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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEconomic Development Minutes 2014 06-03-14Page 1 of 4 APPROVED 7/1/14 UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Tuesday, June 3, 2014, 6:00pm Yorkville City Hall, Conference Room 800 Game Farm Road In Attendance: Committee Members Chairman Ken Koch Alderman Carlo Colosimo Alderman Joel Frieders Alderman Diane Teeling Other City Officials City Administrator Bart Olson Community Development Director Krysti Barksdale-Noble Alderman Chris Funkhouser City Planner Chris Heinen Code Official Pete Ratos Other Guests: Attorney Dan Kramer Billy McCue, McCue Builders Tony Scott, Kendall County Record The meeting was called to order by Chairman Ken Koch at 6:00pm. Citizen Comments None Previous Meeting Minutes May 6, 2014 The minutes were approved as read on a voice vote. New Business 1. EDC 2014-14 Building Permit Report for April 2014 Mr. Ratos reported 73 permits with 9 single family and 14 commercial. The remaining permits were miscellaneous. 2. EDC 2014-15 Building Inspection Report for April 2014 There were 172 inspections, most of which residential. Several inspections were done at the new McDonald's which will open on June 13th. Page 2 of 4 3. EDC 2014-16 Foreclosure Bi-Annual Report Mr. Heinen said the foreclosures for January 14 through April 14, 2014 have decreased considerably. He said Ward III has the most, likely due to the high number of condos in Bristol Bay. Single family residence foreclosures were down. 4. EDC 2014-17 Country Hills Subdivision Incentive Agreement Mr. Heinen said this Annexation Agreement has expired and the current builder wants to purchase 27 lots. Under the current permit fee structure, the cost would be $25,000 per lot. Under the original agreement, the fees were $14,300 and the developer is asking to lock in those fees. Alderman Koch asked if the school district is aware of this. Ms. Barksdale-Noble said the City actually has the final say in this matter, but the school will be notified. The land cash fee would be reduced from $4,300 to $800 for the schools. Alderman Colosimo questioned the effect the decreased impact fees would have on the Library ($500 down to $150). He said the Library is not a separate taxing body and he would like to raise the impact fees to $250. Builder Billy McCue said he is coming in to a hard hit subdivision (Country Hills) and will be competing with Windett Ridge. The Library fee for Windett Ridge is $150 so it was decided to keep it the same for Country Hills. Land cash discussions would go back to the Park Board. This matter will move forward to the Council consent agenda. 5. EDC 2014-18 Retail Market Study RFP - Update The City received eight proposals for market studies for the south side of Yorkville. They will be narrowed to four with interviews on June 20th and then brought to EDC for the final selection. Lynn Dubajic will also be included in the interviews. Alderman Colosimo asked to sit in on the interviews and Mr. Olson noted that only two Aldermen will be able to participate under the Open Meetings Act. There was a brief discussion of the costs of some of the proposals. This item will come back to EDC. 6. EDC 2014-19 Downtown Property Maintenance Inspection Update Last fall, staff had been asked to do inspections for downtown property maintenance issues. Those were conducted in October 2013 and a list was made of non-compliant items. Some of those went through the adjudication process and were granted 6-month continuances due to weather etc. That time is nearly up. One property out of compliance changed hands in the meantime. Alderman Frieders said buildings west of Casa Santiago have wasps nests. Mr. Ratos replied that when insects are apparent, he can request owners to remediate the problem. He also said properties are to be secured with doors, etc so that no one can enter the buildings. City staff also cannot enter the buildings without permission. When adjudication is complete, staff will again inspect the properties for violations and liens can be placed. Mr. Ratos explained the steps that must be taken with these situations and said no city services or permits will be extended until violations are corrected. Alderman Koch had earlier noted that $400,000 is being put into improvements for the Riverfront Park and Alderman Colosimo said ideas must be developed due to all the money being invested. He suggested aesthetic regulations and Ms. Barksdale-Noble suggested revising the building code to include more standards and architectural guidelines. One revision is verbage that requires replacing broken items with like materials. City code can be different for different areas using an overlay district. Page 3 of 4 Mr. Koch asked if the City could bill owners for maintenance costs, however it was explained that mowing a rundown property could be hazardous to expensive Public Works equipment. Mr. Olson said tickets can be issued and invoices sent if mowing is done. Mr. Ratos will discuss mowing with Mr. Dhuse, but added that metal and other objects cannot be removed from the property. Mr. Funkhouser asked if the mowing could be sub-contracted for the downtown area. Mr. Olson said previous Council discussion had vetoed that idea, however, he will speak with City Attorney Orr about the possibility. An update was given on the Nicholson property. The owner has been ticketed, adjudication judgments have been made and a couple liens issued. Attorney Kramer said liens do not have a statute of limitations and it was noted that interest accumulates on them as well. Ms. Barksdale-Noble recapped the actions needed and this item will be brought back to committee in August or September. 7. PC 2014-10 Kendall Crossing PUD – Lighthouse Academy Daycare (Special Use) This is part of an approved PUD and will be at Plan Commission on July 9th. Attorney Kramer said local companies are doing the construction and Lighthouse Academy is moving there for a larger facility. Alderman Funkhouser said he did not think this was the proper use of this lot and since it's a TIF area he does not agree with the Special Use. He and Alderman Colosimo thought there would be businesses there to coincide with the theatre. Attorney Kramer observed that it would have good accessibility to the local McDonald's, Culvers, nearby Dr. offices, etc. and that there are many employees at the daycare. While the property will not generate sales tax for the TIF, it is complimentary to the other businesses. Restaurants are being pursued by the developers for the other available lots. Old Business: None Additional Business: Alderman Colosimo discussed the departure of River City Roasters from the riverfront area and also how Robyn Sutcliff has improved the ice cream shop appearance. He said her lease is up in 2015 and the City receives $250/month for rent plus 5% of gross revenue. He proposed waiving her rent until her lease expires as an incentive to remain at this location. It was noted that Upper Crust might be interested in the Roasters facility. Alderman Frieders asked if there is anything that can be done to speed up the process to find another tenant for the Roasters location. An RFP for the location was suggested along with advising YEDC and other towns. The committee does not want to see the building empty and also suggested a short term lease or other coffee shops. City staff will speak with the existing coffee shops to determine interest. Since the facility is city-owned, Mr. Olson said it could be used for any activity on the weekend and multi-vendor usage and health codes were discussed. Alderman Colosimo said he was not in favor of having a suggested daycare in this building and so near the river. Page 4 of 4 Mr. Olson said the lease waiver would be determined by the Park Board since they receive the revenue. He added this subject is on an upcoming Park Board agenda and on the Council agenda on June 24th. The River City Roaster lease expires on June 30th. If there is interest from coffee shops, Mr. Olson will bring that info to the Council. Ms. Teeling also suggested a city-run concession stand. In another matter, Alderman Teeling said she observed siding ripped off a garage in Bristol Bay most likely from a storm. Mr. Ratos said the management company is responsible, but will check this. There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at 7:05pm. Minutes respectfully submitted by Marlys Young 1