HomeMy WebLinkAboutEDC Minutes 05/09/2018MAYOR
Arlene A. Juracek
TRUSTEES
William A. Grossi
Eleni Hatzis
Paul Wm. Hoefert
Richard F. Rogers
Colleen E. Saccotelli
Michael A. Zadel
Village of Mount Prospect
50 South Emerson Street, Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056
MINUTES
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
Community Room, Village Hall
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
8:00 a.m.
VILLAGE MANAGER
Michael J. Cassady
VILLAGE CLERK
Karen Agoranos
Phone: 847/392-6000
Fax: 847/392-6022
www.mountl2rosl2ect.org
The meeting of the Economic Development Commission (EDC) of the Village of Mount Prospect was
held on Wednesday, May 9 in the Community Room in the Village Hall, 50 South Emerson Street, Mount
Prospect, Illinois.
CALL TO ORDER
Skip Robertson called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. Commissioners Jim Drew, Dan Novak, David
Roe and Tom Zander were present. Also present were Arlene Juracek, Mayor, Bill Cooney, Director of
Community Development, Consuelo Arguilles, Deputy Director of Community Development, Jason
Shallcross, Planner, Connor Harmon, Planner, Alex Bertolucci, Administrative Analyst, Doreen Jarosz,
Administrative Assistant, Karen Agoranos, Village Clerk and Dawn Fletcher -Collins, Executive Director
of the Chamber of Commerce.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes of the January 25, 2018 meeting were reviewed and approved unanimously.
CITIZENS TO BE HEARD
No comments.
OLD BUSINESS
Development Update
Mr. Cooney provided a brief update on various developments throughout the Village. The group
discussed several of the downtown projects and provided insight on market conditions related to those
projects.
NEW BUSINESS
Video Gaming
Mr. Cooney provided a history of the video gaming issue in Mount Prospect and advised the EDC that
several local restaurateurs had recently approached the Village to request that we reconsider the current
prohibition of these terminals in town. He stated that the Village Board held a Committee of the Whole
meeting on March 13 to discuss this topic. After hearing testimony from several restaurateurs they
requested that they bring this issue up before the EDC for their consideration and recommendation. Mr.
Bertolucci also provided an update on the number of surrounding communities that have passed
ordinances allowing video gaming and provided an overview of the financial and regulatory impacts that
gaming has had on these communities.
Mr. Cooney indicated that Ms. Fletcher -Collins would provide an overview of the restaurateur's request.
Ms. Fletcher -Collins stated that why she was personally neutral on whether video gaming should be
allowed in Mount Prospect, she has had many discussions with restaurateurs that have stated that they
are at a competitive disadvantage because most of the surrounding communities allow video gaming and
they lose business to restaurants in those communities. She stated that she has spoken to most
restaurateurs in the community and while the majority of them are not interested in having the video
gaming terminals in their establishments, they all support allowing them in town.
Representatives from Pap's Bar and Grill, Mrs. P and Me, Draft Picks and Brick City all reiterated the
importance of the gaming terminals to their bottom lines and to keep their customers in the Village. In
addition, representatives of two terminal operating companies (Gold Rush Gaming and Veterans
Gaming) who supply the terminals described how the State's program works with revenue sharing
between the restaurateurs, the terminal operating companies and government agencies.
The EDC thanked the group for their input and then discussed the issue at length. After final deliberations,
the EDC voted 5-0 to recommend to the Village Board approval of video gaming in the community. They
stated that the evidence provided showed that video gaming would benefit the local restaurateurs without
creating any negative impacts to the Village.
Mr. Cooney then requested that the EDC provide their input on the various restrictions that were proposed
as possible local options by legal staff. After further discussion they voted as follows on each option:
• Expand the definition of education facility to include tutoring, day care, etc. — voted 5-0 to not
expand the definition.
• Prohibit outdoor signage advertising the gaming terminals — voted 5-0 to prohibit outdoor signage.
• Limit the number of terminals to 3 — voted 5-0 to not create a local limit, thereby allowing up to 5
terminals per establishment.
• Restrict the total revenue from video gaming to no more than 30% of total revenue from the
establishment — voted 5-0 to implement a cap on the percentage of revenue from the video
gaming.
• Prohibit video gaming cafes — voted 5-0 to prohibit the video gaming cafes.
The EDC thanked the group for attending the meeting and requested that staff forward their
recommendation to the Village Board for their consideration at an upcoming meeting.
Police Headquarters and Fire Station #13 Proposed Relocation
Mr. Cooney provided the EDC with an overview of the proposed relocation of the Police/Fire operations
out of the downtown district. In addition the group discussed the potential options for redevelopment of
the current police/fire property and possibly the Chase Bank site to the north. The EDC voiced their
support for the relocation projects and looked forward to the redevelopment opportunity in the downtown
district.
Business Attraction Strategy
Due to time constraints the EDC did not discuss the business attraction strategy. Mr. Cooney did indicate
that efforts to attract a distillery were going well and believed that the group he was working with would
sign a lease to locate in town in the coming weeks.
OTHER BUSINESS
There was no other business to discuss.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
William J. Cooney
Director of Community Development