Economic & Community Development Committee

Village Hall Village of Lombard 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Economic & Community Development Committee Trustee Laura Fitzpatrick, Chairperson Trustee Peter Breen, Alternate Chairperson Dennis McNicholas, Garrick Nielsen, Matthew Pike, Angel Camacho, Brian LaVaque, Markus Pitchford, Christopher Carter and Andrea Harnden Staff Liaison: William Heniff Monday, March 10, 2014 7:00 PM Village Hall - Community Room 1.0 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Fitzpatrick at 7:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited, led by Andrea Harnden. 2.0 Roll Call Present 6 - Trustee Laura Fitzpatrick, Dennis McNicholas, Garrick Nielsen, Brian LaVaque, Christopher Carter, and Andrea Harnden Absent 3 - Matthew Pike, Angel Camacho, and Markus Pitchford Also present: Trustee William Ware; William Heniff, Director of Community Development; Jennifer Ganser, Assistant Director of Community Development; Kathy Gilroy; Sarah Richardt, Executive Director of the Lombard Town Centre; and Walter Smith, President of the Lombard Town Centre. 3.0 Public Participation There was no public participation. 4.0 Approval of Minutes A motion was made by Christopher Carter, seconded by Brian LaVaque, to approve the minutes from the January 13, 2014 meeting. The motion passed by a unanimous vote. Village of Lombard Page 1 Economic & Community Minutes March 10, 2014 Development Committee 5.0 Old Business There was no old business. 6.0 New Business 140090 Video Gambling Discussion of the position of the Village on video gambling. Mr. Heniff stated that this item was being brought forward by Trustee William Ware. Mr. Heniff reviewed the history of video gaming in the Village, which is currently prohibited. In June 2013, staff completed a summary memo to the ECDC and no action was taken. Now staff is looking for an initial direction. This item is also being discussed at the Community Relations Committee. Mr. Heniff reviewed the materials with the ECDC. If the ECDC is in support of taking this item further staff can work on a draft ordinance. Mr. Heniff mentioned the memo from the Police Chief citing no increased calls for services or criminal activity in communities that allow for video gaming. The memo from the Village attorney details how video gaming is highly regulated from the State. Trustee Fitzpatrick asked if the ECDC was interested in re-visiting video gaming. She noted the item was well vetted by the community and Village Board of Trustees in the past. She also mentioned the Village would not have control on where the video gaming machines would locate in the Village and that she felt the program has not been around long enough to know if there are any problems. She concluded by saying she has not heard an overwhelming number of Village businesses ask for video gaming to be permitted. Mr. Nielson said he has no aversion to video gaming and likened it to trivia at bars and lottery tickets. He said he met with a business in Countryside that has video gaming and it has not seen any problems arise. He asked how much money the Village could gain from allowing video gaming. Mr. Heniff replied an estimate is between $75,000 and $125,000. Mr. Nielson said he believes that money could help fund Lombard Town Centre or pay for another need. Mr. LaVaque said it matters how much money the business receives since that money could help a business stay open. Mr. McNicholas said he is troubled by the loss of control. He said bars Village of Lombard Page 2 Economic & Community Minutes March 10, 2014 Development Committee are a form of community as people become regulars, and they may not leave their regular places to play video gaming at a new bar. He asked Lombard Town Centre if this would give an edge to our downtown establishments. Ms. Richardt said she talked to downtown businesses. One was not interested, one was not very interested, and another said this could provide an opportunity to open an entirely new business. Mr. McNicholas asked if this would only help businesses who would have video gaming and if others would lose money. Kathy Gilroy, a member of the public, spoke on video gaming and asked Lombard to continue to ban video gaming. Ms. Gilroy spoke of negative side effects such as addictions, bankruptcies, and crime. She referenced South Dakota which changed regulations on gaming losses after it was permitted. She asked the ECDC to consider Lombard businesses who would lose sales to video gaming and to consider Lombard residents. Mr. McNicholas said people have a finite amount of money to