Southtown Corridor Improvement Authority - Regular Meeting

Southtown Corridor Improvement Authority 400 Franklin Street SE Minutes Packet Grand Rapids, MI 49507 July 20, 2022 @ 11:00 AM ICCF Community Center PRESENT: Kristian Grant, Jonathan Farman, Reuben Ramos, Commissioner Senita Lenear. ABSENT: Helen Harp, Darel Ross, Commissioner Nathaniel Moody, Eric Williams. OTHERS: Verah Narh-Kamara, Tricia Chapman, Rocio Perez, Ken Miguel Cipriano, Vickie Runyon (Visions and Dreams) I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 11:06 AM by Vice-Chair Kristian Grant. II. Public Comment on Agenda Items None. III. Minutes Approval Approval of Minutes from May 18, 2022 No comments or questions were noted. Motion to approve minutes from May 18, 2022. RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Ruben Ramos, Member SECONDER: Senita Lenear, Commissioner YEAS: Kristian Grant, Jonathan Farman, Ruben Ramos, Senita Lenear ABSENT: Helen Harp, Darel Ross, Nathaniel Moody, Eric Williams IV. Financial Statements 1. Preliminary Interim Financial Statements as of June 30, 2022 Tricia Chapman presented the report and noted that the statements are preliminary and not final. Commissioner Lenear asked for an update on the Third Ward Equity Fund and how it is being used. Kelsey Liebenow noted those funds are being used to cover expenses that the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is not able to cover such as trash maintenance. Commissioner Lenear added that the intent for those funds was to make them accessible to all business districts in the third ward. She has had some preliminary Generated 7/27/2022 03:05 PM Southtown Corridor Improvement Authority Meeting Full Page 2 July 20, 2022 discussions with Town and Country about a potential facade grant. She would like to discuss this further to explore some potential projects for those funds. She added that it will be helpful to see a line item that will track the use of those funds. Ms. Chapman noted that there is a line item on the statements to track those funds. Motion to approve statement C, list of expenditures from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Senita Lenear, Commissioner SECONDER: Jonathan Farman, Member YEAS: Kristian Grant, Jonathan Farman, Ruben Ramos, Senita Lenear ABSENT: Helen Harp, Darel Ross, Nathaniel Moody, Eric Williams V. Action Items 1. Third Ward Business Retention Incentive Program Amended Application Verah Narh-Kamara presented this item. Kristen Grant, the applicant was present and she provided details on the changes happening with the project. She noted that the condition of the property did not allow for the intended use hence the changes in the project scope. Commissioner Lenear inquired about the grant amount in relation to the changes in the project. Ms. Grant noted that the amendment does not affect the grant amount, everything will remain the same. Reuben Ramos wanted to know about the plans for renting the property. Ms. Grant answered the property will be listed as affordable and may even go beyond the standard 'affordable" rates. Ms. Grant added that even though the project cost has significantly increased, their goal is to be in the $1000 range or less if possible. Jon Farman asked about the parking situation for the project. Ms. Grant noted there is enough parking on the side of the building. Motion to approve the amended Third Ward Business Retention Incentive Program application for 1713 Madison Avenue. RESULT: APPROVED [3 TO 0] MOVER: Ruben Ramos, Member SECONDER: Senita Lenear, Commissioner YEAS: Jonathan Farman, Ruben Ramos, Senita Lenear ABSTAIN: Kristian Grant ABSENT: Helen Harp, Darel Ross, Nathaniel Moody, Eric Williams 2. 61st District Court Maintenance Contract Renewal Ms. Liebenow presented the item and noted the contract amount has slightly increased Generated 7/27/2022 03:05 PM Southtown Corridor Improvement Authority Meeting Full Page 3 July 20, 2022 due to the new trash cans installation project with Activ city. She added that the committee approved a not to exceed the amount of $15,000 to cover the possible increase. Ms. Grant made a complaint about unattended trash cans in the Madison Square District. Commissioner Lenear suggested digging deeper to ensure the work is being done, possibly dividing the hours. She added that the board should consider postponing this item and having further discussions with the 61st district court. Ms. Liebenow suggests approving the renewal to avoid any delays with the service while following up with the discussion about the quality of work. Ms. Grant believes the communication piece is also missing and businesses should be informed of contact people for trash pickups. Ms. Liebenow suggested adding some laminate cards with contact information around the cans. Ms. Grant inquired about the cancellation terms for the contract. Ms. Kamara answered there is a 90-day cancellation notice requirement in the contract. Commissioner Lenear suggested updating the number on the contract to reflect the number of cans in the corridor. Ms. Liebenow noted conversations are happening with Alger Heights District regarding their trash cans which will affect the total number of trash cans and some cans are damaged and being replaced hence the contract is not listing all 60 cans. Mr. Farman the President of the Alger Heights Business Association requested the new trash cans be installed in their district to be consistent with the rest of the districts. The board agreed to support the contract and will continue to review their performance and make requests for improvements where necessary. If the concerns keep getting ignored, the board will then proceed with a 90 days notice. Motion to approve the 61st District Court maintenance services contract renewal for a not to exceed the amount of $15,000. RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Senita Lenear, Commissioner SECONDER: Ruben Ramos, Member YEAS: Kristian Grant, Jonathan Farman, Ruben Ramos, Senita Lenear ABSENT: Helen Harp, Darel Ross, Nathaniel Moody, Eric Williams 3. Southtown Facade Improvement Program Projects Ms. Kamara presented this item to the board and Ms. Liebenow provided more details and noted that one of the applicants