City Council Committee Agendas

City of Mount Vernon Economic Development Committee Minutes from November 18, 2015 Chairperson Joe Lindquist called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Present were Council members Dale Ragan, Mark Hulst, Ken Quam, Mike Urban, Bob Fiedler, Gary Molenaar and Mayor Jill Boudreau. Staff members present were Bob Hyde, Rebecca Lowell, Rick Prosser, Kevin Rogerson, and Alicia Huschka. Minutes: Mr. Fiedler moved, second by Mr. Molenaar, to approve the minutes from September 16, 2015. Motion carried. Downtown Parking Changes Ordinance: Mr. Hyde provided a review of the current parking fine schedule. He reported that the revenue, year to date, for parking tickets has been $66,000. Mr. Hyde presented a new fine schedule. Most zones will be moved to 3 hours. He did ask council their opinion on the two hour zones located on Pacific Place and on Continental Place. Mr. Lindquist suggested that the city ask the Riverside Health Club if they had any input. City Council agreed to keep Continental Place a two hour zone. Mr. Hyde informed Council that the revised ordinance would be presented on December 9th. Marketing Committee Interlocal Agreement: Mr. Hyde explained that the current agreement expires December 31, 2015. A three year agreement is proposed. The agreement needs approval from: City of Mount Vernon, Port of Skagit, Skagit Hospital District No. 1, Mount Vernon School District, Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Lindquist asked about a new marketing firm. Mr. Hyde said they are in the process of looking for a new marketing firm. Comprehensive Plan Update Survey Results: Mr. Hyde reported that there have been 400 responses to the survey. A power point presentation was provided to show the varied results to the questions. Buildable Lands & Land Capacity Analysis Briefing: Mrs. Lowell presented a power point briefing City Council on the background of what and why. She presented the methodology and the preliminary numbers for land needed for homes and jobs. Engineering Standards Review Update: Mrs. Chesterfield provided an update to the Engineering Standards joint review. The last update to these standards was 2004. The group consists of City staff members and individuals from the development community. City staff meets every Friday to update the Engineering Standards. Those results are forwarded to the development community prior to the joint review. They are currently working on street and sewer standards. It is anticipated the review will be completed by the end of the year. Following adoption it will be posted on the City’s website. Page 1 of 2 City Projects Update: Mr. Hyde gave a power point presentation providing updates on the following projects:  Valley Shine Distillery to move into 320 S. 1st Street (formerly Hellen’s Needle Work)  The Brunet Building has new owners who are planning to remodel for commercial and residential uses  Utilities have been installed in the alleys downtown during the past summer, nearly complete  Burger Master has completed paving  Utility installation continues downtown and should be completed in October  Farmstrong Brewery is having a soft opening September 19th  Viva Terra tenant improvement is complete  Value Village shopping center is getting a face lift Mr. Prosser provided updates on several building projects:  Cascade West Apartments have begun exterior repairs of the fire damage  Remediation of the contaminated soils at the future County jail has removed 3,000 yards so far  The wall on the REO detention pond is being repaired  Poulsbo RV is preparing their property for a new display lot  Kincaid Building roof is complete although the mortar is failing, loosening bricks. A restoration firm will give bid for repair 2016 Comprehensive Plan Update: Mrs. Lowell reported the next and final public outreach is Saturday, September 19, 2015. Over 200 people have participated in the online survey. She has collected a lot of data and on schedule for the June 2016 deadline. It will be presented to Council in November. Landscape Code Requirements: Staff is proposing amendments to the landscape code that would include commercial and residential development. Maintenance bonds would be required and released after 2 years with an arborist approval. There being no further business the meeting adjourned. Page 2 of 2