Downtown Development Commission

DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION Committee Room - Hartley Dodge Memorial Building Date: January 21, 2020 Time: 7:15 pm – Via Zoom REORGANIZATION MEETING MINUTES 1) CALL TO ORDER: This meeting was called to order by Mayor Conley at 7:17 pm. 2) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3) ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: R. Conley, D. Coen, P. Teshima, S. Whitehorn, M. Tomaszewski, T. Honohan, P. Flemming, J. Morris, D. Starker, E. Range, R. Rocco, R. Stern, M. Fabyanski, Michael Pellessier MEMBERS ABSENT: J. Hollenbach, J. Regan ALSO PRESENT: Lisa Ellis, Director of Business Development; Stephen Tindall, Board of Education MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC: None present 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 2021. Copies of said notice were made available to members of the general public. 5) OATH OF OFFICE: Mayor Conley administered the oath of office to the following commissioners. They were then asked to sign and return the written oath document via email to ddc@rosenet.org. a) Deb Coen, Borough Council Member (One year term through December 31, 2021) b) Melanie Tomaszewski, Owner/Merchant/Landlord (Three year term through December 31, 2023) c) Peter Flemming, Sr., Planning Board Representative (Three year term through December 31, 2023) d) Thomas Honohan, Senior Citizen Advisory Committee Representative (Three year term through December 31, 2023) e) Deborah Farrar Starker, Arts Representative (Three year term through December 31, 2023) f) Peter Teshima, At Large Member (Three year term through December 31, 2023) 6) ELECTION OF NEW EXECUTIVE BOARD Note: At the December meeting of each year, the ex-officio member, who will be the election officer, will then accept nominations for the position of Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and 1|Page  Member-At-Large. All nominations, whether oral or written, must be made, seconded and then accepted by the individual nominated. At the beginning of the January meeting, the election officer will accept any nominations from the floor and call the roll to determine those eligible to receive ballots and cast votes. The election officer will prepare the ballots indicating the officers' title and a space in which the eligible voters can write in their choice for each officer's position. The election officer will distribute the ballots to those eligible to vote. Upon completion of the actual vote, the election officer will collect the ballots and will then tabulate the results. The results will be verified by the Council Liaison and by any member of the Commission who is not running for election and who has been appointed by the election officer. The results for each office will also be posted so all present may view the final count. There were no nominations submitted at the December meeting. Mayor Conley serving as the election officer, called for nominations for the following positions • Nominations for Chairperson: Suzy Whitehorn Nominated by D. Starker and Seconded by: M. Tomaszewski • Nominations for Vice Chairperson: Eric Range Nominated by S. Whitehorn and Seconded by: B. Conley • Nominations for Treasurer: Thomas Honohan Nominated by S. Whitehorn and Seconded by: E. Range • Nominations for Secretary: Melanie Tomaszewski Nominated by D. Starker and Seconded by P. Flemming • Nominations for Member-at-Large: John Morris Nominated R. Stern and Seconded by S. Whitehorn Seeing no further nominations were presented, Mayor Conley called for nominations to be closed and asked for a vote. Motion to approve Slate of Officers for 2021 (as noted above) as a single block Moved by: R. Conley and Seconded by: D. Starker Voice Vote: Unanimous 7) ADJOURNMENT OF REORGANIZATION MEETING Motion to adjourn at 7:36 pm. Moved by: T. Honohan and Seconded by: D. Coen Voice Vote: Unanimous REGULAR MEETING MINUTES 1) CALL TO ORDER: This portion of the meeting was called to order by Chair Suzy Whitehorn at 7:38 pm. 2) APPROVAL OF DECEMBER 17, 2020 MINUTES Motion to approve December 2020 Minutes as presented Moved by: E. Range and Seconded by: P. Flemming Voice Vote: Unanimous 3) CHAIRMAN/EXECUTIVE BOARD REPORT a) Review and Approve 2021 Meeting Schedule: The schedule was reviewed and accepted. b) Election of Madison Main Street Foundation (MMSF) Representatives Nominations were made as follows: 2|Page  (1) Representative: Eric Range (nominated by R. Stern seconded by T. Honohan) (2) Representative: Russell Stern (nominated by E. Range, seconded by S. Whitehorn) (3) Representative: Ton Honohan (nominated by E. Range, seconded by D. Starker) Motion to approve slate of MMSF Representatives Moved by: B. Conley and Seconded by: P. Flemming Voice Vote: Unanimous 4) TREASURER REPORT: There was a brief report on the financial transaction for the month. 