Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-01-03 Business and Economic Development Committee Minutes BUSINESS & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Monday, January 3, 2024 @ 5:15 PM Penobscot Room, Lower Floor of Penquis CAP MEETING MINUTES City Councilors Present: Dean, Fish, Fournier, Hawes, Leonard, Pelletier, Schaefer, Tremble, Yacoubagha. City Staff Present: Krieg, Laurie, O'Donnell, Saavedra, Thibodeau. Chair Hawes called the meeting to order at 5:15 P.M. 1. AIRPORT DIRECTOR REPORT, No action requested Development Director Anne Krieg introduced the agenda item. Airport Director Jose Saavedra and Airport Marketing Manager Aimee Thibodeau presented a report highlighting several projects of focus, annual figures for 2023, and ongoing/upcoming marketing efforts. Councilor Fournier asked about the increase in DOD fuel sales — Thibodeau responded that there has been an increase in military traffic. Council Chair Pelletier asked for an update on the airport's possible expansion of services to other cities and usage of additional airline carriers — Thibodeau responded that this is an ongoing effort but that staff is presently working with their existing airline carriers to expand service to additional cities. Noted that there is an upcoming conference in June which staff will be attending which will provide opportunities for this expansion, and highlighted community events as a draw to Bangor as a destination, as well as a desire to maintain and increase Canadian traffic. Councilor Fournier asked about the increase in INTA Plane spending —Thibodeau responded that this figure tends to fluctuate on a month-by-month basis, but the airport's overall annual spending in this category is still consistent with their budget. Fournier asked what the reason for this fluctuation is — Saavedra responded that this seems to be a national trend, and Thibodeau added that there has been an increase in independent investment in charter flights. Councilor Dean asked about the Canadian market and why there has been a focus on this — Thibodeau responded that the taxes and fees paid by these travelers is much higher than that of domestic travelers, and noted that many Canadian travelers have families to Aroostook County and, using Bangor as the largest and closest airport to this region, will often spend additional time in the Bangor area shopping, attending events, etc. Councilor Tremble asked how often an airport report will be received moving forward — City Manager Debbie Laurie responded that a report will be given on an as-needed basis and/or quarterly. Tremble asked if a written report can be given monthly— Laurie confirmed it can. Tremble also asked if FBO operations could be added to the reports going forward — Thibodeau responded they will do so. 2. ANNUAL REPORTS REVIEW — COMMISSION ON CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT, HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION, PLANNING BOARD, Action requested to receive and move forward to City Council for final action Development Director Krieg presented the highlights of each report. No questions or comments from Committee members. Krieg confirmed the reports will move forward to full Council for formal acceptance. 3. FARMERS' MARKET LEASE RENEWAL, Action requested to accept and move forward to City Council for final action Development Director Krieg introduced the agenda item. Noted that the City has historically waived a rental fee in exchange for food donations to local food pantries, etc. Noted that there has been ongoing positive communication and coordination with Public Works regarding winter weather conditions' impact on the Farmers' Market. Councilor Fournier moved to accept the lease renewal and move forward to full Council for formal acceptance; seconded by Councilor Schaefer. Vote unless doubted; no doubt. Motion passed. 4. HOUSING PRODUCTION PLAN — REVIEW OF PROPOSAL FROM HR&A, Action requested to approve moving forward Development Director Krieg introduced the agenda item and summarized the proposal and noted that staff elected to work with HR&A as they are the firm who compiled the recent housing production plan at the State level. Francis Goyes and Phillip Kash of HR&A presented to the Committee via Zoom. Presented slideshow introducing the firm and highlighting the project outline and proposed methods. Councilor Fish asked if MLS data is used for generating home sale statistics — Kash responded that they do prefer to use it when available, but realtors need to consent to share the information and they are not always able to obtain this in a timely manner. Councilor Leonard asked about Task 3 in the project outline, and requested to clarify the proposed use of ambassadors and how they are defining that role — Kash responded that the ambassadors will be educated by the firm regarding the study but that their primary role is to obtain feedback at the neighborhood level, as this is not always reflected in City-wide data. Leonard also asked about housing tools, and whether the firm will be outlining all tools available or only the ones that will be of use to the City — Kash responded that they will outline all tools available but make specific recommendations regarding which ones should be of the most use to the City. Leonard mentioned the recent Economic Development Strategy and its emphasis on investment in the healthcare industry and housing for a younger workforce; asked whether this will be considered on the front end of the housing study or not until a broader market analysis has been conducted. Kash responded that this data will be used from the beginning, but the firm will verify it prior to further analysis. Leonard also asked about the Housing First model as a method of addressing homelessness, and whether this will be utilized — Kash responded that they have not yet been directed to include this in their plans but they are happy to address if given direction to do so by the City. Councilor Tremble moved to approve moving forward with HR&A on a housing production plan; seconded by Councilor Schaefer. Vote unless doubted; no doubt. Motion passed. Councilor Tremble asked to clarify whether this project will be paid for using ARPA funds — City Manager Laurie responded that this has yet to be decided, but there is some remaining funding from the FY23 budget that she would recommend using. Councilor Yacoubagha asked to follow up on the discussion of Housing First; noted that she feels it is important to include this model in guiding further work. Councilor Tremble responded that he understood that HR&A would provide a report with recommendations about useful tools and models first — Development Director Krieg confirmed this. Yacoubagha added that she would like to see an inclusion of the efficacy of Housing First. Councilor Schaefer responded that these seem to be two separate goals and that she agrees that receiving recommendations from HR&A should be the first step before investing time in studying Housing First. Kash responded that he is happy to include Housing First as an option in their report, in terms of its efficacy and whether it would be a recommended model for the City or not. 5. RETURN TO ITEM II —ANNUAL REPORTS REVIEW, Motion requested Councilor Schaefer moved to receive the annual reports of the Commission on Cultural Development, Historic Preservation Commission, and Planning Board and forward them onto full Council for formal acceptance; seconded by Councilor Leonard. Vote unless doubted; no doubt. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 6:02 P.M. Meeting minutes respectfully submitted, Sarah Maquillan Admin. Asst. C&ED