City Council Committee Agendas

City of Mount Vernon Economic Development Committee Minutes from August 17, 2016 Chairperson Joe Lindquist called the meeting to order. Present were Council members Mark Hulst, Dale Ragan, Ken Quam, Mary Hudson, Bob Fiedler, Gary Molenaar and Mayor Jill Boudreau. Staff members present included Bob Hyde, Rebecca Lowell and Peter Donovan. Minutes: Mr. Lindquist moved, second by Ms. Hudson, to approve the minutes from July 20, 2016. Motion carried. Commercial Business Opportunities Discussion: Mr. Hyde opened up the discussion regarding options for the existing City shop property. Mr. Ragan expressed that he felt that the value of the property would be 2.2 to 2.6 million. He suggested declaring the property surplus, using it for the highest and best use, and then creating another Public Works facility at another location. He commented that City storage is a misuse of the property. Ms. Hudson asked what would happen if developed. Mr. Hyde and Mrs. Lowell responded with zoning information and concerns about access, including that the route from I‐5 is not optimal for retail. Also, the sewer interceptor runs through this property. Additional discussion ensued about the possibility of combining Public Works with another utility. Mr. Fiedler agreed that there could be a better use of this property. Mayor Boudreau asked the council if they would like the City to proceed with research on this property. The general response was to not proceed with research at this time. CED Staffing: Mr. Hyde explained to council that the Building, Engineering and Planning departments all have consulting staff that have been used to keep up with the work demand. The Engineering Department will need additional support in the coming year to continue help with review and assisting with additional work due to the new Storm Water Code. The Planning Department will require additional staff for Post Comprehensive Plan work. Mr. Hyde provided information that showed how many hours are needed. Mr. Hyde proposed to add one day to the existing Permit Tech job to assist with the work load. He also outlined the possible options for the additional Planning work load. The options are: ‐Hire a sub‐contractor ‐Hire a second Planner ‐Continue the existing consultant contract ‐Planner hired in 2018 ‐Push the work out Mr. Hulst suggested the second Planner now. Mr. Fiedler agreed and asked that a solid proposal be brought back to Council. Development Update: Mr. Hyde reviewed that Craft Stove and Hansen’s Furniture were both planning on rebuilding after the fire. Master Insulation’s new building on Railroad is almost complete. Poulsbo RV is expanding their sales lot. Mrs. Lowell gave an update and provided some back history on the recent YMCA land purchase. There being no further business the meeting adjourned. Page 1 of 1