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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/10/1997 EDC MinutesMINUTES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 2nd Floor Conference Room, Village Hall Thursday, July 10, 1997 8:00 a.m. The meeting of the Economic Development Commission (EDC) of the Village of Mount Prospect was held on Thursday, July 10, 1997 in the second floor conference room of Village Hall, 100 South Emerson Street, Mount Prospect, Illinois. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Norman Kurtz called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. Chairman Norman Kurtz, Bruce Gillian, David Lindgren and Ben Trapani were present. Members absent were John Arndt, Patricia Biedar and Brian McCarthy. Also present were Mayor Gerald Farley, William J. Cooney, Director of Community Development, Michael Blue, Deputy Director of Community Development. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion to approve the minutes of the May 1, 1997 meeting was made by a motion by Ben Trapani, seconded by David Lindgren. The motion passed unanimously 4 -0. OLD BUSINESS Status Report - Other Developments Mr. Cooney updated the Commission on current projects throughout the Village. These developments included Menards, 3Com, AB Dick, St. Paul Federal, OTI, GE, Kay -Ray Sensall, Stenograph and Planet Video. There was discussion regarding why Menards would be required to go through the zoning process again since they were given approval back in 1992. Mr. Cooney explained that the ordinance granting approval for this project had expired and therefore needed to be reviewed again by the Village Board. Mr. Trapani indicated a concern with the amount of time that it takes for developments to go through the zoning process. He felt the Commission should review the process and come up with suggestions to shorten the length of review time. There was specific discussion about the need for three hearings before the Village Board and the types of reviews various recommending commissions need to have before a project is approved. Chairman Kurtz requested that the Business Attraction Committee review the process and submit recommendations to the EDC for review and consideration. Mr. Trapani stated he would contact Ms. Biedar and provide such a report. Economic Development Commission Minutes Page 2 NEW BUSINESS Subcommittee Reports Business Retention Committee - Mr. Lindgren indicated he and Mr. Cooney had visited with Jim Taylor, Vice President/General Manager of Novocon International, currently located at 520 Business Center Drive in the Kensington Business Center. Novocon is looking to expand their business and are looking at locations throughout the area, including Mount Prospect. Novocon is an international manufacturer, marketer and technology leader in steel fibers for the reinforcement of concrete. Mr. Cooney added that he has since had additional conversations with Mr. Taylor regarding potential locations within the business park. He added that they are looking for approximately 35,000 square feet and that there are no "perfect fits" for their needs. He was working with the brokers for the 1100 Business Center Drive property to determine if that building could be sub - divided. Chairman's Report Chairman Kurtz inquired as to the status of the discussions regarding downtown development following up on the May 31st meeting. Mayor Farley indicated there would be a meeting this evening with all the Village Board members to discuss policy and direction for the downtown redevelopment efforts. He stated that it was difficult to get all seven trustees together for a meeting and that this was the first date they were able to arrange for such a meeting. Mr. Kurtz reiterated his desire to see the Village Board be pro- active and aggressive towards the redevelopment of this area and asked that Staff update the Commission as to the results of this meeting. Chairman Kurtz's stated that he had several discussions over the past several weeks with members of the Chamber, the Economic Development Commission and the Village Board regarding the proposed utility tax increase for roadway projects. He stated he felt it would be appropriate for the Economic Development Commission to discuss the types of items they felt would be appropriate to discuss and recommend action to the Village Board. He stated that the bylaws of the Economic Development Commission were very general and give the Commission the ability to review any action by the Board that would impact the business community. He stated that many of the business decisions that the Village Board make would impact the business community and therefore he felt that this was too vague. He asked that each of the Commission members be prepared to discuss at the next meeting the types of issues that they felt would be appropriate to review as a Commission. It was agreed that the next EDC meeting would be held on September 4, 1997. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 a.m.