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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/04/1995 EDC MinutesMINUTES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION Trustees Room, Village Hall Thursday, May 4, 1995 8:00 A.M. The regular meeting of the Economic Development Commission (EDC) of the Village of Mount Prospect was held on Thursday morning, May 4, 1995 at the Village Hall in the Trustees Room, 100 South Emerson Street, Mount Prospect, Illinois. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 8:00 a.m. by Chairman John Riordan. Members present were: James Ebbinghaus, Bruce Gillilan, Dale Jessie and Norman Kurtz. Members absent were: Brian McCarthy and Ben Trapani. Also present were Mayor Gerald Farley; William J. Cooney, Director of Community Development Department; and Dave Hulseberg, Deputy Director of Community Development. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes of the April 6th meeting were approved on a motion by Dale Jessie, seconded by James Ebbinghaus. The motion to approve the minutes passed unanimously, 5 ayes, 0 nays. OLD BUSINESS Review of Current Business Development Contacts Mr. Cooney indicated that General Cinema would soon be submitting application for a Planned Unit Development (PUD) Amendment to construct a 14 unit theater complex on the northwest corner of the Randhurst property. He stated that their intent was to construct a new theater and a pad for a new restaurant. He said the existing facility would be demolished and an additional retail outlot created. Mr. Cooney stated that the Village Board approved the Class 6 Tax Abatement for Scott Lift Truck as was recommended by the EDC. He stated that staff was working with them to finalize a site plan and that construction should start during the summer of 1995. He indicated that many projects in the Kensington Business Center were nearly complete. He indicated that Cummins and ETA would likely be approved for occupancy during the month of May. He stated that Toko America continues to work on Phase II of their project and would likely be completed by mid- summer. Mr. Cooney stated that staff continues to work with the brokers of the AM Multigraphics property to maintain industrial uses at the current site. He stated that AM Multigraphics is considering remaining on 200,000 square feet of their existing facility and are hopeful to find a buyer for the remainder of the property. He stated that a portion of their office component was planning to relocate into the Kensington Business Park. Economic Development Commission Minutes Page 2 He stated that the downtown Clocktower Place project was moving along as scheduled. It is anticipated that the residential component would be available for occupancy by September of 1995. He indicated that the commercial component of this development should begin construction in early summer. April Business Visits During the month of April, the Commission paid visits to the following: April 11, 1995 The Telemarketing Group April 27, 1995 Stimsonite Corporation . Mr. Cooney indicated that both April visits were beneficial to the Village in furthering communication between these two businesses. He stated that the Telemarketing Group had some concerns with the Sprint/Centel service in the Kensington Business Center. He stated several other businesses made similar comments at the annual Kensington Business Center Board meeting on May 2nd. He stated that staff would investigate the process necessary to provide Ameritech service into the Kensington Business Center. Mr. Cooney stated that at the Stimsonite visit they indicated the potential to locate an additional manufacturing component into Mount Prospect. He stated that Mayor Farley, Dave Hulseberg and he had visited the Niles Manufacturing Plant to determine its appropriateness in Kensington. He stated that they would be considering a 150,000 square foot manufacturing building on the remaining 10 vacant acres on Kingston Court. He stated he would update the Economic Development Commission as talks progressed. One concern Stimsonite mentioned was the difficult time they had with the permitting and inspection process when they initially occupied their current building in 1991. Staff has assured Stimsonite that if the relocation does take place, the permit and inspectional processes would not become a problem. There was discussion regarding upcoming visits in May. Mr. Cooney stated that he would attempt to set up two visits during the month and asked that each member contact the new businesses that have been assigned to them to determine if they had an interest in a visit. Mr. Kurtz stated that he felt it would be beneficial to send an initial letter to each of these businesses prior to making phone calls. He asked whether Village letterhead could be used for this purpose. After further discussion it was determined that a standard letter should be designed for all Commission members and that Mr. Kurtz would draft the initial version of this letter. Mr. Cooney and Mr. Kurtz will work together