spend and wondered if they spend less on food and drink items when they pay video gaming, or if they spend more than they have. He said this could impact the family unit and believes the net gain would be less than referenced in the staff memo. Trustee Fitzpatrick said the State could increase the number of machines or change the regulations in the future. Mr. Carter asked if we could limit the number of machines. Trustee Fitzpatrick said no. Ms. Harden asked if they would need to reapply. Ms. Gilroy responded mostly likely not since the business would already be licensed from the State. If a Village reversed their position on video gaming the current users would be grandfathered in. Mr. Carter said he is ok with video gaming and has looked into the safety issues. He also does not like the loss of control and said it could be too early to tell if there are other issues. Mr. Nielsen asked if the question was to reconsider. He also thought it was too early to tell if there are problems and said he doesn’t like the loss of control. Village of Lombard Page 3 Economic & Community Minutes March 10, 2014 Development Committee Mr. Carter mentioned there are video gaming cafes in Villa Park and Oak Brook Terrace. Trustee Ware said the Board looked into the matter three years ago. In the interim the State has stepped in with a profit sharing agreement and believes that all businesses deserve to be on a level playing field. Trustee Fitzpatrick asked which businesses were interested in video gaming. Trustee Ware named several businesses and said many wanted to put the additional revenue back into their business. He said this would give the businesses a new opportunity. Trustee Fitzpatrick called a vote and asked if the ECDC would like to reconsider the ban on video gaming. The ECDC voted to not pursue further consideration of the matter by a 4-1 vote. Aye: Brian LaVaque. Nay: Dennis McNicholas, Christopher Carter, Andrea Harnden, and Garrick Nielsen. Absent: Matthew Pike, Markus Pitchford, and Angel Camacho. 140103 Lombard Town Centre Report Lombard Town Centre report on their efforts and their role in facilitating activity in the downtown. (DISTRICTS #1 and #4) Ms. Richardt reported on Lombard Town Centre. She reviewed the report that is sent monthly to the State. She noted that in recent years the Illinois Main Street budget, under the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, has been restored. Illinois Main Street is working with Northern Illinois University to create a new businesses toolbox to assist people in starting a new business. Mr. Carter asked what the average rent is downtown. Ms. Richardt said between $9 and $13 per square foot. Mr. LaVaque asked about the restaurant group that was interested in downtown and how much a sprinkler system would cost. He also asked if the Village could offer a grant. Village of Lombard Page 4 Economic & Community Minutes March 10, 2014 Development Committee Ms. Richardt said it could be between $80,000 and $100,000. There are cities that offer grants to connect to the city’s water system. Mr. Heniff said staff did look into this. Currently, a restaurant could receive the Restaurant Forgivable Loan Program, which could be used for a sprinkler, and the Downtown Improvement and Renovation Program. Staff is also in discussions to make the connection costs cheaper by only using a single fire suppression and water line. This item will go before the Public Works Committee. 7.0 Other Business There was no other business. 8.0 Information Only Available Properties Database - Presentation Ms. Ganser presented an overview of the Available Properties Database and Map found on the Village’s website at <http://www.villageoflombard.org/availableproperties> . This information, mostly from third party sources, is updated quarterly. Staff refers small businesses looking for space in Lombard to this website. Mr. McNicholas asked if the zoning is displayed on a listing. Ms. Ganser responded yes. Mr. Heniff noted that staff is working with Sterling Codifiers to enable the Village Code to be searchable. This would help someone find all the business regulations, not only zoning. Downtown Parking Staff asked if there were questions from last month’s memo. There were none. Sprinklers Staff asked if there were questions from last month’s memo. There were none. Development Project Update Staff provided an update on recent development activity. 9.0 Adjournment A motion was made by Christopher Carter, seconded by Andrea Harnden, to adjourn the meeting at 8:15 p.m. The motion passed by a unanimous vote. Village of Lombard Page 5