TOWN OF GILBERT REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

REGULAR MEETING OF MAY 19, 2005, 6:30 PM.

132 W. BRUCE AVENUE
GILBERT, ARIZONA

COMMISSION PRESENT: Chairman King, Vice Chairman Taylor, Commissioner Valentine, Commissioner Fresquez and Commissioner Iacobazzi

COMMISSION ABSENT: None

STAFF PRESENT: Economic Development Director Greg Tilque, Town Manager George Pettit, and Administrative Assistant Elizabeth Stupski

OTHERS PRESENT: Lance Decker and Sam Bromert (Liberty Market)

ROLL CALL
Roll was called and a quorum was declared.

COMMUNICATION FROM CITIZENS
Chairman King opened the floor to the public for any comments or communications on items not on the agenda. There were no communications from citizens.

3.        Minutes - Approve the Regular meeting minutes of April 21, 2005
Minutes - Approve the Heritage District Pedestrian Design meeting minutes of April 28, 2005
A MOTION was made by Vice Chairman Taylor, seconded by Commissioner Fresquez, to accept the minutes of the regular meeting of April 21, 2005 as written. Voice vote carried 4 - 0.

Vice Chairman Taylor requested the following changes be made to the Heritage District Pedestrian Design meeting minutes of April 28, 2005 as follows: 1. Change on page 2 the sentence Mary Ellen Fresquez and Ted Taylor pointed out that the Town already determined what a new park would look like to Ted Taylor voiced his concern that it appeared staff was pushing a pre - established concept of what they wanted in the downtown area, and that Commission members and the public should be given at least an equal voice in developing recommendations for the Council. 2. Change on page 2 the sentence Ted Taylor suggested that the Town should hire consultants for new downtown park development to Ted Taylor suggested that the Town consider utilizing experienced downtown redevelopment consultants to develop an accurate business analysis prior to establishing the optimum use for the downtown, to avoid costly mistakes in the redevelopment process.

A MOTION was made by Vice Chairman Taylor, seconded by Commissioner Fresquez, to accept the minutes of the Heritage District Pedestrian Design meeting of April 28, 2005 as amended. Voice vote carried 4 - 0.

(Commissioner Valentine joined the meeting.)

ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS
4.        June 25th Redevelopment Commission Retreat Agenda
Economic Development Director Tilque stated a date has been set for the retreat on June 25th and tentatively scheduled from approximately 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Mr. Lance Decker of Decker & Associates has been retained to facilitate the retreat and is present tonight to walk through the overall process, articulate how he likes to handle a retreat and answer any questions the Commission may have.

Mr. Lance Decker introduced himself and gave a brief background of his experience in facilitating retreats. He mentioned he will contact each Commissioner for an interview, whether by phone or face - to - face, to obtain input to incorporate into an agenda for the June 25th retreat.

Ideas given by Mr. Decker to prepare the retreat agenda:
•         Objective of retreat should be to update the Commission’s Redevelopment Plan-get framework developed so everyone is comfortable and address every concern. Feels there’s disconnect between staff and Commission. Some distrust
•         Some pre - retreat activities must be achieved such as:
o        Interviews-should take about 20 minutes to 1 hour.
o        Develop a matrix of the major issues and how you feel about them. Can be anonymous or attributed to you.
o        Collect all planning documents.
o        Summarize the comments and put into a Power Point presentation.
o        Need to factor in Town staff’s feelings as well.
•         Spend time wisely. Time deadlines will be established.
•         Meeting to be documented and share the results - - put into an action plan.

The Commission was given an opportunity to express their ideas as to what they want to happen:
•         Commissioner Fresquez would like to have some downtown stakeholders/business owners interviewed by phone. Notify them early enough so they can plan to attend the retreat. Mr. Decker asked for a list of downtown stakeholders so he can contact them. He explained how he will handle the observers during the retreat. The observers will be called upon at strategic parts of the retreat for comments.
•         Vice Chairman Taylor prepared and distributed a handout that lists his fundamental ideas or suggestions for the retreat. He read his ideas and gave a brief explanation for each:
o        #1 priority for effective downtown redevelopment is a well thought out strategic plan based upon an accurate business analysis.
o        Utilize the retreat to begin the process of formulating a strategic plan that would be the foundational infrastructure for future recommendations by the Commission to Council. Discuss how we incorporate experienced redevelopment professionals in the strategic plan development process.
o        Update the Vision for Downtown-answer questions: What do we want to be known for? What about restaurants and retail? What about successful restaurant and retail businesses? What about revenue for the Town?
o        Create a Mission (Why, Who & What)-Why? Why are we redeveloping downtown? Who? Defining public and private stakeholders. What? What does the community want downtown?
o        Assess our current downtown status with S.W.O.T.-Strengths - - Recommending how to build on them, Weaknesses-Recommending how to eliminate them or learn to cope, Opportunities-Recommending ways to exploit them and Threats-Recommending ways to avoid or eliminate. Mr. Lance Decker commented a SWOT analysis could take some time.
o        A Post Retreat suggestion is to create a recommended plan for Council adoption that articulates the community’s core values and articulates success metrics (what is the quantification for downtown success?). This stage is done with the help of professionals who have experienced the ups and downs of redevelopment who can help avoid costly mistakes (community desires, financial results, business satisfaction/retention, and competitive analysis).
During his presentation, Vice Chairman Taylor remarked it would be nice to have someone with redevelopment experience present at the retreat to give some insights on issues that staff does not have experience in.