5) MAYOR’S REPORT: Mayor Conley thanked the commissioners for their continued participation on the DDC and reminded everyone that if at some point the commitment becomes too much, it is okay to step aside. He also reported on his speaking appearance at the Chamber of Commerce Networking Breakfast on January 12, 2021.These are some of the points he shared regarding his vision for the post-pandemic world: World at large:  Stronger sense of community  Importance of Walkability  Summer-long Vacation o If you can work from anywhere, will it be full time in Madison or at a vacation destination?  Need to socialize outside of our pods o Maybe not a sudden opening of the valve but a steady stronger flow o Group activities o Group Dining o Traditional bar scene  Lasting effect of Urban Flight 2020 o New residents o City/suburb expectations o Sidewalk pedestrian plaza o More demand for remote work o Fewer commuters more full day residents  New Office Climate o Mix of remote and on location o Commuter parking surplus o Smaller corporations Here at home:  New round of the CARES Act  Cook Avenue parking lot reconstruction  Adopt-A-Space and the METC park design coming from the DDC  Waverly Place Redesign o Rollout coming soon o Pedestrian Plaza o Alignment with Central Avenue 3|Page   Use of commuter lots o Via permit for merchants and employees o Short-term shopper parking  Continuing outdoor dining pods even after the pandemic abates  Madison Branding o Gateway & Wayfinding o New Flag  Expanding the Arts  DDC - Chamber Partnership  Hoping for Bottle Hill Day like good old days  May Day TBD  Capitalize on our accolades 6) COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT: New Council Liaison Deb Coen introduced herself to the commission and shared her background and desire to get involved. She gave a quick overview of the successful holiday events such as the Secret Santa Giveaway, caroling, etc. She also noted that the Borough Council had begun work on the 2021 budget cycle. 7) PLANNING BOARD REPORT: Peter Flemming and Mayor Conley both mentioned the adoption of the new Master Plan by the board and the changes coming to the appeal process. a) Madison Master Plan 2020: https://publicinput.com/MadisonMP 8) FOUNDATION REPORT: Eric Range reported that at its meeting on December 17, the MMSF approved the DDC’s grant request and forwarded it to the Borough Council for their authorization. 9) MADISON AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE REPORT: John Morris thanked Mayor Conley for attending speaking at the January Networking Breakfast and noted that Kris Pfeifer of Pfeifer Designs, who created the new Borough and DDC brand story, will speak at the February event. John added that the Chamber was working on Valentine’s Day promotions, the new Loyalty Rewards Card and Shelly, the new Easter Scavenger Hunt. They will be holding a virtual Camp Fair. 10) DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REPORT: Here are the websites for two organizations to which the Borough belongs. They offer a lot of different resources that may be of interest: a) Downtown New Jersey: https://www.downtownnj.com/ b) Main Street America: https://www.mainstreet.org/home c) For your information: BOROUGH OF MADISON ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT Special Virtual Meeting, January 28, 2021 at 7:30 P.M, Meeting information can be found here https://www.rosenet.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=4716&month=1&year=2021&day=18&calType=0 CASE NO. Z 20-018 Madison Movie Development, LLC Block: 2702, Lot: 24 14 Lincoln Place Applicant is seeking Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval, for Construct of a Multi-Story Mixed- Use Building requiring Use Variance and Bulk Variance Approval on property located at 14 Lincoln Place, Block: 2702, Lot: 24 in the Central Business District Zone 1 (CBD-1). Agenda: https://www.rosenet.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01282021-1353 11) STANDING COMMITTEES: a) 2021 Membership b) Sign & Façade: (2020 Membership: Suzy Whitehorn, Eric Range, Peter Flemming, Tom Honohan, Karen Giambra) 4|Page  i) There was one applications reviewed and referred to the Borough Zoning Officer since the October DDC meeting. (1) Professional Physical Therapy, 20 Cook Plaza c) PIC (Public Improvement): (2020 Membership: Suzy Whitehorn, Chair; Russell Stern, Bob Rocco, Peter Flemming, Brad Cramer, John Morris, John Hoover) i) 2021 Membership ii) Potential Goals/Projects:  METC Park Design  Adopt A Space Program iii) Action Items:  The Committee is working on developing a proposal for formalizing the Adopt-a Space program in coordination with the Parks Advisory Committee.  Set-up a meeting with Square Acre Studio to begin process for concept design work for the METC Park.  