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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5. EDC Minutes 09/18/2014 VILLAGE MANAGER MAYOR Arlene A. Juracek Michael E. Janonis TRUSTEES VILLAGE CLERK Village of Mount Prospect Paul Wm. Hoefert M. Lisa Angell A. John Korn John J. Matuszak Community Development Department Steven S. Polit Phone: 847/818-5328 Fax: 847/818-5329 Richard F. Rogers 50 South Emerson Street Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056 www.mountprospect.org Michael A. Zadel MINUTES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION Community Development Conference Room, Village Hall Thursday, September 18, 2014 8:00 a.m. The meeting of the Economic Development Commission (EDC) of the Village of Mount Prospect was held on Thursday, September 18th in Community Development Department Conference Room in the Village Hall, 50 South Emerson Street, Mount Prospect, Illinois. CALL TO ORDER Vice Chairman Skip Robertson called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. Commissioners John Healy, Tom Low, Dan Novak, Jim Peterson, and Norm Kurtz were present. Also present were Mayor Arlene Juracek, Brian Simmons, Deputy Director of Community Development, Nellie Beckner, Long Range Planner, and Dawn Fletcher-Collins, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes of the April 17, 2014 meeting were reviewed and approved unanimously. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD No comments. OLD BUSINESS Development Update Mr. Simmons provided an update on commercial activity within the community. Discussion centered on retail projects that had received Village Board approval for expansions where construction was anticipated to be completed within the next year. Mr. Simmons also provided an update on commercial activity within the Randhurst shopping center. NEW BUSINESS Kensington Business Center Mr. Simmons provided the Commission with a map of the Kensington Business Center. He discussed the Village Board recently reviewed the condition of the park and ways in which the park can be revitalized to ensure it remains an attractive place for businesses. The map provided included a breakdown of vacant properties, those with 6B’s, and locations of dead trees. The group discussed the park and the Village’s offer to extend our pricing to properties for tree removals. General discussion ensued on ways to improve the overall condition of the park. The Commission discussed the communication provided prior to the Board meeting and ways in which the Commission could become more involved in the planning efforts. Page 1of 2 9/18/14 EDC Minutes Entrepreneur’s Café Ms. Beckner provided an update on the Entrepreneur’s Café and activities from the past year. She mentioned the Café has been meeting quarterly to provide various topics related to small businesses and connect individuals to resources. She also mentioned that communications regarding the café have been revised which have resulted in increased interest from the small business community. Mr. Kurtz mentioned an opportunity with a new state law that would allow individuals to produce baked products in their homes for sale and would not require a commercial kitchen. Staff indicated they would research the matter and recommend updates to the Village code if warranted. Web Site Update – Business Tab Ms. Beckner discussed the changes the Village had made to the Village’s website since the previous EDC meeting. Based on feedback provided by the Commission, staff had updated the website to provide better information to perspective businesses. The group discussed the website in general and thought the changes were beneficial. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT Skip Robertson asked if the EDC could be notified regarding ribbon cuttings so they could attend if able to. General discussion ensued on the Village’s new ribbon cutting request form and how these events can be coordinated in the future. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Brian Simmons Deputy Director of Community Development Page 2 of 2 9/18/14 EDC Minutes