Economic Development & Neighborhood Renewal

COMMISSION FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & NEIGHBORHOOD RENEWAL MEETING MINUTES February 11, 2015 Persons in attendance: Executive Committee: Charles Ostman – Executive Director Ross Klicker – Associate Executive Director Cathy Spadoni – Secretary Village Manager Steve Vinezeano Joe Bialko Mike Shields Alan Zielinski Mayor Andrew Przybylo – Ex-Officio Stakeholders: Alberto DeCicco Jacob K. Ehrensaft Iwona Filipiak Julie Genualdi Steve Greif Michael Kim Brandon Leavitt Rich Mangold Vicki Peake Katie Schneider Lynda Stoops Rich Wlodarski Guests: Stephen Costa Communications/Multimedia Coordinator Hayley Garard Persons absent: Executive Committee: Trustee Joe LoVerde – Ex-Officio Stakeholders: Ilir Ademaj Carol Harczak Sunghae Kim Paul Kolpak Joe Marcheschi Denise McCreery Judy McNulty Barry Mueller Anthony Ori Thomas Poszdol John Thomas I. Call to Order Charles Ostman called the meeting to order at 6:06 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Village of Niles Administration Building.  Economic Development/Neighborhood Renewal February 11, 2015 II. Approval of Minutes Alan Zielinski made a motion, seconded by Steve Vinezeano, to approve the minutes of the July 31, 2014 meeting and the January 7, 2015 Executive Committee meeting. On voice vote, all concurred. ***** All commission members and guests introduced themselves. Chuck Ostman stated that 2014 was blockbuster year for the Community Development Department in regards to development. 2015 is expected to be as strong. Ross Klicker gave an overview of recent activity. Staff has been reviewing the plans and potential development scenarios for the Milwaukee Avenue Corridor and Touhy Avenue Corridor projects. The Dine-in-Niles program has expanded, largely due to the feedback of this Commission. The Dine-in-Niles card, which was put in the Niles Chamber of Commerce guidebooks, has had a much farther reach than previously experienced and has been very well received by the residents and business community. Regarding the neighborhoods, we plan to formalize their identities. Doing so will build community and encourage people to meet their neighbors through the establishment of neighborhood associations, garden clubs, etc. III. Branding and Marketing Presentation and Discussion pertaining to Village Logo and Tagline A village brand and logo are very important for the identity of a community. LS+Team were brought in to create a new brand and logo for the Village of Niles, as the existing ones do not reflect a modern, growing community. Lisa Sallwasser, brand strategist and owner of LS+Team, and Stephanie Goodman presented their research findings, brand positioning, and logo and tagline identity development process. The key is for the brand positioning statement to encompass everything necessary to show who we are and what we want to be, striving to be realistic as well as aspirational. They conducted qualitative research interviews with Niles residents and business owners in order to get a better sense of the perceptions, attitudes and brand experiences about the Village of Niles. They tried to identify intersecting perceptions of the two groups to create a common platform to build a brand that everyone – current and prospective residents and businesses – can be a part of. Ms. Goodman explained the research methodology. Four key questions (and a fifth question for business owners only) were asked of all respondents: 1) Describe the Village of Niles. Most frequent responses: friendly and peaceful; good for family and kids; a safe place to live/low crime; community activities; schools and parks; older. Other responses: proximity to Chicago; landmarks; diverse population; Village services; shopping and restaurants; transportation (specifically the Free Bus service) 2) If the Village of Niles were a person, what personality traits or human characteristics would you give it? Responses: intelligent; foodies; cheerful; vibrant; pretty 2  Economic Development/Neighborhood Renewal February 11, 2015 3) What images or visuals came to mind when answering question #2? Responses: community activities; parks and schools; 4th of July parade; neighborhoods; Greek Fest; recreation facilities; library; Free Bus service. Business owners responded: Village operation; good businesses; growth; public health; housing 4) What is Niles’ greatest strength and its greatest weakness? Strengths: maintain low taxes; pro-business; schools; Village cooperation; safety; Free Bus; library; neighborhoods; activities for all ages. Weaknesses: perception of Niles in general; no downtown; managing Village growing pains; pedestrian friendly; Village indecision (video gambling and gun shop) 5) What would make the Village of Niles a more desirable community in which to work and live? (asked of business owners only) Responses: improve public transportation (access to work); expand helpful services (Free Bus); flood control; pedestrian accessibility; attract younger people; renewable technology; more parking; greater support of mayoral platform Respondents were asked to select from a list the personality attributes that most apply to Niles and then select two to three of the strongest traits. The result is that Niles is seen as a safe, family-oriented, friendly community. From these findings, brand attributes, a brand personality and brand cornerstones were developed, leading