Meeting Notes: The committee met on December 1 at 5:00 pm. Tom Salaki of Square Acre Studio attended the meeting. Tom presented a concept design for the park and there was substantive discussion and feedback given which will help him continue to refine the design options. (a) Highlights of the discussion included the emphasis on the following points: 1. Embracing the shadiness of the site 2. Engage the existing slope in some way. 3. Focus on beautiful but low maintenance plantings 4. Create a multifunctional space 5. Create a central allay featuring small, intimate nooks for art installations and gathering (b) The proposed Adopt-A-Space program was further tweaked and will be shared with the Parks Advisory Committee once finalized. iv) Next Meeting – TBD d) Marketing and Economic Development: (2020 Membership: Suzy Whitehorn, Eric Range, Bob Conley, Russell Stern, Deb Starker, Carla Brady, Melanie Tomaszewski, Jim Hollenbach, John Morris, Michael Pellessier, Karen Giambra) i) 2021 Membership ii) Potential Goals/Projects:  Gateway & Wayfinding Signage  Creation of Marketing Materials iii) Action Items:  The preferred flag design was adopted by the Borough Council at their meeting on December 14 (resolution included with liquor reform resolution in Mayor’s report): https://1drv.ms/b/s!AnwS_DqnT6nMjRDs6gfm7QYNd9eR?e=fxhhB3  The RFP for Gateway & Wayfinding Signage has been released by the Borough: https://www.rosenet.org/DocumentCenter/View/10062/RFP-NOTICE  Meeting Notes: The committee met briefly immediately after the DDC meeting on November 19. There was a brief discussion regarding the process for the evaluation of the RFP responses. The committee will expand to include more Borough representation 5|Page  for the review process and meeting will be scheduled as soon as feasible. iv) Next Meeting – TBD d) Arts & Events: (2020 Membership: Suzy Whitehorn, Deb Starker, Melanie Tomaszewski, Carla Brady, Bob Rocco, John Regan, Tom Honohan, John Morris, John Pietrowski, Jerry Vezza, Karen Giambra, Michael Pellessier, Eric Hafen) i) 2021 Membership ii) Potential Goals/Projects:  Sidewalk Art Gallery analysis and reinvention  Support of Madison Community Arts Center programming and fundraising  Explore public art projects iii) Updates from Eric Hafen:  A second drive-in concert, “A Very Madison Christmas,” was held on Sunday, December 20 at the MRC. The concert featured Broadway performers and the students from the Sellwood Studios of Madison. The concert sold out in three days. The concert was funded by a grant from the Smart Family Foundation.  The Virtual Holiday Arts Festival was both a “crowd-pleaser” and artistic success. Through the collaboration of the film department of FDU and the sponsorship of Adams Dental, the 60-minute performance featured many artists that normally would have appeared at the Holiday Arts Festival in the past. The full concert can be seen on the MACA website, www.madisonartsnj.org.  The installation of the lighting grid at the arts center is continuing to be mobilized with installation expected in early 2021.  Two new grants were awarded to MACA just before the holidays. The first was $1,340 from Morris Arts for a virtual concert to be recorded at the arts center featuring the diverse musicians of Madison. The second was $12,000 received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation to support the purchase of the lighting control board for the arts center. Several other grant applications have been submitted and are pending. i) Next Meeting –TBD 12) AD HOC COMMITTEE AND PROJECT UPDATES: There are no planned reports for these items at this meeting except for those highlighted. a) Taste of Madison (March 22, 2021): Michael Pellessier gave an update on the event, more definite details will be available at the February meeting. b) May Day (May 1, 2021) c) Farmers Market (Thursdays, June 11– November 19, 2021: Lisa Ellis updated the group on the success and challenges of the 2020 Farmers Market. Overall, despite the restrictions necessitated by the pandemic, the season was an overwhelming success. Vendors and customers alike were very happy about the move to Dodge Field. Lisa noted that after speaking to the vendors and the Recreation Director, a change to the scheduled time is warranted. She would like to adjust the hours from 2-7:00 pm to 1-6:00 pm. After discussion, the following motion was made and passed. Motion to adjust the Farmers Market scheduled hours from 2-7:00 pm to 1 – 6:00 pm for the 2021 season. Moved by: E. Range and Seconded by: P. Flemming Voice Vote: Unanimous d) Bottle Hill Day (Saturday, October 2, 2021) 6|Page  e) Downtown Concert Series w/METC (2021 Dates TBD) 13) OLD BUSINESS: There was none discussed. 14) NEW BUSINESS: Deb Starker shared that MACA will hold its first board meeting of the year on February 17. They are committed to continuing to collaborate with the DDC on advancing the arts in Madison and will be looking at strategies for fundraising, etc. Melanie Tomaszewski shared that at the Chamber Focus meeting the topic of another Small Business Grant cycle was brought up. In response, it was noted that given the current financial status of the foundation and the need to raise money for other projects, another round would not be feasible at this time. Eric Range, who also serves as the president of the Board of Health noted that licensing fees for food establishments had been reduced for 2021 in recognition of the continuing financial strain resulting from the ongoing pandemic. 15) INVITATION FOR DISCUSSION FROM THE PUBLIC: There were no members of the public present. 16) ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn at 8:05 pm. Moved by: E. Range and Seconded by: D. Starker Voice Vote: Unanimous NEXT MEETING: Thursday, February 18 at 7:15pm, via Zoom 7|Page