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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFebruary 22, 2001 r,\ () U CITY of ANDOVER ¡' '\ U I I Economic Development Authority Meeting - Thursday, February 22,2001 Call to Order -7:00 PM Approval of Minutes Discussion Items 1.. Interview EDA Candidates 2. Approve Andover Station Covenants '" Other Business .). () Adjournment 0 u 0 0 CITY of ANDOVER ANDOVER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING FEBRUARY 22,2001 - MINUTES A Meeting of the Andover Economic Development Authority was called to order by Mayor Mike Gamache on February 22,2001, 7:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Present: Councilmembers Don Jacobson, Mike Knight, Ken Orttel, Julie Trude Resident member Robert Nowak Absent: None Also present: Acting City Administrator, Dave Carlberg APPROVAL OF MINUTES January 2, 2001, Meeting Minutes: Correct as written. CJ Motion by Jacobson, Seconded by Orttel, to approve the Minutes. Motion carried unanimously. FIRST ALLIANCE BANK FACILITY Mr. Carlberg showed the samples of earth tone brick, rock and shingles that will be used for the First Alliance Bank building on the comer of Bunker Lake Boulevard and Jay Street. ANDOVER STATION COVENANTS Mr. Carlberg suggested members of the EDA provide him with copies of the covenants with their proposed changes. At this point, he felt the covenants need further review before approval. INTERVIEW EDA CANDIDATES The EDA interviewed the following candidates, asking each why they want to be on the Authority, what type of commercial or industrial business they would like the City to pursue, what is their opinion on the City of Andover offering financial assistance to incoming businesses and do they think there is enough business in Andover now: 0 Bill Hupp Fred Larsen Edward Schultz Terri Hokanson " i 'ì \, ) \~ - "- Andover Economic Development Authority Meeting \ j Minutes - February 22, 2001 / Page 2 (Interview EDA Candidates, Continued) Bill Hupp - has been on the EDA for 3 years and enjoys it; is able to observe what other cities are doing because of his line of work and his past experience in Maple Lake; feels he has a lot of good ideas to contribute to the Authority; feels what the City is doing in the way of commercial development is very good; likes the fact that the City is targeting upscale businesses but would like to see more technical or professional companies; suggested an office area is needed to compliment what is being put into place; thinks this would be a good place for start-up companies; would defer to the wishes ofthe citizens and the direction from the City Council but didn't think sacrificing open spaces for the economics of business is the way to go; feels offering incentives for in-coming businesses is a good idea, noting the revolving fund established in Maple Lake for incoming businesses; suggested recruiting start-up companies can be done through places like the University of Minnesota, that Andover needs to get the word out that it wants these types of businesses; sees the next step as contacting local bankers to be able to work with new talent that wants to start businesses; thinks once the commercial land is developed, the EDA should look to the redevelopment of target areas for businesses it wants to attract. '\ Fred Larsen - has just moved his manufacturing business from Blaine to Ramsey because of an issue , \, j with outdoor storage and their inability to work with the City to resolve some issues; is interested in serving on the Authority because of his business experience and background in applied economics; would like to see more industrial with a support network around it, such as having a steel supplier nearby to support his business; has always had an interest in politics and became more interested since moving to Andover by reading the local newsletter; has the philosophy that it is difficult to complain without having an active voice in the community; moved his business to Ramsey because Andover has only limited industrial and they were looking for an existing building; feels it is almost necessary to offer financial incentives for incoming businesses because Andover is competing with other cities doing the same thing; explained the building they bought in Ramsey was two years old and they will have five years with no property taxes; noted zoning and covenant issues may be harder to deal with than financial issues when establishing a business in an area; lost two employees when he moved his business to Ramsey because of the lack of public transportation. Edward Schultz - was interested when the junkyards in Andover disappeared, thinking now Andover has moved from the rural to a conventional suburban setting; brings a different background to the Authority because of his international experiences; helps bring and set up businesses in Minnesota; has the background that brings more depth to see potential problems that someone may have down the road; hears from business owners that they don't have anyone to talk to; would like to see an industrial park with light manufacturing such as machine shops which have the highest payroll in the State of Minnesota and generates revenue fast; doesn't think he would have done anything different in the commercial development of the City; likes