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2000-10-10MOUND HRA MINUTES - OCTOBER 10, 2000 HRA MINUTES - REGULAR MEETING - OCTOBER 10, 2000 The Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the City of Mound, Hennepin County, Minnesota, met on Tuesday, October 10, 2000, at 6:00 p.m., in the Council Chambers at 5341 Maywood Road, in said City. Those present: Chairperson Pat Meisel; HRA Board Members: Andrea Ahrens, Bob Brown, Mark Hanus, and Leah Weycker. Also in attendance were City Manager Kandis Hanson, Mound Visions Coordinator Bruce Chamberlain, and Recording Secretary Diana Mestad. Others present: Ken and Sally Custer, Jo Longpre, Lorrie Ham (The Laker), David Olson, Terry Olson, Paul Holden, Bart Roeglin, Rick Roberts, Peter Meyer, Phill Mitchum, Bill and Dorothy Netka, David Greenslit, Shirley Hawks. Chairperson Meisel called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. APPROVAL OF AGENDA. MOTION by Hanus, seconded by Brown to approve the agenda. The vote was unanimously in favor. Motion carried. 4-0. TAX INCREMENT FINANCING. 1.0 APPROVE MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 26, 2000. MOTION by Weycker, seconded by Brown, to approve the Minutes of September 26, 2000. The vote was unanimously in favor. Motion carried. 5-0. INFORMATIONfMISCELLANEOUS 1.1 LIVABLE COMMUNITIES GRANT APPLICATION BY BRUCE CHAMBERLAIN This item was moved ahead on the agenda to allow the presenter for item 4 to prepare. Bruce Chamberlain, the Mound Visions CoordL~tor, stated that the Phase 2 Livable Communities grant application had been submitted and the interview date was October 29, 2000. Total funding requested is $900,000 to be allocated as follows: Creation of on-street parking bays and crosswalk treatment on County Road 110 between Auditor's Road and the new County Road 15. $200,000 Underground parking for rental housing in the Auditors Road District. $400,000 Equity buy-down program for town homes in the Haddorf District. $175,000 Facade enhancements to planned grocery store in the Haddorf District $100,000 Transit building. $ 25,000 Mound HRA Minutes. October 10, 2000 The Mound Visions Coordinator stated that applications for this grant in the past have not been successful in part because the Metropolitan Council felt there was no affordable housing that met Hennepin County standards. The proposed equity buy-down program will help accomplish the goal of affordable housing thereby increasing the chance for approval. The Mound Visions Coordinator stated that he feels the chance for approval is greater than it has been with past applications, but that the competition for the grant money is still very strong. HRA Board Member I-Ianus asked whether the equity buy-down program was a cost share with the developer. The Mound Visions Coordinator stated that it was second mortgage type of arrangement with the goal to make it revolving. Chairperson Meisel asked if the City were to receive grant money for the equity buy-down program and establish a revolving fund, would the money always have to be used for housing. The Mound Visions Coordinator stated the money would have to stay with the housing project. HRA Board Member Hanus asked how specific the presentation to the Met Council would be and how strictly the City would be held to the specifics of the presentation. The Mound Visions Coordinator stated that the City would only be allowed ten minutes for the presentation and it would be very vague. He stated that as long as the funds were generally used for the purposes they were requested and met the criteria of livable communities; the Met Council would accept this. Chairperson Meisel asked if there was a track record for cities receiving a percentage of their request. The Mound Visions Coordinator stated that the Met Council had asked what the City would use the money for if only a portion was received. The different aspects of the project were broken down by cost for this use. (See above.) HRA Board Member Brown stated that the Planning Commission had reviewed the housing density and he felt that 15 units per acre was high density. The Mound Visions Coordinator stated that 15 units is an overall density number and that these figures came from the Beard Group. HRA Board Member Hanus agreed that this would not be endorsing a particular housing density. HRA Board Member Brown stated it was an overall figure and that some areas could have a density of 20 and some could have a density of 10. The Mound Visions Coordinator stated that green space is subtracted out of the equation and that this is the number of net houses, not the gross. The City Manager stated that the questions being raised could be answered by the presentation that was set to follow. 