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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-04-18 Minutes - Northeast Urban Renewal Board (NURB) NURB Meeting – December 4, 2018 1 Northeast Urban Renewal Board (NURB) Regular Meeting Tuesday, December 4, 2018 The Northeast Urban Renewal Board met in regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4, 2018, in the Conference Room, Professional Building, 20 East Olive Street, Bozeman, Montana. Present: Absent: Voting Members: John Usher, Chair Bobbi Clem Dan Doehring Robert Pavlic Jeanne Wesley-Wiese Non-Voting Members: Ethan Barlow Dalton Brink Nolan Campbell Corwin Dormire Commissioner Liaison: I-Ho Pomeroy Staff: Brit Fontenot, Economic Development Director David Fine, TIF Specialist Shane Strong, KLJ Robin Sullivan, Recording Secretary Guests: Chris Nixon, 719 North Wallace Avenue Call to Order – Chair John Usher called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Changes to the Agenda – No changes were made to the agenda. Public Comment – No comment was received under this agenda item. Minutes – October 2, 2018. It was moved by Dan Doehring, seconded by Bob Pavlic, that the minutes of the regular meeting of October 2, 2018 be approved as submitted. The motion carried on a 5-0 vote. NURB Meeting – December 4, 2018 2 Discussion/Action Items – Update on East Tamarack Street project. Shane Strong reported that the East Tamarack Street project is nearly complete, and the street should be open by the end of the week. The project will then enter into winter shutdown, with some final grading of boulevards, landscaping and sidewalk installation to be completed in the spring. RMC is drilling for the fiber conduit, and is planning to do so through the winter. He cautioned that Knife River is contracted with RMC for the fiber conduit portion of the project; and efforts must be taken to ensure that RMC working through the winter shutdown does not result in liquidated damages to Knife River. Brit Fontenot observed that drilling for conduit can sometimes be extremely difficult and time- consuming. Shane Strong stated that the remaining sidewalks will be poured in the spring, once the fiber conduit and the hand holes have been installed since the conduit is located under the sidewalk. Responding to Brit Fontenot, Shane Strong stated he has not heard of any impacts this street construction may have had on Lattice Materials operations. Updates on Current Projects. Shane Strong reported that the East Peach Street project has been completed, including patching on the west side of the creek. He noted that the City Engineer wants to do a final walk through this week, closing out the project and starting the warranty period. Discussion Regarding Possible Expansion of Northeast Urban Renewal District. John Usher reminded the Board that Lanette Windemaker made a presentation on expansion of an urban renewal district at the November 2017 meeting; and copies of the minutes from that meeting and Lanette Windemaker’s notes were included in this meeting’s packet information. He noted that at that meeting, the Board discussed the issue but took no action; and asked that the Board discuss and possibly act on the issue of possible expansion of the district, recognizing that a different decision might be made at a later date. Responding to questions from Jeanne Wesley-Wiese, Brit Fontenot stated this discussion was originally initiated as a result of expansion of the Midtown Urban Renewal District. He noted that the initial discussion revolved around whether it might be beneficial to expand this district to include the Idaho Pole site; however, no decision was made at that time. David Fine briefly highlighted the process for expanding a district, noting it is functionally the same as for creating a district. Brit Fontenot reminded the Board that over the last three years, the focus has been on road reconstruction projects, including North Wallace Avenue, East Peach Street and East Tamarack Street. The district fund now has no monies remaining to undertake any project. He acknowledged that the Cottonwood & Ida project is a potential future development; however, it will be several years before that project is completed and tax increment financing revenues are realized. He noted that expansion of the district to include other adjacent parcels that are developed or may develop sooner could generate additional monies to further this district’s goals. NURB Meeting – December 4, 2018 3 Responding to Bobbi Clem, Nolan Campbell stated that development of the Idaho Pole site is at least a couple years away. Due to his conflict of interest regarding the Idaho Pole site, Nolan Campbell then stepped away from the table. Brit Fontenot reminded the Board that the City is currently updating its growth policy; and that update could impact the current M-2 zoning on the Idaho Pole property. He indicated that if small residential development is allowed as a result of the new growth policy land use designation, those homes could have no basements, no wells would be allowed, and no playgrounds could be included on the site, depending on the contamination designation on that portion of the site. David Fine noted that Bozeman has only about 10 percent of the industrial development that is occurring in the triangle area. As a result, Bozeman does not need a lot of industrial zoned land, and it is important to consider where that would be most appropriately located in the community. He also noted a lot of the manufacturing that is occurring in Bozeman is in photonics, which is significantly different from the old industrial uses. Brit Fontenot noted that North Park is zoned M-1 and M-2, so there is a significant amount of industrially zoned land in that one area. He then stated a very small residential component may be provided in an industrial zone. Responding to Jeanne Wesley-Wiese, David Fine stated that only that portion of the Idaho Pole site within city limits could be considered for