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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-10-04 Community and Economic Development Committee Minutes • COMMUNITY&ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Wednesday, October 4, 2000 @5:00 PM MINUTES COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: : Councilor Baldacci, Chair Councilor Rohman � Councilor Crowley Councilor Palmer Councilor Vardamis OTHER COLTNCILORS PRESENT: Councilor Blanchette Councilor Tremble STAFF PRESENT: Edward A. Barrett, City Manager Rodney G. McKay, Director of Community &Economic Development Stan Moses,Asst. C.D. Director T.J. Martzial, Housing Programs Manager Sally Burgess, Business&Economic Development Officer Peter D'Errico, Economic Development Officer Norm Heitmann, City Solicitor Kate Weber, Planning Officer • OTHERS: Sandra Leonard— Member of Maine's Museum of Art Advisory Board Wally Mason—U.M. —Maine Museum of Art The meeting was called to order by Committee Chair, Councilor Baldacci at 5:00 PM. CONSENT AGENDA 1. License Agreement—Octoberfest—New Moon Technologies LLC 2. Sale of 28 Maxwell Lane—Full Price.Offer Action Taken: A motion was made and seconded to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. So voted. REGULAR AGENDA 3. Council Referral: Ordinance 00-373 —Amending Code of the City of Bangor § 291-40 (G)—Resident Parking Action Taken: A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval of Council Ordinance 00-373 —Amending Code of the City of Bangor § 291-40 (G)—Resident Parking as presented to the full City Council. So voted. • . A motion was made and seconded to take up Item#10 out of order as it pertains to Item#3. So voted. 10. Amended Council Order 97-36 Resident Parking Permits Action Taken: A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval to amend Council Order 97-36 Resident Parking Permits as presented to the full City Council. So voted. 4. Review of Recommendations of the Downtown Parking Advisory Committee Councilor Tremble, Chairman of the Downtown Parking Advisory Committee, reviewed the recommendations of the Downtown Parking Advisory Committee as they pertain to downtown parking. Areas reviewed were 1) on-street parking on the north side of Haminond Street between Court and Franklin Streets and the south side of Haminond between N. High Street and Coluxnbia Street be changed to 1 hour spaces; 2)proposed Park and Ride Shuttle; 3) general vicinity where parking capacity should be added; 4) increase fines for overtime parking; 5) increase prices for parking permits. Action Taken: Committee directed staff to bring this back to the next C&ED meeting on October 18, 2000. 5. Review of Riverfront RFP "Request for Proposals" . Staff reviewed for the Committee the Riverfront RFP. This will be mailed out in the next 1-2 weeks to interested prospective developers who had responded to the City's RFQ earlier this year. Proposals are due back to the City by November 29. The City Council will then review the proposals and select a developer or developers with whom eventually the City would negotiate a development agreement with and have finalized by February 2001. 6. Presentation by University of Maine Museum of Art and Advisory Board Sandra Leonard, on behalf of the University of Maine Museum of Art and Advisory Board, reviewed the promotion of the University of Maine Museum of Arts move to Norumbega Hall and the City's participation in their campaign. The University of Maine has committed $300,000 in scholarships for Bangor children; all classes will be open to all residents. She further added that the investment by the City is important - she sees it as helping to stabilize the tax base, healthier businesses, help the citizens and help leverage the dollars that they are in the process of raising. As of this date,they have raised over the $100,000 mark; they have $675,000 in pending funds. They have additional private support that they feel very strongly will be forthcoming—some of this may be in the form of program support which is very important once the program is up and ruiining. They have also secured the sanction of the university and have met with the provost and the dean that is appropriate to this department as well as having met with the chief financial officer. Wally Mason of the university has also submitted his updated • budget. She further stated that the university is committed fully to staffing and funding • the operations of the University of Maine Museum of Art. Also, the Bangor Savings Bank foundation has agreed to fund the project in part. All of the funds are expected to be raised by March 1, 2001; they have also consulted with a museum designer and they feel the museum could be open in the early part of June 2001. The Couri Foundation has as well made the commitment to go forward in leasing the space at The Norumbega Hall for the museum. City Manager Barrett stated that it would be approximately 3 weeks before the City would have a definite dollar commitment available. Councilor Baldacci asked that if the City does contribute financially to this challenge grant that there is a written commitment for the scholarships for Bangor children as part of that money. City Manager Barrett added that it would be wise to have everything in an agreement between the City and the University so that everything is documented—it would be an agreement to provide funding. Staff will draft such an agreement and it will be presented to the full City Council at their upcoming workshop and for approval at their October 23 meeting. It was suggested also to do a press release in order to keep the public informed. 7. Executive Session: Union Place Neighborhood Conservation Project, Property Acquisition Item tabled. 8. Action, if any, on Item#7 No action required at this time. • 9. MSHA Housing Planning Grant Staff reviewed for the Committee the MSHA Housing Planning Grant program. This program will complement research recently completed by MSHA which will help further define the emerging issues surrounding affordable housing in Maine. The program provides funding to entities that have a clearly identified housing research and planning need. The program will provide $200,000 to fund research and planning grants. Staff recommends applying for$25-30,000 of the planning grant funds. The deadline is October 16. The funds would be used to do a housing study which will involve an assessment of assisted housing projects in the City of Bangor, as well as the need for additional housing assistance and a neighborhood analysis all tied into the new Census information. Action Taken: A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval to the full City Council that the City of Bangor apply for MSHA Housing Planning Grant funds as presented. So voted. 11. Boyd Street Project—Loan Agreement Rod McKay, Director of Community &Economic Development, reviewed an • item pertaining to The Heights at Boyd Street housing project which is nearing completion. The Council passed an Order approving a development agreement authorizing partial financing of this project through the CDBG fund for$60,000. � However,the agreement the Council approved did not contain the terms of the loan. The Developer is requesting that the Committee approve the terms of 6% interest, a 30-year term, with payments due only from available cash flow. Any shortfall in annual payments would accrue and be paid from future cash flow or at the end of the term. Action Taken: A motion was made and seconded to recommend for approval to the full City Council the terms of the loan for the Boyd Street project as presented. So voted. A motion was made and seconded to go into Executive Session. 12. Executive Session: Personnel Matter A motion was made and seconded to go out of Executive Session. Meeting adjourned at 6:45 PM. • �