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05-01-2006 HRAMEETING OF THE ELK RIVER HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY HELD AT THE ELK RIVER CITY HALL MONDAY, MAY I, 2006 Members Present: Chair Wilson, Commissioners Kuester, Toth, Lieser and Motin Staff Present: Community Development Director Scott Clark; Director of Economic Development Catherine Mehelich, Assistant Director of Economic Development Heidi Steinmetz, Parks and Recreation Director Bill Maertz, and Recording Secretary Jessica Miller Call Meeting To Order Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the meeting of the Elk River Housing and Redevelopment Authority was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Chair Wilson. 2. Consider May 1, 2006 HRA Agenda MOVED BY COMMISSIONER TOTH AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER KUESTER TO APPROVE THE MAY 1, 2006, HRA AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 3. Consider Consent Agenda MOVED BY COMMISSIONER MOTIN AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER LIESER TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS FOLLOWS: 3.1. MARCH 6, 2006 REGULAR MEETING MINUTES 3.2. CHECK REGISTER 3.3. MARCH 2O06 REVENUE/EXPENDITURE REPORT 3.4. MARCH 2O06 BALANCE SHEET MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 4. Open Mike There was no one present for Open Mike. Downtown Revitalization Project Update The Blz�s Construction Financdng and Construction Director of Economic Development Catherine Mehelich indicated that following the execution of the revised Development Agreement, construction began on The Bluffs of Elk River on April 10 and a 12-month construction period is expected. Ms. Mehelich stated that to -date MetroPlains has reported that more than half of the 67 condominium units have been sold. She noted that the sales trailer has been relocated from the construction site to the designated staging area located in the city parking lot north of Highway 10. Housing & Redevelopment Authority May 1, 2006 Page 2 The Bank o{Elk RiverE�.-Mansion Ms. Mehelich explained that construction on The Bank of Elk River expansion project began on April 24 and a 12-month construction period is also anticipated for this project. She stated that prior to construction, staff met with the bank's contractor, Vanman Architects and Builders, and the construction manager for the Bluffs project to discuss the city's building inspections expectations and encourage the two projects to communicate and coordinate as much as possible. She noted that Building Official Bob Ruprecht has been designated as the official inspector for The Bluffs, The Bank of Elk River, and the Jackson Place projects. Status of -Jackson Place Project Ms. Mehelich stated that MetroPlains announced last week that the MN Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) awarded their recent application for tax credits toward the Jackson Place development. She indicated that MetroPlains has completed all of the contingencies outlined in the Development Agreement to allow for the city's transfer of the Jackson Block property and for construction to commence. She noted that closing on the transfer of the property is anticipated to occur in early June and construction to commence immediately following the transfer. Jackson Place is also expected to have a 12-month construction period. 5.1. Rivers Edge Commons Park Parks and Recreation Director Bill Maertz stated that the concept plan for the Rivers Edge Commons Park was approved by the Council in 2004 and the budget was approved in 2005 as part of the 2006 budget. Mr. Maertz provided an update on the design and construction t of the park. Mr. Maertz emphasized that both the City Engineer and the Police Chief feel that the four parking spaces in front of the park need to be removed due to the unsafe backing of vehicles into the intersection and they would be removed with or without the park's construction. Commissioner Toth questioned if the trees that are proposed to be planted will block the view of the mural on the Cinema building. Mr. Maertz explained that the trees may block small portions of the mural but that the trees will not grow very large and that since the park drops down towards the river it will allow most of the mural to be visible. Chair Wilson questioned the anticipated start and completion dates of the park project. Mr. Maertz stated that the bid opening is scheduled for May 9 and providing that everything goes according to plan, construction is expected to commence in June. He noted that the site will be fenced off once construction begins and the impact to traffic will be minimal. Mr. Maertz stated that the park is anticipated to be completed in mid -September. Commissioner Kuester questioned how the flow of the construction vehicles would be handled for the park. Mr. Maertz stated the contractors will be held to the same standards as the other contractors downtown but that the construction traffic plans will be worked out with Community Development and Public Safety staff. 