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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/02/1996 EDC MinutesMINUTES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 2nd Floor Conference Room, Village Hall Thursday, May 2,1996 8:00 A.M. The meeting of the Economic Development Commission (EDC) of the Village of Mount Prospect was held on Thursday morning, May 2, 1996, in the second floor conference room of Village Hall, 100 South Emerson Street, Mount Prospect, Illinois. CALL TO ORDER Chairman John Riordan called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. Commissioners John Riordan, Norman Kurtz, Brian McCarthy, David Lindgren, Ben Trapani, Patricia Biedar and Bruce Gillilan were present. Also present were Mayor Gerald Farley; William J. Cooney, Director of Community Development; and John Arndt of NTN Bearing. APPROVAL OF MINUTES It was noted that Commissioner Patricia Biedar was not present at the April 11th meeting of the Economic Development Commission as stated in the minutes, and a motion was made to correct the minutes accordingly. Mr. Kurtz made a motion, seconded by Ben Trapani to approve the minutes reflecting this change. The minutes were approved, as corrected, by a vote of 7 -0. OLD BUSINESS Mr. Bill Cooney updated the Commission on current economic development activities. He stated that the Village was working with United Airlines in an effort to annex their property into the Village. He stated that there were some issues with the local Fire District that needed to be resolved prior to moving forward with negotiations. Mr. Cooney also indicated that Menard's had sent a letter of intent to demolish the existing Courtesy building and rebuild a 105,000 square foot home improvement center. Staff will be working with Menard's to design a quality site plan. He indicated that Sun Harvest Produce would be taking over the former SJV Foods location on the southwest corner of Golf and Busse Roads. In addition, Popeye's Chicken would be locating at the corner of Dempster Road and Algonquin Road in mid -May. Finally, Hacienda Restaurant anticipates a grand opening on May 14th at the former Florenz property at the Randhurst Shopping Center. Mr. McCarthy indicated that Randhurst is working on some significant projects that he hoped to bring forward within the next few months. He stated that, while the overall retail market is weak, Randhurst has experienced some significant inquiries regarding their available space. He stated they actually have a waiting list for tenants that need less than 1,000 square feet but do not have available space. He added that they are looking for tenants that are between 3,000 and 6,000 square feet to fill some larger spaces. Economic Development Commission Minutes Page 2 Shop Mount Prospect Mr. McCarthy updated the Commission on the "Shop Mount Prospect" Program that's being sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. He indicated that the Chamber held a meeting at Rolling Green Country Club last week and had invited all the local shopping center owners. He stated that there was a positive response from property owners and that the Chamber would follow -up in an effort to complete the retail directory. Central Business District Update Mr. Cooney stated that staff was working to put together a group meeting among the various Commissions and Village Board regarding downtown redevelopment issues. He stated that the Mayor asked that a tentative June 1 st meeting be set to discuss this matter. He indicated that this would be an opportunity for the various Commissions to work with the Business District Development and Redevelopment Commission and the Village Board in an effort to discuss the many issues facing downtown. Mayor Farley indicated that he felt this was a very important meeting for the Economic Development Commission to voice its concerns and make suggestions for improvements in the downtown. There was a general consensus that everyone would attempt to make the meeting on June 1 st, if possible. NEW BUSINESS Subcommittee Reports Business Retention Committee - Mr. Gillilan stated that he and Mr. Lindgren had met to discuss the Business Retention Program. He distributed a handout which outlined four points that they felt could be addressed by the Village to improve it's retention program. Their suggestions include investigating the potential for the elimination of a registration fee for commercially owned non - rental automobiles. He asked that staff look into the economic impact on the Village. He felt that this would be a nice gesture towards the business community. The second proposal was that they felt the Village could sponsor a group rate for waste hauling for businesses that wish to participate. He asked that staff investigate the potential of working with our waste hauling contractor to provide commercial properties with the ability to get a lower price. The third suggestion was to create a hotline for building permits for commercial purposes. He felt that this may benefit individuals looking to expand their properties. Finally, he felt the Village Board could contact the County in an effort to have them consider implementing a fairer taxing system. He stated that the sub - committee realizes it is a large issue but that the Village's effort could be seen as a positive, pro- active approach to the business community. He stated he felt that these would all be positive approaches from the Village if they could be implemented. He added that there are several other opportunities but these are the first that he and Mr. Lindgren had established. Economic Development Commission Minutes Page 3 Marketing Sub - Committee - Mr. Cooney stated that the Marketing Sub - Committee would be meeting on May 15 to further discuss the video project. Business Attraction Sub - Committee - There is no report from the Business Attraction Sub - Committee. Chairman's Report Chairman Riordan said that this would be his last meeting and that he appreciated all the efforts of the Commission over the past several years. Mayor Farley thanked Chairman Riordan for his time and effort on the Commission and presented a Plaque of Recognition from the Village Board indicating such. He wished Mr. Riordan much enjoyment on his retirement and welcomed him to come to future meetings if he so desired. Mayor Farley also indicated that he would be appointing a chairman at the next meeting of the Commission. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 a.m.