2 Mound HRA Minutes. October 10. 2000 1.2 .MARY BU. IOLD OF MAXFIEI,D RFSEARCH. ]NC, WITH TOWN CENTER PRP-SENTATION. Mary Bujold, of Maxfield Research, addressed the HRA Board, stating that the company she represented was a marketing research firm Chat specifically focused on the real estate industry. Ms. Bujold presented a slide show and discussed the specifics of her research. Ms. Bujold stated that the town center concept brings commercial and residential areas back together. The area serves the residents, visitors, and businesses. She stated that oftentimes these are the center of government services including the post office and courthouse. The concept allows for a mixed-use environment where different uses enhance one another. Ms. Bujold stated that the housing appeals to the whole life cycle, which is a new concept. She then showed examples of this type of housing in use around the metro area. Ms. Bujold stated that the commercial space focuses on retail on the first level with office space on the second level. She stated that this arrangement best allows for shared parking. Amenities included with this concept are pocket parks, larger parks, and trail systems. The mixed-use development helps to create momentum and allows redevelopment to occur on a faster scale. Ms. Bujold stated that redevelopment and revitalization of a city requires commitment to a plan that can provide guidance, stability and consistency. She further stated that patience is necessary in order to achieve the vision. HRA Board Member Brown stated that he liked the idea of momentum and getting people excited about the redevelopment. Chairperson Meisel stated that she felt that patience was an important part of the process. Ms. Bujold stated that some communities talk about a 20-year plan for redevelopment and it is important to be prepared for that possibility. She stated that strong-minded entrepreneurs are needed to keep the vision going. HRA Board Member Brown stated that he liked the example of the Richfield project overlooking the lake and wondered about the possibility of the proposed hotel in Mound being located to overlook Lost Lake. I-IRA Board Member Weycker asked what types of things are possible when there are no historic buildings to work with. Ms. Bujold stated that the trend was to create buildings that look old by using photographs from the city's past. She stated that Mound was an old resort community and this could be a possibility. Ms. Bujold stated that there is a national trend toward nostalgia. HRA Board Member Weycker asked what kind of tweaks for the redevelopment Ms. Bujold would recommend. Ms. Bujold stated that trying to maintain a sense of being a Main Street would be effective, but that it would be important to be flexible with this concept as the zoning codes would need to work. 3 Mound HRA Minutes. October 10. 2000 K¢I1 Ctlst~r a~lg~x/if ~¢r¢ wa~ a gellerall¥ accep~ formula for traffic e0tmt that could relate to the amount of rent charged for a building. He stated that currently the square foot rent is low and will go up when the redevelopment is complete. He wondered if there was a way to determine whether the new rents were affordable. Ms. Bujold stated that the traffic count would vary by individual businesses, but that most traffic counts are predicated on a vehicular traffic count. She stated that in a mixed-use development, the area was also used as a neighborhood shopping district, which would increase the traffic on foot. She stated that she did not know of a generic formula, but she would check with some of her sources and get back to Mr. Custer with specifics, if available. The Mound Visions Coordinator asked Ms. Bujold what her impression was of the Mound marketplace in terms of who she saw living and shopping in the area. Ms. Bujold stated that empty nesters and young independent seniors are drawn in fa'st. She further stated that Mound is ideally located in a lake community and there is a great appeal to living in a resort community. She stated that Mound has a long time housing stock and that many people want to stay in the area, but the current housing does not meet their needs. Jo Longpre stated that over the last few weeks she has spoken with two realtors who both said that Mound is exploding and that people are very impressed with the school system. MOTION by Brown, seconded by Ahrens to adjourn the meeting at 7:05 p.m. The vote was unanimously in favor. Motion carried. 5-0. Kandis Hanson, City Manager Attest: City Clerk 4