to finalize this letter and send letters for Commissioner's signatures once it's completed. NEW BUSINESS Staffing Changes Mr. Cooney indicated that, as part of the overall reorganization of the Community Development Department, Mr. Ken Fritz was reassigned to long -range planning duties. He stated that he felt this component of the department needed more direction, and that Ken would provide that expertise. Economic Development Commission Minutes Page 3 Mr. Cooney stated that he would be personally responsible for all economic development activities of the Village, and that Mr. Hulseberg would assist him in this area. Mr. Cooney stated that he would be the primary liaison to the Economic Development Commission and that all EDC related matters should be referred to his attention. Holiday Inn Update Mr. Cooney stated he and Mr. Trapani met with the owner of Holiday Inn, Shaukat M. Sindhu, to discuss the current status of this facility. He stated that they had set the meeting up after discussion at the previous EDC meeting where concern was raised regarding this facility. Mr. Cooney stated that he gave Mr. Sindhu a copy of the Kensington Business Center survey regarding hotels, and stressed that the Holiday Inn was not meeting the Kensington Center needs. Mr. Sindhu stated that he would be expending over one -half million dollars in renovation of the Holiday Inn and hoped to capture the Kensington market. He stated that he did not want to market the facility to Kensington Center until the improvements were made. The improvements are to include a new outdoor pool, redecorated lobby area and replacements of many of the lighting and plumbing fixtures. Mr. Cooney stated that he will continue to stay in contact with Mr. Sindhu to ensure that these improvements are made and that high quality service could be provided by Holiday Inn. Shop Mount Prospect Dave Hulseberg indicated that he and Mr. Cooney had met with the Chamber of Commerce's Communications Committee to discuss the "Shop Mount Prospect" Program. He indicated that he initiated the "Shop Arlington Heights" Program while working in the Village of Arlington Heights. He stated that the intent of the "Shop Mount Prospect" Program was to make citizens aware of the benefits of shopping in the Village versus outside the community. Mr. Kurtz stated that he felt the "Shop Mount Prospect" Program was a good idea. However, he stated that he had several concerns with the current vacancies and lack of investment in the downtown area. He stated that he felt the Economic Development Commission should focus some of its efforts on the downtown in an effort to revitalize this area. There was general discussion whether it was the Economic Development Commission's or the Business District Development and Redevelopment Commission's role. It was generally felt that the two groups should work together to improve this area. Mr. Hulseberg stated that staff is currently putting together an inventory of owners and tenants in the downtown and that we should have this information available at the next meeting. Mr. Cooney stated that the downtown has and will continue to be a top priority of staff and the Village Board. Chairman's Report Mr. Riordan stated that he wanted to express his appreciation for the hard work and effort that Mr. Ebbinghaus has provided the Economic Development Commission over the last two years. He stated that he will strive to continue those efforts as the new Chairman. He stated that he had several ideas to enhance the activities of the Commission including bringing in outside individuals and Economic Development Commission Minutes Page 4 groups to discuss economic matters. He thought it would be especially beneficial to bring in the banking industry to discuss their efforts in the Village. Mr. Ebbinghaus thanked Mr. Riordan for the acknowledgement and stated that he hoped that the Commission continued to work hard to improve the economic strength of the Village. He said that he felt that the Commission and staff needed to work more aggressively in getting press coverage of the Economic Development Commission activities so that everyone was aware of what was currently going on. There was concurrence among the Commission that this suggestion would be beneficial. Mayor Farley said that he would concur with Mr. Riordan's remarks regarding the efforts and time made by Mr. Ebbinghaus. He said it was unfortunate that Mr. Ebbinghaus had to step down due to his move to Barrington but he felt that he made a significant impact over the two years he had been involved in the Economic Development Commission. He stated that he hoped Mr. Ebbinghaus would not be a stranger and would maintain his relationship with the Commission over the years. There was a general acknowledgement from the Commission to Mr. Ebbinghaus for the years he's put in as Chairman of the Commission. Mr. Ken Fritz, Planner, presented a plaque to Mr. Ebbinghaus indicating the Village's appreciation for the work as Chairman. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 a.m.