Economic & Community Development Committee

Village Hall Village of Lombard 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Economic & Community Development Committee Bill Johnston, Chairperson Reid Foltyniewicz, Alternate Chairperson Dennis McNicholas, Garrick Nielsen, Matthew Pike, Brian LaVaque, Markus Pitchford, Christopher Carter and Andrea Harnden Staff Liaison: William Heniff Monday, August 10, 2015 7:00 PM Village Hall - Community Room 1.0 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance The meeting was called to order by Trustee Johnston at 7:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 2.0 Roll Call Present 5 - Trustee Bill Johnston, Garrick Nielsen, Matthew Pike, Christopher Carter, and Andrea Harnden Absent 3 - Dennis McNicholas, Brian LaVaque, and Markus Pitchford Also present: William Heniff, Director of Community Development; Jennifer Ganser, Assistant Director of Community Development, and Sarah Richardt, Executive Director of Lombard Town Centre. 3.0 Public Participation There was no public participation. 4.0 Approval of Minutes A motion was made by Mr. Pike, seconded by Mr. Nielsen, to approve the minutes from the July 13, 2015 meeting. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 4- Garrick Nielsen, Matthew Pike, Christopher Carter, and Andrea Harnden Absent: 3- Dennis McNicholas, Brian LaVaque, and Markus Pitchford Village of Lombard Page 1 Economic & Community Minutes August 10, 2015 Development Committee 5.0 Unfinished Business There was no unfinished business. 6.0 New Business 150368 Downtown Improvement and Renovation Grant Program Discussion of parameters required for proposed projects to qualify for the program. (DISTRICTS #1 & #4) Ms. Ganser summarized the memo and said that staff recommends allowing an applicant to apply multiple times, but decreasing the percentage from 50% to 25% for items such as signage and awnings. Mr. Carter said he believes the program is for the downtown to stay nice and is ok with 50% each time, but only at the end of an item’s useful life. Ms. Harnden said she liked that other communities had a time limit on how often to apply. Mr. Pike suggested a definition from the IRS or another agency to be less subjective. Mr. Carter said he would accept a demonstration that the item was past its useful life from the applicant. Mr. Nielsen said he liked staff recommendation and liked that we didn’t have a time limit as other communities did. He thought is made Lombard more business friendly. Ms. Richardt asked when would this take effect and said the LTC Board favored a cap of $50,000 for a business. Mr. Heniff said most signage or awnings need to be replaced every five to seven years. He also noted that the ECDC can look at the history of grants received when reviewing a proposal. Mr. Nielson noted that sales tax and employment could be other considerations. Trustee Johnston said this item will be discussed again at the September ECDC meeting with staff finalizing the guidelines. 150378 Lombard Economic Incentive Policy - Initial Overview Discussion of general policies and the framework for the Lombard Economic Incentive Policy. (DISTRICTS - ALL) Mr. Heniff introduced the discussion and referred to the fifteen policy items in the document. He reviewed those with the ECDC. He noted that this discussion will continue into the next month. Mr. Heniff said economic incentives policies are not new to the Village; the downtown grant programs each have an incentive policy. This would help the Village be clear when we speak to developers and businesses on incentives. Mr. Carter asked if the Village has incentives when a business needs to relocate, like TGI Friday’s for Sam’s. Mr. Heniff said currently there is the Downtown Relocation Grant for downtown businesses. Mr. Heniff reviewed the four goals of the Economic Development Strategic Plan which staff would use in starting Village of Lombard Page 2 Economic & Community Minutes August 10, 2015 Development Committee discussions on incentives. He also reviewed past incentives the Village had approved. Ms. Richardt asked when a TIF district should be created and Mr. Heniff said ideally, right before a business comes in to maximize the EAV. Trustee Johnston noted this was a great start. Mr. Nielsen said he believes the Village is on the right track. Mr. Carter said this should be marketed when complete. 7.0 Other Business There was no other business. 8.0 Information Only Lombard Town Centre Report Ms. Richardt summarized her report to the ECDC. She noted that Paradiso will have a grand opening on August 13th and should open on Saturday. Mr. Carter asked if Capone’s closed. Ms. Richardt said yes and that their other location is not in Lombard. Development Project Update Staff provided an update on recent development activity. Mr. Heniff said Sam’s will be heard at the August Plan Commission meeting and go before the ECDC and the Board of Trustees for economic incentives. Mr. Nielsen asked when Sam’s would open. Mr. Heniff said that over the winter permits could be submitted and reviewed, and construction could start spring of 2016 with the opening approximately twelve months later. 9.0 Adjournment A motion was made by Mr. Pike, seconded by Mr. Carter to adjourn the meeting at 8:09 p.m. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 4- Garrick Nielsen, Matthew Pike, Christopher Carter, and Andrea Harnden Absent: 3- Dennis McNicholas, Brian LaVaque, and Markus Pitchford Village of Lombard Page 3