on the list has an application currently on hold pending further discussions about the project scope/ building use. Commissioner Lenear would like some consistency in the language used to describe the design service grant. She suggested using "Architectural Grant" instead of "Design". Mr. Farman asked if the board has ever rejected a facade application due to the proposed building use. Ms. Liebenow confirmed there has been one application rejected in the past, but she is not sure of the reasons behind the rejection. Mr. Farman added that the grant is for facade and approval terms should not be dependent on the building Generated 7/27/2022 03:05 PM Southtown Corridor Improvement Authority Meeting Full Page 4 July 20, 2022 use. Ms. Liebenow presented the second grant which is an architectural grant request for a project that was completed in the past. Ms. Grant inquired about receipts from the architectural cost incurred. The Commissioner made a motion to approve the two facade grants presented. Mr. Ramos requested the motion be amended to exclude the Harvest Health application because the board does not have a policy regarding the retroactive use of facade funds. Mr. Farman requested an explanation for the new motion. Commissioner Lenear amended her motion to exclude the Harvest Health design grant request because the application documents indicated the project was completed before the Architectural Design element was added to the Facade Program. Ms. Liebenow will present a policy around the retroactive use to the committee for board approval. Motion to approve the façade application for 754 Burton for a total of $15,000 and to exclude 1944 Eastern Ave architectural grant request. RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Senita Lenear, Commissioner SECONDER: Ruben Ramos, Member YEAS: Kristian Grant, Jonathan Farman, Ruben Ramos, Senita Lenear ABSENT: Helen Harp, Darel Ross, Nathaniel Moody, Eric Williams 4. Old Facade Program Applications Extension Kelsey presented the project and noted it is a one-time policy for façade applications that were approved over two years ago and are still uncompleted. Commissioner Lenear noted this request is very generic and it implies this extension could apply to all existing applicants. She suggested postponing this discussion until there is clarity on the properties affected, perhaps listing the exact applications this extension applies to. Ms. Kamara noted there are 3 applications affected and there is a list in a place that is not included in the memo. Ms. Liebenow explained that the intention is to have this policy affect people who applied before the 2 years timeline was implemented. Kelsey will find the exact date the timeline was implemented and notify all applicants affected. She would also work on presenting a policy around the retroactive use of the façade guidelines. Motion to approve the extension request for old façade applications with the amendment of including retro dates for all applications approved before the new guideline was implemented. Generated 7/27/2022 03:05 PM Southtown Corridor Improvement Authority Meeting Full Page 5 July 20, 2022 RESULT: APPROVED WITH CONDITIONS [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Senita Lenear, Commissioner SECONDER: Kristian Grant, Vice-Chair YEAS: Kristian Grant, Jonathan Farman, Ruben Ramos, Senita Lenear ABSENT: Helen Harp, Darel Ross, Nathaniel Moody, Eric Williams 5. Harvest Health Bike Racks Funding Request Kelsey presented this item and added that there have been similar requests in the past and it will be helpful for the board to consider a Southtown-wide bike rack program. She noted Mobile GR can research to designate various spots for bike racks. Mr. Farman added that there are some broken racks in the Alger Heights district that require replacement. Ms. Grant noted there is a requirement for developers to include bike racks in their projects and several projects are coming up now. The board discussed and agreed a corridor-wide project is best suited for the needs of the corridor. The board is interested in branding the bike racks and would like to discuss a possible maintenance plan for the racks when the racks are installed. There were conversations regarding asset inventory for Southtown assets (trash cans, bike racks, etc.) Ms. Kamara noted the Economic Development Department in collaboration with Mobile GR is discussing a possible asset mapping project that will be presented to the board in the future. RESULT: WITHDRAWN VI. Discussion Items 1. Eastern Avenue (Burton to Ardmore) Road Project Update Ms. Liebenow informed the board that the committee is requesting a follow-up meeting with Engineering to access Southtown’s monetary contribution to the Eastern Ardmore project. Commissioner Lenear inquired about the communication strategy of the Engineering Department. She has been notified of an ongoing construction project at the Eastern Ardmore project location. Ms. Liebenow explained that the current project is a traffic signal project, and it was a miscommunication among community members. Ms. Kamara will follow up with Engineering about their means of communication during road projects. VII. Reports 1. Corridor Manager and Committees 1. Facade Improvement Program Guidelines Update Mis Liebenow presented this item and noted that there have been no changes to the Generated 7/27/2022 03:05 PM Southtown Corridor Improvement Authority Meeting Full Page 6 July 20, 2022 actual guideline, the document was edited to make it more readable. 2. Trash Receptacle Installation Updates This was discussed earlier in the meeting. Alger Heights is interested in having new trash cans installed in their district. 3. Corridor Manager and Committee Updates Ms. Liebenow presented the reports. VIII. Other Business None. IX. Public Comment Rocio Perez introduced herself as the GROW 1000 project intern assigned to the Economic Development office. Ken Miguel-Cipriano introduced himself to the board as the liaison for Mobile GR. Ms. Grant suggested including him in the conversations about the bike racks. X. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned by Vice-chair, Kristian Grant at 12:27 PM. Generated 7/27/2022 03:05 PM