5.3. Traffic Flow/Public Safety Plan Community Development Director Scott Clark indicated that staff met this afternoon with representatives from Vanman Architects and Builders, Flannery Construction, CSS Builders, ( and MetroPlains to discuss temporary changes to the downtown traffic flow plan. Mr. Clark explained that when the original traffic flow plan was approved in July 2005, it included the Page 3 Housing & Redevelopment Authority May 1, 2006 Jackson and Bluff projects but since that time, The Bank of Elk River project and the city's Rivers Edge Park project have also been included. He stated that The Bank of Elk River's contractor is requesting traffic on Main Street be rerouted for a period of up to three months so retaining wall work and other improvements on the front side of the bank can be made which will require equipment to be located along a portion of Main Street between Jackson Avenue and Highway 10. Mr. Clark also stated that extensive utility work on Main Street (which is driven by MetroPlains) will also create the necessity for traffic to be rerouted for three to four weeks in the fall. Mr. Clark indicated that an additional factor in this consideration is the necessity of MetroPlains to start construction on Jackson Place immediately following the transfer of Jackson Square. He stated that MetroPlains has completed all the necessary steps in the Development Agreement to accomplish the transfer of Jackson Square and it is of their opinion that construction will commence around June 15, 2006. He explained that the original traffic flow plan approved by the Council in July 2005 included Jackson Avenue becoming a one-way south to allow MetroPlains to have their construction fence extend 30- feet into Jackson Avenue. Mr. Clark indicated that staff has discussed with MetroPlains the feasibility of having their construction limits extending only to the curb line until the re- opening of Main Street but MetroPlains is of the opinion that this physically will not work and that they plan on abiding by the original traffic flow plan. Mr. Clark explained staff has had numerous meetings with all affected departments and has been in constant contact with the Rivers Edge Downtown Business Association's members to explain the situation and the preliminary recommendations. He stated that the city's main concerns are for public safety and to keep the downtown businesses viable during construction. Mr. Clark presented the two options to the Council as outlined in his staff report. Mr. Clark explained that staff is recommending option two which includes traffic to be diverted around Main Street between Jackson Avenue and Parrish Avenue for a period of up to three months beginning May 8 and with through traffic resuming sometime in early August. He stated that during the time that Main Street is rerouted and Jackson becomes a one-way, the city has the option to convert the parking on Main Street from Jackson Avenue to King Avenue from diagonal and parallel to 90 degree, head -in parking which would almost double the amount of parking. Commissioner Kuester questioned where The Bank of Elk River's construction staging would take place. Adam Holmes, Vanman Architects and Builders — indicated that The Bank of Elk River's construction staging will take place on the bank's site. Mr. Holmes also indicated that some of the construction traffic will also be parked in The Bank of Elk River's parking lot across Highway 10 along with the employees of the bank. Ms. Mehelich noted that the bank employees will also be utilizing the King Avenue parking lot. Commissioner Kuester questioned how the perpendicular parking along a portion of Main Street would compare with the standards of maneuverability. City Engineer Terry Maurer indicated that Main Street is 64 feet wide curb to curb and standard head -in parking next to the curb is 18 feet so head -in parking could be created on both sides of Main Street and still have a wider than normal street for two-way traffic in a parking lot situation. Mr. Maurer stated that this scenario would meet the city ordinance for a temporary restriping situation to create more of a parking lot to encourage vehicle traffic to utilize the businesses downtown while still maintaining an adequate route for construction traffic. Page 4 Housing & Redevelopment Authority May 1, 2006 Commissioner Morin questioned if there was any alternative to leaving at least one lane, one direction of Main Street open. Mr. Clark indicated that staff reviewed many alternatives and with the amount of construction taking place downtown, staff felt that temporarily rerouting all the traffic on a portion of Main Street would be the best for public safety. Chair Wilson asked if Main Street could be closed during construction but reopened when construction was not going on such as evenings and weekends. Mr. Clark indicated that staff felt that for public safety and liability reasons it would be best to treat the entire area as a construction zone and reopening Main Street during non -construction hours would compromise this. Commissioner Motin questioned if the removal of the four parking stalls in front of the park could be delayed until Main Street is reopened. Ms. Mehelich indicated that it is unsafe to back into an intersection and the situation will get worse with the added construction traffic. Mr. Maurer noted that the removal of the parking stalls is necessary prior to commencement of the park project to allow the construction traffic for the park access to the site. Commissioner Motin questioned what the signage on Main Street would read. Mr. Maurer indicated that typical signing would be used to direct traffic and that signage would be used indicating that once they pass King Avenue they are entering a construction zone and parking lot only with no access out of downtown. Commissioner Lieser questioned if once Main Street is closed, if the entire area will be fenced. Mr. Maurer indicated that it is his understanding that the contractor for The Bank and the Bluff projects will coordinate together to fence off the entire site. He noted that this is an additional reason that Main Street could not be reopened during non -construction hours. Wendy Simenson, Kemper Drug — stated that she has concerns that traffic will not be able to get to them. Ms. Simonson indicated that Mother's Day is coming up and extra merchandise has been ordered for the occasion and she would like to have been given more notice and would