Downtown Development Commission

DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION Committee Room - Hartley Dodge Memorial Building Date: September 19, 2019 Time: 8:00 pm* Note: Time Change MEETING MINUTES: 1) CALL TO ORDER: Vice Chair Eric Range opened the meeting at 8:00 pm. 2) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3) ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: R. Conley, J. Hoover, J. Hollenbach, S. Whitehorn, T. Honohan, P. Flemming, D. Starker, E. Range, R. Stern, M. Fabyanski, C. Brady, Michael Pellessier MEMBERS ABSENT: B. Cramer, R. Landrigan, L. Lajewski, M. Tomaszewski, J. Morris, R. Rocco, G. Herzog ALSO PRESENT: Lisa Ellis, Director of Business Development MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC: Claire Whitcomb 4) OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT: In compliance with the open public meetings act, adequate notice of this meeting of the Downtown Development Commission was provided by distributing the Annual Meeting schedule to the Madison Eagle and Morris County Daily Record, posting a copy on the bulletin board at the main entrance to the Hartley Dodge Memorial Building, posting a copy on the Borough website, and filing a copy with the Borough Clerk, all on or about the first week of January 2019. Copies of said notice were made available to members of the general public. 5) APPROVAL OF JULY 2019 MINUTES Motion to approve July 2019 Minutes as presented Moved by: J. Hoover and Seconded by: D. Starker Voice Vote: Unanimous 6) TREASURER REPORT: The monthly financial reports were distributed. 7) FOUNDATION REPORT: A date for a meeting will be set shortly. 8) MAYORAL REPORT: In addition to the two items listed below, Mayor Conley reported on the Tri- Campus Peace March held earlier on this day and the Street Smart campaign being launched with Transoptions. a) NJ Monthly – Madison Tops Our 2019 List of Best Places to Live https://njmonthly.com/articles/towns-schools/best-places-to-live- nj/?fbclid=IwAR39_BloyQ34EAtyhJE_Sy4-qqDmTmG5PKznf3oROubtv6wqc0Q5iyin5W4 b) Single Use Plastic Bags Model Northern Morris County Model. 8.7.2019 https://1drv.ms/w/s!AnwS_DqnT6nMiE26jOXDFc4i90Fy?e=7clnu8 There was substantive discussion on this topic and the following letter was sent on behalf of the DDC to the Mayor and Council representing the position of the DDC on this issue: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AnwS_DqnT6nMiF4ML4jJxGFTpw2w?e=Xjmwxo 9) COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT: Council Member John Hoover updated the DDC on the Borough Council’s ongoing process on affordable housing. He also spoke about the presentation given by Madison Arts & Events Director Eric Hafen at the last Borough Council meeting. 1|Page  10) PLANNING BOARD REPORT: Peter Flemming noted projects in varied stages of process including improvements to the parking at Giralda 1 and 3 and the redevelopment of 16 Waverly Place. 11) DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REPORT a) Parking Update: Lisa Ellis reported that the Green Avenue Parking Lot has been restriped adding 11 additional parking spaces. She also spoke about the upcoming parking permit renewal process. b) Bylaws Update: c) 14 Lincoln Place Redevelopment – Process Update: There has been no recent activity to report. d) Sidewalk/Outdoor Dining i) Update: This project will be worked on over the winter so that changes will coincide with the spring outdoor dining season. e) Best Practices, Ideas, Information Sharing: i) “National Association of City Transportation Officials – Urban Street Design Guide” https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/street-design-elements/sidewalks/ ii) “Places Where I Don't Want to Sit” https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016/5/23/places-where-i-dont-want-to-sit f)Articles/Information of Interest: i) “Airbnb for parking: Boxcar app lets commuters rent empty driveways” https://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/local/2019/09/18/boxcar-parking-app-helps-rent- out-empty-driveways-lots-commuters/2313178001/ ii) “The Born Again Garage” https://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/gov- garages.html?utm_term=The%20Parking%20Garages%20of%20the%20Future&utm_campai gn=The%20Parking%20Garages%20of%20the%20Future&utm_content=email&utm_source= Act-On+Software&utm_medium=email iii) “This Startup Wants to Tame the Chaos of City Street Parking” https://www.wired.com/story/startup-tame-chaos-city-street- parking/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202019-08- 06%20Smart%20Cities%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:22286%5D&utm_term=Smart%20Cities %20Dive iv) “GSK, Pfizer complete deal to combine consumer health brands” https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2019/08/01/gsk-pfizer-complete-deal-to- combine-consumer.html 12) CHAIRMAN/EXECUTIVE BOARD REPORT: There was no report. 