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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-04-08 Business and Economic Development Committee Minutes � BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMI'iTEE TUESDAY, April 8, 2003 Meeting Minutes Councilors Attending: Gerry Palmer, Frank Farrington, David Nealley, John Rohman, Dan Tremble, Richard Greene Staff Attending: Ed Barrett, ]onathan Daniels, Rod McKay, Norm Heitmann, Steve Bolduc Others Attending: Ken Buckley The meeting convened at 5:03 p.m. Chair Rohman, noted that Richard Greene is filling in as a voting member and Dan Tremble is attending as a non-voting member of the Committee tonight. • 1. Consent Agenda a. Approval of Lease Agreement with NCR Corporation. b. Establishment of Special Committee —"Downtown Parking Advisory Committee. The Committee approved the Consent Agenda. 2. Discussion and Presentation by EMH regarding the Slaeger Properry. This item has been postponed. 3. Discussion on Development of a Parking Lot to be Located on Curve Street. Heitmann said that Penquis CAP has been looking for new quarters and explored the possibility of B13, and are working out an agreement with their current landlord on Harlow Street. The current landlord contacted the City about creating additional parking spaces in the lot on Curve Street that the City owns. We have asked Planning and Engineering how feasible it would be to create a parking lot at this location. He said that we could create a parking lot that could hold 50 to 60 parking spots. • To do so, we would need to discontinue Curve Street. If we discontinue the • street, it would go to the abutter, which is the City on the vacant properry side, and Dick Catelle on the other side. Mr. Catelle would like additional parking for his building at 257 Harlow Street, so he is also in favor of a parking lot there. He is willing to convey the properly to the City so that we could use that property for the parking lot. The tenant, Mr. Cota, would build the parking lot and the City would lease the lot to Webber, landlord of the Penquis CAP building. Heitmann wanted to know if there was enough agreement in the Committee to continue. Nealley said that this is under the assumption that Penquis CAP would stay at their existing location. Heitmann confirmed this. Farrington wanted to know about the general use of space where Bangor Photo, Capital Ambulance, and Ron's Cafe are located. Heitmann said that this would be a parking lot, with a fee. Farrington wanted to know if we have ever had any plans to build along Curve Street. Heitmann said that the properly that we own is not a buildable lot. Heitmann said he did not know the plans for the Capital Ambulance building, as this was owned by Mr. McCArthy. Palmer noted that Ron's Cafe has moved to Brewer. Palmer said that security in i this area would need to be addressed if a parking lot was going to be established. Palmer wanted to know if the lot would be big enough for Republic to have a part in managing it. Tremble wanted to know if the City was making a long term commitment on the property. Heitmann said that the discussion is to build a real parking lot, paved with striping, and Ray Cota is looking for a long term lease, and he thought that Dick Catelle would be as well. Palmer brought up the issue of security not only of the vehicles, but the people who will be walking to and from the businesses in the area. Heitmann said that this will no doubt be an issue with Mr. Cota, and will be a likely topic during the discussion. Tremble said that essentially the City will be running a private parking lot for two businesses, and wanted to know if there was any way we could sell this lot. Heitmann said that this is a possibility and we need to discuss this further with Mr. Cota and return with a recommendation. The Committee voted to move forward with discussions on this issue and bring back some options for the Committee to discuss. � � 4. Discussion on RFP for Commercial Space in Pickering Square Parking Garage. Bates presented a memo regarding a request for proposal for the Commercial Space in the Pickering Square Parking Garage. The last time an RFP was issued for this project, 1998, the City limited potential use to retail to avoid competing with the private sector for office space. No one responded with proposals. At a recent Government Operations Committee meeting, councilors discussed that a new RFP should invite a wider range of uses, and Community and Economic Development staff agrees. The parking garage is in the Downtown Development District, and stafF recommends that uses in that zone be considered. Staff recommends that the RFP be issued within the week, with a due date of May 21, 2003 for responses. Palmer said that this issue had come up at Government Operations due to a discussion concerning the safety and security of people at the bus station. Part of the discussion centered on placing a fence along the graveled area, however there were concerns about graffiti. Palmer mentioned the various groups of people that may be interested in using the space or visiting the shops. He said that we should mention the National Folk Festival in the RFP. � Tremble asked if there was a gas line that ran underneath this properly and if this would be a problem. Bates said that no this area was actually built to be used for retail or office space. McKay said that the area is set up for four different store operations. Tremble asked what the going market rate was, and Bates said $12 per square foot. Rohman said that the fact that the buses may block the view of the space. Bates suggested including a bus schedule with the RFP. McKay said that it is possible if a new business goes in that creates new employment, we could finance some of the business expenses for large improvement for low to moderate income people. Palmer said that the new arena should allow for more bus trafFic and foot traffic, which should be a major selling point. Nealley said that we probably need a developer that will market the area, once the arena is in place. Tremble wanted to know how we advertise the RFP. McKay said that we would advertise locally, in Southern Maine, and with news coverage. Nealley said that we should review all of the respondents, not just the ones that have been narrowed down. � • Bates said that Parke Clemons' concern for the area is the same as the Government Operations Committee's concern, and the worst case scenario is that we finish the space and it would improve the look of the place. It would change the activities that the space currently attracts. Rohman said that we do want to proceed and extend the due date. The Committee moved to go into executive session. 5. Executive Session — Union Place Property Acquisition. 6. Discussion and Action on Executive Session — Union Place Property Acquisition. The Committee voted to offer $135,000 for the purchase of the Newman property. � e