Economic Development Commission

City Middletown, CT Economic Development Committee Minutes from the Economic Development Committee Meeting November 15, 2021 Meeting was conducted via video conference call Present: V. Loffredo, T. Gennaro, J. Blackwell, P. Pessina Absent: E. McKeon Executive: Staff: J. Samolis, T. Marano Meeting Minutes 1. Call to Order: Chairman V. Loffredo called the meeting to order at 7:18 PM 2. Minutes: J. Blackwell made a motion, seconded by A. Gennaro to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 14, 2021. Vote: Unanimous in favor of the motion. 3. Public Session: Jeff Pugliese, Vice-President of the Middlesex County Chamber, said it supports the following items on the agenda: under Old Business - items d) i, ii, iii, and e); and, under New Business, items a. and b. Alan Marshall introduced himself as the project liaison for Landmark Investment Group (LIG). Sean Bennett spoke in support of the LIG project saying it will increase the property and auto taxes. It will be an opportunity to generate jobs for Middletown residents and the $100,000 gift to Middletown will yield. The LIG project will positively impact the BIPOC community. Bishop William McKissick Pastor New Jerusalem Church, President of Ministerial Alliance supports the LIG project because the $1MM minority contractor set-aside creates a precedent going forward. Gerry Daley spoke in favor of the LIG project and the tax abatement. Michael Bartunek small business owner in Middletown, spoke in support of LIG project and the abatement. Alan Marshall read into the record a letter from Brian O’Rourke who supports the LIG project and tax abatement. Alan Marshall read into the record a letter from Kristal Lastrina in support of the LIG project and tax abatement. V. Loffredo closed the public session 4. Communications There were no communications from the public. 1 5. Old Business a. Update on $55 Million Bond: J. Samolis combined the updates from item 5a., Update on the $55 Million Bond and Item c. Riverfront Master Plan. He reviewed the status of the planning effort. The consultants are busy conducting interviews with small groups and individuals. The City’s Parking Department is upgrading the parking meters, as they are no longer functional. It will pull $350,000 of the parking line on the bond authorization. b. Arcade Development: J. Samolis stated there was nothing new to report. c. Small Business Grants – J. Samolis reviewed the grant applications. They are all pre-qualified. Forty-five have been approved so far, and, including the three under consideration, there are another 11 in review. Relish 670 LLC - V. Loffredo made a motion, seconded by A. Gennaro, to award the grant the grant to this company. Vote: Unanimous in favor of the motion Yu’s LLC dba Juicy Cajun Seafood – V. Loffredo made a motion, seconded by P. Pessina, to award the grant the grant to this company. Vote: Unanimous in favor of the motion Cantina Café Ristorante – V. Loffredo made a motion, seconded by P. Pessina, to award the grant to this company. Vote: Unanimous in favor of the motion J. Blackwell made a motion, seconded by A. Gennaro to move the grants to the Common Council once they are fully qualified. Vote: Unanimous in favor of the motion d. Tax Stabilization Agreement – Newfield Street of Middletown LLC – Alan Marshall reviewed the project’s details and benefits which include neighborhood store, EV charging, rain collection, community gardens, $55.8 MM impact, 224 direct jobs. The Landmark Investment Group (LIG) will create a “Discover Middletown” program and donate $100,000 to downtown businesses, purchase $2,000 of DBD gift cards for residents. LIG will offer a 2  $1MM set-aside for socially and economically disadvantaged contractors to work on the project. J. Samolis reviewed the presentation. The members discussed the new elements LIG presented and the negotiations between LIG and the Mayor. A. Gennaro made a motion to move LIG’s abatement proposal dated 2-1-21 to the Common Council. There was no second to the motion, so the motion failed. Vote: No vote was taken as the motion was not seconded V. Loffredo directed the staff to present a side-by-side comparison of the two proposals at the next EDC meeting. 6. New Business a. Historic Structure Rehabilitation Tax Abatement – 73 Main Street J. Samolis reviewed the application. April Brodeur discussed the project and the need for the abatement. It is a 70% per year for ten years. She is rehabilitating this structure at a cost of $225,000 +/-. The members discussed the abatement request. P. Pessina made a motion, seconded by J. Blackwell to move the abatement request to the Common Council. Vote: Unanimous in favor of the motion b. Land Swap and Conservation Easement for Map Lots 09-0017 and 10-0147 J. Samolis reviewed the land swap and the reasons for it. The owner Dominick DeMartino explained the history of his ownership and his proposal to keep 14 acres and donate 25 acres to the City, including a conservation easement. The members discussed the swap. V. Loffredo made a motion, seconded by P. Pessina to move the land swap to the Common Council. Vote: Unanimous in favor of the motion c. Schedule for EDC Meetings in 2022 The members discussed the meeting schedule for 2022. V. Loffredo observed the November meeting would be on election day, so the EDC would have to move it. V. Loffredo made a motion, seconded by P. Pessina, to accept the schedule as presented and hold the meetings via WebEx. Vote: Unanimous in favor of the motion 3 7. Adjournment: J. Blackwell made a motion, seconded by P. Pessina to adjourn the meeting. Vote: Unanimous in favor of the motion Chairman Loffredo adjourned the meeting at 10:28 pm 4