13) STANDING COMMITTEES (CURRENT): Informational only, no discussion planned except as highlighted a) Sign & Façade: Suzy Whitehorn, Eric Range, Leslie Lajewski, Tom Honohan, Karen Giambra i) There have been seven applications reviewed and referred to the Borough Zoning Officer since the July DDC meeting:  World Champion's Tae Kwon Do, 340 Main Street  Madison Dentistry, 268 Main Street  Suburban Shoes, 5 Waverly Place  Morris Elite Soccer Club, 332 Main Street  GameChanger Fitness Madison, 132 Main Street  Pine Acres, 51 Madison Avenue  Tony Boy's Sandwich House, 90 Park Avenue b) PIC (Public Improvement): Suzy Whitehorn, Chair; Russell Stern, Bob Rocco, Peter Flemming, Brad Cramer, John Morris, John Hoover i) The committee met on Tuesday, September 17 at 8:00 am at HDM. The only topic on the 2|Page  agenda was the METC Park Project. The focus of the meeting was to review the METC Park Project Scope Description - Draft  https://1drv.ms/b/s!AnwS_DqnT6nMiExRMdGK5EmUNaj3?e=ZWNRHS c) Marketing and Economic Development: Suzy Whitehorn, Eric Range, Bob Conley, Russell Stern, Leslie Lajewski, Deb Starker, Carla Brady, Melanie Tomaszewski, Jim Hollenbach, John Morris, Michael Pellessier, Karen Giambra i) Update/Timeline - New branding was presented to Council on September 9. There was consensus to move forward but it was requested that it be added to an upcoming agenda for approval with a timeline for rollout. Michael Pellessier and Lisa Ellis are working with the consultants to develop that timeline d) Arts & Events: Suzy Whitehorn, Deb Starker, Melanie Tomaszewski, Carla Brady, Tom Honohan, John Morris, John Pietrowski, Jerry Vezza, Karen Giambra, Michael Pellessier, Eric Hafen i) The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled for Friday, September 20 at 12:00 pm in the Madison Community Arts Center. The following is an outline of the discussion:  The first fundraising event, “Madison Swings”, for the space is scheduled for Saturday, September 21. Get your tickets here: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4307159?fbclid=IwAR0val_kcjYT0LrLRJwpDi wErO1-_0FXkaaobKBx7uB4Bnkygx9KnwbEB7g 14) AD HOC COMMITTEE AND PROJECT UPDATES: These are listed primarily for informational purposes only the items highlighted will be discussed. a) Taste of Madison (March 23, 2020 Tentative): There is no report b) May Day (May 2, 2020): There is no report. c) Madison IntoYellow (TBD): There is no report. d) DDC/MACA Sidewalk Art Gallery & Gala (inactive) e) Farmers Market (Thursdays, May 23 - October 24, 2019) i) Update f) Drew University Town Tour (August 24, 2019) i) Report: There was discussion regarding some of the logistical issues with the tour this year including the payment process and the lack of DDC Commissioner/Community member involvement. A meeting to discuss this should be set for early in 2020. g) Bottle Hill Day (Saturday, October 5, 2019) i) Update: All the planning is all in done and we are hoping for good weather. Sponsorships are down but vendor participation is higher. h) Downtown Concert Series w/METC (June 28, July 12, July 26, August 9, August 23 and September 6, 2019) i) Final concert scheduled for September 6 was postponed to Saturday, September 28 from 2-4:00 pm. i) MACA/DDC Holiday Arts Festival (Friday and Saturday, November 29 and 30, 2019) j) Rose City Summerfest: The dates for Summerfest has been set. It will be held on May 30, with a rain date for May 31. Promotion and planning will begin later this fall. 15) OLD BUSINESS: There was none discussed. 16) NEW BUSINESS – OPEN IDEA SHARING a) Restaurant Week (October 6-11) 3|Page  i) Update: The planning is done and special offers, etc. are coming in from the restaurants to be posted on the webpage. The event is being promoted. 17) INVITATION FOR DISCUSSION FROM THE PUBLIC: Claire Whitcomb, representing the Madison Environmental Commission spoke about the importance of the Plastic Bag Ordinance adoption. 18) ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn at 9:17 pm Moved by: E. Range and Seconded by: B. Conley Voice Vote: Unanimous NEXT MEETING: Thursday, October 17 at 7:15pm, Committee Room - Hartley Dodge Memorial Building. Executive Board Meeting TBD. 4|Page