to the Brand Positioning Statement, which is how we see ourselves and how we’re moving forward: The Village of Niles is proudly built upon friendly, multi-cultural neighborhoods, with best-in-class services, low taxes and efficient multi-modal transportation for all its residents – urban professionals, young families and senior citizens alike. Bordering Chicago, Niles is safe, clean and conveniently located, with good schools, and a community which embraces ethnic diversity and comes together to enjoy events, festivals and cultures. Niles is truly easy to do business with and is home to several major corporations and signature businesses. Ms. Sallwasser stated that the purpose of a signature tagline is to build a brand narrative and say something about Niles that no one else can say. It should be aspirational and inspirational, contemporary and timeless, with multiple meanings on which to build the brand. A tagline is not just a sentence; it is a challenge and a descriptor. The target audiences are current and prospective residents, urban professionals, young families, new nesters (people moving out of the city), and current and prospective businesses. She discussed our current logos and taglines and the logos and taglines of other communities. Ms. Sallwasser presented LS+Team’s two proposed taglines: Tagline Option 1 – “rules rewritten. stories told.” “rules rewritten” – The Village of Niles is progressive and innovative. When things need to change, they go through the proper channels and make strategic decisions to create rules that work and are fair. They are not afraid to challenge the status quo and go back to the drawing board for the greater good. 3  Economic Development/Neighborhood Renewal February 11, 2015 “stories told” – Everyone has a story to tell and needs to be heard. Your story is a part of the fabric of our Village. We hear you and celebrate the uniqueness, diversity and community that you shape. Your business success story is lauded and supported here. We want you to build your life and business here. Tagline Option 2 – “new thinking. next door.” “new thinking” – The Village of Niles is progressive and innovative. When things need to change with refreshed, new thinking, they go through the proper channels and make strategic decisions to create directions that work and are fair. They are not afraid to challenge the status quo and go back to the drawing board for the greater good. Fresh and open thinking is imperative to economic growth and to attract new young families and city transplants. “next door” – This refers to a) the vital neighboring community of Chicago, a desirable, formidable, vibrant metropolis; and b) your next door neighbors. Here is where positive changes and growth are possible. Ms. Sallwasser spoke about the significance of color and the advantage of using timeless, progressive, crisp colors such as blue, green and orange. Blue: reliable and responsible Green: creates equilibrium between the head and the heart Orange: optimistic and uplifting Ms. Sallwasser stated that the goal of LS+Team was to design Niles-centric logos that are dynamic, smart, fresh, forward-thinking and bold. She presented three logo options and explained the reasons behind the designs. Logo and tagline A: the Leaning Tower, houses, condos, a bus, and trees on an arch, all in gray, above the Village name written in blue in all capital letters. Below was Option 1 tagline in green. Logo and tagline B: the map of Niles in green with Milwaukee Avenue and other major thoroughfares indicated in white. The Village name in blue, upper and lower case with a green dot on the “i”, was located to the right of the map. Option 2 tagline was below the name. Above the name was “Village Est 1899.” Logo and tagline C: a white letter “N” inside a blue rhombus, with the right corner of the shape in green, forming an arrow pointing toward the Village name. The Village name was in gray in upper and lower case, with “Village Est 1899” in blue above the name and Option 1 tagline in blue below the name. The next steps are to gather input from the Commission, meet with the Village Board and, once the logo and tagline are approved, begin creating marketing materials. IV. Open Discussion Mr. Klicker reiterated that the logo needs to work for current and future residents and current and future businesses, and that the tagline needs to do that in three or four words. 4  Economic Development/Neighborhood Renewal February 11, 2015 The Commission members provided feedback about the logos and taglines as follows: Logo A:  incorporates a lot of what the Commission has been talking about.  is more family-friendly that the others.  Figures in gray do not stand out. Would prefer bolder colors.  is aesthetically pleasing. The shape is progressive and friendly at a glance. The roundness incorporates business, family, the Leaning Tower, bus. You don’t have to think about it too much.  A phrase often used in architecture is “Straight is the line of duty; curved is the line of beauty.” The curve and the gray tones keep your eye coming back to it and its message continues to resonate, even if subliminally, the more you look at it.  is warmer than the message given in Logo C.  Replace the tagline on Logo A with Village Est. 1899 to send a complete message.  is family-fun and is more indicative of Niles because we’re an informal, laid back group.  Change one of the clouds into a sun.  