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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCEDC Minutes 2005-04-06 RegularCommunity and Economic Development Committee Minutes April 6, 2005 The Community and Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday, April 6, 2005, at 8 a.m. in the second floor conference room of City Hall, 910 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, Texas with the following members present: Chair Tony Banfield, Vice Chair Gregory Crinion, Maurice Estlinbaum, Brent Goswick, Gary Harris, Rebecca Hillenburg, Kirk Lippert, and Robert McAfoos. Also present were the following liaisons: Friendswood Chamber of Commerce President Carol Jones and Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership representative Brian Freedman. Staff members present were Karen Capps and Ron Cox. Also present were Gwen Griffin and Christina Brodsley of Griffin Integrated Marketing, and Bill Finger of the Main Street Committee. Absent from the meeting were Zekie McVeigh, Kevin Holland, Jerry Ericsson, Trish Hanks, Ron McPherson, and Jim Reinhartsen. 1. Call to Order. Chair Banfield called the meeting to order at 8:05 a.m. with a quorum present. 2. Approval of Minutes. Gary Harris made a motion to approve the March 2, 2005 meeting minutes. Greg Crinion made a motion to amend the meeting minutes. Gary Harris seconded the change to the minutes and it passed unanimously in the committee. 3. Report from sub -committees regarding 2004-2005 goals. Rebecca Hillenburg reported on the Communication subcommittee's work. The group met on March 25, and at that time reviewed the final message and the next course of action. Rebecca said that Gwen Griffin will create a presentation and question and answer informational sheet to be used in small group meetings where members of the CEDC, City Council, and other designated persons will provide information to the public about the importance of economic development. Karen Capps reminded the committee that City Council requested to review the message and information that will be disseminated prior to the public meetings. Greg Crinion stated that the Corridor subcommittee is on hold until the detention study is done for the panhandle area and more information is available regarding the proposed alignment of the Brittany Bay extension. Kirk Lippert reported on the Large Undeveloped Parcels subcommittee. The subcommittee met on April 4, and reviewed maps of the FM 528 area from the Public Safety Building site southeast of the Friendswood/Alvin city limits. A large aerial map and a smaller map depicting land ownership, zoning, utility availability, and the floodplain, were reviewed. 4. Report from Carol Jones regarding planned Chamber festival events. Friendswood Chamber President, Carol Jones, reported on current and planned festivals in the city. Current festivals include Halloween in the Park, Easter in the Park, Fourth of July, and the Christmas Parade. On April 23, the Chamber will host their first Auto and Bike Extravaganza in Stevenson Park. The Chamber is also planning a new Fig Festival that will be held in the fall of 2007. 5. Discussion ret!ardint! the proposed Tree Ordinance. Greg Crinion and Tony Banfield reported on the proposed Tree Ordinance principle areas of importance. Greg Crinion said that in the new Ordinance, a tree survey would be required on commercial land with trees that are 12 inches in diameter in size or larger. Trees that are 12 inches in diameter or greater must be replaced one for another. All replacement trees must be three inches in diameter or larger. Follow-up will be made to ensure that all replacement trees and trees remaining on site will stay on the property at least two years after development. Aerials may be used to survey large tracts of land. A tree survey is not required if there are no trees on the property or if trees are less than 12 inches in diameter. For landscaping, one tree of at least two inches in diameter, per every 30 linear feet on the property, must be located on the frontage and one tree of two inches in diameter must be located in buffer or transition zones. Greg and Tony stated the tree committee is still working on the heritage tree section of the Ordinance. 6. Report from CEDC liaison to Planning and Zoning. Gary Harris reported on the March P&Z meetings. The commission discussed and approved commercial site plans for Walgreen's and Friendswood Lakes Office building. 7. Other Reports: A. Development Projects Karen Capps gave a report on current prospects and projects underway. She reported on several medical prospects with interest in different areas in the city. B. Main Street Bill Finger reported on work and recommendations prepared by three Main Street subcommittees. The three subcommittees are: Main Street Entity subcommittee, Main Street Director Search subcommittee, and the Main Street Business Environment subcommittee. The Entity subcommittee will recommend that Council create a separate local government corporation to oversee and implement the Main Street redevelopment plan. The Director subcommittee researches salary, position description, and qualifications regarding hiring a Main Street Director, but will wait to recommend hiring a full time person until fundraising is pursued. The Business Environment subcommittee is working on several issues including drainage availability, incentives, and new mixed -use main street zoning measures. Bill told the CEDC that these recommendations were presented to City Council at a work session on April 4, 2005. 8. Adiournment. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:28 a.m.