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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/01/1997 EDC MinutesMINUTES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 2nd Floor Conference Room, Village Hall Thursday, May 1, 1997 8:00 a.m. The meeting of the Economic Development Commission (EDC) of the Village of Mount Prospect was held on Thursday, May 1, 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, Patricia Biedar, David Lindgren, Brian McCarthy and Ben Trapani were present. Members absent were John Arndt and Bruce Gillian. Representing the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce Government Affair's Committee were Jack Halpin, Adelaide Thulin and Brian Weinberg. Also present were Mayor Gerald Farley, William J. Cooney, Director of Community Development, Michael Blue, Deputy Director of Community Development and Brad Paulson, Building Coordinator. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion to approve the minutes of the March 11, 1997 meeting was made by a motion by David Lindgren, seconded by Ben Trapani. The motion passed unanimously 5 -0. OLD BUSINESS Status Report - Current Developments Mr. Cooney updated the Commission on current projects in the Kensington Business Center. These potential developments include Sumitomo, Wace USA, Novocon, Northfield Labs and a new development by OPUS. In addition Mr. Cooney updated the Commission on the United Airlines annexation project, the purchase of Terrace Supply, the Streetscape Program, Illinois Range and Dealer's Mart. NEW BUSINESS Presentation by Buildine Division related to the propo adoption of the 1996 BOCA Code and Ancillary Codes. Mr. Cooney provided a brief overview to the EDC and Chamber representatives regarding the proposed changes to the Village Building & Ancillary Codes. He then introduced Mr. Paulson, Building Coordinator, who detailed the proposal. Mr. Paulson indicated that one of the primary reasons that the Staff was proposing the adoption of the 1996 Code was in response to the upcoming ISO review of the Building Division. He stated that ISO will be reviewing all Building Departments throughout the country and assigning a rating similar to how they handle Fire Departments currently. He indicated that this was primarily in response to the many natural disasters that have taken place in recent years, most specifically the Hurricane Andrew in Florida. He indicated that a major component of the rating would be the codes that are being enforced in each Village. He stated that if the Village would continue using the 1990 BOCA Codes that ISO may reduced the Village's rating by as much as 40 %. This reduced rating would impact property insurance rates in the Village as does the Fire Department rating. Mr. Paulson indicated that the 1996 BOCA Code was the result of many meetings held by BOCA International to address current development techniques. He indicated that input was received by many professionals in the various development fields. These professionals include contractors, architects, developers, building officials and many others. He indicated that there are numerous changes that are encompassed in the 1996 Code versus the 1990 Code. These changes reflect the changing building techniques and materials that continually evolve. There was much discussion amongst the EDC and Chamber representatives regarding the benefit of adopting the 1996 Codes. The primary benefit appeared to be the impact on the insurance ratings for the Village. Mr. Lindgren stated he felt that the EDC would not be doing its job if it did not do everything in its power to keep the cost of doing business down in Mount Prospect. He stated that given the recent determination by ISO to rate the Building Divisions, that the Village Board should revisit the budget for the Building Division to ensure that adequate staffing is available to maintain a high rating. He stated that he believed that by not keeping current building codes and maintaining an appropriate staff that the insurance rates in the Village would increase significantly and that it would be much more cost effective to address the issue upfront. There was no general concurrence with Mr. Lindgren's statements by members of the EDC and the Chamber. Ms. Biedar indicated that she has had several discussions with local businesses about the difficulty of obtaining permits in the Village. She stated that several of the current codes require retrofitting of buildings when new tenants occupy space. There was discussion regarding what types of changes trigger code requirements for new occupants. Ms. Biedar said she thought it would be beneficial if the Village required owners to make improvements versus tenants. Staff indicated that the decision regarding who was to pay for the upgrades of a facility is negotiated between the owner and tenant. The Village's role is to ensure that the improvements are installed properly. It was recommended that the Chamber sponsor a seminar for property owners and tenants regarding building codes and various code requirements. Mr. Cooney indicated that his staff would be happy to present a general overview of the building permit process and requirements at a Chamber sponsored event. Mr. Lindgren made a motion to recommend that the Village Board make it a practice to adopt the current Building & Ancillary Codes and that they revisit the Building Division's budget to ensure that the Division is properly staffed to address the components of the upcoming ISO rating program. Mr. Trapani seconded the motion and it passed unanimously by a vote of 5 -0. Subcommittee Reports Business Attraction Committee - No report. Marketing Committee - No report. Business Retention Committee - Mr. Cooney indicated that he had been working with Sumitomo and Novocon in the Kensington Business Center regarding expansion of their facilities in Mount Prospect. He asked the Retention Committee if they were available for a retention visit to these properties during the upcoming weeks. Mr. Lindgren said that he would be willing to meet with these businesses to inform him when a visit could be set up. Other Business Mr. Halpin indicated that the Chamber of Commerce has decided not continue the Shop Mount Prospect Program. He indicated that although the Program had been successful, finding continued funds to operate this program was difficult and, therefore, Chamber has decided not to continue this program. Chairman's Report Mr. Kurtz's congratulated Mayor Farley on his recent successful write -in campaign re- election for Mayor. The other Commission members shared in the congratulations. Mr. Kurtz added that there will be a social event prior to the May 6th Village Board Meeting at the Senior Center. The event is intended to provide Commission members an opportunity to meet the new Trustees and congratulate the incumbents. Mr. Kurtz also inquired about the status of a downtown meeting to discuss the redevelopment opportunities. Mayor Farley indicated that he was hoping for a May 31st, Saturday morning meeting to discuss this matter and that they would be in touch with the EDC if this were to be finalized. It was agreed that the next EDC meeting would be held on July 10, 1997. The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 a.m.