Half-tone (gray) is right.  When the Village has been established is not important nor is it a big selling point.  hits the mark because Niles has not had a tough time getting businesses to come here. This is a great place for businesses to be. Niles is centrally located – 294, 94, 90, O’Hare Airport, 20 minutes from downtown Chicago, trains, busses. Niles is far enough from the city but close enough.  With Tagline Option 1, helps define the Village’s identity. Logo B:  is appealing because it indicates Niles’ great location and its proximity to major thoroughfares such as I-294 and I-90.  Map is missing the Touhy Avenue corridor, which is an important part of our plans.  Font is nice, but the map is not right for where we’re going.  illustrates the main focus of this group – driving through and seeing the development of the corridor  is too corporate and not as friendly as Logo A.  is confusing because you might not readily know it’s the map of Niles; it could look like an inkblot.  will not reduce well. (It was noted that there are brand guidelines that take size into consideration.)  Residents may know what it is, but it will not appeal to visitors.  looks too much like a map of Chicago and that may not be what we want to convey. People want to be close enough, but they don’t want to be in the city.  is stale and harder to work with than Logo A. Logo C:  has a corporate feel and would likely appeal to businesses. The forward-pointing arrow on the “N” shows that we’re moving forward and working toward the future.  is simpler than the others; the arrow is very subtle.  looks like a bank logo. 5  Economic Development/Neighborhood Renewal February 11, 2015  is streamlined.  is too corporate and not as friendly and warm as Logo A.  is easy to work with and simple to draw.  is stale and harder to work with than Logo A. Tagline Option 1 – “rules rewritten. stories told”:  is bold and is one to take notice of  has a negative connotation; it does not give a positive vibe.  The message is unclear. We can do better on the four-word phrase.  is relevant because we do rewrite rules in Niles. Rewriting rules is not a bad thing. It’s not about breaking rules that are there; it’s about rewriting rules to be progressive and forward-thinking.  brought to mind that we have to rewrite the rules because we broke them all.  “rules rewritten” along with “stories told” is not forward-moving at all.  doesn’t jump out.  Font of tagline is difficult to read.  does not send a good message. It needs more work.  “stories told” is too past tense. It isn’t forward-moving  gives the Village Communication MultiMedia Coordinator a lot to work with on our TV station, our newletter and our website.  “rewritten rules” on a police patch sends a mixed message and is probably not a good idea.  You only get one chance to make a first impression. Several Commission members thought that rules rewritten was negative and gave a bad first impression. That may not be the kind of attention we want to get.  “rules rewritten ” isn’t so much negative as it is ambiguous. A lot can be read into that phrase.  is captivating. There is something to be said for something that grabs you, engages you and makes you want to think.  “rules rewritten” will grab attention and elicit conversation, making us unique and allowing us to stand out, which is very helpful for economic development. Tagline Option 2 – “new thinking. next door”:  is safer than Option 1  “new thinking” is okay, but” next door” is confusing and indicates to go someplace else because it’s not here, it’s next door. Taglines suggested by Commission members:  Dynamic. Smart. Fresh. Forward-thinking. (One would be proud to live in a place like that. This is specific yet intriguing. You don’t want people to have to figure out what your tagline means.)  new thinking. stories told. (It’s new thinking but with a history.)  Proudly progressing. (A simple tagline that takes into account family, the Village as a whole and corporate ideas that have been discussed.)  Just be here.  Niles – Inspirational, Aspirational, Close Enough, Far Enough 6  Economic Development/Neighborhood Renewal February 11, 2015  Things are happening.  Live. Work. Thrive.  Fall in Love with Niles (a simple phrase that reflects the feelings that came through in the survey, such as safe and progressive, and will convey the feeling to the outside community.)  Crossroads of Community and Commerce (cut from the original list of possible taglines because, while it was highly descriptive, it was not inspiring or captivating.) Miscellaneous comments:  LS+Team wants to create intrigue and thoughtfulness with the logo and tagline. The logo is a connotation, not a definition. While they have gathered many words that describe the Village, adjectives do not make a tagline. The tagline must make Niles stand out, not just say that Niles is a great place.  The new logo and tagline will be put on everything – letterhead, signage and the Village flag.  A tagline should grab you in three minutes, not three weeks.  