what he sees in terms of removing those \ things that were an impedient to the growth of the City; sees the slow economy as an impedient to ) commercial development in the City but doesn't know how much advertising Andover has done to attract business; sees this as a good location for light industrial because of the labor market from the Anoka-Hennepin Technical College; doesn't thinking providing financial incentives to incoming I " (- ) \J Andover Economic Development Authority Meeting J Minutes - February 22, 2001 Page 3 (Interview EDA Candidates, Continued) businesses is necessary; feels Andover has done a nice job of controlling growth in a well, thought- out manner; pointed out business owners tell him weekly their biggest problem is finding people to work; feels there would be no problem filling up an industrial park of all machine shops with people from the community; noted people want to live and work here because of the quality of life issue; thinks there should be no problem attracting businesses because Andover is not that far from Highway 10, noting the biggest issue is to get the people; pointed out that because of the demand, tool and die makers with 10 years experience make more than degreed engineers. Terri Hokanson - owns a mortgage company with an office in Ham Lake; has been an Andover resident for almost 14 years and watched the community grow and develop; feels this is an appropriate time for her to start getting involved in the community; feels she can lend a different perspective being a small business owner; feels there is a lack of available space for small incubator- type businesses in Andover; referred to an article in the Star Tribune about Eden Prairie which developed a technology core in their business area for their own residents who wanted to start businesses and did not want to commute to work; started her own business for the same reason; feels Andover has a very large population that potentially have desires and abilities to become business "- owners if the City would provide the environment to grow and prosper; struggles with the lack of '--- . ) high-speed internet access, which would be needed for the concept to work; would prefer to have her business in Andover, as she has no ability to grow at her current location, but there is no available space; would like to see more office space, thinking there is enough retail within the vicinity; would like to see Andover grow from within liked Eden Prairie did; feels that can be accomplished because Andover has already created a desirable commercial environment and a desirable community to live in; suggested the next step is to get the commercial piece, which needs high speed internet access; doesn't see the freeway as an issue because the City is not that far away; personally would rather have a place to work than additional retail in this area; is creative and aggressive; brings to the Authority good vision and instincts that have served her well; lives and works here; represents the common person and the uncommon one; has taken risks in her life; is not aware that Andover provides financial incentives to incoming businesses, noting Eden Prairie did not do so; guesses those incentives may not be necessary if it is done right, as people will come to Andover anyway. SELECTION OF EDA MEMBERS The Authority noted there is only one opening at this time. Because they felt all of the applicants were highly qualified, discussion was on the possibility of expanding the Authority to eight or nine members. , "- Motion by Trude, Seconded by Knight, to amend the By-Laws to have a total of three resident \_~ members on the EDA (which increases the Authority by one member). Motion carried unanimously. / '\ ~_J <J Andover Economic Development Authority Meeting \ J Minutes - February 22, 2001 Page 4 (Selection of EDA Members, Continued) The Authority considered the applicants and came to the conclusion that at least three of the candidates would be a valuable addition to the Authority. It was also felt with a larger body, it may be feasible to establish subcommittees to explore various issues. Motion by Knight, Seconded by Orttel, to increase the Authority to nine members (5 Councilmembers, 4 resident members). Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Carlberg stated Staffwill make the change in the By-Laws and bring it back for formal approval. The Authority agreed that for now, only one new member can be appointed to fill the vacant seat. It was agreed two other residents will be selected as alternates with the expectation that both alternates will be appointed to the Authority when the By-Laws are formally changed to nine members. Motion by Jacobson, Seconded by Trude, to appoint Terri Hokanson to the vacant spot on the Authority. Motion carried unanimously. '\, , , Motion by Trude, Seconded by Jacobson, to appoint Edward Schultz as the first alternate to the \ J Authority. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Trude, Seconded by Orttel, to appoint Fred Larsen to the second alternate position of the Economic Development Authority. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Jacobson, Seconded by Knight, to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:37 p.m. Respectfully submitted, 1\~~~L- Marcella A. Peach Recording Secretary " )