United City of Yorkville Economic Development Committee met Nov. 5.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
In Attendance:
Committee Members
Chairman Jackie Milschewski Alderman Ken Koch (arr. 6:07pm)
Alderman Joel Frieders
Absent: Alderman Jason Peterson
Other City Officials
City Administrator Bart Olson
Community Development Director Krysti Barksdale-Noble
Senior Planner Jason Engberg
Code Official Pete Ratos
Other Guests
Lynn Dubajic, City Consultant Dave Schultz, HR Green
Shawn LaBrasseur, Build For Tomorrow Katie Finlon, Kendall Co. Record
The meeting was called to order at 6:03pm by Chairman Jackie Milschewski.
Citizen Comments: None
Minutes for Correction/Approval: October 1, 2019
The minutes were approved by the committee as presented.
New Business
1. EDC 2019-85 Building Permit Report for September 2019
In September there were 6 single-family permits and 15 single-family attached permits issued. As of the end of September, there is a total of 107 single-family attached permits for the year and overall, the highest number of total permits (1,718) ever issued so far since the tracking system began prior to 2000, said Mr. Ratos.
2. EDC 2019-86 Building Inspection Report for September 2019
The staff did 472 inspections in September. One of the staff did 159 with most of those being for roofs. An additional employee is being trained for roof inspections as well.
3. EDC 2019-87 Property Maintenance Report for September 2019
There were 15 property cases heard, many in Meadowbrook. Mr. Ratos said there has been no communication with them for 3 months and they have finally contacted the City since they hope to restart building.
4. EDC 2019-88 Economic Development Report for October 2019
Ms. Dubajic referred to her report in the packet and also reported the following. She announced that Mr. Shawn LaBrasseur is purchasing the Farm Bureau building which will be discussed later in the meeting. Arby's is open, announcements about two outlots in Kendall Marketplace will be made soon and the hotel is opening on November 22nd. Alderman Frieders asked if there has been interest in the Dick's Sporting Goods building and the other vacant storefronts nearby. Ms. Dubajic said she has spoken with interested parties and there are several layers of people involved in the talks. She said a meeting is held each Tuesday to discuss progress.
5. EDC 2019-89 Kendall Marketplace Unit I – Final Plat of Resubdivision
Mr. Engberg reported on this project and said the property in question will be divided into 10 smaller parcels, a decision which staff supports. Mr. Schultz commented that the economy no longer supports big box stores as originally intended. Parking for these lots was also briefly discussed. This request moves to the Planning and Zoning Commission on November 13th and to City Council on December 10th.
6. EDC 2019-90 Downtown Hill Landscape Bid Update
Ms. Noble provided the update for this project. This was sent out for bid in September and no responses were received due to lack of detail for both the sign request and landscaping and also no turnaround time. A new bid was created with options to bid only on landscaping, sign, or on both. Aurora Sign Company was asked for a rendering of a sign and Ms. Noble asked for feedback regarding the proposed design. A completion date of September 30, 2020 is desired. Upon Council approval, staff will go back out to bid in January, with bids due back in February and award of bid for spring. If no bids are received, the City can move forward with the project with a super majority bid.
Mr. Olson said that the Mayor prefers to not approve the project at this time since there is a deficit in the TIF. Alderman Frieders said this is a very visible project that people can see and he does not want to delay if possible. He suggested this proposal be sent to the Administration Committee to explore funding sources and Mr. Olson said it is possible there could be surpluses in the budget that could be tapped. All committee members said they liked the sign design and agreed to move this to Administration Committee.
7. EDC 2019-91 Art Program
Ms. Noble said staff was asked to look at art projects for the downtown. They looked at other communities and Ms. Noble listed the various components of the project, saying the funding is the biggest hurdle. She detailed various ways to fund the project including through the General Fund and TIF. Ms. Noble said research of other communities revealed funding from a combination of businesses and private sources. If the project moves forward, the City Attorney would be asked to draft a policy resolution.
Alderman Frieders enthusiastically described the many projects occurring in Aurora at this time. He said he liked the idea of involving both public and private schools in the project and that community buy-in, partnerships and email feedback from businesses are all needed. Alderman Koch added that he has seen art projects in Wisconsin and in Batavia and he suggested enlisting help from Tim Evans to raise funds or hold events.
Alderman Milschewski suggested contacting school art teachers. There is also a new Kiwanis Club in Yorkville who might be willing to raise funds, said Mr. Frieders. Tax write-offs were questioned and Ms. Dubajic asked if a foundation could be created.
Ms. Noble will draft a policy based on the feedback she received and bring this back to EDC in January.
8. EDC 2019-92 TIF Inducement Resolution – Farm Bureau Property
Mr. Olson noted that the first step in the TIF process is the Inducement Resolution. This does not require a funding commitment from the City, but makes the property eligible for a future TIF agreement. It does not commit the developer to any plan at this time. Imperial Investments will sell the property to Mr. LaBrasseur and Alexander Reich so a new Inducement is required for them. Mr. LaBrasseur noted that his hometown, the Twin Cities, has several art projects. He said the plan for the Farm Bureau building is to have apartments and some commercial space. The committee was OK with the Resolution and this will move to the City Council.
Old Business None
Additional Business None
There was no further business and the meeting adjourned at 6:53pm.
https://www.yorkville.il.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3303
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