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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-08-09 Business and Economic Development Committee Minutes � BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITrEE i August 9 2006 � Minutes � Councilors in Attendance: Palmer, Greene, Gratwick, Allen, Hawes Staff in Attendance: McKay, Barrett, � Councilor Palmer chaired the meeting until the arrival of Committee Chair Greene. Greene apologized for his lateness, which was due to traffic volume. � 1. Review Grant Request to the Commission on Cultural Development from the Penobscot Theatre to Fund a First Annual New Play Festival at the Bangor Opera � House in May 2007 McKay indicated that the Penobscot Theatre submitted an application to the � Cultural Commission for $25,000 for partial funding of this first annual festival. The total budget for the festival is estimated at $67,000. The Commission for Cultural Development recommended that the Council approve a grant of$10,000 � for this project provided that the Theatre raises $23,000 in cash from other funding sources by March 31, 2007. Gratwick commended the Theatre for its recent outside Carousel production. Responding to Gratwick, Scott Levy said his � preference is for good players. He has begun discussions with the UM English Department to potentially have a playwriting class with the best to be part of the new play festival. He focuses on local work but doesn't exclude national/international work. He would like an ensemble of 8-12 that would be �� involved in each of the productions. He provided his program plans with the types of plays, etc. Palmer applauded the festival. A motion was made and � seconded to approve the recommendation of the Commission for Cultural Development to the full Council. � 2. Review Request to the Commission on Cultural Development for $2,000 for City � to participate with Bangor Center Corporation in starting an annual New Year's Eve celebration in Downtown Bangor �' The Bangor Center Corporation has submitted a proposal to the Cultural - Commission for the City's participation in a downtown New Year's Eve � celebration. The total budget is $12,500, and Bangor Center Corporation is committed to producing the event in partnership with other businesses and organizations. for the event. Barrett said that this particular money will be used , to cover costs of programming in City Hall's Council Chambers which is one of the event venues. Allen asked if downtown streets will be closed during the evening. Barrett said it will depend on the events lined up for the evening. F�ccept for the ball drop, all events will be inside locations. Barrett said that � Allen's suggestion will be passed along to Sally Bates, who is programming events for the evening. She talked about downtown business staying open. One of the venues is Bagel Central, for example. Palmer applauded the event. Allen � suggested the City become involved with hand-outs at the event; i.e. horns. A � � � � mation was made and seconded ta recommend full Council approval af an 4rder which will authorize a $2,000 grant to the Bangor Center Corparation. � 3. Review of Site Development Plan and Easements Associated with Daycare Center at 107 Maine Avenue and Traffic Circulatian Issues in the Maine Business � Enterprise Park Associated with the Daycare Center McKay said at the last Committee meeting a �urchase option agreement waS discussed for the daycare center. At that meeting, Committee mem6ers � expressed concerns regarding traffic circulatian on and aff the site within the park. He said the problem has been defining the area transferred ta the � Leonard's as part of the daycare center and what easements need to be retained to provide access to the remaining two buildings to malce a safe operation for all three buiidings. � City Engineer 7im Ring and 3ohn Theriault,Traffic Eng'rneer at Ames AE, who performed the traffic study in 2004 for the Maine Business Enterprise Park, were � bath present to answer questions. Ring has met several times with the Leonards regarding their parking needs and open play area needs. Using a cc►nceptual layout, Ring referred to an area of 68,400 sq, ft., autlined in pink, which v+ras � recommended by staff for the Leonard"s. He spoke about an area outlined in yellow to be provided as an easement to allow the drivev+ray to be used for other uses. He also praposed an easement by a partion of Arthur Street to be used for access to parkirtg. The area knawn as Arthur Street would not go ta the � Leonard's and the City would maintain it. The Leanard's would be responsible for maintaining one access drive. In 2005,the City obtained a traffic mouement permit from MD4T, which permits a certain amount of devetapmenfi in the Maine � Business Enterprise Park. It did not include the University parcel. The traffic movement permit does improvements on Hammond Street as the Park develops. Because af the size of the daycare center, it wiU likely trigger a requirement to � secure yet another traffic permit that may have off-site improvement requirements. Greene and Ring discussed various streets in the area which were part of the military use and were never officially a ��ly street. Responding to Allen, Ring said the traffic movement permit secured for the Maine Business � Enter rise Park does re uire same afF site im rovements. p Q i� � Theriault gave a brief overview af the traffic permit process. Due to the largeness of the project, MDOT aUowed the improvements to be staged. Impravements are staged an the amount of square foat development within the � Park. At the 55,000 sq. ft. threshold, the MDOT permit requires that Hammond Street be widened to a four lane sectian from NE D�ive to the Northbaund on-ofF I-95 ramp. At Nason Avenue, the I-95 access would be changed to a right in, right out. At the time of the study, lot 4 was in the process of development and lot 10 is now developed. Those two developments estimate 50,000 sq. ft. The next threshald is 136,040 sq. ft. of new development. When that is reached, � traffic signals will be required at NE Drive and at the i-95 southbound off-ramp. The Ventura Way would also be develaped as a secondary entrance to the Park. Allen asked the time iength of the traffic signal thinking that traffic could back � �� � up. Theriault said there is currently some traffic congestion at the location. At � 272,000 sq, ft., the widening of Maine Avenue wouid come into play from Corporate Drive to Ventura Way and would be made into three lanes. Theriault � said the third lane would benefit the daycare center. This threshold would also provide a more formalized right-turn lane into Corporate Drive. Allen asked if a traffic signal would be a safer alternative. Referring to Hammond Street, Allen � asked if it the daycare center could be accessed through NE Drive. Ring said the traffic would still have to use Maine Avenue. He said staff had discussed a direct access from NE Drive to the daycare center but there isn't a good way to do so � at this time. It might be possible in the future. The next threshold is 408,000 sq. ft., which would require traffic signals at the northbound ofF ramp. Allen asked if the existing Hammond Street overpass bridge will be redone. Ring said � that staff has talked about doing the widening during the bridge process and there may be an opportunity to do so. The storage on the northbound off ramp would also be lengthened. At full build-out, the last major improvement would � provide 280 ft of right turn lane (onto Hammond Street) on Odlin Road. Gratwick asked about the financing. Barrett said it is paid for by the City, the Maine Business Enterprise Park is part of the Economic Development Enterprise � Fund which is sustained by the sale or lease of Park property. The City is the developer but is not in it to make money but to improve the tax base and provide employment opportunities. Gratwick talked about various tenants paying their fair share of improvements. Responding to Gratwick, Theriault said the � location of traffic signals is based on volume and the concept layout of the Park. It is tied towards level of service, Barrett said. Allen spoke of truck traffic on Hammond Street. She thinks the Park will continue to grow which will produce � different types of traffic. Barrett said that Ring keeps a watchful eye on the availability of state funding. Allen asked if BAT uses the area. Barrett said it does travel Hammond Street, Texas Avenue but it does not go left from � Hammond to Odlin Road. Palmer and Allen talked about the growth of the City and vision for the Park. Barrett said there are limited amounts of this type of land available within the City. He urged the Council to continue to be judicious � in what is allowed within the Maine Business Enterprise Park. Palmer said that the use of Arthur Drive would be a plus for access to the daycare center. McKay requested the Committee's approval on Ring's disposition plan for the � Leonard's daycare center. Staff will then meet with the Leonard's to outline the plan with its easements. The Leonard's will then design their site development � plan and building improvements plan and return to the Committee for it's review and approval. � A motion was made and seconded to accept the plan as presented by the City � Engineer. The motion received unanimous approval. � � , �