Loading...
06-06-1996 Nor CITY OF EDGEWATER ,• ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD REGULAR MEETING • June 6, 1996 6:30 P.M. CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Fong called to order a regular meeting of the Economic Development Board at 6:36 p.m., Thursday, June 6, 1996 in the Conference Room of the Department of Community Development. ROLL CALL: Members present were Chairman Philip Fong, Randolph Churchill, Richard Jones, and new member Gary Roberts. Also present was Liz McBride, Board Coordinator. John Browning, William Fair and Karl Gerwe were recorded absent. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Before the minutes were presented, Chairman Fong extended a welcome to Gary Roberts, and introductions were made. With the Board's consent, Chairman Fong amended the agenda to include approval of the May 28, 1996 special meeting minutes. There being no corrections or changes, Chairman Fong approved the minutes of the regular meeting of May 2, 1996, and the special meeting of May 28, 1996, as presented. CONTINUED BUSINESS: 1. Grant Solicitation for Marketing Material a. Progress Update Chairman Fong reported the application to Wal -Mart had been completed and submitted to them, and Wal -Mart in turn, forwarded it to their central office. He said it could take three or four weeks for a response. The Chairman said the manager of Wal -Mart felt positive about the EDB receiving some funding. Mr. Roberts was then briefed on the solicitation process. Mr. Jones said he still needed to contact Boston Whaler. Mr. Churchill had nothing to report. Chairman Fong said so far, the EDB had a commitment of $500 from Florida Power & Light and $1,000 from Coronado Paint, and reiterated the goal was $20,000. 2. Briefing on Joint Meeting with SCORE Mr. Jones had requested a dissertation by Chairman Fong of the purpose and direction of the EDB as presented at the joint meeting. The written presentation was reviewed. Mr. Roberts was then informed of the SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) organization and its purpose. Chairman Fong thought the joint meeting was informative and that SCORE would be another resource in helping existing businesses deal with their problems. Economic Development Board Minutes - June 6, 1996 Page -2- 3. Business Prospect Management Program a. Devise Program Content & Guidelines Chairman Fong distributed an outline of the Business Prospect Management Program, and gave Mr. Roberts an overview of the program. Mr. Roberts felt a major problem in Edgewater was that there are no major industrial parks. Chairman Fong referred to the proposed zoning change from commercial to industrial along Hibiscus and Guava Drives, and the Proposed Industrial District (PID) north of Park Avenue, as business sites. Mr. Roberts discussed past efforts to improve the versatility of the commercial property along Hibiscus and Guava Drives, which the Council rejected. Chairman Fong said the EDB needs to get the process and procedures in place to assist businesses wanting to relocate in Edgewater. Mr. Roberts said there is nothing to capture the imagination when entering commercial areas in the City. He referred to Park Avenue, Hibiscus Drive, Guava Drive and Flagler Avenue by Tarmac, as not being aesthetically appealing. Mr. Roberts mentioned industrial parks in other areas which have directory signs, listing the businesses names, and are landscaped. Chairman Fong thought some of Mr. Roberts's points were valid, and said that the issues he stated had been recognized for some time. The Chairman said the problem had been funding. Discussion followed. Chairman Fong redirected the Board's attention to the outline, and said he summarized the information from previous meetings /discussions, and asked for comments from the members. Mr. Jones thought everything was in logical order, and had no further comment. Mr. Churchill said it was a well laid out plan. Mr. Roberts stated the information, i.e. letters, brochures, flyers, etc., sent out to prospective businesses is the critical part, which needs to be appealing. Mr. Roberts then asked how the EDB's efforts have been effected by County road impact fees. Chairman Fong said the County had reduced impact fees to a number of commercial and industrial businesses by 30 to 40 percent. Discussion continued on impact fees, incentives, and job creation. Mr. Roberts said the small businesses are the backbone of the community, and these are the businesses that need more assistance than the larger corporations. Supplier linkage and marine development were also discussed. b. Deferment & Directive to Chamber's Participation Chairman Fong asked the Board to review, for the next meeting, the processes and procedures outlined in the Business Prospect Management Program, and determine who should do the work (VCBDC, Chamber or City) and how they should do it. 4. Checklist for OEDP Projects Chairman Fong said one of the most significant projects is the comp. plan amendment, (Hibiscus & Guava), which had been a long- standing problem. He said this area needed to be changed from commercial to industrial. The Chairman said the next Council workshop would be dedicated to this topic. Econon,.. Board Minutes - June 4, 1996 Page -3- The Chairman mentioned a meeting organized by the business owners along Hibiscus and Guava Drives, which Mr. Jones, the Mayor and he attended. He said through this meeting the Edgewater Business Association was formed with the purpose of focusing on the problems and concerns facing businesses. Mr. Roberts stated there are indeed a number of issues along this corridor, with parking as one of the key issues. He said one solution would be to allow parallel parking along City right -of- way. The parking issue was then discussed. Chairman Fong said he would like to redirected the Board's focus on the discussion that took place at the meeting. He said there were two primary issues: 1) land use, changing from commercial to industrial, and 2) code enforcement, the actual ordinances. Mr. Roberts said if the City writes new ordinances, they also need to enforcement them. The Chairman said the emphasis is on the City sitting down with the businesses to identify their problems and to come up with solutions. Mr. Roberts said the businesses need to cooperate to make the area more attractive, therefore, increasing property values and attracting new businesses. Chairman Fong agreed, communication was a big factor. Mr. Roberts suggested when an applicant applies for an occupational license, the City supply the rules and regulations for that specific business, so there would be no question of compliance. Chairman Fong said the attendance was good at the meeting, with about 30 people. He said the association would be meeting again June 7, 1996, at Moore's garage, at 7:00 p.m. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Comp Plan Amendment Workshop Chairman Fong said the workshop would be held June 10, 1996, at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Center, and encouraged the Board's attendance. Mr. Roberts thought the three employee cap was a minor problem, parking was the major problem. Discussion followed on the parking issue. CHAIRMAN AND BOARD MEMBERS REPORTS: Chairman: Report on Water & Sewer Master Plan Chairman Fong reported the Master Plan for the western reserve is a study of the infrastructure of the area. He said he is in the process of reading the report, which might be helpful to the EDB when planning and applying for grants. Since the next regular scheduled meeting would fall on a holiday, the July 4, 1996 meeting was postponed until July 11, 1996. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Board, a motion was made and approved to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Minutes respectfully submitted by: Elizabeth J. McBride, Board Coordinator Economic Development Board c:ledb\minutes196ce060496.reg