The tagline should reflect the fact that parents will move to an area for the schools. Businesses will feed off of that and the community will thrive. The Commissioners were asked to vote on their favorite options using the electronic voting devices. Logo A: 14 Logo B: 1 Lobo C: 3 Tagline 1: 5 Tagline 2: 1 None of the Above: 13 The results of the vote for the tagline indicate the need to do more research, to take it back to the drawing board, or both. Ms. Sallwasser stated that they would like to do more research with people outside of Niles who may be considering Niles as a future home/business location. Then they can create another series of taglines. It was noted that this research would be outside of the scope of work initially contracted for, so a revised contract will be necessary. It was suggested that rather than go outside of Niles, LS+Team could go back to the notes of this meeting to see if there are enough usable ideas. LS+Team will review the comments, taking them into consideration, and will formulate the next step in this process. All commissioners were invited to submit three to four captivating words that describe the Village of Niles in a positive way. Email Cathy Spadoni with your ideas by 5:00 p.m., Friday, February 20, 2015. ***** 7  Economic Development/Neighborhood Renewal February 11, 2015 Ross Klicker provided an update as to what happened in 2014 as it pertains to community development and economic development for the Village of Niles.  Staff is working on the Milwaukee Avenue Corridor Plan and the Zoning Code Rewrite. The second draft of the Zoning Code Rewrite will be completed this week and will be submitted to an outside consultant for review.  Staff is working on the Touhy Avenue (Arts, Cultural and Economic Development) Corridor Plan and is exploring the possibility of TIF district financing for this area to encourage development.  The Costco gas pumps are “wildly” successful. They are pumping 670,000 gallons per month – over three times what a typical gas station pumps. Costco has estimated that, because of the gas pumps, their sales at the Niles store have increased 35%.  The Aldi on Waukegan Road will close on February 28 and will re-open on March 2 on Touhy Avenue near Costco. Other parties are interested in the Waukegan Road site.  Woodward, an aerospace engineering firm, has built a new facility on Howard Street, consolidating their Skokie and Niles operations and increasing their number of employees to 900. Several businesses are interested in the new class-A industrial building that will be constructed on the former Woodward site.  In May, Wildwood Inn will take over the restaurant on Touhy and Caldwell.  Unique Insurance Company will take over the 7400 Caldwell building – formerly the A.B. Dick office building – and will employ 100 people.  The new ownership of Golf Mill Mall has plans to bring in national tenants.  The new ownership of Golf Mill Mall will no longer allow Golf Mill Ford to use the Golf Mill Mall parking lot for their overflow parking. Staff has assisted Golf Mill Ford in finding a location on Golf Road for their overflow parking. This proposal will go before the Village Board for approval.  Staff has been working with many Niles’ businesses that are looking to expand their operations and stay in Niles, i.e. Swiss Precision Machining who would like to increase the number of employees and production space; and the ownership group of Travelers Inn who is proposing to tear down and redevelop the hotel and restaurant and build a 100- room Holiday Inn Express.  Fresh Farms will open a second location on Golf Road in Four Flags in May.  The Grainger facility on Howard Street has been demolished and a new facility has been constructed for FedEx Ground. It will take 12 months to outfit the building to fit their needs.  Retail updates: Dollar Tree opened in the old Adams Elevator building on Harlem and Chase; Sleepy’s, the mattress giant, has opened three locations in Niles and is looking for a fourth location.  Annual community events: Bike Niles, this year on June 6 at Gemini Junior High, with a dedication of the first official bike route in Niles; Holly Jolly Christmas Market and Tree Lighting, this year on November 28; Maria SS Lauretana Society Fest on Labor Day weekend at Golf Mill Park. There was a request that a basic recap of this information be provided via a newsletter and on the website for the benefit of Niles businesses and residents. 8  Economic Development/Neighborhood Renewal February 11, 2015 ***** Mayor Przybylo thanked the Commission members for their participation and Hayley Garard for the videos she has produced – one regarding property taxes and others highlighting A Day in the Life of… a Public Works employee, a firefighter and a police officer. These videos can be found on the Village website; there are more videos to come. The Arts and Culture Council has been established. The Village is involved in many events, and we will work together to promote these events. V. Agenda Items for Next Meeting The new logo and tagline will be the topics of discussion at the next meeting. VI. Next Meeting Date The date and time of the next meeting will be determined. VII. Adjournment There being no further business to come before the Commission, Ross Klicker made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Alan Zielinski. On voice vote, all concurred. The meeting adjourned at 8:36 p.m. 2014-2015 Ad Hoc Commission for Economic Development & Neighborhood Renewal Executive Committee Members Administrative Officers Members Charles Ostman – Executive Director Steven Vinezeano – Village Manager Ross Klicker – Assoc Executive Director Joe Bialko – resident Cathy Spadoni – Secretary Mike Shields – resident Alan Zielinski - resident Ex Officio Members Mayor Andrew Przybylo Trustee Joe LoVerde 9