the entire lot, but had no available parking spaces. The county records indicated a 10,000 square foot lot and an occupied building of approximately 9,980 square feet with a second story which indicated about 18 to 20,000 square feet with no available parking. Bishop added, that he does not plan to put full lot coverage on the area, but to occupy approximately thirty percent with a footprint of 3,000 square feet which is approximately 40 feet wide, 75 feet deep with a lot size of 125 feet deep. The scaled back model will increase the parking space development, but that still does not meet the City's codes which is the reason for the Board of ... • • • Adjustments rejection of his request for a variance . Bishop added, that Englewood has a downtown that is changing, a downtown that is in the process of a make over and for developers of his type to become successful they need to be willing to cooperate with the City and build within a framework of design that is compatible with the City without changing the zoning or height requirements or anything of this nature, but they do need to obtain some relief on the parking requirements. Discussion regarding the parking spaces ensued. It was determined that Bishop's property had not been assessed for the public parking. Director Celva told the Board that he and Bob Simpson had discussed the establishment of a parking district. Bob Simpson indicated that the parking lot issue is a very difficult situation because you do not have the same parking standards here as you do in other locations. It was also determined that it would be beneficial for EDDA as an outside agency to testify before the Board of Adjustments. Bishop related, that there is now an issue that he had been unaware of at the time of the hearing, that once you have filed for a particular variance and its been voted upon, then there is another 30 days for an appeal or you have at the request of a member of the Board of Adjustment's for reconsideration, but that he had missed the 30 day deadline which was November, 1998. Bob Simpson indicated that he would review the appeal process and make every effort and attempt to remedy the situation. Bishop added, that he had been working with the City and would like to explore some other types of avenues, however, he would be amenable to different approaches and it had been suggested to him to review the possibility of securing additional parking spaces from an owner in the area that might have a surplus, because the City code allows him to meet his requirement by securing parking within 400 feet. There does not appear to be any additional parking available. Bishop stated, that an overture had been made to another developer and that their project would probably be similar to the one Bishop had attempted, but that there would still need to be the issue of the availability of parking spaces, the economic issue and the length of the lease. Patrick Nook told the Board that what makes their project unique is the opportunity and the enjoyment of working in the Englewood district, because of the great assets available here. The basic urbanization of a small town, as well as, the parking in a conventional sense gives the people the ability to walk down the street while viewing all the different shops. It is only a matter of time before the economics are sound . ~ • • • enough to develop parking structures as rentals, but not in this market right now. Hopefully, within the near future the Urban Renewal Authority could be able to make some progress in those areas. The urbanizing process in the downtown area, the parking standards where there are still drive ups, as well as in the suburban areas then there is no way for the two to coexist. Even with the parking problems it would not be financially viable for Bishop to build a small retail space to cover the cost of the project and u _nderground parking for this smal 1 of a site, because there is not enough area to ramp. The desire to accomplish something that is unique but yet traditional could start setting the tone for the downtown area so more and more people would be able realize a vested interest in the downtown area and this would prompt them to clean up their areas which will produce a domino effect. Economics would still be the final issue. Nook explained that their theme consisted of a project of a much larger scale with a deadline, but because of the plotter failure he would attempt to convey a more understandable view for the Board. Nook added, that with the forty foot width of the building, the three units on the top floor and the ornamental rails for the balcony areas on the front of Broadway and in the rear would be a streetscape development of a more desirable nature, basic, old town architecture. An integrated use for an urban area is especially great because it falls within the transportation system. There is a great demand for lease space for the area and for rental dwelling units because people like to live in urbanized areas. Nook added, that he had been contacted by quite a few people who were interested in developing loft spaces further south on Broadway. Discussion ensued. Chairman Kientz thanked Patrick and Eddie for their presentations and Director Celva added, that he would at least obtain a consensus from the Board members of their opinions and or options that they might think would be feasible before the project goes back to the Board of Adjustments. Bishop added, that he appreciated EDDA's efforts, because the project had a reversionary clause in the contract with a deed restriction which states that if the property is not developed by August, 1999 then the City of Englewood would have the opportunity to purchase the property at a much lower price than Bishop's original purchase price. He would like to make plans to be able to obtain a building permit as soon as possible. Facade Project Director Celva told the Board that he had met with Art . ~ --·- • • • Scibelli, Berry Sherman, the architect from Cocallis Hoskins and Bob Fuller, EDDA's architect earlier in the day to discuss the coordination of the South Broadway improvements for Ted's facade project. Celva related, that the group will be pursuing a joint facade project which he and Art had discussed previously and that with the combination of everyone's efforts, the project was progressing nicely. Celva related, that the cost of the project for the facade re-development will be $32,600.00 with an estimate for signage of about $7,000.00 bringing the total near $40,000.00. This would be funded by a $12,000.00 grant from EDDA, an $8,750.00 grant from Art Scibelli's, South Broadway project and a $10,000.00 loan from the City's Revolving Loan Program at 3% interest for five years. Since the project began Ted has had the opportunity to view the redevelopment of the building and the changes that would take place, all of which will add value to his property with tremendous personal benefits. Director Celva related