Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCEDC Minutes 2013-11-13 RegularFriendswood Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting Minutes November 13, 2013 The Friendswood Community and Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday, November 13, 2013, at 8:30 a.m., in the second floor conference room of City Hall, 910 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, Texas, with the following members present: Vice Chair Tony Annan, Brett Banfield, Mark Conrad, Jeremy Magnuson, Marcus Perry, Bill Provenzano, and Dr. Hilmar Zeissig. Liaisons present were City Councilmember Carl Gustafson, Friendswood Chamber of Commerce President Carol Marcantel, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Executive Director of Special Initiatives Dan Seal, and Planning and Zoning Commissioner Jim Gibson. Absent from the meeting were Skip Evans and Pauline Moore. Staff members present were Karen Capps, Aubrey Harbin, and Nick Haby. Also present was Friendswood resident Jim Gerland. 1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order by Vice Chair Tony Annan at 8:31 a.m. with a quorum present. 2. Roll Call. Roll call was made. 3. Approval of Minutes. A motion was made by Bill Provenzano to approve the October 2 and October 7, 2013 meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Jeremy Magnuson and it passed unanimously in the committee. 4. Discussion regarding Planning and Zoning Commission's recommended changes to the City's Permitted Use Table Aubrey Harbin and Nick Haby gave an overview of the Planning and Zoning Commission's proposed changes to the permitted use table which included updating the table from referencing the 1997 North American Classification System (NAICS) book to the 2012 book. There was discussion whether P&Z might consider allowing specialty trade contractors in the community shopping center zone with a specific use permit. A joint work session with City Council is tentatively planned in December. 5. Discussion and possible action, but not limited to the Community and Economic Development Committee's strategic plan, goals, and action items. The committee discussed the recent October 7 work session with City Council in which the FM 528 Strategy was presented and discussed, particularly regarding the committee's recommendation to not downzone properties along FM 528. This followed by discussion about that status of the Whitcomb property along FM 528 and the request by a home developer to rezone/downzone 123 acres to residential use, with the original approved plan to include only 15 acres of residential. The committee expressed concern with City Council's decision of possibly approving the downzoning which doesn't help diversify the tax base. They also cited that it doesn't follow the property's current zoning, the future land use map, FM 528 Strategy, CEDC's nor P&Z's recommendations. 6. Reports: Friendswood Chamber of Commerce Carol Marcantel reported that the chamber is working on Christmas activities including the annual lighted parade. The Chamber currently has more than 550 chamber members. Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Dan Seal reported that the Houston area economy is doing well and that the eight -county Houston area will grow by 100,000. Committee members Tony Annan reported that there seems to be a spike in interest for urgent cares in the area, also known as doc-in-the-box. There are several retailers that have announced they will be open on Thanksgiving day, and since the Christmas holidays are very important to retailers, this would extend the number of shopping days for the holidays. City Staff Karen Capps reported that there were 30 brokers and developers who attended this year's Broker event, and less than 10 who played golf. The event is sponsored by CenterPoint Energy. There were several brokers from Friendswood and other well-known brokers from the Houston area. She also gave a report on attending the International Council of Shopping Centers tradeshow/conference in Dallas that was recently held. 7. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 10:05 a.m.