like to see the closure postponed to allow businesses to prepare. Fred McCoy, McCoy's Pub — indicated that he is concerned if there is adequate room to close one lane of traffic on Jackson and still have one lane open and parking along the side. Mr. Maurer stated that with the closure of the Northbound lane, there is adequate room to have one lane of traffic keeping the current parking stalls and allowing ample room for vehicles to back out of the stalls. Mr. McCoy stated that he counted ten parking stalls between the Cinema and the construction fencing after the four stalls in front of the park are removed and he questioned if the head -in parking will create additional parking stalls. Mr. Maurer indicated that to his knowledge, there have not been discussions regarding the size of the head -in parking stalls. He stated that they would be made as small as eight and one-half feet wide rather than the conventional nine -feet to squeeze more spaces in but that may not be comfortable for vehicles to maneuver in. Mr. McCoy also questioned if the HRA believes there will be adequate parking to support 20,000 square feet of retail space as well as the existing businesses. He stated that in addition to the businesses downtown, parking spaces will be required for residents and guests as well as park visitors. Chair Wilson explained that the whole idea of the downtown revitalization is to have the downtown businesses flourish and he believes that the parking issues have been Housing & Redevelopment Authority Page 5 May 1, 2006 addressed and that parking issues are not always a negative thing because it means that people are visiting downtown. Commissioner Toth indicated that he doesn't believe the HRA is happy with the closing of Main Street but that there are some things that have to be done to accomplish the overall goal. Commissioner Motin expressed his disappointment that during the planning and building permit processes, that no one realized that the closure of Main Street would be necessary. Mr. Clark indicated that staff was not made aware of the bank's contractor's request to have Main closed until last week. 5.2. Construction Communications & Business Marketing Plan Assistant Director of Economic Development Heidi Steinmetz indicated that the purpose of the Construction Communications Plan that the HRA accepted in 2005 is to provide a structure and organization for communications efforts with target audiences throughout the construction of the downtown revitalization project, which is projected to last from spring 2006 through fall 2007. Ms. Steinmetz stated that a component of the Communications Plan is to consistently inform residents and non-residents of construction, parking, and traffic issues downtown so they feel comfortable traveling downtown She stated that the proposed Business Marketing Plan specifies proposed marketing tools to help achieve this goal. She presented the Business Marketing Plan to the HRA. Ms. Steinmetz explained that the 2006 HRA budget includes $12,500 for publishing purposes that has been used in the past to cover the cost of writing, design, printing, and distributing the Q&A newsletters and other communication pieces. She stated that staff is evaluating advertising options with the Elk River Star News for the duration of construction. Staff is also evaluating downtown marketing signage options. She explained that the HRA's publishing fund balance will accommodate the remainder of this year's Q&A newsletters, this summer's "vision piece", and the implementation of the Business Marketing Plan. Commissioner Kuester indicated that an event such as a medallion hunt would get people interested and keep people coming downtown to check its progress. Chair Wilson suggested that maybe city staff could work together with the River's Edge Downtown Business group to plan an event. MOVED BY COMMISSIONER TOTH AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER KUESTER TO ADOPT THE BUSINESS MARKETING PLAN AS PRESENTED AND AUTHORIZE EXPENDITURES RELATED TO THE PLAN NOT TO EXCEED THE 2006 BUDGETED AMOUNT. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. Commissioner Toth questioned if the parking for the Bluff project would be strictly for residents or if visitor parking would be included. Vern Hanson, MetroPlains — indicated that all of the parking is below grade. Mr. Hanson explained that there are two levels of parking for the homeowners and for employees of the commercial spaces. Commissioner Toth questioned if the commercial employee spots would be available for visitors on nights and weekends when the commercial spaces were closed. Mr. Hanson stated that it would be the decision of the Homeowner's Association. 0 Housing & Redevelopment Authority Page 6 May 1, 2006 6. Downtown North of Highway 10 Redevelopment Plan Update Assistant Director of Economic Development Heidi Steinmetz provided an update on the progress of the Downtown North of Highway 10 Redevelopment Plan. Ms. Steinmetz indicated that staff has compiled background research information done in this area over the last several years. She explained that currently, staff is in the process of developing a redevelopment concept for one of the five sub -planning areas defined by the HRA, which will help the City's financial advisor determine the financial feasibility of the concept. From there, Ms. Steinmetz stated that the IIRA will be asked to review several land use concepts. Later, the public will be brought in for comments and the Redevelopment Plan will be finalized. Other Business There was no other business. Adjournment There being no other business, Chair Wilson adjourned the meeting. The meeting of the Elk River Housing and Redevelopment Authority adjourned at 6:14 p.m. ssica Miller Recording Secretary