Neighborhood Planning Council 1 - Post-Franklin

POST/FRANKLIN NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING COUNCIL Doris Hale Facility 100 Green Street Thursday, April 4, 2024 @ 7:00 PM DRAFT James Moreno called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm at the Doris Hale Facility. Attendance: Members Present: Mary Fields, Cindy Fritz, Pamela Geleff, Andre Hoaglin-Jackson, James Moreno, Kjersten Sullivan, Yvonne Powell, Pat Shellenberger, Faye Washington Members Excused: Ryan Hoaglin-Jackson, LaMarr Mingle City Staff/Commissioners: Tommy Engels, Code - City of Battle Creek, Tylon Dilling, BCPD, Amy Rose Robinson, CCLBA, Quinton Hay, CCLBA Guests and Visitors: Heather Ignash, BCU, Bridgettte Jones, BCU Additions or Deletions to the Agenda: Presentation from BCU about downtown hotel Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes: Motion to approve the March 7, 2024, minutes was made by Cindy Fritz, seconded by Pat Shellenberger. Motion carried. Police Report: Officer Tylon Dilling shared he was covering for Cpl. Leach this month. He is the COPS officer for Riverside/Minges Brooks. He reported that Cpl. Leach had nothing particularly noteworthy to report this month and will be back next month. Correspondence and Announcements: Monday, April 8 is a meeting at Doris Hale to discuss the proposed rezoning of E Michigan (Caine to Stiles) to T-3. The meeting will start at 5:30. All are invited and please pass along to your neighbors. Congratulations Faye on getting your childcare certification. Committee and Staff Reports Code: Tommy Engels distributed the code compliance report. There was a question about the number of mattresses one is allowed to have stacked beside their garage, the answer is none. There was also a question about what is meant in the code report by Zoning-Illegal Use. This is when a building is being used for something not permitted by its zoning. 33 Rockford is flagged for this; it is a homeless encampment. Beautiful Battle Creek: Motion to submit 11, 16, and 27 Lorem Court for Beautiful Battle Creek. Motion made by Pamela Geleff and seconded by Mary Fields. Approved Membership: Remember to invite your neighbors. Old Business: Calhoun County Area Land Bank: Motion was made to establish a formal conversation with the Land Bank for land use in NPC 1. Motion made by Andre Hoaglin-Jackson and seconded by Pamela Geleff. Approved. Amy Rose Robinson shared this work will begin in the second half of the year. Also, as we go through the land use strategy, it could include other public land if it is adjacent to a land bank property. And projects currently in the works will continue. New Business: BCU presenting on the new Doubletree Hotel (formerly McCamley) Heather Ignash, Economic Development specialist for BCU and Bridgettte Jones, VP of Operations for BCU, shared an update on the soon-to-open Doubletree Hotel. It will be a training hotel for the hospitality industry, and BCU has partnered with KCC and CACC to build careers in hospitality. Additionally, there will be a career development specialist on staff to help people grow in the industry. Hotel is expected to open in August. They plan to seek a certificate of occupancy on July 15, open the hotel August 1, and have a grand opening mid August. The opening will bring 170+ jobs, which they are already seeking to fill. There is an open house at KCC on April 17, from 4-7pm. NPC members were also given flyers with QR codes on them for interested applicants to register. The move from McCamley to Doubletree was to help with name recognition. The hotel is owned by BCU and will be managed by 6pm, a hotel management company. The renovation includes all new mechanical, lobby, a lobby bar, an outward facing restaurant (The Alloy), and a 16th floor cocktail lounge (The Beacon). There will be a mini market on the first floor featuring local items. Locally sourced items will include noteables like Kellogg and Post, but also small local restaurants like Café Rica and Simply Sensational Berries. Avis will be moving back into the hotel. An atrium/exhibit space will connect the hotel to the Kellogg Arena and the parking ramp. Along Jackson Street will be a beer garden with green space to complement the Festival Market Square. The ballroom holds 500 and will be available for meetings and conventions. There will also be 7 breakout rooms for smaller gatherings. The hotel could, in theory, host three weddings simultaneously. Also, Doubletree will feature it’s signature cookies in the lobby. This signature item gives guests a sense of welcome. Member Comments: The Post community garden will open in May, most likely the second week. Gardening days are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-8pm and anyone is welcome. Public Comments: On April 10th, Land Bank is hosting a meeting at Washington Heights UMC about legacy properties, navigating the legal system in estate planning, and using real estate to build generational wealth. Also the Calhoun Builders Connection group meetings on the 4th Friday of the month at Torti Taco downtown to build connections between existing and emerging local contractors. Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 7:50 pm Next Scheduled Meeting: Thursday, May 2, 2024, at 7 pm, Doris Hale Facility. Respectfully submitted, Kjersten Sullivan