to the Board that with this type of loan at a 3% interest and other people putting up $20,000.00, he would like the Board's authorization for the $12,000.00 grant to be made to Ted's Custom Clothiers. Director Celva added, that the Board could authorize the process now and that he would follow up with the same process as used previously requiring three Board member signatures for the files. Celva added, that the project was within the Board's 1999 budget. Discussion ensued. A motion was made by Clifford Weinberger to approve the expenditure of $12,000.00 for Ted's and that the Board should try and stagger the money so that it would only be available as needed if possible, seconded by Steve Collins and passed unanimously approving the project as presented. Director Celva emphasized how much he appreciated the help and cooperation of the Neighborhood and Business Development and Art Scibelli's South Broadway program. Celva added, that he would like to make everyone aware of the program, because it would be an important first step in the development and what he hoped would be an ongoing relationship. ~ coordination of south Broadway Improvements - Art Scibelli Art Scibelli presented an overview of the South Broadway Corridor program which will extend from Yale to the Littleton border. Scibelli told the Board that fifteen months ago the process had begun with a series of focus group meetings at which a lot of good input had been received from Broadway merchants. A report was created which Art said he would distribute to the Board at a later time. . ~ • • • Art went on to describe in detail the proposed new streetscape elements that are part of the Broadway corridor improvements. These include street lights, signage, banners, trash receptacles bollards, street trees and bus enclosures. The first area to begin receiving treatment that will include some of these elements is from Tufts to Mansfield this coming spring. This project will include the undergrounding of overhead lines along Broadway and new street lights. Funding comes from the Public Service Company franchise fee. Art related that in the coming months a new process will be ·initiated for the area from Yale to Hampden. This is primarily a federally funded Public Works/Traffic project that will be widening Broadway, in some areas, but it does create an opportunity to implement some elements of the Corridor Plan. Director Celva suggested to the Board that he thought that EDDA needed to look at how to coordinate the existing streetscape elements along Broadway in the EDDA District with those that are to be installed along the rest of the corridor. He stated that while it was important to maintain the identity of Englewood's historic central business district, it is also important to coordinate and blend in with the City's proposed new Broadway corridor. He suggested that an initial thought may be painting the existing pedestrian lights in federal green to match the color of the new streetscape elements. Celva said, that in talking with Dale Henderson, the City's project manager for the Yale to Hampden improvements that the initial public process would begin with a meeting on February 7th. Celva emphasized that it was important for Broadway property owners and merchants in the EDDA District to participate in this process. Di. Acoma street Parking Lot Director Celva told the Board he had met earlier in the day with Gary Sears, City Manager; Bob Simpson, Manager of Neighborhood and Business Development and representatives from the City attorney's office to discuss Englewood Parkway and a special improvement district for the parkway and for the Acoma Street parking lot. The consensus of the meeting was that while establishing a district to acquire the parking lot was a priority, including Englewood Parkway in a district would not be advisable. Englewood Parkway would not be completed until a later date. The City will be acquiring the property from Parkway Printing, constructing a new intersection at Cherokee and Englewood Parkway and lowering the road by 10 inches on Elati in preparation for completing Englewood Parkway at some time in the future, after the existing City Hall is updated and sufficient funds are generated from .. • • the redevelopment project to fund the reconstruction . Bob Simpson made an estimate for completion of 18 to 24 months. Director Celva told the Board that given these facts he would like authorization from the Board to contract with Jim Winholtz to help in the formation of the SID for the parking lot. His estimate on the cost for helping in the formation was $5-$10,000.00 and the time limit of 60 to 90 days. Celva added, that he would like to schedule an initial meeting with Jim Winholtz, City attorney's office, Neighborhood and Business Development, Public Works and set some of the parameters of how the district would be formed and the assessment area itself. If it's a simple majority vote of the property owners of the area assessed, it would probably be based on front footage. Discussion ensued. A motion to proceed on the support and hiring of Jim Winholtz with a maximum budget of $10,000 with the goal of forming a district and to have the ownership turned over to the City by establishing an assessment district at the request of the property owners in the area was made by Steve Collins, seconded by Clifford Weinberger and passed unanimously. ~ Cinderella city U,pdate -Bob Simpson Bob Simpson updated the Board and briefly summarized the City staff recommendations that would be presented to City Council on Monday night which includes the City staff recommendations for the parkway. He stated, that the anchors on the project will be Wal Mart, the theater, the Civic Plaza and residential. Bob said, that transit will open in July, 2000, but that testing would begin in January, 2000. The City received an unsolicited offer, for the theater complex from Mann Theaters which will replace Sony. According to Bob Mann has been an excellent company to work with, in essence they have really understood the concept of transit oriented development, as well as, accommodating the site plan in their architectural design. The actual floor plan on the structure would really be accommodating to the site, as well as the building itself and how it relates to Inca and the plaza. The developers are willing to wrap a portion of their building with additional retail and source. Bob stated, that there was discussion of a special improvement district earlier in the day which he felt that it might be one alternative financing mechanism, but not at this time. Bob stated, that the current City Hall site was optioned to Miller Weingarten. The City is experiencing demographic issues with some of the national retailers because of the medium income in the area. Discussion continued on this topic. -~ • • • VI. BOARD MEMBER CHOICE The meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ~~ Connie Sanchez~ Secretary . ~ ----..