Commissioner Fresquez stated there is experience on the Commission and staff has been very responsive when the Commission needed data. As an example she mentioned the overall DAT experience. She feels some of the things mentioned by Vice Chairman Taylor are done and to do it all over again would delay progress. She said the DAT report, as well as the Pedestrian Design Guidelines report, have not been incorporated into the Redevelopment Plan but should be.

Chairman King mentioned the economic factor is just a piece of the puzzle but all the pieces are needed to exist in harmony and fit together. Commissioner Iacobazzi agreed with Chairman King but added that there is somewhat of a strategic plan within all the documents.

Commissioner Valentine voiced his thoughts as to what the role of the Commission was. He views it as more of a policy versus actual strategic direction. He complimented Mr. Decker for soliciting input upfront prior to the retreat and felt the suggested retreat topics listed on the staff communication were an excellent basis for the retreat. Suggested topics:
o        See how the documents fit together as well as compare and evaluate
o        Review what has occurred and set forth over the last few years in the Heritage District
o        Setting goals

A suggestion was made for future Redevelopment Commission meetings by inviting professionals or experts in every so often to attend a meeting and give a 30 minute presentation on various topics.

Economic Development Director Tilque mentioned the General Plan and the recently adopted Land Development Code needs to be included in addition to the DAT Report, Pedestrian Design Guidelines Report and the Redevelopment Plan. He thanked the Commissioners for their input and indicated Mr. Decker was given enough direction to move forward with a draft agenda.

5.        Update on Projects in the Heritage District
Economic Development Director Tilque highlighted the following:
•         Park ‘N Ride Lot-Dedication ceremony was held on May 11th and the lot is now open.
•         Water Tower-Town Council approved a contract on May 10th in an amount not to exceed $14,500 for the development of plans and specifications to repair and paint the Water Tower and to authorize staff to bid the project of completion of specifications to perform the work. Chairman King inquired about the grant for the Water Tower Park. Response: Should know late in September.
•         Old Boys & Girls Club RFP-Still in the process of incorporating Commission comments into the content of the RFP and take it to Town Council June 21st. A copy of the draft RFP will be sent to the Commission prior to it going to the Council.
•         Property Acquisition-Town Council approved a request on May 10th to fund the acquisition and demolition of three properties located on East Hearne Way and East Vaughn Avenue.
•         Page Commons-A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy was issued for the south portion of the property. The north end of the project is expected to be open by the end of June.
Commissioner Iacobazzi inquired about the submittal of construction documents for Oregano’s and how the time frame for review would affect the anticipated completion date. Economic Development Director Tilque expects submittal by the end of the week and indicated they would still be on target. The only time sensitive issue would be the sign as it will need to come to the Commission for approval.

Vice Chairman Taylor mentioned a concern was expressed about the brightness of the streetlights. Economic Development Director Tilque responded that Town’s Code Compliance staff conducted readings and found most of the readings met or exceeded the standards. Staff did find some lights had the wrong wattage bulb and have been corrected.

Vice Chairman Taylor inquired if any new businesses have approached the town for the downtown area. Commissioner Fresquez responded a new antique store has opened where the Income Tax place was located. Economic Development Director Tilque said he will continue to visit businesses in the downtown area to build good relationships and keep them apprised of new projects.

Town Manager Pettit requested the Community Center Renovations be included in next month’s Update on Projects within the Heritage District communication.

COMMUNICATIONS
6.        Report from Chairman on current and future events
No report.

7.        Report from Economic Development Director on current and future events
Economic Development Director Tilque announced that Town Council authorized the purchase of shirts for all Boards and Commissions. He requested the Commission remain after the meeting to select a style and color from the samples.

8.        Report from Commissioners on current and future events.
No report.

ADJOURNMENT
A MOTION was made by Commissioner Fresquez, seconded by Commissioner Iacobazzi, to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m.

ATTEST:

Jason King, Chairman

Elizabeth A. Stupski, Recorder

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