inclusion in this district since the district boundaries may not cross the city boundary. Responding to questions from Commissioner Liaison Pomeroy, David Fine stated that the location of the M zoned property is as important as its quality. He then characterized the HMU zoning designation as complicated and challenging for those who want to develop within it. At John Usher’s request, the board members indicated their positions on the possibility of expanding this district. During discussion, it was noted that the bond issue a couple years ago used the district’s entire capacity; and any new bond issues may not extend beyond the life of that issue. The district will remain active until the bond issue is retired, at which time it will be sunset and tax revenues will be distributed to the various taxing entities. Also, the timeline, time commitment and cost of revising the urban renewal plan to expand the district were identified; and it was noted that monies have not been budgeted for that project. The Board also recognized that two urban renewal districts can be adjacent to each other and can work together to extend infrastructure. A majority of the voting members expressed an interest in not expanding the district in light of the issues identified during the discussion. It was moved by John Usher, seconded by Jeanne Wesley-Wiese, that the district remain as it is. The motion carried on a 5-0 vote. Nolan Campbell returned to the table. Discussion regarding Possible Financing Options for Quiet Zone Studies for Three Crossings. Bobbi Clem reported that she met with representatives from the NorthEast Neighborhood Association (NENA) regarding the quiet zone. She noted that four communities in Montana have implemented quiet zones; and the costs of those crossings have varied NURB Meeting – December 4, 2018 4 significantly. She stated that the crossing on Griffin Drive is No. 23 on the Montana Department of Transportation’s list of projects; and it includes an underpass. She stated a quiet zone cannot be implemented within a half mile of an unregulated crossing; and it is possible that there is an unregulated crossing within a half mile of Griffin Drive. She questioned if pursuing quiet zones at two crossings is of interest. Bobbi Clem reviewed the available information for each of the three crossings as follows: the L Street crossing has 2044 vehicles and 38 trains per day; the Griffin Drive crossing has 8600 vehicles and 28 trains per day; and the Rouse Avenue crossing has 10,361 vehicles and 38 trains per day. She noted that Scott Dehlendorf has indicated a willingness to help financially; and Neighborhood Coordinator Tanya Andreasen has scheduled a meeting from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on January 24, 2019, at the Bozeman Public Library to discuss this issue. Responding to Bob Pavlic, Bobbi Clem stated the first step is to get enough money to cover the $21,000 estimated cost of the study. She noted that monies have been budgeted to cover the study costs for the one crossing within this district but an additional $14,000 is needed. Responding to additional questions, Bobbi Clem stated it is important to contact the other communities that have been successful in installing quiet zones to see what monies might be available for construction and implementation. Bobbi Clem concluded the discussion by stating she feels this issue is best pursued under the NENA umbrella. Staff updates on Items of Interest to the Board. David Fine announced that the Economic Development Department has undergone some internal reorganization, with Brit Fontenot taking on some new duties and responsibilities and him assuming staff responsibilities for all of the tax increment financing districts. David Fine reported that the planned unit development application for the Cottonwood & Ida project has been submitted. He noted there is a gap between the timeline that the applicant anticipates and the timeline that the Department of Community Development is operating under. He stated this revised application includes the elimination of some of the underground parking; however, purchase of the Brewery site will allow the applicant to provide the needed parking. Update on Financial Status of NURB Fund. Robin Sullivan distributed copies of the revenues and expenditures for Fiscal Year 2018-19, the spreadsheet showing expenditures from the bonds, and the spreadsheet showing revenues and expenditures from inception to date. She briefly highlighted the reports, noting that a substantial portion of the second half bond proceeds have been spent and that a small portion of the tax revenues has been received. Responding to questions from Bob Pavlic, Robin Sullivan stated that the Board’s budget includes a $10,000 transfer to cover the Economic Development Department staff time to support this Board; however, the City has transferred $14,000 based on the budget adopted by the Commission. She noted this is the first year that this Board’s budget has not been adopted as submitted. NURB Meeting – December 4, 2018 5 Set Agenda for February 5, 2019 Meeting or Cancel Meeting. John Usher reminded the Board that the January 1, 2019, meeting was previously cancelled. David Fine announced that he has a conflict on February 5 and suggested that the meeting date be changed. Following a brief discussion, the Board agreed to move the meeting to February 12, 2019. To be included on the agenda, in addition to the standard agenda items, are an update on the Cottonwood & Ida project and appointing the Chair and Vice Chair for the calendar year. Responding to John Usher, Bobbi Clem suggested that an update on the depot project be deferred until Bridger Builders requests that it be placed on the agenda. FYI/Discussion. There was no discussion under this agenda item. Adjournment 8:05 p.m. There being no further business to come before the Board at this time, Chair Usher adjourned the meeting. John Usher, Chair Northeast Urban Renewal Board City of Bozeman